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tjrslc's review
2.0
This is sort of a fluffy novel involving a relationship that is falling apart and some other people who are dissatisfied with their lives. All of their lives converge around an apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. A bit gimmicky.
lindsayharmon's review
5.0
Maybe it was because my expectations weren't too high (a book centered around a NYC apartment building sounded an awful lot like a yuppie version of Rent), but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. The characters were all sympathetic; there was no clear-cut villain. And Langer pulled off a happy ending without being cheesy, something I have the utmost respect for.
mothtimothy's review
i unwittingly took this novel out of the library that's about the gentrification of the neighborhood i grew up in. the story is pretty good. but the worldview & politics... kinda liberal. mediocre.
but whoa, it was pretty surreal to read this account of what's changed. it's very surface-y -- basically a list of stores and businesses. you can tell the "past" the author's comparing now to is probably, like, when he moved there 10 years ago, which was frustrating. but still, all those references to places-gone brought up a lot of memories/nostalgia/etc.
but whoa, it was pretty surreal to read this account of what's changed. it's very surface-y -- basically a list of stores and businesses. you can tell the "past" the author's comparing now to is probably, like, when he moved there 10 years ago, which was frustrating. but still, all those references to places-gone brought up a lot of memories/nostalgia/etc.
kellyelizabeth27's review
4.0
My first apartment in New York City was on 107th between Columbus and Manhattan, a block away from the apartment around which the plot of Ellington Boulevard turns. And let me tell you, what Langer has written is not so much a novel as a field guide to that neighborhood, from the local dive bar to the nearby entrance to Central Park, and everything in between. It's also something of a Cliff's Notes to the last 10-odd years of real estate in up-and-coming neighborhoods in the city. And it's funny (though not as funny as Langer's earlier novel, set in Chicago, [Crossing California:].
I do have a couple of complaints. First, that the characters, especially at first, seem too typecast - but the book has some surprises in store for us there. Second, including parts from the musical that one of the characters is writing is a gimmick that seems somewhat unnecessary. I think it might work if it were more centrally important to the story, or it could go altogether.
If only there were half-stars.... I think this one, while I thoroughly enjoyed it, probably should get only 3.5 upon reflection. Still, if you haven't read any Langer, you're missing out.
I do have a couple of complaints. First, that the characters, especially at first, seem too typecast - but the book has some surprises in store for us there. Second, including parts from the musical that one of the characters is writing is a gimmick that seems somewhat unnecessary. I think it might work if it were more centrally important to the story, or it could go altogether.
If only there were half-stars.... I think this one, while I thoroughly enjoyed it, probably should get only 3.5 upon reflection. Still, if you haven't read any Langer, you're missing out.
missnicelady's review
3.0
Another winding tale of people and their city from Adam Langer. The loose-limbed narrative about gentrification and love is engaging, funny, and frequently insightful, but the book just didn't hang together for me as well as Crossing California. Langer packs in a few too many characters and a few too many coincidences, although I laughed out loud at the unexpected Rovner! callback. Also, the Broadway musical motif just didn't resonate for me. But there's a great dog named Herbie Mann!
Langer has this thing in all three of his books that drives me nuts: The man either can't or won't write dialogue. Instead, we get whole paragraphs of the narrator describing what the characters are saying to each other. It's distracting. Perhaps he should start hanging out with Richard Russo and learn how to write a conversation.
Langer has this thing in all three of his books that drives me nuts: The man either can't or won't write dialogue. Instead, we get whole paragraphs of the narrator describing what the characters are saying to each other. It's distracting. Perhaps he should start hanging out with Richard Russo and learn how to write a conversation.
dundermifflin's review
3.0
Reminiscent of the 44 Scotland Street series by Alexander McCall Smith except on the Upper West Side.
readalot662f9's review
3.0
Reminiscent of the 44 Scotland Street series by Alexander McCall Smith except on the Upper West Side.
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