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3.45 AVERAGE
3.45 AVERAGE
ARC provided by Netgalley.
This was harder to read than I expected. The tension between what the reader knows and what the characters know was intense. I felt relieved when all the secrets were revealed and then I was able to relax and enjoy the story. It's the mark of a good writer when the drama is so high that the novel is almost painful to read, but I had a hard time getting excited to go back to reading it.
This was harder to read than I expected. The tension between what the reader knows and what the characters know was intense. I felt relieved when all the secrets were revealed and then I was able to relax and enjoy the story. It's the mark of a good writer when the drama is so high that the novel is almost painful to read, but I had a hard time getting excited to go back to reading it.
When the Feldmans decide to treat their son and daughter to a cruise, they know that they'll probably have to tell them about something not so great in the end. However, once they get their son and his (surprise) girlfriend aboard, along with their daughter, her two kids and their son-in-law, they realize that all of them have secrets as they discover secrets (and red herrings) about each and every member of the Feldman clan.
Trapped on a cruise for five days with your estranged family might not be the best for their family, but it's a treat that the Feldmans decide to take advantage of.
Trapped on a cruise for five days with your estranged family might not be the best for their family, but it's a treat that the Feldmans decide to take advantage of.
Really wanted to like this book, the story line seemed really great. I just didn’t like that it was mostly made up of character perspective rather than actually playing the scenes out. This had potential to be so much better.
Easy listen, pretty predictable, occasionally funny. Enjoyed the ridiculous cruise details that felt tragically realistic.
Annette is turning 70, and her birthday wish is to take her entire family on a cruise to spend some wonderful quality time together. For an entire week, the family will be trapped together on a cruise ship with no way to escape. This is the perfect trope for a delightful, uproarious family comedy.
Elise, her daughter, is dealing with a secret addiction; her husband, Mitch, has a major announcement to make once the entire family gathered; and their kids are both hiding some aspects of their lives. Elise’s feckless loser brother Freddy is also coming, along with his younger girlfriend Natasha, and somehow Freddy isn’t such a loser anymore, but that’s quite the surprise.
With these family dynamics, I was expecting the satirical family comedy that I love, like Evergreen Tidings from the Baumgartners by Gretchen Anthony or Jonathan Tropper’s This is Where I Leave You and The Book of Joe. I wanted the over-the-top family explosions that come from family members with their own quirks, personalities, and triggers, being caught together in a forced-relationship crucible.
In The Floating Feldmans, a large portion of the book is spent on set up, with each character getting their own omniscient narration. Friedland allows each character time to explain their troubles and role in the family, which goes on for quite some time. Once everyone is on board the ship I expected major comedic entertainment from everyone confronting one another, but aside from one moderate argumentative dinner, this never really came to pass.
I wanted hilarity, awkwardness, and spontaneous pandemonium that never materialized. A few characters, such as the phlegmatic patriarch David and the one-dimensional cruise director Julian, were even superfluous and irrelevant. Regardless, there’s a sweet ending and the family loves one another, despite the truths that come out.
All in all, it was okay. It was entertaining, but never engaging enough for me to look forward to reading more.
Many thanks to Penguin FirstToRead for the advance copy.
Elise, her daughter, is dealing with a secret addiction; her husband, Mitch, has a major announcement to make once the entire family gathered; and their kids are both hiding some aspects of their lives. Elise’s feckless loser brother Freddy is also coming, along with his younger girlfriend Natasha, and somehow Freddy isn’t such a loser anymore, but that’s quite the surprise.
With these family dynamics, I was expecting the satirical family comedy that I love, like Evergreen Tidings from the Baumgartners by Gretchen Anthony or Jonathan Tropper’s This is Where I Leave You and The Book of Joe. I wanted the over-the-top family explosions that come from family members with their own quirks, personalities, and triggers, being caught together in a forced-relationship crucible.
