Sisters of Fortune | Random House Publishing Group

About the Book

In this heart-warming and witty debut novel from a “Jewish Jane Austen” (Jill Kargman), three sisters chase love and grapple with the growing pains of young womanhood as they seek their place within and beyond their Syrian Jewish Brooklyn community.

The Cohen sisters are at a crossroads. And not just because the obedient middle sister, Fortune, has secretly started to question her engagement and impending wedding, even as her family scrambles to prepare for the big day. Nina, the rebellious eldest sister, is single at 26 (and growing cobwebs by her community's standards) when she runs into an old friend who offers her a chance to choose a different path. Meanwhile, Lucy, the youngest, a senior in high school, has started sneaking around with a charming older bachelor.

As Fortune inches ever closer to the chuppah, the sisters find themselves in a tug of war between tradition and modernity, reckoning with what their tight-knit community wants—and with what they want for themselves.

Sisters of Fortune is a sister story about dating, ambition, and coming-of-age within an immigrant community whose affection is endearing, maddening, and never boring. This novel reckons with the roots that entwine our lives to the ones who love us best, the dreams we hold for our daughters—and the winding paths we take to our own happy endings.

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Praise for Sisters of Fortune

“This book explores the bonds of sisterhood, immigrant identity, and the universal search for self-determination—all served alongside perfectly rolled grape leaves.”—SheReads

“This plot-driven novel deftly examines weighty themes like generational pressure, sisterhood, and quiet rebellion, creating an intimate, tender, and insightful portrait of women carving space for themselves in a world that offers them little room to breathe. A vibrant celebration of identity and the push-pull between heritage and autonomy.”—Kirkus Reviews

“An absolute joy of a novel about a most enviable family, this is a book to savor—a feast for the heart and mind. Read it if you yearn to be immersed in matriarchy at its finest.”—Elisa Albert, author of Human Blues

“In this savvy and heartwarming debut, three Syrian Jewish sisters in a tight-knit Brooklyn community look for love—and themselves—while navigating the dueling pulls of tradition and modernity.”—Stephanie Butnick, founder of GOLDA

“Perceptive and entertaining, Sisters of Fortune is a bold debut novel. Never before have readers seen three generations of Syrian Jewish women rolling yebra (grape leaves) side by side in the kitchen, passing down community values and female expectations like just another treasured family recipe. I love coming-of-age stories, and I couldn’t put this one down.”—Corie Adjmi, author of The Marriage Box

“A warm, wise and utterly enjoyable novel that invites us into the lives of three vibrant sisters, one big-hearted family and a fascinating, close-knit community. Sisters of Fortune is a real delight.”—Tova Mirvis, author of Visible City

“In this savvy and heartwarming debut, three Syrian Jewish sisters in a tight-knit Brooklyn community look for love—and themselves—while navigating the dueling pulls of tradition and modernity.”—Stephanie Butnick, founder of GOLDA

“Esther Chehebar is a Jewish Jane Austen exploring the universal themes of sisterhood, advantageous marriage, and community dynamics. Through the prism of her hilariously detailed look into Sephardic life, we get a joyful peek into the pod, seeing what makes this world so wildly different but also so very much the same at heart.”—Jill Kargman, creator of Odd Mom Out

“Esther Chehebar writes with an open heart and a curiosity about seeing where she is from—a place so much bigger than her—that can help us access the same kind of courage to narrate and have fun with our own stories.”—Leandra Medine, author of Man Repeller

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About the Author

Esther Chehebar

Esther Chehebar is a contributing writer at Tablet magazine, where she covers Sephardic Jewish tradition and community, and a member of Sephardic Bikur Holim, a non-profit supporting the growing Syrian Jewish community in Brooklyn. She holds an MFA from the New School and has had her work featured in Glamour and Man Repeller. Chehebar’s first book, I Share My Name, was an illustrated children’s book explaining the Sephardic tradition of naming children for their grandparents. She lives in New York with her husband, their kids, their Ori-Pei named Jude, and a couple of fish. This is her debut novel. More by Esther Chehebar

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