Meeting date: April 24, 2018 ;
Star rating: 3.8/5 stars
Rachel is a woman with a problem: she can’t die. Her recent troubles―widowhood, a failing business, an unemployed middle-aged son―are only the latest in a litany spanning dozens of countries, scores of marriages, and hundreds of children. In the 2,000 years since she made a spiritual bargain to save the life of her first son back in Roman-occupied Jerusalem, she’s tried everything to free herself, and only one other person in the world understands: a man she once loved passionately, who has been stalking her through the centuries, convinced they belong together forever.
But as the twenty-first century begins and her children and grandchildren―consumed with immortality in their own ways, from the frontiers of digital currency to genetic engineering―develop new technologies that could change her fate and theirs, Rachel knows she must find a way out.
Gripping, hilarious, and profoundly moving, Eternal Life celebrates the bonds between generations, the power of faith, the purpose of death, and the reasons for being alive.
Comments from attendees:
Star rating: 3.8/5 stars
Rachel is a woman with a problem: she can’t die. Her recent troubles―widowhood, a failing business, an unemployed middle-aged son―are only the latest in a litany spanning dozens of countries, scores of marriages, and hundreds of children. In the 2,000 years since she made a spiritual bargain to save the life of her first son back in Roman-occupied Jerusalem, she’s tried everything to free herself, and only one other person in the world understands: a man she once loved passionately, who has been stalking her through the centuries, convinced they belong together forever.But as the twenty-first century begins and her children and grandchildren―consumed with immortality in their own ways, from the frontiers of digital currency to genetic engineering―develop new technologies that could change her fate and theirs, Rachel knows she must find a way out.
Gripping, hilarious, and profoundly moving, Eternal Life celebrates the bonds between generations, the power of faith, the purpose of death, and the reasons for being alive.
Comments from attendees:
- The roles of women throughout history are showcased in this novel - the adaptive nature of women on full display.
- Rachel knows so much but keeps making the same mistakes! It's frustrating.
- Jewish diaspora made Rachel's constant movement possible
- Jewish peoples assimilate but retain their culture - an internalize culture
- Jewish peoples are accustomed to nomadic movement and making culture where they are
- While Rachel doesn't fear dying, she does fear not changing or not growing in her life
- Is making peace with reality Rachel's death?
- Rachel's life is atonement: she keeps having children, not with Elazar - cannot forget history or achieve forgiveness
- Rachel is a strong person and a strong woman - we admire her for some aspects of her character
Lowest rating: 3
Highest rating: 4
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