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The Inseparables: A Novel
A keenly observed multi-generational novel about sex, marriage, shame, money, divorce, guilt, bad therapists, French food, death, and one old rooster, by the acclaimed author of Wise Men.
Henrietta Olyphant has lost her husband, her money, and is about to lose her hard-won anonymity: The Inseparables, the scandalous and critically despised best-seller that Henrietta wrote decades earlier, is set to be reissued. At the same time, her daughter Oona is in the middle of a divorce, and has begun an affair with her therapist. And Oona's teenaged daughter Lydia faces scrutiny and shame when a nude photo unintentionally circulates around her boarding school. In the wake of these upheavals, the women come together unexpectedly to sift through the mess. Told over the course of a few days, this incisive and moving novel examines what happens when our most careful ideas about ourselves unravel and we must invent ourselves--and our family--anew.
Henrietta Olyphant has lost her husband, her money, and is about to lose her hard-won anonymity: The Inseparables, the scandalous and critically despised best-seller that Henrietta wrote decades earlier, is set to be reissued. At the same time, her daughter Oona is in the middle of a divorce, and has begun an affair with her therapist. And Oona's teenaged daughter Lydia faces scrutiny and shame when a nude photo unintentionally circulates around her boarding school. In the wake of these upheavals, the women come together unexpectedly to sift through the mess. Told over the course of a few days, this incisive and moving novel examines what happens when our most careful ideas about ourselves unravel and we must invent ourselves--and our family--anew.
352 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 19, 2016
70 people are currently reading
2345 people want to read
About the author
Stuart Nadler
10 books105 followersStuart Nadler is a recipient of the 5 Under 35 award from the National Book Foundation. A graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, where he was awarded a Truman Capote Fellowship and a Teaching-Writing Fellowship, he was also the Carol Houck Smith Fiction Fellow at the University of Wisconsin. He is the author of Wise Men, and the story collection The Book of Life.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 139 reviews
May 17, 2016
Henrietta Olyphant was once a bit of a radical feminist, a professor of women's studies in New York, who often spoke about the challenges of being a woman in a male-dominated society. Yet after she married her chef husband, who moved her to a farmhouse in a Boston suburb, and while she was raising their infant daughter, she decided to write a book.
The Inseparables
was a smutty, titillating romp about female sexual liberation which was reviled by critics and feminists alike, but beloved by everyone else, and Henrietta was never able to escape her reputation as the author of this book for the rest of her life.
Now 70 years old, recently widowed and in desperate need of money, Henrietta reluctantly agrees to an anniversary reissue of the book, despite the fact that it will net her the same kind of notoriety it did back in its heyday. And yet because of her financial predicament, she is willing to do whatever it takes to promote the book she has referred to for years as That Thing or That Motherfucking Thing .
Meanwhile, Henrietta's daughter, Oona, a successful orthopedic surgeon, has moved back to her childhood home with her mother, as she is in the midst of a divorce from her husband Spencer, a perpetually stoned former lawyer. And Oona's daughter, Lydia, a smart, sarcastic 15-year-old, finds herself suspended from the exclusive private school she begged her parents to attend when a nude picture she took of herself is stolen and goes viral on social media.
Over the course of a tumultuous week, all three women make surprising discoveries about themselves and those they care about, struggle with their relationships with one another, and they must come to terms with their own shortcomings. They realize they're poor decision makers in many instances, but that shouldn't doom them to unhappiness, no matter what stage of their lives they're at.
This is a sometimes humorous, sometimes poignant book about family, relationships, love, loss, memory, and self-discovery. I really enjoyed the characters and felt for them, although they definitely are flawed in some ways. The dynamics between Henrietta and Oona, and Oona, Spencer, and Lydia were definitely a highlight of the book.
"They were the sort of family that kept their declarations of affection silent, or at least repressed them and disguised them as the typical ingredients of mother-daughter-granddaughter dysfunction: guilt, conflict, shame, cookies, All of these, you were to understand if you were an Olyphant, were an acceptable stand-in for love."
If I have any criticism of the book, it's the way I felt the situation regarding Lydia was handled. Other than one scene with Spencer when he really realizes the extent of what is going on, I was frustrated by his and Oona's real lack of attention to their daughter's crisis, and Lydia's refusal to acknowledge what was going on. I understand a lot of it was denial, but it just didn't sit well with me.
I think Stuart Nadler is a great writer; I was a big fan of his previous book, Wise Men, which also dealt with family dynamics and dysfunction, albeit with the males in a family. Nadler is a terrific storyteller who really gets you emotionally involved in his characters' lives. So while I felt this wasn't a perfect book by any means, it was definitely entertaining, moving, and a very enjoyable read.
NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!
See all of my reviews at http://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blo....
Now 70 years old, recently widowed and in desperate need of money, Henrietta reluctantly agrees to an anniversary reissue of the book, despite the fact that it will net her the same kind of notoriety it did back in its heyday. And yet because of her financial predicament, she is willing to do whatever it takes to promote the book she has referred to for years as That Thing or That Motherfucking Thing .
Meanwhile, Henrietta's daughter, Oona, a successful orthopedic surgeon, has moved back to her childhood home with her mother, as she is in the midst of a divorce from her husband Spencer, a perpetually stoned former lawyer. And Oona's daughter, Lydia, a smart, sarcastic 15-year-old, finds herself suspended from the exclusive private school she begged her parents to attend when a nude picture she took of herself is stolen and goes viral on social media.
Over the course of a tumultuous week, all three women make surprising discoveries about themselves and those they care about, struggle with their relationships with one another, and they must come to terms with their own shortcomings. They realize they're poor decision makers in many instances, but that shouldn't doom them to unhappiness, no matter what stage of their lives they're at.
This is a sometimes humorous, sometimes poignant book about family, relationships, love, loss, memory, and self-discovery. I really enjoyed the characters and felt for them, although they definitely are flawed in some ways. The dynamics between Henrietta and Oona, and Oona, Spencer, and Lydia were definitely a highlight of the book.
"They were the sort of family that kept their declarations of affection silent, or at least repressed them and disguised them as the typical ingredients of mother-daughter-granddaughter dysfunction: guilt, conflict, shame, cookies, All of these, you were to understand if you were an Olyphant, were an acceptable stand-in for love."
If I have any criticism of the book, it's the way I felt the situation regarding Lydia was handled. Other than one scene with Spencer when he really realizes the extent of what is going on, I was frustrated by his and Oona's real lack of attention to their daughter's crisis, and Lydia's refusal to acknowledge what was going on. I understand a lot of it was denial, but it just didn't sit well with me.
I think Stuart Nadler is a great writer; I was a big fan of his previous book, Wise Men, which also dealt with family dynamics and dysfunction, albeit with the males in a family. Nadler is a terrific storyteller who really gets you emotionally involved in his characters' lives. So while I felt this wasn't a perfect book by any means, it was definitely entertaining, moving, and a very enjoyable read.
NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!
See all of my reviews at http://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blo....
August 18, 2016
Sex and shame have gone hand in hand for much too long. This is the theme to Stuart Nadler's The Inseparables. He has fabulously written three generations of women whose lives have all arrived at this sadly familiar intersection. Although some parts were hard to read (trigger warnings: ), it's not all seriousness. There are moving family moments and a surprising amount of humor to lighten up what could have been a very dark book. I found The Inseparables to be engaging and I was invested in all aspects. I loved the ongoing message that although society seems to be addicted to sexual shame, we can choose not to accept it. All this girl power written by a man. Imagine that!
My favorite quote:
"Shame is a choice."
My favorite quote:
"Shame is a choice."
September 9, 2016
The premise of this novel is brilliant: three generations of strong women, all reckoning with sexuality and human connection at their particular stage of life. Henrietta, 70, recently widowed, a pioneering women's studies prof before marriage, the author of a smutty novel in the early days of said marriage, the publication and reception of which has made her notorious, mortifyingly so, ever since. Her daughter, Oona, a workaholic surgeon, recently separated from her lazy, pot-smoking hubby, now ready to explore dating again. The third generation character, Lydia, 15, outrageously expelled from her hoity-toity boarding school because her hacker pseudo-boyfriend stole her nude selfie and circulated it all through the school.
It was this premise that made me buy the e-book and start reading it the same night I first heard about it. The premise, sadly, is far better than the actual book. This was a very mediocre novel. The writer has bitten off more than he can chew at this stage of his career.
The prose is competent, workmanlike, and unmemorable. The novel is gobbed up with too many overly long expository paragraphs. The decision to alternate between the three characters' points of view with long chapters that were quite self-centered vis-à-vis each of them, with too few scenes where any two never mind three of them were interacting, interrupted the flow of the narrative.
When one character was in another character's chapter, they were mainly reacting to whatever was going on for that particular woman. For a glaringly obvious example, Lydia was in a terribly traumatic crisis; yet there she was, cracking jokes with her estranged parents, or giving advice to them. It just didn't ring true at all.
And the most fascinating of the characters, the cash-strapped Henrietta, spends the bulk of her energy trying to hunt down a broken weathervane, which she has learned might be quite valuable; it's gone missing while she was packing up and preparing to move. Yet, the very first thing we learned about her, on page 1 of the novel, is that she has very reluctantly agreed to a reprint of the novel that has long mortified her because she so desperately needs the money. The story is way too focused on her crazy attempts to locate the weathervane and not nearly enough on the central and compelling enigma of why such a strong feminist woman would feel so ashamed of having penned a sex positive novel, and how she's now coming to terms with its imminent republication. (What exploration there is of all this is unsatisfyingly vague.) Nadler's decisions about what to focus on just didn't make sense to me.
I didn't hate this novel; I just didn't like it very much. That said, and I realize I've been quite hard on it so far, by the end I did finally feel emotionally connected to all three of the women. Nadler did build the story to somewhat of an satisfying conclusion.
My pet peeve about mediocre novels like this is that they have been published too early. Stuart Nadler should've sat with this rich material, let it ferment, and coaxed himself through dozens more drafts before this novel ever saw the light of day. Because it could've been unforgettable.
As it is, sadly, I have to remove the prefix from that last adjective.
It was this premise that made me buy the e-book and start reading it the same night I first heard about it. The premise, sadly, is far better than the actual book. This was a very mediocre novel. The writer has bitten off more than he can chew at this stage of his career.
The prose is competent, workmanlike, and unmemorable. The novel is gobbed up with too many overly long expository paragraphs. The decision to alternate between the three characters' points of view with long chapters that were quite self-centered vis-à-vis each of them, with too few scenes where any two never mind three of them were interacting, interrupted the flow of the narrative.
When one character was in another character's chapter, they were mainly reacting to whatever was going on for that particular woman. For a glaringly obvious example, Lydia was in a terribly traumatic crisis; yet there she was, cracking jokes with her estranged parents, or giving advice to them. It just didn't ring true at all.
And the most fascinating of the characters, the cash-strapped Henrietta, spends the bulk of her energy trying to hunt down a broken weathervane, which she has learned might be quite valuable; it's gone missing while she was packing up and preparing to move. Yet, the very first thing we learned about her, on page 1 of the novel, is that she has very reluctantly agreed to a reprint of the novel that has long mortified her because she so desperately needs the money. The story is way too focused on her crazy attempts to locate the weathervane and not nearly enough on the central and compelling enigma of why such a strong feminist woman would feel so ashamed of having penned a sex positive novel, and how she's now coming to terms with its imminent republication. (What exploration there is of all this is unsatisfyingly vague.) Nadler's decisions about what to focus on just didn't make sense to me.
I didn't hate this novel; I just didn't like it very much. That said, and I realize I've been quite hard on it so far, by the end I did finally feel emotionally connected to all three of the women. Nadler did build the story to somewhat of an satisfying conclusion.
My pet peeve about mediocre novels like this is that they have been published too early. Stuart Nadler should've sat with this rich material, let it ferment, and coaxed himself through dozens more drafts before this novel ever saw the light of day. Because it could've been unforgettable.
As it is, sadly, I have to remove the prefix from that last adjective.
August 22, 2016
This is a decidedly imperfect novel--as a whole, it's rather lacking in focus--but Nadler has created some memorable characters and his prose is so easy to consume.
August 17, 2016
A man who can write women, huh? I'm not convinced by Stuart Nadler. The women were not like any women I know. I would guess that Nadler is overrated with his Iowa Workshop background. The descriptions of Massachusetts cold weather are nice. Some of the characters are suspect cliches -- the man in the antique shop. We have a 70 year old, a 40 year old and a 15 year old - Grandmother, Mother, Daughter. A dead husband, a stoner husband and a feckless and abusive boyfriend.
and they are trying to hold things together and ho hum they kind of do - sort of. I am a woman like Henrietta who is a widow and her musings do not ring true. The author can't resist being cute about everything sexual. The humor left me cold.
I didn't like it.
and they are trying to hold things together and ho hum they kind of do - sort of. I am a woman like Henrietta who is a widow and her musings do not ring true. The author can't resist being cute about everything sexual. The humor left me cold.
I didn't like it.
October 21, 2016
Three generations of women face different crises in their lives. I would have given it three stars, but ultimately it fell flat. Too many times, it felt like we were being led somewhere only to be cut off. 2.5 stars?
July 28, 2016
Loved this book. Not sure I would compare it to The Interestings. The three generations of the women who held the story together. Even the side characters were a pleasant surprise.
November 2, 2020
Oona is an overworked orthopedic surgeon who has just left her ex-lawyer now stoner husband, Spencer, and is living with her mother, Henrietta,who had penned a sexScapade book back when.. and forever regrets it. Henrietta has just lost her husband which is another reason why Lydia is living with her. But the house is up for sale because Henrietta’s husband lost the restaurant he had worked so hard to keep going throughout their marriage. She agreed to a reissue of “that fucking book” to gain a positive cash flow again. Add in Oona and Spencer’s daughter, Lydia, who has just found out that the first boy she kissed, after his heavy dogging, had swiped a compromising selfie from her phone and mass spread it through the boarding school they are both attending. This is the basis.
Spencer is, in my opinion, a deadbeat.. accepting every luxury Oona bestowed him while, arguably, being the home bound parental unit. Smoked up, but well read. But he pulls through for Lydia in dealing with the fink from school. (But not as well as Lydia, herself.)
There’s more to it: a tryst with the couples therapist, a stolen weathervane, an unopened suitcase, pawn shops, family friends, but it basically boils down to the family team as they work through a divorce, an internet tragedy, an embarrassing book, and life.
Spencer is, in my opinion, a deadbeat.. accepting every luxury Oona bestowed him while, arguably, being the home bound parental unit. Smoked up, but well read. But he pulls through for Lydia in dealing with the fink from school. (But not as well as Lydia, herself.)
There’s more to it: a tryst with the couples therapist, a stolen weathervane, an unopened suitcase, pawn shops, family friends, but it basically boils down to the family team as they work through a divorce, an internet tragedy, an embarrassing book, and life.
August 30, 2016
I did not really like any of the characters.
The dialogue was repetitive. And the story line
was boring and stupid. Otherwise, not bad.
The dialogue was repetitive. And the story line
was boring and stupid. Otherwise, not bad.
March 7, 2018
Just finished it.
Kind of a guilty pleasure. I am drawn to books with characters over 65. Also appreciate books dealing with grief and bereavement. This one has all that…and more.
Loved the older character and appreciated the author’s use of witty dialogue. All takes place in/near Boston. In the first chapter or so, 70-year-old Henrietta Olyphant's husband dies. She loved him a lot. Now she is desperate for money, so she authorizes the republication of the best-selling scandalous book she wrote when she was 26 years old. As an author myself, I found this interesting, as she hates the book, doesn't think it's written well, and now has to okay having it republished.
Her daughter, Oona, is a doctor. More specifically, an orthopedic surgeon. She is the breadwinner in her family, her husband was a lawyer but quit his job to be a house husband when their daughter was born. Liked this part for the role-reversals, he at home raising the young girl, girl a teenager now but he doesn't try to find a job outside of the home.
I appreciated the daughter/mother relationship, author’s descriptions helped me understand better what my friends and family members might be going through raising teenage girls during these social media days, also helped me better understand what teenagers face these days in re: social media and so on. Must say, though, the writing was terribly disappointing when it came to portrayal of the teenage girl’s mother.
Not the greatest book ever written, but the parts with the 72-year-old grieving grandmother made it very worthwhile.
Kind of a guilty pleasure. I am drawn to books with characters over 65. Also appreciate books dealing with grief and bereavement. This one has all that…and more.
Loved the older character and appreciated the author’s use of witty dialogue. All takes place in/near Boston. In the first chapter or so, 70-year-old Henrietta Olyphant's husband dies. She loved him a lot. Now she is desperate for money, so she authorizes the republication of the best-selling scandalous book she wrote when she was 26 years old. As an author myself, I found this interesting, as she hates the book, doesn't think it's written well, and now has to okay having it republished.
Her daughter, Oona, is a doctor. More specifically, an orthopedic surgeon. She is the breadwinner in her family, her husband was a lawyer but quit his job to be a house husband when their daughter was born. Liked this part for the role-reversals, he at home raising the young girl, girl a teenager now but he doesn't try to find a job outside of the home.
