
Member Reviews

I tried to get through book multiple times but it just wasn’t for me.
The story didn’t resonate with me, I didn’t like the large age difference between 2 of the characters and it was really slow and dragging.
I’m sure there are people that will love the book but sadly it’s not me.

Although I myself am Jewish, my upbringing and understanding of this religion cannot be further from that experienced by the characters populating the novel “Sisters of Fortune.” This book by Esther Chehebar centers around the lives of an orthodox Sephardic community in Brooklyn whose members emigrated from Syria. Their customs and traditions are entirely different from Jews who emigrated from Eastern Europe, as my ancestors did. Their foods are different; their language is different; their customs are different. Thus, it was interesting to learn about this culture that is in many ways similar but in so many ways different from my own.
The story revolves around the lives of three sisters, and the chapters are told from their three points of view over the span of a couple of years. The three have entirely different personalities, different-seeming goals and ideas, and vastly different relationships with their parents and each other. One thing they have in common, however, is that they become more aware of their individual, personal wants and needs and eventually all take their futures into their own hands.
Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an advanced reader’s copy of “Sisters of Fortune.” My review of it is VOLUNTARY. I hope Ms. Chehebar continues to produce interesting stories about Jewish topics while being as equally engaging and entertaining as she did here.

This story of three sisters, living in a Brooklyn Syrian Jewish community, and their challenges growing into expectations of that community, was at the core of the book. Nina, the oldest, seemed to be rebelling the most, still single at 26. Fortune was always doing what was expected of her, and now that she was engaged, she was questioning if her relationship with her fiancée, Saul, was enough. Lily, the youngest, still in high school, was seeing David, a thirty year old doctor from a wealthy family. I enjoyed reading about some of the Jewish traditions specific to the Syrian community, but was disappointed that the relationship between the sisters was not fleshed out more. The chapters alternated focus on each sister, as well as their relationship with their mother and grandmother. Recommended. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

I liked this a lot! I enjoyed all three sisters' perspectives. I felt very enshrined in their day to day lives, their voices, their frustrations and the heavy weight of everybody's expectations. I can just picture the whole thing. I was transported! the book did not end all buttoned up and neat either, which made me like it even more.
thanks to netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Sisters of Fortune
by Esther Chehebar
(This review is based on an ARC sent to me by NetGalley)
Fortune Cohen, named after her living grandmother in keeping with Syrian Jewish tradition, is the middle of three sisters. She and her siblings grow up deeply rooted in their Brooklyn neighborhood, with the clear expectation that they will marry, raise children and live their lives within the community—just as their parents and grandparents did before them.
Fortune and her sisters—Nina, the eldest, and Lucy—as well as their friends dream about marriage prospects as they find themselves caught between tradition and modernity. The family is of Syrian Jewish descent, and they adhere to their traditional religious practices and beliefs.
We learn a lot about Syrian traditional cuisine as the mother of the girls featured in the novel cooks for a living. An example is Kibbeh (meat and bulgur wheat patties). There are many foreign phrases throughout the novel and there is a glossary at the end to help the reader understand the phrases.
Sisters of Fortune is a story about dating, ambition, and coming-of-age within an immigrant community and the dreams we have for our daughters.

This was well-written and had great Jewish representation. I liked how the book explored complex family dynamics, sibling relationships and mother-daughter relationships. However, I was disgusted by the fact that an 18-year-old was dating a 30 year old and this was still published. Why not age up the 18-year-old? This is 2025..

firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc!
4.5 stars
i really enjoyed sisters of fortune, which follows three sisters on the cusp of womanhood through the lens of roles in the family and marriage.
there’s a lot of social and cultural commentary to unpack in this novel, which i really appreciated as someone of the opposite religion/ethnicity vastly outside of the jewish syrian community.
i also listened to the audiobook and there was a narrator for each sister, which i think always adds a special touch; i could absolutely not stand nina’s narrator, though.

