What do you think?
Rate this book
I'll Take It [uncorrected Proof]
A hilarious novel about Jewish sons and Jewish mothers, and about the pleasures and existential ramifications of shopping. The search for the holy bargain grail through the outlet stores of New England. At time of publication works by the author will appear in Vogue, Interview, New York Woman, Spy, and HG.
Paperback
First published January 1, 1989
2 people are currently reading
418 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
January 24, 2023
1990
Such a weird book, and such a delight. The plot is just a hanger for the interactions between the mother and son, the sisters, the aunts and the nephew. I dearly love these sisters, and their crazy trip to take in the autumn foliage of Vermont.
***
2014, August 26
All these years later I still adore it just as much. Joe's love for these three women is complete and accepting and generous. And the contrast between the middle-class suburban working women and the fantastically wealthy WASPs of Maine slays me.
***
23 January 2023
I can only hope the three sisters to whom this book was dedicated were half as delighted with this book as I am. There is so much fond indulgence and appreciation. Since my first reading, younger than Joe, and still today when I am in Hedy territory, it's just the most unconditionally loving book. Plenty of exasperation, but such acceptance.
And also, so very much my sense of humor. Well, now it occurs to me that my taste is not merely aligned with, but actually based largely on Rudnick's body of work.
Personal copy
Such a weird book, and such a delight. The plot is just a hanger for the interactions between the mother and son, the sisters, the aunts and the nephew. I dearly love these sisters, and their crazy trip to take in the autumn foliage of Vermont.
***
2014, August 26
All these years later I still adore it just as much. Joe's love for these three women is complete and accepting and generous. And the contrast between the middle-class suburban working women and the fantastically wealthy WASPs of Maine slays me.
***
23 January 2023
I can only hope the three sisters to whom this book was dedicated were half as delighted with this book as I am. There is so much fond indulgence and appreciation. Since my first reading, younger than Joe, and still today when I am in Hedy territory, it's just the most unconditionally loving book. Plenty of exasperation, but such acceptance.
And also, so very much my sense of humor. Well, now it occurs to me that my taste is not merely aligned with, but actually based largely on Rudnick's body of work.
Personal copy
September 25, 2010
This was one of my mother's favorite books, so much so that she was hesitant to lend it to me for fear that I would never return it. I always hate it when my mother is right: it's almost 10 years later and the book is still sitting my shelves. Even worse, I tell others about it, but for fear of losing it, won't lend it to anyone.
The book is based on a story of one adult gay son who travels with his mother and two aunts to see the leaves change. He goes only because he knows the women love to shop, as does he. However, as it turns out, his mother has a plan to rob a large department store, because, as she says, there's really just not enough money to redecorate the living room. Yes, she wants to rob the store not for the money, but for the housewares.
With great gentle humor interspersed with laugh out loud moments, I've always been surprised that this book has not been turned into a movie. My only guess is that it too rooted in Jewish humor to translate to screen well -- part of the comedy comes not from stereotypical behavior, but from very Jewish family interaction. I almost wonder if anyone who didn't grow up in a Jewish household or any ethnic household in NYC would really understand and appreciate the full-bodied characters or the subtlety of the plot.
The book is based on a story of one adult gay son who travels with his mother and two aunts to see the leaves change. He goes only because he knows the women love to shop, as does he. However, as it turns out, his mother has a plan to rob a large department store, because, as she says, there's really just not enough money to redecorate the living room. Yes, she wants to rob the store not for the money, but for the housewares.
With great gentle humor interspersed with laugh out loud moments, I've always been surprised that this book has not been turned into a movie. My only guess is that it too rooted in Jewish humor to translate to screen well -- part of the comedy comes not from stereotypical behavior, but from very Jewish family interaction. I almost wonder if anyone who didn't grow up in a Jewish household or any ethnic household in NYC would really understand and appreciate the full-bodied characters or the subtlety of the plot.
October 7, 2018
I love this book, it’s funny and definitely a relaxing read just like some other reviewer’s have said it’s a bit dated but has really good dialogue, the characters are definitely interesting and in someway is very complex, the plot is little silly but definitely worth reading The relationships between the sisters, the mother and her sons etc. are definitely worth more time than they are given, but the story is really good overall
December 4, 2021
Trademark Rudnick humor in early form. If you love NY Jewish lady-talk, you will love thjs!!!
