Seven Blessings

“A captivating tale about modern-day matchmaking among newly pious Americans who have made Israel their home. . . . [A] spellbinding first novel.” —Helen Schulman, New York Times–bestselling author of This Beautiful Life

In Ruchama King's skillful hands, Seven Blessings maps out the complicated lives of five expatriate women and men whose search for a soul mate, in many ways, mirrors their search for God.

At the center of the novel is Beth, who at age thirty-nine longs to be married but despairs she ever will be. When she finally meets the man of her dreams, he has what she believes to be an insurmountable flaw. Can she overcome her repugnance in order to forge a new life? Binyamin, a talented painter, lacks the humility to identify a worthy wife. He strains the matchmakers' patience until his search for perfect love finally becomes ridiculous, even to himself. Tsippi and Judith, the matchmakers, are stumbling themselves, with marriages that need propping up. In this land of miracles, seeking the right match, whether between singles, husband and wife, student and teacher, or man and God, becomes a quest that opens the Bible to us in a new way.

With rich characters and an intriguing setting, Seven Blessings redefines the Jewish experience, with a story that will ring with truth for anyone searching for a relationship or trying to navigate one.

“Richly detailed descriptions of Jerusalem . . . and sympathetic characters make this a fully realized novel.” —Publishers Weekly

“A Jewish Jane Austen.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Ruchama King is herself a great matchmaker—between the sensual and the ethereal, between subtle storytelling and startling revelation.” —Stephen J. Dubner, author of Turbulent Souls and Confessions of a Hero Worshipper