Nina, Fortune, Lucy, Sitto and their mother stayed on my mind long after I finished the book. I wanted to read more! I enjoyed their stories and experiences. I was so intrigued by the traditions, language, culture and connections of their Syrian Jewish community in Brooklyn. Esther Chehebar’s debut is a well written love letter to her people. There is honor, respect and love throughout the book, along with humor and fun.
I liked this thought of Fortune’s as she shopped for her wedding gift registry with her future mother-in-law:
“I nod along, continuing to add brushstrokes to a portrait I ultimately don’t see myself wanting to be a part of. And yet, I set the table, not fully knowing whether I intend on sitting down to dinner.”
Advanced reader copy courtesy of the publishers at NetGalley.

I continued to hear about this book and it was so worth the read! A wonderful debut book about sisters and their lives. I was drawn to the storytelling — the author did excellent job with telling the stories of each sister so seamlessly. I also learned a lot as it was about the Syrian Jews — a community that I’m not familiar with. The customs and rituals were very interesting to read about. I highly recommend this read! Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Random House for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.
This cover is great, and the fact that this is a debut novel? It was really well done. Being Jewish meant that I understood all of the culture references, and the Arabic touches just made me love this one even more. I love the sisters - Nina, Fortune, and Lucy - and love how their story twists and turns as we follow each of their journeys.
Fortune is struggling as she prepares for her upcoming wedding. Nina is feeling the pressure to at least be engaged, especially because Fortune is her younger sister and is getting married. Lucy, the baby sister is just going off the rails a bit as she is seeing an older man secretly. I loved the familial pressures and talk, and Sitto - the grandmother stole my heart immediately. The ending was absolutely beautifully well done, and I find myself still thinking about this book a week after reading it.

I was immediately drawn to this book for three reasons: I love sister stories. It’s set in Brooklyn. And it features a glimpse into a culture I know little about. It delivered on all three levels.
SISTERS OF FORTUNE is the story of three American-born Syrian Jewish sisters coming of age in Brooklyn, New York. They are walking a tightrope between the traditions and expectations of the “old country” and the opportunities provided by life in present day American. The tension between the two is palpable.
Each of the sisters is walking a different path. Oldest sister, Nina, is still single in her mid-twenties and defying gender expectations. Middle sister, Fortune, is about to be married and questioning if that’s what she wants. Youngest sister, Lucy is threatening to bring shame upon the family. All this is set against the backdrop of the immigrant experience.
Did I love this? I certainly did. I am the granddaughter of immigrants. My childhood was a mix of upholding old traditions and establishing new ones. Much like the Cohen sisters, I was raised in a neighborhood that was a microcosm of the place my family left to seek a better life. It’s an insular life and a great awakening when you venture out as a young adult. The writing and characters felt entirely authentic.
I took my time reading this book, immersing myself in the language, food, and traditions of a culture I knew little about. The writing is rich and descriptive. My takeaway is that, while specifics may vary among regions and religions, we are more alike than we are different. From the multi generational home to the desire to see future generations prosper, all while trying to maintain what you hold dear, the journey is a universal one. This is a lovely story with an important message we need to hear.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the advance copy. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed reading Sisters of Fortune, and learned about a community I didn't really know existed, the Syrians Jews living in Brooklyn, NY. The book follows a family with 3 sisters, including the middle child Fortune, who is engaged to be married at 21, normal for her community. Her older sister is practically an old maid at 26, and her younger sister already has a serious older boyfriend, even though she is still in high school. The sisters live with their parents and their grandmother, who teaches everyone to cook and tells stories of the old country, while the family spends money and worries about money, and tries to find the best partners for their daughters. In some ways, it is a modern Fiddler on the Roof. The sisters bicker and are competitive with each other, but they really love each other and are a tight knit family.
Also, loved the Glossary of terms at the end!

An important novel and one that tackles difficult topics, but one that ultimately I didn't connect with. I found it difficult to click with any of the three sisters, and without that emotional anchor, I was adrift. This book will find its audience, but I was left feeling unmoored.

