Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4491 in Books
• Published on: 2008-02-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

Sunday Times 100 best holiday reads
'Wisdom and waspish humour abound in this sharp portrayal'

Daily Mail
'This is the wickedly funny and poignant story of a Jewish family in crisis, beautifully observed and painfully authentic.'

Sunday Telegraph
`Charlotte Mendelson's portrait of a Jewish family in crisis is both extremely funny and acutely painful...'

Customer Reviews

Disorder Galore!
Mendelson takes us to a very special wedding on the first page of this witty and socially incendiary novel. The Rubin family have turned out to see one of their members, their first son Leo, married before his Rabbi mother Claudia, easily the most exotic, creature in the world: `No one is interested in you. There is one star of this show: tall and distractingly voluptuous in sea-green silk devore. With her in their mist...who could not be happy?' Yet Leo strangely has other plans. He elopes before the congregation with the seductive wife of the presiding Rabbi and precipates the whole Rubin family into chaotic disarray. Claudia's control begins to slip. Her dutiful daughter Frances, once gratefully married to the monstrously complacent Jonathan, falls for the `boyfriend' of her younger sister and finds that attraction has its own surprises and rewards. Rebellion mounts and even Claudia's steady husband Norman has his own preoccupations and secrets. Mendelson's writing delights in its frothy intelligence, sudden illumination and underlining compassion for the disordering impulses that may unravel our tried and tested lives, yet also redeem us, as we discover who we really, honestly are.

Self-obsessed
Selfish and unpleasant family members spend their time obsessing and whining about being Jewish and complaining about how the world owes them a living and isn't delivering. Diverting it ain't.

really turgid read
I took this on holiday after reading all the positive reviews posted on Amazon. I hated it. There was no warmth in the story telling just a bunch of 2 dimensional unlikeable characters trying to avoid upsetting an atrocious mother/rabbi. I have no idea why this book would be worthy of an award nomination. I recently read The Road Home by Rose Tremain and this doesn't hold a candle to it.
I only gave it a star because the Amazon review system doesn't allow you to leave 0 stars ....so bad I left it behind at the villa.