The Covered Wife
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- Create Date：2021-08-03 06:52:02
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Lisa Emanuel
- ISBN：064874891X
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Summary
Sarah is a smart， young lawyer living in Bondi when she falls head over heels。
Daniel is handsome， passionate and is part of the kind of large， chaotically loving family Sarah longed for as an only child。
When Daniel introduces her to a charismatic young couple， rabbi Menachem Lev and his wife， Chani， despite herself， Sarah is drawn in by the vibrant community at the beachside synagogue。 By the time the couple move to the Jamison Valley， where Menachem and Chani have established a community of believers， Sarah can't imagine life without the joy， purpose and love she's discovered。
Four years on， youthful passion has given way to something darker。 The community will celebrate its first wedding， between the beautiful convert， Avital， and a much older divorcee， but no one seems to be able to give a clear explanation of where Rebecca， his wife， has gone。 In the lead up to the wedding a series of terrifying truths emerges that rock Sarah's world and cause her to question everything - her faith， her marriage， and her future。
Daniel is handsome， passionate and is part of the kind of large， chaotically loving family Sarah longed for as an only child。
When Daniel introduces her to a charismatic young couple， rabbi Menachem Lev and his wife， Chani， despite herself， Sarah is drawn in by the vibrant community at the beachside synagogue。 By the time the couple move to the Jamison Valley， where Menachem and Chani have established a community of believers， Sarah can't imagine life without the joy， purpose and love she's discovered。
Four years on， youthful passion has given way to something darker。 The community will celebrate its first wedding， between the beautiful convert， Avital， and a much older divorcee， but no one seems to be able to give a clear explanation of where Rebecca， his wife， has gone。 In the lead up to the wedding a series of terrifying truths emerges that rock Sarah's world and cause her to question everything - her faith， her marriage， and her future。
Reviews
Essie Agnew
，
So good。 The ending…😳 A thought provoking story。
Merav Ross
，
I really enjoyed listening to this book through Audible。 Florette Cohen’s voice was pleasant to listen to and she pronounced all the Hebrew really well which I appreciated as well。 The storyline was interesting until the end and I highly recommend this novel to anyone and to bookclub groups in specific as there is a lot to discuss。
Gill Mount-Bryson
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Wow what a read。 The ending certainly was different to what I expected which was brilliant！ So good to be taken by surprise。 This book had me thinking about it even when I wasnt reading it。An awesome read！
Emma Cloak
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Intriguing！！Loved this book！！ Frightening how religion can be used in such a cult like form！！ A real page turner with an interesting ending。 Can’t wait to read her next book！！
Anusha Siobhan
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I vacillated between 3/5 and 4/5 - ultimately landing on 4/5 because even now， hours after finishing the book， I am still sitting with the unease and discomfort Lisa Emanuel was able to stir up through her writing。 My heart aches for Sarah， and the way her life took a direction she could have never foreseen。 The book highlights how our need for community and belonging can sometimes cause us to push away those butterflies whispering "something isn't right"。 I read an interview transcript in which I vacillated between 3/5 and 4/5 - ultimately landing on 4/5 because even now， hours after finishing the book， I am still sitting with the unease and discomfort Lisa Emanuel was able to stir up through her writing。 My heart aches for Sarah， and the way her life took a direction she could have never foreseen。 The book highlights how our need for community and belonging can sometimes cause us to push away those butterflies whispering "something isn't right"。 I read an interview transcript in which the author describes her own background and the research process for some of the community and religious themes in the book。 As someone not of Jewish background， I can't comment on the accuracy of this book， but it does seem that Emanuel has done her best to collect a wide range of perspectives。 。。。more
Megs
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A great read， although the end was disappointing。
Lauren
