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3.32 AVERAGE
3.32 AVERAGE
Cute read, for when you don't really need much substance :-)
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was a great book! I loved the concept of someone throwing a dinner party and realizing you're inviting very famous people over, so you have to figure out how to have the absolute best one. I liked the family complications that were covered and how clearly the author knows that you can hold some part of you back from your family.
I do wish that we'd kept with just a few characters POV in the story instead of jumping through many of them. At the beginning it seemed like we'd only get two, but the as it carried on we kept finding more and more characters to hear from, and I found that a bit distracting.
I do wish that we'd kept with just a few characters POV in the story instead of jumping through many of them. At the beginning it seemed like we'd only get two, but the as it carried on we kept finding more and more characters to hear from, and I found that a bit distracting.
It had potential but ended up lacking depth and anything to keep one going.
The voice of this book pulled me in immediately, and I liked how the author structured the book around a Passover seder and Rosh Hashanah holiday. The story focuses on three dysfunctional families, whose members are all dealing with the weight of expectations (for themselves and/0r each other) with varying degrees of success.
Although unlike Becca, I can sit still, I loved this passage because it captures the mindset that I often get into:
"Becca was good at everything. Except sitting still. She was always doing, thinking, accomplishing. She didn't know how to do it any other way....Didn't everyone feel this way? There were endless amounts of things to do: applications to complete, closets to be organized, opportunities to seek out. How could she spend a Saturday afternoon just sitting around when there were so many things on her to-do list? Complete schoolwork, go to internship, apply for residency, hold teaching assistant office hours, read the newspaper, read medical journals, read a book, go to the supermarket, go to the dry cleaners, go to the drugstore, send out birthday cards, buy presents, buy presents, buy presents, put photographs into albums, call mother, call father, call sister, call brother, go to the doctor, go to the dentist, go to the ob-gyn, attend cooking class with the girls, attend movie nights with the friends, go shopping with the mother, get yearly shots, get haircut. Repeat." (p. 26-27)
Although unlike Becca, I can sit still, I loved this passage because it captures the mindset that I often get into:
"Becca was good at everything. Except sitting still. She was always doing, thinking, accomplishing. She didn't know how to do it any other way....Didn't everyone feel this way? There were endless amounts of things to do: applications to complete, closets to be organized, opportunities to seek out. How could she spend a Saturday afternoon just sitting around when there were so many things on her to-do list? Complete schoolwork, go to internship, apply for residency, hold teaching assistant office hours, read the newspaper, read medical journals, read a book, go to the supermarket, go to the dry cleaners, go to the drugstore, send out birthday cards, buy presents, buy presents, buy presents, put photographs into albums, call mother, call father, call sister, call brother, go to the doctor, go to the dentist, go to the ob-gyn, attend cooking class with the girls, attend movie nights with the friends, go shopping with the mother, get yearly shots, get haircut. Repeat." (p. 26-27)
Quick and easy read. Nothing spectacular about the plot. Just family drama that I personally never found very interesting. Fine summer/beach/pool read as it doesn't require much thought or attention.
3 1/2. Light, charming and funny. There is nothing wrong with this at all, just kind of forgettable, but if you're looking for an easy family story kind of novel this won't let you down.
Nice, quick read about family dynamics, forgiveness, secrets & love- all of my favorite things! Would recommend, but glad it was a library book. I did appreciate the character development & the characters were fairly relatable.
The tension in this book is subtle. For the first part of the novel, the tension comes from a family wanting to impress another family at Seder. The Golds’ daughter, Becca, is dating Henry, who is a Rothschild—a prominent family. Becca is hard-working and going to medical school, but Henry got kicked out of college and now is doing nothing—not working, not going to school, and not worrying about his future one bit. Other tension in the book comes from another daughter, Sarah, being with a non-Jew who took over his father’s garage, which is not prestigious enough for Sarah’s mother. There is a son, Gideon, who is in Sri Lanka with Doctors Without Borders. The family drama is understated and sometimes you just what to throttle these people, but it’s an interesting read.
This book started out okay but it quickly took a turn for the worse. I didn't like most of the characters and the writing was disappointing. There were a few hints of deep secrets, but the author revealed those secrets in an understated, boring manner. I would not recommend this book.
The author (Brenda Janowitz) was magnificent in portraying the not 100% normal family. She made me feel like I was included in the Sedar dinner. Beautifully written