Sisters of Fortune    by Esther Chehebar Order:  USA  Can Random House, 2025 (2025) Hardcover, e-Book      Reviewed by Barbara Lingens Sisters of Fortune is a lively story about three young Jewish women who have been raised in the Syrian Sephardic tradition. The antecedents of this tradition are very much present for everyone in their community. It is a small one, and everyone knows everyone else. Fortune, the middle sister, is preparing for her wedding. It, and the preparations for it, are going to be very traditional. Nina, her older sister, is feeling the pinch of being the eldest and unmarried. The younger sister, Lucy, doesn't care too much about this because she already has a boyfriend. Both the sisters' mother and grandmother are truly interesting characters and play a major part in the young women's lives. From them comes the teaching and the sharing. All five are truly close-knit, but only the elder women realize this. We learn so much about this community's customs and people. And we also learn how much of a prison that can sometimes feel like to the younger ones. The question of who to marry is so important to everyone but in different ways. The young ones want to marry for love. The older ones want the marriage and the in-law's family to be a solid part of the community. Yet as generations are added, this is not so easy. Other views have already made inroads, especially because many work outside the community. There is a real tug between the traditional and modern, and author Chehebar has wonderfully portrayed this for us. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Contemporary books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews