The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem

A No. 1 international bestseller, The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem is a dazzling novel of mothers and daughters, stories told and untold, and the ties that bind four generations of women.

Gabriela's mother Luna is the most beautiful woman in all of Jerusalem, though her famed beauty and charm seem to be reserved for everyone but her daughter. Ever since Gabriela can remember, she and Luna have struggled to connect. But when tragedy strikes, Gabriela senses there's more to her mother than painted nails and lips. 

Desperate to understand their relationship, Gabriela pieces together the stories of her family's previous generations – from Great-Grandmother Mercada the renowned healer, to Grandma Rosa who cleaned houses for the English, to Luna who had the nicest legs in Jerusalem. But Gabriela must face a past and present far more complex than she ever imagined. 

Spanning decades, The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem follows generations of unforgettable women as they forge their own paths through times of dramatic change, and paints a dazzling portrait of a family and a young nation as they struggle to find their way even as others try to carve it out for them.

'Fans of Gabriel Garcia Marquez will find much to love in The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem. The narrative is lush and rife with scandalous secrets of a passionately opinionated family’ - Jewish Journal

‘I’m not aware of another work of fiction that paints such a vivid picture of the traditions, folklore and language of Jerusalem’s very significant Sephardic community ... The novel also offers a compelling history of Jerusalem in the 20th century as experienced by the people most affected by its twists and turns’ - Jewish Weekly

‘The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem is a wonderful read – Full of fascinating characters and spanning four generations of Israeli women. As their country struggles through its birth pangs, they struggle through wars, economic and social upheavals, and many losses – both physical and emotional. Compelling and satisfying’ - B.A. Shapiro, New York Times bestselling author of The Muralist and The Art Forger

‘Passion and the grand sweep of history permeate this dazzling, you-cannot-put-it-down novel about four generations of astonishing women – and the men in their family who just might be cursed by love. So rich and vibrant that every page seems to virtually breathe’ - Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of Is This Tomorrow and Pictures of You

‘A breathtaking saga, The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem will haunt and uplift you all at once, staying in your heart long after you've turned the last page’ - Nicole Dweck, bestselling author of The Debt of Tamar

‘Yishai-Levi has captured both the unbroken thread running through generations of a Sephardi family and the intricacies of everyday life unspooling against the backdrop of Jerusalem. As sensuously infused with sights, sounds and smells as a Jerusalem market, and as finely detailed and colourful as a Levantine tapestry, The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem is a thrilling exploration of a daughter coming to terms with a mother’ - Talia Carner, author of Hotel Moscow and Jerusalem Maiden