Welcome to Litsy!

SO Jewish, SO New York. Loved that & not much else. Similar to The Nest but stretched too thin. 3rd-person POV kept characters at arms length & I didn't connect to them or get much insight into their motivations/personalities.

Joy‘s husband Aaron is suffering from cancer & dementia. She denies help from their grown children. The children are in and out of their parents' home trying to persuade Joy. Aaron dies & nothing much happened after that.

“She hated to be a burden, but since she was, she wished people would shoulder it with more grace.”

Pitch perfect. This is a sweet, gentle story about family, aging, loss, grief, and starting over. Normal people living normal life. Best book about a widow since Nora Webster. A mashup of We Are Not Ourselves and Here I Am, in the style of Today Will Be Different. A nice change of pace for me. I loved it!

I started this audio during #ListyPartyOfOne.

It took me a while to really get into this book but once I did, I didn't want to put it down. Sometimes funny, sometimes sad, and often poignant.

Relatable for sure- but it didn't blow me away at all.

Book club at Panera! Cathleen Schine's accessible and mildly comedic writing about domestic issues reminded me of Anne Tyler--except that Schine is writing about New York Jews. The plot centers around middle aged children struggling to take care of their aging parents. I appreciate that the novel didn't "take sides," and the issues and feelings felt real to me, from the vantage point of watching my parents and grandparents. Relatable & thoughtful.

This is a charming & sometimes very funny take on aging & family relationships. No small accomplishment. It deals with tough contemporary issues & no one really comes away diminished. It's a quintessential NYC saga that applies in every locale where human beings live, love, and create bonds that even death cannot sever. Recommended for those who are fascinated by the beauty & resilience of individuals moving along their personal pathways.

Looking forward to starting this one...

After reading one of Schine's previous novels, I was expecting something light and fun. Instead I found a more serious novel, full of insight into the relationship between adult children and their aging parents. Obviously the author has been there and she understands the vastly different needs, desires, and expectations of all concerned. An unexpectedly beautiful and poignant novel! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Starting the day right... coffee and a book! This one is about relationships between adult children and aging parents. Not light and fun like her previous novel, but very still very good.

Finally starting this book tonight. It's due on Saturday.... fingers crossed! #TBRTuesday

Oh dear...

"100 years ago we would have had to write letters, which would have taken days to get across the country & I would not have heard her voice. I love her voice. I love to hear it. Until I can't stand it anymore! And then I hang up & then i miss her and want to listen to her talk more." #CallYourMother

I enjoyed the first half with Joy's telling of the love and devotion for her husband, Aaron more than the second half after Aaron passes away (not a spoiler!). The second half felt like it went off the rails for me with much whining, and I wished it was a tighter told story in that second half.

Have only 7 days to read because others have holds on it, so I'm reading this one instead of June. This was the book that our book club picked to read.

I am a HUGE fan of Cathleen Schine, but I just couldn't finish this one. Maybe it's just me...I wouldn't pan it, but it just never picked up steam.

Really, if people were sent to old-age homes at a younger age, they would get so much more out of them.