In the Courtyard of the Kabbalist
"Romantic, suspenseful and insightful." —Hadassah Magazine"...[a] beguiling novel...Feuerman writes with grace and wit...'In the Courtyard of the Kabbalist' is as wise as it is heartfelt." —Jewish Week “A delicate balance of courtship tale and thriller. . . beautifully   detailed and vivid. . . I strongly recommend it.” —Rebecca Stumpf,Dallas Morning News“A   sophisticated and engaging book that treats an endlessly tangled   topic—relations between Palestinian Arabs and Jews—with intelligence and   originality. . . . a manifestly terrific novel.”—Barton Swaim,The Wall Street Journal"How easy it would have been for Ruchama King Feuerman to write the typical Jerusalem novel, with the typical Middle East obliquities: Arab-Israeli/Israeli-Jew friendship pitted against the external tension of social and political pressures....But Feuerman isn’t typical, and in her new book, In the Courtyard of the Kabbalist, she tells a story that is spiritually generous and astutely realistic about an Arab-Israeli and an Israeli-Jew, who may be the most unlikely pair of friends we’ve seen in current fiction." —The Brooklyn Rail“Feuerman   tells a tale of human beings who seek to make connections with each   other against all odds. . . .One of the great pleasures of her novel. . .   is her rich and vivid evocation of contemporary Jerusalem, and   especially the people and places in Jerusalem that would not be out of   place in a novel by Isaac Bashevis Singer. . . She may be the Jewish   Jane Austen, but she is also something of a Jewish Graham Greene.”   —Jonathan Kirsch,Los Angeles Jewish Journal“Feuerman’s   novel has the most vivid, alive characters, like [the] big huge novels   from India by Rohinton Mistry.” —Bill McKibben,Boston Globe“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 ofGuide for the Perplexed“In the Courtyard of the Kabbalistis 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“[A] testament to the power of the imagination. . . a rare talent.” —Beth Kissileff,The Jerusalem Post“In The Courtyard Of The Kabbalistis   a beautifully written, emotionally evocative novel enriched by   fascinating characters and an unparalleled portrait of the magical city   that is Jerusalem. —Jonathan Kellerman“The descriptions of   Jerusalem and its inhabitants in Ruchama King Feuerman’s new novel. . .   are so beautifully detailed and vivid that it’s almost as though the   city carries its own voice in the narrative. While political turmoil   always exists in Feuerman’s Jerusalem, it rarely takes center stage. The   story is 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“[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“In her irresistible novelIn the Courtyard of the Kabbalist,   Ruchama King Feuerman writes with such contagious affection for her   characters that they’re likely to supplant your own family until you   finish the book. Her 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 asThe Song of Songs.” —Steve Stern, author ofThe Book of Mischief“The   emotions in Feuerman’s small but gripping story are love and fear. . .  .  The tour through [these characters’] hearts and minds, particularly   Isaac’s and Mustafa’s, makes for some of the most deeply interesting,   challenging reading of the year.” —Marakay Rogers,Broadway Books World“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 Iwish I’d written myself.” —Liz Rozenberg, author ofThe Laws of Gravity“Whose   holiness matters? Whose claim on the land is longer, more lasting,  more  vital? Whose God is best? These most vexing of questions, which  trap  otherwise smart and even liberal-minded people in boxes they can’t  seem  to get themselves out of, emerge from this one spot in this one  city.  But what if, Feuerman wonders, a Muslim would offer irrefutable  evidence  of the Jewish presence on the Temple Mount? And what if a  religious Jew  would open his heart to save the life (and soul,  presumably) of the  Muslim? Could the boxes be broken? What if the  answers lie right beneath  our feet? Feuerman asks these 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“The  unlikely  friendship of an intellectual New York Jew and a working-class   Jerusalem Arab drives Feuerman’s evocative second novel. . . .   [Jerusalem] itself emerges as a character. . . depicted with a lyricism   that contrasts with the area’s political tension. . . . [The] story   unfolds as a belated coming-of-age tale. . . [written in a] quiet,   lovely mood.” —Publishers Weekly“A tender, almost Malamudian fable of chosenness and redemption,In the Courtyard of the Kabbalistis not content to tread lightly upon sacred ground, but dares to dig for treasure below.”—Robert Cohen, author ofAmateur Barbarians“Feuerman   is such an engrossing story writer, we want to keep reading and   reading. . . . absorbing, fascinating. . . .written by a creative   storyteller with an amazing skill for originality.” —Kansas City Jewish   Chronicle“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“How do people get along when   they have been taught they can’t? Who do ancient artifacts belong to—the   person who unearths them or the people who valued them in the past?   This is just one of the story lines in this lively, witty, and   entertaining novel. Ruchama King writes with a light touch and great   insight. This book is hard to put down.” —Alice Elliott Dark, author ofIn the Gloaming and Think of England“This   is a story that toys with, then rejects, cliches, politics, and   religious stereotypes. Too many people choose to see this part of the   world as either black or white. Ruchama King Feuermam paints it in a   hundred shades of gray.” —Helen Maryles Shankman, author ofThe Color of Light“   . . . a richly woven tale of self discovery, romance and culture clash   against the backdrop of Jerusalem. . . [this] elegantly written novel   spins the tale of three enchanting characters whose search for love and   meaning is bound to resonate with readers.” —Deena Yellin,Jewish Standard“I love fiction that teaches me something.The Courtyard of the Kabbalistnot 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 ofMiriam the MediumandKaylee’s Ghost“An amazing novel that lets you in a magical exotic world. Both entertaining and enlightening.” —Lara Vapnyar"In the Courtyard of the Kabbalistis a beautifully written, emotionally evocative novel enriched by   fascinating characters and an unparalleled portrait of the magical city   that is Jerusalem." —Jonathan Kellerman"In her irresistible novelIn the Courtyard of the Kabbalist,   Ruchama King Feuerman writes with such contagious affection for her   characters that they’re likely to supplant your own family until you   finish the book. Her 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, author ofThe Wedding Jester"How do   people get along when they have been taught they can’t? Who do ancient   artifacts belong to — the person who unearths them or the people who   valued them in the past? This is just one of the story lines in this   lively, witty, and entertaining novel. Ruchama King writes with a light   touch and great insight. This book is hard to put down....