Take a photo of a barcode or cover
rachelrreads 's review for:
Family Family
by Laurie Frankel
I loved all the theater references in this novel: The protagonist India Allwood is a famous TV actor (and, crucially, an adoptive partner who also became pregnant and placed a baby up for adoption at 16) with a past as a classical theater actor.
She's also incredibly and annoyingly entitled and impulsive. I was intrigued initially by the book, then I was utterly flabbergasted by a major plot twist. In present day, she's a caring mother, but she also still always acts on impulse. While in a way India's faith that she would just always be able to figure things out and that they would work in her favor was nicely optimistic, it was also wildly unrealistic. Also despite the fact that Laurie Frankel seems to emphasize in the text that life and family are messy, the book is tied up with a neat little bow.
This is an interesting character study, but it's supremely implausible, and like I often complain, too long for what it is. I love good references to Ibsen and Guys and Dolls, but ultimately India's love of theater doesn't make this altogether a good novel.
She's also incredibly and annoyingly entitled and impulsive. I was intrigued initially by the book, then I was utterly flabbergasted by a major plot twist. In present day, she's a caring mother, but she also still always acts on impulse.
Spoiler
Also, why in the world does Frankel include not just one, but TWO, teenage pregnancies for India in this novel? India really needed to educate herself better about birth control...she also seemed kind of flippant honestly when she decided to place both babies for adoption.This is an interesting character study, but it's supremely implausible, and like I often complain, too long for what it is. I love good references to Ibsen and Guys and Dolls, but ultimately India's love of theater doesn't make this altogether a good novel.