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Oh boy。Oh boy， oh boy， oh boy。 I just finished。 This was a slow start for me but I am so so glad I gave it the time it needed。 Once I was into it I was submerged… I found myself talking back to the book more than I’ve ever talked back to a book （sometimes my husband even answered 😂）。 Right to the very last words。
Glanceabook
，
A sense of unease pervades this story as the religious community develops cult-like practices。 The author involves the reader in Sarah’s thoughts and feelings， so that we get some understanding of how Sarah has been drawn to this way of life。 The tension builds as unexpected plot twists reveal the dark side， and the reader is on tenterhooks， willing Sarah to get away。 This is a page-turning psychological thriller。
Lyn
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I couldn’t put this one down。 The progression of Sarah's life from lonely lawyer to pariah in her new cult community was cleverly done。 The way people were manipulated and controlled was fascinating。 The double standards for men and women were amazing。 My only complaint was that the ending left me a bit high and dry， although as I thought about it， there are a few hints of what might happen next。 Definitely a book to ponder about！ I couldn’t put this one down。 The progression of Sarah's life from lonely lawyer to pariah in her new cult community was cleverly done。 The way people were manipulated and controlled was fascinating。 The double standards for men and women were amazing。 My only complaint was that the ending left me a bit high and dry， although as I thought about it， there are a few hints of what might happen next。 Definitely a book to ponder about！ 。。。more
Athene Alleck
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Brave， complex topic。 Brilliantly drawn characters。 And such a slow smoldering build up - I didn’t even notice I was gnawing at my fingernails for the last quarter of the book。
Kerry Renshaw
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Oh my gosh I loved this book！ What an amazing novel - I was intrigued and couldn’t put it down。 Well done - I was asking questions the entire book and sympathising with the main character - great book thank you
Carmelle Hedges
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A gripping read from the first page， you will not be able to put this book down。 The story is fast paced and so intelligently written in it's format and style。 Emanuel weaves an incredible tapestry of characters together replete with backstories to hold you through the narrative， peeling layers of understanding as she goes。 The scenery of Bondi and later the Jamison Valley are vividly written and provide a stunning backdrop to this thought-provoking and moving novel。 It is not often that one thi A gripping read from the first page， you will not be able to put this book down。 The story is fast paced and so intelligently written in it's format and style。 Emanuel weaves an incredible tapestry of characters together replete with backstories to hold you through the narrative， peeling layers of understanding as she goes。 The scenery of Bondi and later the Jamison Valley are vividly written and provide a stunning backdrop to this thought-provoking and moving novel。 It is not often that one thinks 'this book will stay with me for some time'， but this one definitely will。 Powerfully crafted， an absolute must read。 。。。more
Angela
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I loved it so much。 Couldn’t wait to read it every night before bed。
Alex
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A stunning book。 If you ever wanted to know how sane， rational people can get caught up in a cult，in this case an extreme Jewish cult， this story explains it all。 The character development is deep and realistic and the slow burn of the main character Sarah’s descent into insecurity， fear， heartbreak and near insanity is chilling。 It’s a hard book to put down and will keep you reading right up to it’s infuriating end。
Scott Whitmont
，
When young lawyer Sarah meets the smart， handsome Daniel， the attraction is instant。 Influenced by the charismatic Rabbi Menachem Lev and his wife Chani who take the new couple under their spiritual wing， Sarah finds herself increasingly appreciating the meaning that can come out of Jewish traditions。 She and Daniel become mainstays of the ultra-religious congregation led by the Levs in Bondi and once married， at the would-be utopia set up for the sect’s devotees as a cloistered religious commun When young lawyer Sarah meets the smart， handsome Daniel， the attraction is instant。 Influenced by the charismatic Rabbi Menachem Lev and his wife Chani who take the new couple under their spiritual wing， Sarah finds herself increasingly appreciating the meaning that can come out of Jewish traditions。 