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A review by heather_books
The Family Man by Elinor Lipman
4.0
I heard an interview with the author on NPR, she lives in Western Massachusetts, and the lead-in was "a modern-day Jane Austin", my interest was piqued.
While a fine family-relationship novel, it isn't exactly Austin-esque. I liked the characters and the setting of modern-day Manhattan, it lacked the humor that I find in many of Austin books. But, I loved the protagonist Henry, and his step-daughter Thalia, and the characters of Todd and Lillian.
My two quibbles with the book is that the "name dropping" of modern technology (Myspace, Youtube, Craigslist, etc.) will date and aggravate readers in the future, and not help achieve the period as I think the author hopes for. Just like watching movies with cell-phones that are outdated by the time the move is released, it is a distraction not an addition.
The ending was TOO rushed to try and tidy up everything, while satisfying to know what happens, it didn't keep the same tempo of the rest of the book. But, it may make a fine movie script.
In terms of "modern" Austin - I felt that Morningside Heights by Cheryl Mendelson is more in keeping with that title.
While a fine family-relationship novel, it isn't exactly Austin-esque. I liked the characters and the setting of modern-day Manhattan, it lacked the humor that I find in many of Austin books. But, I loved the protagonist Henry, and his step-daughter Thalia, and the characters of Todd and Lillian.
My two quibbles with the book is that the "name dropping" of modern technology (Myspace, Youtube, Craigslist, etc.) will date and aggravate readers in the future, and not help achieve the period as I think the author hopes for. Just like watching movies with cell-phones that are outdated by the time the move is released, it is a distraction not an addition.
The ending was TOO rushed to try and tidy up everything, while satisfying to know what happens, it didn't keep the same tempo of the rest of the book. But, it may make a fine movie script.
In terms of "modern" Austin - I felt that Morningside Heights by Cheryl Mendelson is more in keeping with that title.