I appreciated the daughter/mother relationship, author’s descriptions helped me understand better what my friends and family members might be going through raising teenage girls during these social media days, also helped me better understand what teenagers face these days in re: social media and so on. Must say, though, the writing was terribly disappointing when it came to portrayal of the teenage girl’s mother.
Not the greatest book ever written, but the parts with the 72-year-old grieving grandmother made it very worthwhile.
September 3, 2024
This book was so great, I forgot it was written by a man! 😀
Three generations of women -- Henrietta, Oona, and Lydia -- dealing with love, loss, grief, shame, sexuality, and everything else life throws at you. At times laugh-out-loud funny, at times poignant. Thoroughly enjoyable.
Three generations of women -- Henrietta, Oona, and Lydia -- dealing with love, loss, grief, shame, sexuality, and everything else life throws at you. At times laugh-out-loud funny, at times poignant. Thoroughly enjoyable.
May 17, 2017
2.5 stars
Many times while reading, I thought "this just isn't for me." But I kept going, so apparently, there was something for me.
I finished it, meh.
Nice touch with Lydia's problem, tho. A big issue in today's world.
Many times while reading, I thought "this just isn't for me." But I kept going, so apparently, there was something for me.
I finished it, meh.
Nice touch with Lydia's problem, tho. A big issue in today's world.
July 19, 2016
Perhaps because of its title, this novel reminded me a bit of Meg Wolitzer's The Interestings, in that it was a beautifully written novel that ultimately left me dissatisfied. I wrote the following about that novel, and I will copy it again here because I am finding this increasingly to be the case for me, especially with novels that are very well executed, but ultimately feel too polished, too clean, and too writer-y.
"This story kept my attention, the characters were fully rounded. But, and this is one of those lingering buts, I may simply have to face the fact that the traditional, realistic, linear novel is just not exciting to me any longer. I admired the structure and the execution, but I wish that there was a single image or evocative phrase or character that stayed with me after closing the book."
"This story kept my attention, the characters were fully rounded. But, and this is one of those lingering buts, I may simply have to face the fact that the traditional, realistic, linear novel is just not exciting to me any longer. I admired the structure and the execution, but I wish that there was a single image or evocative phrase or character that stayed with me after closing the book."
August 7, 2016
I admired and enjoyed this book as I read it - the incisive comments, hilarious scenes, good hearted musings and wonderful characters - and Nadler writes about women with extraordinary empathy and zero condescension. But somehow the plot didn't add up. Henrietta and her grand daughter Lydia both suffer shame from public sexualization, Lydia's mother Oona has sex with her goofy therapist, Henrietta's husband leaves her romantic notes, the antique seller gropes Henrietta - all interesting, often riveting, but the book seemed to be "scenes from modern sexuality," loosely connected, short stories more than a novel. I am not usually picky about form, so perhaps what I mean is that the story ran away from him, especially in the last third, and I had enjoyed it so much that I am sorry that it did. All the same, I will eagerly read his next book.
September 17, 2016
I am reluctant to give this book 3 stars, although it deserves more than my 2 star rating.
Nadler has graceful control over his storytelling and does a skillful job with the interplay of his interesting and full characters and the emotional trajectory they all are facing. But as a reader, I feel that there is something missing is the novel's resolution. Of course life is not completely resolved and this novel leaves us with that slice of life feel and reality.
But given that this is a work of fiction where a story's reality can cross that border into perhaps contrived yet satisfaction for the sake of reading pleasure, I wanted to smile more at the end instead of just taking a reflective, momentary deep breath and turning the last page.
Nadler has graceful control over his storytelling and does a skillful job with the interplay of his interesting and full characters and the emotional trajectory they all are facing. But as a reader, I feel that there is something missing is the novel's resolution. Of course life is not completely resolved and this novel leaves us with that slice of life feel and reality.
But given that this is a work of fiction where a story's reality can cross that border into perhaps contrived yet satisfaction for the sake of reading pleasure, I wanted to smile more at the end instead of just taking a reflective, momentary deep breath and turning the last page.
August 24, 2016
What an interesting book to review....I thought it started off a little slow, and it can certainly be poignantly sad if not downright depressing in parts, but the character development was exquisite. And some of the dialogue and scene-setting was brilliant. I wasn't always happy while reading this book, but I'm happy it was written. I really enjoyed the author's Wise Men, and this showed equivalent talent.
August 31, 2016
I anticipated liking this a lot more than I did: three generations of women in one family, death, food, divorce, an embarrassing novel about sex written long ago by the grandmother, an aging feminist. It sounded a bit like a combination of Meg Wolitzer's The Position and Brian Morton's Florence Gordon. Alas, I didn't love it, though I'm not totally sure why. I just didn't find it as funny as its many blurbers suggested it would be and it lacked the zip to keep me all that interested.
March 23, 2022
I honestly could not get through this book. I made it about 25% through this book and decided to put it down, which I try not to do, but it was a flat read and read like a TV show/movie that was about generations of women trying to deal with relationships in a fairly privileged setting. I just might not be the proper audience for this book.
If I find the will power to pick this back up and finish it, I will update my review.
If I find the will power to pick this back up and finish it, I will update my review.
May 7, 2016
Whole lot of sub plots, beautiful writing and the novel moves. Each chapter has you wanting more. One negative was Lydia's voice which I questioned if it actually sounded like a teenager. Nonetheless, a great read on family.
August 10, 2016
Deft portrayal of problems faced by three generations of women. Each character from this one family was different, but each was smart, self-aware, and identifiable. Nadler portrays them with intelligence and wit.
July 19, 2016
I really enjoyed this one. Quick read, incredibly funny - the kind of book that had me both laughing and crying.