Read
December 24, 2021more charming/comforting than hilarious; not a knock, but calibrate your expectations accordingly. thought a lot about wallace markfield's to an early grave reading this, both from a "ppl in a car talking about the vagaries of life & being jewish" standpoint & a "it's weird and wonderful all of the strange ways ppl demonstrate their love for one another" one (cf. mrs reckler's fond death threats toward joe). some of the observations re consumerism being good/innocuous i cocked an eyebrow at, but this being the screenwriter of addams family values there were also plenty of sick burns on wealthy yuppies. shoplift a copy today
February 15, 2014
This was the first (and last) book I read for my book club. Not that the book was so bad I never wanted to go back to my book club again, I just got tired of having to come up with questions about books for fun when I have to read and come up with discussion points for grad school and then read and come up with acquisitions proposals for books at work. Basically, I'm a little talking about books out by the end of the week and while I still like to kick back and relax with a good novel, I'd rather do it on my own, with books I chose, and write reviews where I can enter into a conversation if I want to.
But that's really besides the point. Back to the review.
As you can tell from the publication date this is a 90s book, and it reads like a 90s book. By chapter 2 I was getting vibes from War of the Roses and that genre of literature. While Paul Rudnick has built up some celebrity for himself over this book and a few of his other works (including plays) this book has not aged well. While the idea of "want" and spending to excess still exist in the 2000s, something about this book just doesn't seem to cross over into the new decades. In other words...this book has not aged well. At all.
Joe Reckler is a Yale graduate who steals things for a living. He's going on a trip to see the leaves change in New England with his mother and his aunts, the notorious Esker sisters. Except the Esker sisters aren't really interested in leaves and nature. They're interested in shopping. And not just shopping. Extreme deal shopping. These women go crazy for a bargain. But Joe's mother has gone one step beyond that, she wants a new living room, and to do that she wants to rob L.L. Bean. After all, they won't miss it.
As the shopping trip continues it turns out it isn't just Joe and his mother that steal, all the Esker sisters get in on the action and the leaves just serve as a nice excuse for their shopping/thieving escapades. Everything is blown out of proportion (just like War of the Roses) in that typical 90s fashion. The Esker sisters are almost too big to be believable...but Rudnick has thrown in enough characteristics that make them feel like your crazy aunts, even by the end of the book you feel like you just might know a woman whose almost like them... I know I could see some of my Italian aunts in this Jewish bargain hunters.
I enjoyed the book to a certain extent, but I couldn't shake that 90s feel. This book is still living in the past, and if that's what you're looking to this book for you'll find everything you want and more. However, there are other books that deal with these same topics in a way that's a little more current and have withstood the test of time better than this one, and overall I finished the book shrugging my shoulders and ready to move on to something else.
But that's really besides the point. Back to the review.
As you can tell from the publication date this is a 90s book, and it reads like a 90s book. By chapter 2 I was getting vibes from War of the Roses and that genre of literature. While Paul Rudnick has built up some celebrity for himself over this book and a few of his other works (including plays) this book has not aged well. While the idea of "want" and spending to excess still exist in the 2000s, something about this book just doesn't seem to cross over into the new decades. In other words...this book has not aged well. At all.
Joe Reckler is a Yale graduate who steals things for a living. He's going on a trip to see the leaves change in New England with his mother and his aunts, the notorious Esker sisters. Except the Esker sisters aren't really interested in leaves and nature. They're interested in shopping. And not just shopping. Extreme deal shopping. These women go crazy for a bargain. But Joe's mother has gone one step beyond that, she wants a new living room, and to do that she wants to rob L.L. Bean. After all, they won't miss it.
As the shopping trip continues it turns out it isn't just Joe and his mother that steal, all the Esker sisters get in on the action and the leaves just serve as a nice excuse for their shopping/thieving escapades. Everything is blown out of proportion (just like War of the Roses) in that typical 90s fashion. The Esker sisters are almost too big to be believable...but Rudnick has thrown in enough characteristics that make them feel like your crazy aunts, even by the end of the book you feel like you just might know a woman whose almost like them... I know I could see some of my Italian aunts in this Jewish bargain hunters.
I enjoyed the book to a certain extent, but I couldn't shake that 90s feel. This book is still living in the past, and if that's what you're looking to this book for you'll find everything you want and more. However, there are other books that deal with these same topics in a way that's a little more current and have withstood the test of time better than this one, and overall I finished the book shrugging my shoulders and ready to move on to something else.
February 25, 2010
This is one of the most hilarious books I have read. Rudnick is a Jewish guy from NY. In this novel he portrays his aunts and mother shopping, rather bargaining for the best possible deal in the world. Having grown up in the south, this strikes close to home because my mother and aunts were the same way about being compelled to make the best bargain in the world. The reason all these ladies needed to buy so many worthless things was they had to give presents to everyone! Same story for my own family. Presents for everyone. Bring on the guilt. Rudnick captures it all.