In The Floating Feldmans, a large portion of the book is spent on set up, with each character getting their own omniscient narration. Friedland allows each character time to explain their troubles and role in the family, which goes on for quite some time. Once everyone is on board the ship I expected major comedic entertainment from everyone confronting one another, but aside from one moderate argumentative dinner, this never really came to pass.
I wanted hilarity, awkwardness, and spontaneous pandemonium that never materialized. A few characters, such as the phlegmatic patriarch David and the one-dimensional cruise director Julian, were even superfluous and irrelevant. Regardless, there’s a sweet ending and the family loves one another, despite the truths that come out.
All in all, it was okay. It was entertaining, but never engaging enough for me to look forward to reading more.
Many thanks to Penguin FirstToRead for the advance copy.
Thanks to the publisher, via Netgalley, for an advance e-galley for honest review.
3.5ish stars, rounded. This felt a little longer than necessary, and it was hard to find likable things about almost any of the characters (not necessarily a deal breaker for me, but I know that it is for some readers). I thought the premise of trapping a semi-estranged family on a cruise together was very entertaining, and provided a great backdrop for family drama. Perspective changes felt choppy at times, and I personally would have preferred to maybe have fewer perspectives, or, if we are going to get the perspective of so many characters, devote more equal time to each of them. This story definitely did not increase my interest in ever going on a cruise, ever, but reading about them can certainly be fun.
3.5ish stars, rounded. This felt a little longer than necessary, and it was hard to find likable things about almost any of the characters (not necessarily a deal breaker for me, but I know that it is for some readers). I thought the premise of trapping a semi-estranged family on a cruise together was very entertaining, and provided a great backdrop for family drama. Perspective changes felt choppy at times, and I personally would have preferred to maybe have fewer perspectives, or, if we are going to get the perspective of so many characters, devote more equal time to each of them. This story definitely did not increase my interest in ever going on a cruise, ever, but reading about them can certainly be fun.
I love family dramas - usually on the lines of Celeste Ng books - so reading this book was delightful.
The book starts off with Annete, the Feldman family matriarch, organizing a cruise trip for her family for her birthday. The problem is that they aren’t as close to each other as before, and they all have secrets. What follows is a hilarious saga that just gets better as it progresses!
This book was a perfect combination of funny and poignant- exploring how we drift away from our families as we grow older - but also examining that however many new people we have in our lives, we always turn to our families in times of crisis. Each character had their own flaws and faults - they had a likability even when they were unlikable. All characters have their own distinct voices and own relationships (I especially loved how Darius’ teenage mind frame and insecurities were portrayed). This book doesn’t shy away from exploring heavy topics like addiction either. Surprisingly heartwarming and deep, the exquisite writing makes the story more relatable.
Definitely a must read - especially if you like family dramas! I can’t wait to read more by the author.
Thanks to @berkleypub #partner for the free review copy!
The book starts off with Annete, the Feldman family matriarch, organizing a cruise trip for her family for her birthday. The problem is that they aren’t as close to each other as before, and they all have secrets. What follows is a hilarious saga that just gets better as it progresses!
This book was a perfect combination of funny and poignant- exploring how we drift away from our families as we grow older - but also examining that however many new people we have in our lives, we always turn to our families in times of crisis. Each character had their own flaws and faults - they had a likability even when they were unlikable. All characters have their own distinct voices and own relationships (I especially loved how Darius’ teenage mind frame and insecurities were portrayed). This book doesn’t shy away from exploring heavy topics like addiction either. Surprisingly heartwarming and deep, the exquisite writing makes the story more relatable.
Definitely a must read - especially if you like family dramas! I can’t wait to read more by the author.
Thanks to @berkleypub #partner for the free review copy!
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is such a good family dramedy, just like The Last Summer at the Golden Hotel! I laughed super hard, cried, and generally fell in love with the Feldman-Connolly clan during this family-cruise-gone-wrong book. I highly recommend this if you're in a Type A Jewish family with lots of drama, I empathized highly with the book. I really love how Friedland is able to get inside the minds of so many different characters, it's her great talent! There wasn't one chapter from a different perspective that I didn't want to listen to :)