Sima’s Undergarments for Women
by Ilana Stanger-Ross
List Price: $15.00
Pages: 336
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780143117483
Publisher: Penguin
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 to become the shop's seamstress. As they laugh, gossip, and sell lingerie, Sima finds herself awakening to hope and the possibility of happiness in this beguiling story of New York's underground sisterhood, and one woman's second chance.
Click here to watch a book trailer and interview about Sima’s Undergarments for Women.
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1. Beyond undergarments, what does Sima's shop provide her community? What does it provide her? Is she aware of this?
2. For thirty-five years, Sima's seen a range of women's shapes and sizes in her store and because of this, she is far more accepting of women's varied body types. Do you think women have more body anxiety than men? Why? Do you have any fears or concerns about your own body image? If so, how do you confront them?
3. Sima believes that good-fitting bras are the foundation of a good outfit. What item of clothing do you think is indispensable? What item do you think is impossible to find in a perfect fit?
4. Not having children created a deep rift in Sima and Lev's relationship. Did you feel any sympathy for either of them? If so, who and why? Is Sima and Lev's marriage worth saving?
5. Sima, Timna, Lev, and Connie all suffer romantic disappointments. In what ways are their heartaches similar? How do they cope?
6. Should Sima have revealed Art's secret to Connie? What would you have done if you were in her position?
7. Compare Sima's relationship with Connie and her relationship with Timna. How do these friendships develop over the course of the novel?
8. Of all of Sima's worries about Timna-heartbreak, infidelity, pregnancy-which, if any, do you believe were founded?
9. Why did Sima keep her secret from Lev for such a long time? Should she have told him sooner? If she did, how do you think he would have reacted?
10. What do Timna and Sima learn from each other? What is Timna's greatest strength? What is Sima's? Do you have a friend who inspires or teaches you?
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"Readers [will] slip into Brooklyn native Ilana Stanger-Ross's debut novel, finding something both comforting and uplifting."
— Sarah Weinman, New York Post
"From the very first page, this is an assured narrative with an even surer voice; readers will know that they are in the hands of a real storyteller…This ends up being much more than a novel of female bonding—it’s a subtly powerful treatise on friendship, trust and love, written with plenty of verve."
— Publishers Weekly
"Debut novelist Stanger-Ross writes about the intimacy among women whose lives are defined by their Orthodox Jewish community. She deftly reveals just enough information about her characters to excite the reader's curiosity without making the story line predictable. In the end, this is a tale about appreciating one's life, and isn't that what life is about?"
— Library Journal
"Backdropped by the shop's colorful patrons, Stanger-Ross' engaging novel follows Sima as she struggles to find balance in navigating her newfound relationship with Timna while exploring the intense depths of personal reconciliation and redemption."
— Booklist