July 26, 2016
I prefer The Interestings and The Middlesteins to this one, but it is kindof fun to think about other plural titles I've read.
Read
July 26, 2016Good for readers looking for a light read about dysfunctional families with a slight literary bent. -Sarah
February 14, 2017
Henrietta seemed a silly woman. Oona didn't know what she wanted. Lydia made a stupid choice as teens will do. It was just ok. Language was a turnoff.
January 6, 2018
Eine Familie, drei Frauen, dreimal Probleme mit Männern: Henrietta Olyphant, die Großmutter, einst erfolgreiche Feminismus-Dozentin und Autorin, hat vor knapp einem Jahr ihren Mann verloren und muss nun das Haus verlassen, in dem sie über 40 Jahre gelebt haben und wo ihre Tochter zur Welt kam. Die Trauer überwiegt alles bis sie plötzlich mit Dingen konfrontiert wird, die das Bild von ihrem Mann gehörig ins Wanken bringen. Oona ist gerade wieder bei ihrer Mutter eingezogen, da sie sich von ihrem Mann Spencer trennen will. Als erfolgreiche Chirurgin kann sie nicht länger mit ansehen, wie er dauerbekifft seine Tage in Unproduktivität verbringt. Als der Paartherapeut ihr Avancen macht, scheint ein Neuanfang möglich. Die Jüngste im Bunde, Lydia, ist ebenfalls auf dem Weg nach Hause, weg aus ihren Luxusinternat, wo gerade ein Nacktbild von ihr die Runde macht, das ihr vermeintlicher Freund von ihrem Handy geklaut und verbreitet hat. So finden sie sich zusammen, jede mit ihren ganz eigenen Problemen und der Erkenntnis, dass sie einander mehr brauchen als sie dachten.
Was womöglich nach einem sehr seichten Frauenbuch klingt, ist tatsächlich ein wahrer erzählerischer Schatz, den man ob des unsäglich aussagelosen Covers leicht übersehen könnte – was vermutlich auch der Fall ist, denn mir ist der Roman bislang selten begegnet. Dabei hat der Roman wirklich viele Leser verdient, ist er doch die perfekte Symbiose aus ernsthafter Thematik, die in ihrer Komplexität auch überzeugend herausgestellt wird, und einem leichten, oftmals geradezu komischen Erzählton.
Die drei Frauenfiguren sind miteinander verwandt, damit hören die Gemeinsamkeiten aber auch schon auf. Sie zeichnen sich jeweils als recht typische Vertreterinnen ihrer Generation aus ohne dabei stereotyp zu werden. Henrietta erscheint zunächst als klassische Großmutter, die ihren Beruf und Karriereträume für den Mann und die Familie geopfert hatte, weil es die Gesellschaft so von ihr erwartete. So einfach ist der Fall jedoch nicht. Es ist ihr gar nicht so schwergefallen, New York und die Universität zu verlassen und ein ganz anderes Leben zu leben als sie geplant hatte. Die Tatsache, dass sie als junge Frau ein Buch über den weiblichen Körper mit expliziten Zeichnungen veröffentlichte, das immer noch nachgefragt wird, lässt sie in einem interessanten Licht erscheinen. Heute ist ihr das Buch peinlich, vor allem gegenüber ihrer Tochter und Enkelin.
Letztere wiederum amüsiert sich geradezu über die großmütterliche Scham, hat sie im Internet schon weitaus Eindeutigeres gesehen. Das mindert aber in keiner Weise die Scham, die sie selbst empfindet ob der von ihr verbreiteten Fotos. Auch sie steckt in einem Zwiespalt, denn eigentlich mag sie Charlie, auch jetzt noch, obwohl er sie hintergangen hat. Auch hier wieder der Fall eines Mädchens, das in eine für ihre Generation recht typische Situation gerät und doch keine 08/15-Lösung sich anbietet. Zu komplex sind ihre Gefühle und die familiäre Lage mit den sich trennenden Eltern. Sie findet Unterstützung und Rat – aber sind der kiffende Vater und die gerade fremdgehende Mutter die besten Ansprechpartner in Beziehungsfragen?
Oona letztlich als Frau im mittleren Alter vereinigt ebenfalls die Komplexität von Beziehung, Familienbande und Beruf in einer Figur. Weder hasst sie ihren Noch-Mann, noch kann sie mit ihm so weiterleben. Sie will sowohl ihrer Mutter wie auch ihrer Tochter beistehen und das, wo sie selbst gerade im emotionalen Chaos steckt. Da hilft nur die sachlich-nüchterne Seite der Ärztin rauskehren, aber wenn man gerade eine Umarmung braucht, ist das auch nicht so hilfreich.
Das Buch lebt von seinen Figuren und ihren Dialogen. Sie sind Familie, da wird der Ton auch mal harsch und man mutet dem anderen mehr zu als man dies bei Fremden tun würde. Und doch: sie sind für einander da und wissen, was sie gerade brauchen. Und dabei verlieren sie auch Humor und Sarkasmus nicht. Ein in jeder Hinsicht gelungener Roman.
Was womöglich nach einem sehr seichten Frauenbuch klingt, ist tatsächlich ein wahrer erzählerischer Schatz, den man ob des unsäglich aussagelosen Covers leicht übersehen könnte – was vermutlich auch der Fall ist, denn mir ist der Roman bislang selten begegnet. Dabei hat der Roman wirklich viele Leser verdient, ist er doch die perfekte Symbiose aus ernsthafter Thematik, die in ihrer Komplexität auch überzeugend herausgestellt wird, und einem leichten, oftmals geradezu komischen Erzählton.