She and Daniel become mainstays of the ultra-religious congregation led by the Levs in Bondi and once married， at the would-be utopia set up for the sect’s devotees as a cloistered religious community in the Blue Mountains。The proverbial frog placed in a pot of pleasantly tepid water which is gradually heated， remains and ultimately boils to death without hopping out of its confines。 Sarah， likewise， faces ‘stay or flee’ options as， over time， she finds herself increasingly sequestered with a growing list of restrictions imposed on daily life （even her sex life with Daniel）。Lisa Emanuel’s impressive debut examines what makes a person allow themselves to become devoted to extreme fundamentalism， even when it may be to their own detriment。 What is it about a sense of belonging or a heightened spiritual plane that convinces an otherwise educated and intelligent individual to blindly accept religious despotism and normalize behaviour they would have formerly found abhorrent？ At what stage does religious devotion move along the scale to fundamentalism and then cross the line to cult-like extremism that threatens personal freedom or even physical safety？As the screws tighten， Sarah’s plight is both engrossing and terrifying。 Like Offred’s story in The Handmaid’s Tale， Sarah’s restrictive world is hard to disengage from and readers will want to discuss her choices and contradictions with gusto。 This makes The Covered Wife a perfect book club choice for discerning bibliophiles。 。。。more
Linda Balogh
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The Covered Wife by Lisa Emanuel is a brave and compelling debut novel that I simply could not put down。The story centres around two lawyers， Sarah and Daniel， who meet and fall in love。 Daniel’s from a big， boisterous， non-practising Jewish family。 Sarah， a Jewish only child， craves the comfort she imagines a large， inclusive family will bring her。But Daniel has other ideas， and soon they are embarking on a new life within a Jewish synagogue。 But is this synagogue really embracing a higher spir The Covered Wife by Lisa Emanuel is a brave and compelling debut novel that I simply could not put down。The story centres around two lawyers， Sarah and Daniel， who meet and fall in love。 Daniel’s from a big， boisterous， non-practising Jewish family。 Sarah， a Jewish only child， craves the comfort she imagines a large， inclusive family will bring her。But Daniel has other ideas， and soon they are embarking on a new life within a Jewish synagogue。 But is this synagogue really embracing a higher spiritual calling？ Or， is there something far more sinister hidden within its welcoming community？The subject of religion is deeply personal—one that can incite heated debate as easily as feelings of faith， love and gratitude。 Choosing Judaism， with its long history of persecution， as a vehicle for a story involving repressive acts against women， a cult， and the subtle ways an intelligent but vulnerable woman can be slowly manipulated is definitely flirting with danger。 And yet Emanuel has done exactly that， using exquisite prose and a single person perspective—that of Sarah， to tell the story。 This is clever writing， and it draws the reader into her world in a very immediate， intense way。 I felt so much compassion for Sarah， who must make impossible choices and heartbreaking sacrifices as a result of her faith and love for Daniel。 My heart ached for her to be strong even as I felt angry and frustrated by her actions。 I was as seduced by this slow-burning story as Sarah was by her synagogue’s enigmatic leaders。 An intelligent， dark and intense novel， Emanuel has tackled some serious and sensitive issues with grace and wisdom。 It’s a story that will evoke strong emotions and leave you with a sucker-punched heart at times， but ultimately， it’s worth the journey。 This is a book that needs to be unpacked and begs for a lively discussion—it would make an excellent book club choice。My thanks go to Better Reading and Pantera Press for the advanced reading copy of this book to review。 。。。more
Sharah McConville
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The Covered Wife is such a gripping story！ Sarah， a young professional， lives and works in Sydney。 She feels trapped in her monotonous， lonely life with only her mother and a handful of co-workers for company。 While attending after-work drinks with her colleagues Sarah happens to meet a charming man named Daniel。 Daniel introduces Sarah to a Jewish community lead by the charismatic Rabbi Menachem and his beautiful young wife， Chani。 Sarah is a non-practising Jew but is drawn to The House communi The Covered Wife is such a gripping story！ Sarah， a young professional， lives and works in Sydney。 She feels trapped in her monotonous， lonely life with only her mother and a handful of co-workers for company。 While attending after-work drinks with her colleagues Sarah happens to meet a charming man named Daniel。 Daniel introduces Sarah to a Jewish community lead by the charismatic Rabbi Menachem and his beautiful young wife， Chani。 Sarah is a non-practising Jew but is drawn to The House community where she feels a sense of belonging but， soon the Rabbi has bigger and better plans for his followers。 Lisa Emanuel's debut book gave me a sense of unease throughout and was nothing like I had read before。 Thanks to Better Reading for my ARC。 。。。more
