Lots of couch time, leads to lots of reading. One of my colleagues had given me a copy of this month's Real Simple because there was an article entitled "50 Great Books That Will Change Your Life" which asked "renowned authors from every genre in the bookstore to name the title that moved them most". She thought the article would intrigue me and she was correct. I started browsing through the suggested titles and came across one entitled: The Inn at Lake Devine (1999) by Elinor Lipman and found the synopsis to be intriguing.
Synopsis: "It's 1962 and all across America barriers are collapsing. But when Natalie Marx's mother inquires about summer accommodations in Vermont, she gets the following reply: 'The Inn at Lake Devine is a family-owned resort, which has been in continuous operation since 1922. Our guests who feel most comfortable here, and return year after year, are Gentiles.' For twelve-year-old Natalie, who has a stubborn sense of justice, the words are not a rebuff but an infuriating, irresistible challenge.
In this beguiling novel, Elinor Lipman charts her heroine's fixation with a small bastion of genteel anti-Semitism, a fixation that will have wildly unexpected consequences on her romantic life. As Natalie tries to enter the world that has excluded her – and succeeds through the sheerest of accidents – The Inn at Lake Devine becomes a delightful and provocative romantic comedy full of sparkling social mischief." (Amazon.com)
In this beguiling novel, Elinor Lipman charts her heroine's fixation with a small bastion of genteel anti-Semitism, a fixation that will have wildly unexpected consequences on her romantic life. As Natalie tries to enter the world that has excluded her – and succeeds through the sheerest of accidents – The Inn at Lake Devine becomes a delightful and provocative romantic comedy full of sparkling social mischief." (Amazon.com)
Review: The heroine of the story, Natalie, is a 24-year old cooking student who is scarred by an incident from her childhood in which a resort – the titular inn – refused to allow her family to stay there one summer because they were Jewish. The premise seems heavy, but the execution is not. While the novel does concern the heroine's need to go back to the inn (where she once stayed with a childhood friend and her family), this is not a serious treatment of anti-Semitism or interfaith relationships.
What it is and what it does well is detail the fumblings and failures of several families – Natalie's, her childhood friend Robin's, and the Berrys, who own the inn. The end result is a Jane Austen-lite comedy of manners: funny but without Austen's biting wit or satire.
This novel comes under the "chick lit" genre of fiction, but all in all it was a fun, enjoyable read.
What it is and what it does well is detail the fumblings and failures of several families – Natalie's, her childhood friend Robin's, and the Berrys, who own the inn. The end result is a Jane Austen-lite comedy of manners: funny but without Austen's biting wit or satire.
This novel comes under the "chick lit" genre of fiction, but all in all it was a fun, enjoyable read.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
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