Die drei Frauenfiguren sind miteinander verwandt, damit hören die Gemeinsamkeiten aber auch schon auf. Sie zeichnen sich jeweils als recht typische Vertreterinnen ihrer Generation aus ohne dabei stereotyp zu werden. Henrietta erscheint zunächst als klassische Großmutter, die ihren Beruf und Karriereträume für den Mann und die Familie geopfert hatte, weil es die Gesellschaft so von ihr erwartete. So einfach ist der Fall jedoch nicht. Es ist ihr gar nicht so schwergefallen, New York und die Universität zu verlassen und ein ganz anderes Leben zu leben als sie geplant hatte. Die Tatsache, dass sie als junge Frau ein Buch über den weiblichen Körper mit expliziten Zeichnungen veröffentlichte, das immer noch nachgefragt wird, lässt sie in einem interessanten Licht erscheinen. Heute ist ihr das Buch peinlich, vor allem gegenüber ihrer Tochter und Enkelin.
Letztere wiederum amüsiert sich geradezu über die großmütterliche Scham, hat sie im Internet schon weitaus Eindeutigeres gesehen. Das mindert aber in keiner Weise die Scham, die sie selbst empfindet ob der von ihr verbreiteten Fotos. Auch sie steckt in einem Zwiespalt, denn eigentlich mag sie Charlie, auch jetzt noch, obwohl er sie hintergangen hat. Auch hier wieder der Fall eines Mädchens, das in eine für ihre Generation recht typische Situation gerät und doch keine 08/15-Lösung sich anbietet. Zu komplex sind ihre Gefühle und die familiäre Lage mit den sich trennenden Eltern. Sie findet Unterstützung und Rat – aber sind der kiffende Vater und die gerade fremdgehende Mutter die besten Ansprechpartner in Beziehungsfragen?
Oona letztlich als Frau im mittleren Alter vereinigt ebenfalls die Komplexität von Beziehung, Familienbande und Beruf in einer Figur. Weder hasst sie ihren Noch-Mann, noch kann sie mit ihm so weiterleben. Sie will sowohl ihrer Mutter wie auch ihrer Tochter beistehen und das, wo sie selbst gerade im emotionalen Chaos steckt. Da hilft nur die sachlich-nüchterne Seite der Ärztin rauskehren, aber wenn man gerade eine Umarmung braucht, ist das auch nicht so hilfreich.
Das Buch lebt von seinen Figuren und ihren Dialogen. Sie sind Familie, da wird der Ton auch mal harsch und man mutet dem anderen mehr zu als man dies bei Fremden tun würde. Und doch: sie sind für einander da und wissen, was sie gerade brauchen. Und dabei verlieren sie auch Humor und Sarkasmus nicht. Ein in jeder Hinsicht gelungener Roman.
October 11, 2016
I received this novel as part of a promotion.
Three women in varying stages of life and varying conflicts that occupy their lives form the thematic center of this novel. Henrietta, a post-modern feminist having given up academia to live on a farm in rural Massachusetts with her chef husband, is recently widowed and facing the very real threat of poverty. Her daughter Oona has separated from her pothead husband and is coming to grips with her loneliness, the prospect of dating other men, and her mother's reluctance to end her mourning. Her daughter Lydia, a gifted teen, is reeling from the fallout of having a nude picture of her stolen and published on the internet, and is back home, partly to hibernate and mourn, partly to plan her revenge, and partly to plan her future, all while having to deal with her father's moroseness and bitterness and her mother's absence from her home.
The novel's chapters alternate points of view of its characters, and the author shines in elucidating their personalities. Take for example the first sentences that open the first of Lydia's chapters: "It was Monday, not that it mattered, rain falling, weak light through the dead trees on Mount Thumb....The iron arched gates of Hartwell Academy passed overhead, rusted and bearing a carved Latin inscription that meant either "Truth and Wisdom in Learning" or something like "Forget What You Thought: This Is The Place Where You Will Truly Actually Learn to Feel Deep Shame and Humiliation about Your Body." This perspective perfectly captures Lydia's cynicism, mood and frame of mind, teenage sarcasm and angst, and cloudy dim view of her future.
Not much happens over the course of about a week, which is the novel's purview, but whereas in other books I have reeled from the sheer boredom of passing pages and pages with no plot development whatsoever (see my review of The Fifth Petal), here the author captures the reader's attention with the inner and outer conflicts of the characters so well I barely notice nothing has happened in 5 pages.
The writing is funny, touching, lively, and vibrant. The characters are complex. Lydia isn't, for example, your typical teenager. She has the typical cynicism, yet still yearns for her mother's presence and and her father's well-being. Spencer is a pothead with a deep addiction problem he won't admit to, but he also has a fierce undying protectiveness of his baby that sends both of them on a road trip to solve the problem at hand. The passage where he explains to his daughter how to him she is still his little baby girl is tremendously moving, maybe more so because Lydia, and perhaps the reader, hadn't thought him capable of such deep thought on the subject. Another particularly moving element involves Oona's actions surrounding a note her father had written to her mother, whose outcome rounds out the last pages of the novel.
What we do for others; what we do to others, and the complicated and sometimes tragic consequences of our working through our shortcomings and challenges: these are the great themes of the novel. I was reminded of other novels like "The Interestings" and "Fates and Furies," which also deal very well with relationships and inner struggles.
Three women in varying stages of life and varying conflicts that occupy their lives form the thematic center of this novel. Henrietta, a post-modern feminist having given up academia to live on a farm in rural Massachusetts with her chef husband, is recently widowed and facing the very real threat of poverty. Her daughter Oona has separated from her pothead husband and is coming to grips with her loneliness, the prospect of dating other men, and her mother's reluctance to end her mourning. Her daughter Lydia, a gifted teen, is reeling from the fallout of having a nude picture of her stolen and published on the internet, and is back home, partly to hibernate and mourn, partly to plan her revenge, and partly to plan her future, all while having to deal with her father's moroseness and bitterness and her mother's absence from her home.