July 11, 2014
For a shot-in-the-dark pick, it ended up being pretty entertaining. The dialogue is truly funny; I wanted to take a highlighter to my favorite lines (on Bennington College, "It's for mime majors. I think it has the highest tuition in the country. It's for rich people who want their kids to take cocaine near trees.") Joe's road trip with his quintessentially Jewish mother & her sisters (disguised as leaf-peeping but truly an excuse to shop out of state), the book is a fun and funny read with very little plot but a lot of spunk.
December 16, 2007
This might honestly be my favorite book of all time. I read it as a teenager and probably re-read it at least once a year. If you are jewish girl who loves your family and loves to shop, I think you would love this book. I am sure there are also many people out there that are not that combination of things and will also love this book, especially if you have funny/crazy relatives or love a good bargain!
March 11, 2018
I discovered this book through a fantastic Ask Metafilter thread where someone wanted recommendations of books about people shopping for clothes. I'll Take It is a comic novel about a guy who gets roped into going on a road trip through New England with his mother and her two sisters, who are all obsessed with shopping (and in some cases shoplifting). I'd estimate 50% of this novel is descriptions of the group shopping for everything from luxury goods to outlet bargains to rustic pottery. These scenes are very funny and occasionally veer into the ecstatic. Rudnick will have you convinced that shopping is the deepest form of self-expression:
The novel is also very much a family story, as the three women chafe against the stereotype of the Jewish mother, while all remaining gloriously themselves. Rudnick's loving characterizations are one of the highlights of the book. I particularly like this description of Aunt Pola, a take-charge kind of person who can't help herself from trying to improve the lives of those around her: "Aunt Pola was not a dictator. She was an elemental being, a cleansing typhoon, the implacable voice of reason with a large handbag."
As Joe watched his relatives stalk the various aisles, he tried to condemn them. He tried to discover an evil in their passionate shopping, a callous materialism, a lurking psychosis. But he could not: with the Esker sisters, shopping was entirely sensual, a form of dreaming... They simply relished the possibilities of the world, the beckoning romance that overflowed the shelves of every gargantuan mall and intimate boutique and bargain basement.
The novel is also very much a family story, as the three women chafe against the stereotype of the Jewish mother, while all remaining gloriously themselves. Rudnick's loving characterizations are one of the highlights of the book. I particularly like this description of Aunt Pola, a take-charge kind of person who can't help herself from trying to improve the lives of those around her: "Aunt Pola was not a dictator. She was an elemental being, a cleansing typhoon, the implacable voice of reason with a large handbag."
August 16, 2025
I'd give this a 3. 25 stars. And, to quote another reviewer: " This was a fun read about three Jewish sisters and their son/nephew who adore shopping. A trip to New England to leaf peep turns into an outlet shopping adventure which involves shoplifting, pick pocketing, family bonding and saving a damsel in distress."
Since this was written in 1989, some of the references are dated. But Joe's sarcasm is funny and timeless. His mother's and Aunts' overbearing affection is amusing, but the first part of the book gets a bit tiring and could've been edited down a bit. Further, I think the story's ending needed to be developed a bit more, given the shoppers' respective reckonings with their actions. A quick, light read.
Since this was written in 1989, some of the references are dated. But Joe's sarcasm is funny and timeless. His mother's and Aunts' overbearing affection is amusing, but the first part of the book gets a bit tiring and could've been edited down a bit. Further, I think the story's ending needed to be developed a bit more, given the shoppers' respective reckonings with their actions. A quick, light read.
May 18, 2020
So much fun! The Esker sisters are fantastically depicted and differentiated. You can hear them speak. And their leaf-peeping (but really shopping) jaunt through New England is full of fun and (gentle) adventures. I was a little disappointed in the ending (even the coat??!!), but a tremendously enjoyable read.
October 10, 2023
This was Paul Rudnick's second book and while it was very amusing, it was not nearly as good as his latest. This was a fun read about three Jewish sisters and their son/nephew who adore shopping. A trip to New England to leaf peep turns into an outlet shopping adventure which involves shoplifting, pick pocketing, family bonding and saving a damsel in distress.
April 29, 2022
Loosely plotted, silly story of a family of uncompromising New York City area outlet shoppers invading upper New England. I liked it because it some of the dialogue comes straight out of my childhood.
March 13, 2025
This is one of my FAVORITE books. