What people are saying about In the Courtyard of the Kabbalist
NEWS:
Tablet: The New York Times Got their Israel reading list all wrong: Click here.
"Kill Fonzie" receives Lawrence Foundation Prize for best short story published that year in the Michigan Quarterly Review. Click here.
Movie rights to Courtyard Kabbalist are sold to Glitterbomb Ltd.
Buzzfeed Books includes Courtyard Kabbalist on its list: "31 books that will restore your faith in humanity." Click here, and on its list: 37 books with mind-blowing plot twists." Click here.
Courtyard Kabbalist is selected as an American Library Association Sophie Brody Honor Title for outstanding Jewish literature.
Ruchama talks about her book on the Jewish TV Channel. Click hereto listen.
The Star Ledger includes Courtyard Kabbalist as one of ten best novels from New Jersey authors in 2014. Click here
Richmond Review in British Columbia selects Courtyard Kabbalist as best novel of the year. Click here
"In the Courtyard of the Kabbalist" is a finalist in the fiction category in the National Jewish Book Awards.
Wall Street Journal names "In the Courtyard of the Kabbalist" as one of the best novels in 2013. Click here or go to Ruchama's blog for the story.
To read the front page story about the novel in the Bergen Record click here.
To read about the staged reading of an excerpt from Ruchama's novel with the New Jersey Playwrights Theatre in the Daily Record, click here.
To read a profile of Ruchama in The Tower, click here.
REVIEWS:
"Feuerman’s novel has the most vivid, alive characters. ..like [the] big huge novels from India by Rohinton Mistry." --Bill McKibben, Boston Globe
"An uncommon delight...[a] triumph." John Wilson, Christianity Today, Books and Culture To read the entire review click here
"...gritty, compassionate without being sentimental….”In the Courtyard of the Kabbalist” is ultimately a story of love transcending deformity, both inner and outer…a book that speaks of seeing beyond appearances: beyond large entities such as the Arab or Jewish collectives to the individual standing before us….extraordinary, delicate and memorable.” --Yael Unterman, Ha'aretz
"[Feuerman] tells a story that is spiritually generous and astutely realistic..." --Risa Miller, The Brooklyn Rail Click here for the rest of the review.
“In The Courtyard Of The Kabbalist is a beautifully written, emotionally evocative novel enriched by fascinating characters and an unparalleled portrait of the magical city that is Jerusalem.” — Jonathan Kellerman
"...beautifully detailed and vivid...a delicate balance of courtship tale and thriller...I strongly recommend it for anyone who appreciates fiction about Israel, traditional Jews or the Mideast conflict."
--Rebecca Stumpf, Dallas Morning News
"...a sophisticated and engaging book. Moreover, it treats an endlessly tangled topic—relations between Palestinian Arabs and Jews—with intelligence and originality...brilliant...a manifestly terrific novel!"
--Barton Swaim, Wall Street Journal To read the entire review click here
“…a testament to the power of imagination… fabulous.” Beth Kisseileff, Jerusalem Post
"...[a] beguiling novel...Feuerman writes with grace and wit, and in her descriptions of Jerusalem you can hear echoes of Hebrew poets across the millennia...In the Courtyard of the Kabbalist is as wise as it is heartfelt." - Jewish Week
"...romantic, suspenseful and insightful..." Hadassah Magazine
"[Feuerman] creates a compelling world within a world in Jerusalem. She conveys spiritual longings and the yearnings for human connection, all informed by the heavenly city and its mysteries."
Sandee Brawarsky, Jewish Woman Magazine
"...this elegant novel explores a kind connection rarely seen, particularly between an Arab and a Jew." Jacqueline Cutler, The Star Ledger
"...her rich and vivid evocation of contemporary Jerusalem, and especially the people and places in Jerusalem...would not be out of place in a novel by Isaac Bashevis Singer." --Jonathan Kirsch, Los Angeles Jewish Journal Click here to read entire review.
"A beautiful novel that coils the history and mystery of Jerusalem into a private and vivid tale of personal dignity, ownership, love-- and the overlap of all three, the space we call the soul." — Dara Horn, author of Guide for the Perplexed
"...irresistible...{Feuerman's} Jerusalem, riven though it is by tensions between the sacred and profane, remains an intoxicating place, where diffident lovers inhabit an atmosphere as romantically charged as 'The Song of Songs.'" — Steve Stern
"An amazing novel that lets you in a magical exotic world. Both entertaining and enlightening." -- Lara Vapnyar, author of Memoirs of a Muse
"...vivid and masterful ... The novel seamlessly mixes the history of the city with the modern complexities of two societies, Arab and Jewish, living side-by-side in mistrust and sometimes in hatred. Feuerman moves beyond the superficial and shows us the compassion and humanity of these very people looking for place, spirituality and love in the same holy city." Bloom
"...makes for some of the most deeply interesting, challenging reading of the year." Marakay Rogers, Broadway Books World
To read the entire review click here
"One man’s trash is another man’s treasure—and sometimes, one man’s trash is another man’s history. " Jewniverse
"Ruchama Feuerman combines qualities of I.B. Singer touched with the melancholy humor of Sholom Aleichem and Bernard Malamud, sparked with magical realism worthy of Isak Dinesen. Her vision is large and generous. In the Courtyard of the Kabbalist is exactly the kind of book I wish I'd written myself."
--Liz Rozenberg, author of The Laws of Gravity
"Feuerman asks [the] most delectable questions in the form of a fable... infected, like the novels of Meir Shalev, with a kind of Jewish mystical magical realism. She is a wonderfully empathetic and perceptive writer... masterful..." --Nathaniel Popkin Cleaver Magazine
"...evocative...depicted with a lyricism that contrasts with the area’s political tension ...[written in a] quiet, lovely mood.” — Publishers Weekly
"A tender, almost Malamudian fable of chosenness and redemption, In the Courtyard of the Kabbalist is not content to tread lightly upon sacred ground, but dares to dig for treasure below." -- Robert Cohen
"I love fiction that teaches me something. The Courtyard of the Kabbalist not only taught me about the Koran, the Kabbalah, archeology, and the Mideast, it also taught me much about how the window of the human heart can fling open, allowing light into the darkest places." --Rochelle Jewel Shapiro, author of Miriam the Medium, and Kaylee's Ghost
"Feuerman writes with authority and convincing detail that soon draws readers into her story with its “mishmash of cultures." With its colorful and believable cast of characters, this book is a hearty and flavorful chicken soup to warm the spirits of anyone interested in....Middle Eastern society with all its blemishes and hopes." --Library Journal
"Ruchama King writes with a light touch and great insight. This book is hard to put down." — Alice Elliott Dark
"...suspenseful, beautifully lyrical and psychologically penetrating. It delves into the ambivalence of love as well as into the complex political scene of Israel...Feuerman writes gently and openly, seeing all sides of the issues and of her memorable creations." -- Na'amat Woman
“…a richly woven tale of self discovery, romance and culture clash against the backdrop of Jerusalem… enchanting.” Jewish Standard
"I came to care about Mustafa as much if not more than Isaac. The story
of these two men, and their hopes and dreams, is beautifully written and ultimately moving." The Reporter
Ruchama King Feuerman is represented by Anna Olswanger of
Liza Dawson Associates
350 Seventh Avenue, Suite 2003 | New York, NY 10001-1930
t: 201-791-4699 | anna.olswanger@verizon.net
Inquiries regarding foreign rights should be addressed to Ms. Olswanger.
To send a message to Ruchama regarding speaking events contact her at: ruchamakf@gmail.com