.jpg)
Jennifer reviews a Hanukkah book…
Some of the contemporary romance I write involves Jewish
characters. I’ve spoken before about the need for diversity in romance (as have
many others) and why I choose to sometimes write Jewish romance. There are many
other authors who have echoed my thoughts and in fact, there was an interesting
article in RT Magazine about this very subject. While I didn’t agree with
everything the author said, I’m glad the discussion is occurring—we all benefit
from discussions of diversity, whether it’s regarding religion, skin color,
culture or anything else.
Sarah Wendell, known for her amazing blog, Smart BitchesTrashy Books, also wrote a Jewish romance, Lighting the Flames: A Hanukkah Story, revolving around Jewish summer camp
and Hanukkah. I read it and thought I’d post about it here.
 |
| Amazon |
Blurb:
Genevieve and Jeremy have known each other since they were
seven, and have been summertime best friends at Camp Meira, a Jewish overnight
camp in the mountains. As campers, and then as staff, their friendship was a
constant, something neither wanted to change, no matter how tempting those
changes might be.
Then, last year, with little warning, Jeremy left camp early.
After that summer, Gen left the country on a graduate fellowship.
Now,
a little over a year since they were last at Meira, Gen and Jeremy are back
together to help run a special Winter Camp during Hanukkah. Any water under the
bridge is frozen this time of year, and with so much left unspoken and
unexplained, this week may be their chance to rekindle their friendship, or turn
it into something new.
The
book was a lot of fun to read. Although I never went to a Jewish summer camp,
my kids did and my husband is involved with it and I loved how the experience
was portrayed. She did a great job capturing the intensity of relationships
that develop at camp, as well as the “weirdness” of trying to maintain that
relationship outside of camp. The characters were well developed and the story
was enjoyable to read. If you’re looking for a story where the religion and
culture are woven in seamlessly, this is a great place to start.
4
Hearts
