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Book Summary and Reviews of The Tenth Song by Naomi Ragen

The Tenth Song by Naomi Ragen

The Tenth Song

by Naomi Ragen

  • Readers' Rating:
  • Published:
  • Oct 2010, 320 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

When life is at its best, the unimaginable can shatter everything you think you know…

Abigail Samuels has no reason to feel anything but joy on the morning her life falls apart.  The epitome of the successful Jewish American woman, she is married to a well-known and respected accountant and is in the middle of planning her daughter Kayla's wedding.  Kayla, too, wakes up that morning with the world in the palm of her hand.  Having lived the charmed life of a well-loved child from a happy family, she is bright, pretty, a Harvard law student who has never really questioned the path she found herself on.

With a shocking suddenness, all that is smashed to pieces in ways they could never have dreamed. When a heartbroken Kayla runs away to a desert commune run by a charismatic mystic, Abigail rushes to save her, only to find that there is nothing more whole than a broken heart.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Ragen (The Saturday Wife) brings a bitter intensity to this story of betrayal and a Jewish family brought to its knees by a financial scam to fund overseas terrorism." - Publishers Weekly

This information about The Tenth Song was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Reader Reviews

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Diane R. (Munger, MI)

The Tenth Song
This is a must read...Everyone can find themselves in this page turning book. How life can turn upside down in a blink of an eye. But to find a path through the upset and have sadness once again find a way to truth and the end result is finding oneself. It is written so you can actually feel like you are there experiencing the action. Mother and daughter connect and love finds a way. It is amazing how the end actually connects to the beginning after many trails & tribulation. The mystery and suspension of the story is what makes this a page turner. Male and female readers will connect to this story.

Shirley L. (Norco, LA)

The Tenth Song Sings
I had enjoyed "The Saturday Wife" and was disappointed in the slow start of this book. The characters seemed all soooo perfect. However, hanging in paid off. The characters grew and matured from their initial positions. The discussion of the impact of rote, formalized organized religion versus a more spiritual community of alive, purpose seeking individuals was quote worthy. The relationships of the family members rang true. All characters were multi-dimensional and interesting. Another home run for Naomi Ragan.

Jane N. (Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey)

The Tenth Song
Every now and again a book comes along that captures the reader's soul and mind and this is the book. Naomi Ragen's book speaks of a current event, the attempted destruction of a family, and offer resolution by way of timeless human truths. This book is a joy at every level that I can think of. Ms Ragen engages the reader with the characters in a way that touches the readers soul. It is easy to see why she is so popular in Israel. I know that I will be reading more of her books.

Trezeline B. (Columbia, MD)

The Tenth Song
A very good book. It took me longer to read than usual because it caused introspection, self examination and a great deal of thought. It has mystery, suspense and intrigue. I truly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it for the thoughtful reader.

Dorothy T. (Victorville, CA)

A lot to think about
What at first appears to be the main plot line of "The Tenth Song" is in fact the catalyst for what I see as the author’s true focus: to encourage each reader to ask questions and to seek answers about his or her own life and how God is involved, if in fact He is. The locales set the stage perfectly, and the story line and the characters kept me turning the pages.

This would be a great choice for a book club whose members are interested in discussions that go deep and perhaps allow for more personal introspection and revelation.

Shelley C. (Eastport, NY)

The Tenth Song
Observant Jews use the word, "ba'shert", to refer to both wonderful and awful events that come into their lives. It means fate, kismet, how the Supreme Being wanted things to turn out.

The wonderfully ordered world of the Samuels family turns upside down when Adam, an honest and very successful accountant, husband, father and grandfather is suddenly arrested by the FBI. He is accused of funneling millions of dollars to a terrorist organization that will use the money to kill American soldiers. Now he must prove his innocence while all his friends and colleagues treat him like a pariah.

How fate has intervened to change the lives of his youngest daughter, his wife, and himself is the subject of this extremely well written novel by Naomi Regan. Set in Boston and Israel this is a timely story that will leave you turning page after page; unable to put this book down. I highly recommend it.

...17 more reader reviews

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Author Information

Naomi Ragen

Naomi Ragen is the author of eight novels including The Saturday Wife and several other international bestsellers, and her weekly email columns on life in the Middle East are read by thousands of subscribers worldwide. An American, she has lived in Jerusalem for the past thirty-nine years and was recently voted one of the three most popular authors in Israel. Visit her at www.naomiragen.com

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