Ayesha
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Thanks to #BetterReading for another interesting advance copy : The Covered Wife。 While reading this I kept wondering how it'd go down （ if noticed at all ） in Bondi。。。 I always appreciate all the local references in books set in Sydney， and The Covered Wife was an added surprise， being （initially） set partly in and around Bondi Beach and Bellevue Hill， where I used to live。 The reminiscences and recollections provoked by the names of familiar streets and places though soon gave over to a Bondi Thanks to #BetterReading for another interesting advance copy : The Covered Wife。 While reading this I kept wondering how it'd go down （ if noticed at all ） in Bondi。。。 I always appreciate all the local references in books set in Sydney， and The Covered Wife was an added surprise， being （initially） set partly in and around Bondi Beach and Bellevue Hill， where I used to live。 The reminiscences and recollections provoked by the names of familiar streets and places though soon gave over to a Bondi I'm not aware of in any way; I could understand Sarahs ' attraction to this new way of life （ and as she saw it， a return to her roots ）， while also increasingly hoping she'd run very fast in the opposite direction！ 。。。more
Alison
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Don’t we all just want to meet that perfect person？ Someone with a reputable job， a large and loving family and someone who just adores us？ Sarah meets her ‘perfect man’， Daniel early in the novel after growing up with her non-practising Jewish mother。 She has always yearned the love and support of a large Jewish family， something she has witnessed her whole life from afar。 Sarah also has a high-demand job as a lawyer after studying for years。 When Daniel introduces her to The House， she is seem Don’t we all just want to meet that perfect person？ Someone with a reputable job， a large and loving family and someone who just adores us？ Sarah meets her ‘perfect man’， Daniel early in the novel after growing up with her non-practising Jewish mother。 She has always yearned the love and support of a large Jewish family， something she has witnessed her whole life from afar。 Sarah also has a high-demand job as a lawyer after studying for years。 When Daniel introduces her to The House， she is seemingly shocked at how he has not been openly honest about just how serious he is about his Judaism。 She decides that her love for him is far more important than her own lack of belief， and moves forward， into a whole new world， a whole new life of a Jewish cult。So far removed from the way I live my life， Sarah was continually frustrating me。 As a modern， intelligent woman， surely the female protagonist would know better than to choose the ‘love’ of a man over her own freedom and her own choices？ I learnt a lot about Judaism and the many traditions associated with this way of life。A great book！ 。。。more
Jessica
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The covered wife is my favourite book of the year。 The ending left me desperate for more and with so much to think about。 There are so many layers to this book but it’s still such a page turner。 I loved that there were so many unpredictable twists that left me shocked。 This is easily five stars， I definitely recommend。
Nathalie Bilinsky
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I couldn’t put this book down。 It’s a gripping story set in the eastern suburbs of Sydney and one I could easily relate to … a professional young woman from a fractured family meets a charismatic man from a warm loving family and is slowly drawn in to something which is not what it seems。 There were twists in the plot that I didn’t see coming， and it illustrates so well the way in which a person can find themselves in a situation that would seem unimaginable， because it happens so incrementally。 I couldn’t put this book down。 It’s a gripping story set in the eastern suburbs of Sydney and one I could easily relate to … a professional young woman from a fractured family meets a charismatic man from a warm loving family and is slowly drawn in to something which is not what it seems。 There were twists in the plot that I didn’t see coming， and it illustrates so well the way in which a person can find themselves in a situation that would seem unimaginable， because it happens so incrementally。 My heart was racing in many parts。 I loved the style of writing and can’t wait to read the next book。 A stunning debut！ 。。。more