To say that I loved Sisters of Fortune by Esther Chehebar is an understatement. I loved learning about the customs and culture of the Syrian Jewish community in Brooklyn through the lens of three sisters (Fortune, Nina, and Lucy) and their mother and grandmother.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC to this book!

I'm not usually a fan of women's fiction but this was an interesting look at a community that I knew nothing about, a group of Sephardic Jews from Syria who all settle in the same Brooklyn neighborhood, which is what I really enjoyed about the story rather than the family drama. There is a lot of concern about keeping up appearances and not doing anything that might make the neighbors gossip (reminds me of my parents and grandparents back in the 60s). I was appalled that there was more concern about the daughters learning to make a perfect dumpling and finding a husband (any husband) rather than getting an education or reading or finding out about the greater world. The ending felt rushed: there is no resolution to Fortune's flirtation with the grocer's son, and Nina does a 180 on marriage and the constraints of their community as soon as a likely prospect shows up. Plus there are hints of cracks in Lucy's perfect marriage when she notices that her doctor husband enjoys talking to her college education sister and her friends, and how Lucy's high school friends have gone to college and moved past her. Lots of discussions about the importance of food in their culture and family traditions. If you like women's fiction, this will appeal to you.

The Cohen sisters could not be more different. Fortune is the dependable middle child who is engaged and preparing to be married, but she starts to question if she actually loves her future husband. Nina is the oldest and the one who rebels against all the expectations and traditions placed on her, and when she starts at a job in an indie music label everything she thought she would never want surprises her and she finds her partner with someone she went to highschool with. Lucy is the youngest and on the cusp of graduating high school who catches the attention of an older man who is willing to give her the perfect life.
I really wanted to love this one, I usually love a family story, especially one that focuses on siblings. I could not connect to any of the 3 sisters, I was forcing myself to keep reading this book and was not enjoying myself all that much. It is a good novel and I think it explores such important topics, it just didn't hit for me.

The Cohen sisters, Nina, Fortune, and Lucy, live at home with their parents in a tight-knit Jewish community of Syrian immigrants. The family is focused on the upcoming wedding of Fortune and the many traditional Jewish rituals and events leading up to a marriage.
But Nina and Lucy have dramas of their own. Nina, labeled a spinster at 26 and the black sheep of the family, has found a job outside the community at a record label. Lucy is preparing to graduate from high school and is dating a successful doctor whom she hopes to marry. As their lives intertwine with Fortune’s, Fortune begins to question the traditional life ahead of her.
Why Kirsten loves it
I enjoyed the Jane Austen-esque feel of this novel. Their tribulations reminded me of the Bennet sisters in a modern setting. It took me a little while to get into the story and keep everyone straight, but once I figured it out, I was sucked into the drama! I also loved learning more about Sephardic Judaism.

Sisters Nina, Fortune, and Lucy are trying to find and live their best lives in their insular Jewish Syrian community of Brooklyn. Looming ahead is Fortune’s impending marriage and all the hoopla it entails. Seems Fortune is both overwhelmed and disconnected, while her sisters don’t notice as they are wrapped up in their own drama. Nina is now working for a budding record company. She’s getting out and rebelling, but maybe part of her is seeing value in her surroundings, too. Lucy, still in high school, has set her sights on an older guy, now in medical school. Is she abandoning her teen years to soon or does she know exactly what she is doing? The star of the show may be Grandma, Sitta, from the old country. She’s not so old not to take careful observations and support her granddaughters’ dreams. A fun romp in a culture with different cuisines, expressions but the same problems as many others. Recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC: This book was a fun read and it also introduced me to the subculture of Syrian Jews in NY. The story revolves around three sisters of marriageable age and their issues with conforming to the culture vs. finding their own ways. It's both a patriarchal and matriarchal culture and there is an expectation that women will follow the Orthodox rules and be subservient to men while also actively supporting them financially and otherwise. All three daughters evolve. I enjoyed it and learned a lot. Strongly recommend.

You will never catch me not enthusiastically reviewing yet another Jane Austen adaptation. I love that her stories can be the basis for new life and new representation! This was such a fun read, I want to read everything that Chehebar writes!