I feel guilty that I chose this novel as the September selection for the Vintage Book Club. It is a daunting 565 pages and I do feel that Wouk could have cut out some of the detail somewhere, but I can't figure out exactly where!
Marjorie Morgenstern is an aspiring actress, a Jewish princess whose hope is to become famous as "Marjorie Morningstar." In the 1930's, young women were called upon to be chaste and to become good wives to suitable men, and in the Jewish community, those men should be Jewish and successful. Despite Marjorie's ambitions, her parents are loving and supportive (in as much as they know what she is actually doing). Marjorie, throughout the novel, is always the prettiest girl in the room, with men falling at her feet and worshipping her from afar. All men, that is, except for cool, collected Noel Airman (formerly Saul Erdmann), the handsome, creative rebel who becomes her obsession.
Herman Wouk (now 101 years old) is an avid student of the Jewish faith and culture and this novel is a insider's view of the family dynamics, guilt, and cultural angst of being Jewish in a changing world. Written in the 1950's, but set in the mid-to-late 1930's, the reader follows Marjorie's evolution from girl to woman, where she is called upon to make moral and religious choices that take her out of her comfort zone. It is a fascinating study, but the ending is a bit disappointing. I would recommend it because, despite Wouk's tendency to prolong some of the story lines, it's though provoking and leaves you feeling like you have learned. Wouk manages to weave solid insight and knowledge throughout his somewhat melodramatic story. I just wish he stayed true to Marjorie's character and ambition right through thr end.
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