The novel's chapters alternate points of view of its characters, and the author shines in elucidating their personalities. Take for example the first sentences that open the first of Lydia's chapters: "It was Monday, not that it mattered, rain falling, weak light through the dead trees on Mount Thumb....The iron arched gates of Hartwell Academy passed overhead, rusted and bearing a carved Latin inscription that meant either "Truth and Wisdom in Learning" or something like "Forget What You Thought: This Is The Place Where You Will Truly Actually Learn to Feel Deep Shame and Humiliation about Your Body." This perspective perfectly captures Lydia's cynicism, mood and frame of mind, teenage sarcasm and angst, and cloudy dim view of her future.
Not much happens over the course of about a week, which is the novel's purview, but whereas in other books I have reeled from the sheer boredom of passing pages and pages with no plot development whatsoever (see my review of The Fifth Petal), here the author captures the reader's attention with the inner and outer conflicts of the characters so well I barely notice nothing has happened in 5 pages.
The writing is funny, touching, lively, and vibrant. The characters are complex. Lydia isn't, for example, your typical teenager. She has the typical cynicism, yet still yearns for her mother's presence and and her father's well-being. Spencer is a pothead with a deep addiction problem he won't admit to, but he also has a fierce undying protectiveness of his baby that sends both of them on a road trip to solve the problem at hand. The passage where he explains to his daughter how to him she is still his little baby girl is tremendously moving, maybe more so because Lydia, and perhaps the reader, hadn't thought him capable of such deep thought on the subject. Another particularly moving element involves Oona's actions surrounding a note her father had written to her mother, whose outcome rounds out the last pages of the novel.
What we do for others; what we do to others, and the complicated and sometimes tragic consequences of our working through our shortcomings and challenges: these are the great themes of the novel. I was reminded of other novels like "The Interestings" and "Fates and Furies," which also deal very well with relationships and inner struggles.
September 28, 2020
Ich bin ohne eine bestimmte Erwartungshaltung an das Buch heran gegangen. Es verspricht "urkomisch" zu sein, und eine große Familiengeschichte zu beinhalten.
Beides fand ich in dem Buch nicht. Klar, wir begleiten drei Frauen, drei Generationen, die zeigt, wie die eine die andere geprägt hat. Lydia hat mit einem aktuellen Problem vieler Frauen und Menschen zu kämpfen. Was mir bei ihr besonders gut gefiel, war ihre Eigenheit und dass der Autor kein slut-shaming dafür betreibt, dass Lydia einfach neugierig war. Diese Neugierde wurde ihr zum Verhängnis, aber nur, weil sie in die falschen Hände fiel.
Henrietta ist eine Frau, die ich für ihren Mut und ihre Werte sehr schätze - man merkt ihr an, dass sie darunter leidet ein Buch geschrieben zu haben, das viele missverstanden haben. Gleichzeitig finde ich feministische Bücher so wichtig und spreche ihr meine vollste Unterstützung aus.
Unschlüssig bin ich wegen Oona. Sie weiß nicht was sie will, hat keine eigene Geschichte.
Jede der drei Frauen hat ihr Päckchen zu tragen, viel Unterstützung erfahren sie voneinander aber nicht. Während Lydia vielleicht nachdem das Foto publik wurde, vielmehr ihre Mutter brauchte, ist sie nicht da. Sie besucht ihre Mutter sogar auf der Arbeit, als sie sie am dringsten braucht, doch sie ist nicht da. Die Hälfte des Buches verbringt Lydia mit ihrem Vater, der sich erst von seiner Frau lösen kann, nachdem Oona mit ihrem Paartherapeuten geschlafen hat.
Was mir am Buch gefiel: Die schöne Sprache - es ist treffend formuliert, einfühlsam, ehrlich, und flüssig. Dann gefallen mir die feministischen Themen, die es behandelt.
Was mir weniger gefiel: Ich kam trotz allem nicht richtig in die Handlung rein, sie blieb irgendwie farblos. Vieles wurde angerissen, aber nie zu Ende gesponnen (wieso reden Oona und Lydia nicht darüber, dass sie nicht zu erreichen war, wie geht es mit Oona und Spencer weiter, was hatte Henrietta ihrer Tochter auf dem See zeigen wollen?) Dass so viele Dinge noch offen sind, ist für mich wenig zufriedenstellend.
Beides fand ich in dem Buch nicht. Klar, wir begleiten drei Frauen, drei Generationen, die zeigt, wie die eine die andere geprägt hat. Lydia hat mit einem aktuellen Problem vieler Frauen und Menschen zu kämpfen. Was mir bei ihr besonders gut gefiel, war ihre Eigenheit und dass der Autor kein slut-shaming dafür betreibt, dass Lydia einfach neugierig war. Diese Neugierde wurde ihr zum Verhängnis, aber nur, weil sie in die falschen Hände fiel.
Henrietta ist eine Frau, die ich für ihren Mut und ihre Werte sehr schätze - man merkt ihr an, dass sie darunter leidet ein Buch geschrieben zu haben, das viele missverstanden haben. Gleichzeitig finde ich feministische Bücher so wichtig und spreche ihr meine vollste Unterstützung aus.
Unschlüssig bin ich wegen Oona. Sie weiß nicht was sie will, hat keine eigene Geschichte.
Jede der drei Frauen hat ihr Päckchen zu tragen, viel Unterstützung erfahren sie voneinander aber nicht. Während Lydia vielleicht nachdem das Foto publik wurde, vielmehr ihre Mutter brauchte, ist sie nicht da. Sie besucht ihre Mutter sogar auf der Arbeit, als sie sie am dringsten braucht, doch sie ist nicht da. Die Hälfte des Buches verbringt Lydia mit ihrem Vater, der sich erst von seiner Frau lösen kann, nachdem Oona mit ihrem Paartherapeuten geschlafen hat.