Keryn
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Thanks to Better Reading for this ARC。The story follows Sarah and Daniel as they transition from their 'normal' life into the religious synagogue。 It opens your eyes to the manipulation and 'tug' the leaders have over the members in their community。 Also it describes the effect on Daniel and Sarah's families as they cope with all the changes。 Overall， I liked the story and the build up to the climax， but the ending left me wanting one more chapter。 Thanks to Better Reading for this ARC。The story follows Sarah and Daniel as they transition from their 'normal' life into the religious synagogue。 It opens your eyes to the manipulation and 'tug' the leaders have over the members in their community。 Also it describes the effect on Daniel and Sarah's families as they cope with all the changes。 Overall， I liked the story and the build up to the climax， but the ending left me wanting one more chapter。 。。。more
Megan Johnson
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The Covered Wife was a an incredibly engaging page turner， filled with suspension that kept you guessing what was going to happen next right until the very end。 I thoroughly enjoyed this book and seriously hope that there is going to be a sequel as I feel Sarah's （the protagonist） story hasn't finished yet。 Even though this story doesn't finish on a cliff hanger it did finish leaving the reader begging for more。 Lisa please don't leave us hanging we need to know more。 Thank you Better Reading an The Covered Wife was a an incredibly engaging page turner， filled with suspension that kept you guessing what was going to happen next right until the very end。 I thoroughly enjoyed this book and seriously hope that there is going to be a sequel as I feel Sarah's （the protagonist） story hasn't finished yet。 Even though this story doesn't finish on a cliff hanger it did finish leaving the reader begging for more。 Lisa please don't leave us hanging we need to know more。 Thank you Better Reading and Pantera Press for the opportunity to receive this ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Vivi Widodo
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Sarah is a smart educated woman， works with law firm， until she is blinded by her love to Daniel。 Daniel loves congregate with a Jewish community lead by Rabbi Menachem and his wife， Chani。 How deep you take religion into your life？ Is it for all or nothing？ Will Sarah and Daniel cope with their new way of life as the community guided them to do？It's an interesting thought provoking story from Lisa Emanuel。 This reminds me of a mini series I watched at Netflix， The Unorthodox。I'm lucky I have a Sarah is a smart educated woman， works with law firm， until she is blinded by her love to Daniel。 Daniel loves congregate with a Jewish community lead by Rabbi Menachem and his wife， Chani。 How deep you take religion into your life？ Is it for all or nothing？ Will Sarah and Daniel cope with their new way of life as the community guided them to do？It's an interesting thought provoking story from Lisa Emanuel。 This reminds me of a mini series I watched at Netflix， The Unorthodox。I'm lucky I have a chance to get this ARC of this book from Better Reading Preview。 This book should be published by June 2021 and not to be missed as your TBR。 。。。more
Tess
，
I loved this debut book by Lisa Emanuel。 There is nothing better than discovering a new Australian talent， knowing that I'll immediately grab any future books。 This story kept me up late at night， unable to turn away from what may be coming next。 While there are undertones of a thriller， it raises bigger questions。 The subtle dangers of power， loneliness in todays world and what vulnerability can look like。 Do yourself a favour， and read this book！ I loved this debut book by Lisa Emanuel。 There is nothing better than discovering a new Australian talent， knowing that I'll immediately grab any future books。 This story kept me up late at night， unable to turn away from what may be coming next。 While there are undertones of a thriller， it raises bigger questions。 The subtle dangers of power， loneliness in todays world and what vulnerability can look like。 Do yourself a favour， and read this book！ 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Covered Wife
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Covered Wife&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Covered Wife&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0