Aug 282011
Sima’s Undergarments for Women
A heartwarming tale of an unlikely friendship amid love, loss, and lingerie
In the Basement of her Brooklyn apartment, Sima Goldner welcomes women of all shapes and sizes with warmth, acceptance-and a bra that gives them the support and lift they need. But Sima, regretfully childless at sixty, and harboring a secret that has embittered her marriage, can’t seem to do the same for herself. Then Timna, a young Israeli with enviable cleavage, arrives in search of a demi-cup and stays on t
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Love, Loss, Regrets,
In Sima’s Undergarments for Women, Sima Goldner is a 65 year old woman, who runs a lingerie shop out of the basement of her Brooklyn home, which she shares with her husband, Lev of 46 years.
(Chapter 1- first paragraph……
“SIMA SURPRISED HERSELF BY BLUSHING AT THE ROUND perfection of the young woman’s breasts. For thirty-five years, after all, breasts had been her business: she knew the slight curve of the preteen breast, its nipple rigid when unveiled in the cool air of her basement shop; the aching breasts of pregnant women, skin shiny and striped from stretch; the parchment breasts of the elderly, liver-spotted, soft with down; she knew breasts with pink nipples, olive nipples, brown nipples; nipples pushed in and pulled out, tiny as dimes, large as the ringed stain of a coffee cup; she knew heavy breasts on thin women and thin breasts on heavy women; breasts 28A, 52K, and breasts with a cup size between them. She even and of course knew the knotted red scar of the breast that was no longer there, the twisting keloid marker of what science had stolen away”.
Sima teaches women to appreciate their bodies, even though her own body has disappinted her. Childless, Sima is saddened by the fact that she was never able to have a child. One day Timna, a beautiful Israeli woman wanders into Sima’s shop in the Jewish Orthodox neighborhood. Sima becomes fascinated with this lovely woman. Timna is just out of the Army, and here without a visa, while waiting for her boyfriend to get out of the Army. When Timna learns that Sima is looking to hire a seamstress for the shop, she convinces Sima to hire her. Timna is like a breath of fresh air; she brings new life to the shop.
Sima quickly seems to become obsessed with the young, beautiful Timna, and through her she is forced to think about the regrets she’s faced in her own life. A non-observant Jewish woman, who feels shame about her own infertility, she reassesses her life, her marriage and how to spend the remaining years she has left.
(p310)…”How many others like her, she thought, how many others lonely within their walls? And then one day realizing that every room has a door, and opening it”.
A beautiful story, filled with colorful and sometimes flawed characters, it is much more than a story about an underwear shop. It is a story about love, loss, regrets and finally acceptance. I’m so glad I decided to read this endearing story. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
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|A Moving Read — at once, fast and slow,
This is a book that I didn’t want to end. I found myself trying to slow it down, taking breaks so as not to finish it in one sitting, and then finally giving in and staying up late into the night, sometimes so caught up that I would read two sentences at once. Other times, I would reread a sentence several times marveling at the beautiful detailed imagery.
I wholeheartedly enjoyed this novel. Having read the synopsis in advance, I thought I knew what to expect. But it was so much richer than the frame story would suggest. It’s one of those books where the author does not rely on major plot twists to make things happen, yet everything changes dramatically, in a gradual and subtle way. The way Sima lived for decades was no longer possible anymore once she let desire into her life.
I especially liked the way the story unfolded, the past and the present interwoven. And in the end, not everything is revealed. I liked that too. For me it means the story doesn’t quite end. I can continue to think about the characters I got to know so intimately.
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|Moving and lyrical,
I was moved by this wonderfully written novel. The character of Sima is so rich – flawed but true – and her story unfolds with so much depth and emotion. Themes of motherhood, longing, regret and desire interweave beautifully – and in such a unique setting.
The writer crafts her story – her sentences even – with such lyrical and evocative language, it’s truly a delight to read.
This really is a gem of a book!
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