Was mir am Buch gefiel: Die schöne Sprache - es ist treffend formuliert, einfühlsam, ehrlich, und flüssig. Dann gefallen mir die feministischen Themen, die es behandelt.
Was mir weniger gefiel: Ich kam trotz allem nicht richtig in die Handlung rein, sie blieb irgendwie farblos. Vieles wurde angerissen, aber nie zu Ende gesponnen (wieso reden Oona und Lydia nicht darüber, dass sie nicht zu erreichen war, wie geht es mit Oona und Spencer weiter, was hatte Henrietta ihrer Tochter auf dem See zeigen wollen?) Dass so viele Dinge noch offen sind, ist für mich wenig zufriedenstellend.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 29, 2017
Since I read this as an ebook rather than hard copy that forces you to see the cover every time you pick it up, I actually forgot that the author was not a woman: Nadler writes effectively about a woman from each of 3 generations, about their relationships with each other and with men, but especially about the problems each faces--problems that are characteristic of their generation. Henrietta faces the prospect of selling her home 11 months after her beloved husband has died; her daughter Oona has separated from her husband and is dealing with the accompanying emotional issues; and Oona's 15-year-old daughter Lydia has been suspended from the exclusive private school she attends after her boyfriend circulates a naked picture of her that he has stolen from her phone (she didn't even send it to him!). Despite the seriousness of these problems, each woman persists, and Nadler writes about them in a way that is empathetic (much less so about the men with whom they are--or were--in relationships) while also revealing the ways that each woman is in some ways emotionally stunted. He also does so in a way that is often witty and occasionally laugh-out-loud funny. And it felt authentic even as I recognized that nobody actually carries on conversations that are this witty and snarky. It's well worth reading.
August 24, 2017
Henrietta Olyphant, Tochter Oona und Enkelin Lydia sind drei starke, selbstbewusste Frauen, die den Mittelpunkt Stuart Nadlers neuen Romans bilden.
Das Leben der Witwe Henrietta droht aufgewühlt zu werden, durch die Neuauflage ihres ehemaligen Skandalbestsellers. Auch wenn sie den lieber vergessen würde, so bleibt ihr nicht viel übrig, als dem Drängen ihres Verlegers nachzugeben, das Geld kann sie nach dem Tod ihres Mannes mehr als gut gebrauchen. Tochter Oona, eine der besten Orthopäden des Landes, 24 Stunden im Dienst aber frisch getrennt und frisch verliebt, zieht wieder bei ihrer Mutter ein. Als Lydia dann auch noch vom Eliteinternat suspendiert wird, weil Nacktfotos von ihr in der Schule kursieren, kann es eigentlich nicht mehr schlimmer kommen. Doch das Leben hält noch einige Überraschungen bereit.
Nadler gelingt es in seinem neuen Roman, die Geschichte dreier Frauen zu erzählen, die lernen müssen mit ihren neuen Lebensumständen klarzukommen. Dabei geben sie sich alle Mühe, optimistisch und positiv zu bleiben. Am Ende dürfen sie feststellen, dass Familie am Ende doch der sichere Hafen ist, der bleibt und auf den frau sich verlassen kann.
Eine sehr unterhaltsame Lektüre, die gleichzeitig Tiefgang hat und auch sprachlich überzeugt.
Das Leben der Witwe Henrietta droht aufgewühlt zu werden, durch die Neuauflage ihres ehemaligen Skandalbestsellers. Auch wenn sie den lieber vergessen würde, so bleibt ihr nicht viel übrig, als dem Drängen ihres Verlegers nachzugeben, das Geld kann sie nach dem Tod ihres Mannes mehr als gut gebrauchen. Tochter Oona, eine der besten Orthopäden des Landes, 24 Stunden im Dienst aber frisch getrennt und frisch verliebt, zieht wieder bei ihrer Mutter ein. Als Lydia dann auch noch vom Eliteinternat suspendiert wird, weil Nacktfotos von ihr in der Schule kursieren, kann es eigentlich nicht mehr schlimmer kommen. Doch das Leben hält noch einige Überraschungen bereit.
Nadler gelingt es in seinem neuen Roman, die Geschichte dreier Frauen zu erzählen, die lernen müssen mit ihren neuen Lebensumständen klarzukommen. Dabei geben sie sich alle Mühe, optimistisch und positiv zu bleiben. Am Ende dürfen sie feststellen, dass Familie am Ende doch der sichere Hafen ist, der bleibt und auf den frau sich verlassen kann.
Eine sehr unterhaltsame Lektüre, die gleichzeitig Tiefgang hat und auch sprachlich überzeugt.
November 14, 2019
I usually save 5 stars for books that seem to do things I've never seen a book do. And maybe, because I've never read a book quite like this one, it deserves 5 stars. It's the story of three women: Henrietta, the author of a sexually brazen book; her daughter, Oona, who is a doctor and is in the middle of a divorce, and Lydia, who is Oona's daughter, a fifteen year old who is being sexually harassed on twitter and instagram by her first boyfriend. The switches from past to present and back again were my only complaint, but now I see how intentional they were in revealing the truth of these three characters and their relationship to each other and to the men in their lives. There are so many versions of grief and they are explored so tenderly and viscerally in the intersecting stories of three females and the "men" they are connected with. The writing is often elegant, or heartbreaking, or hilarious. One reviewer wrote that the story isn't just about these three women, but about America. Of course! It was there in so many ways...from the love of old buildings, how some buildings seem to have souls, to the destruction of the old for the cheaply built or glitzy, from immigrant great grandparents, to the 5 star restaurant at the center of one part of this story. It's about money and technology and "ratings" and psychotherapy and trauma. I think it really is an amazing book. I'll give it the 5 stars an amazing book deserves.
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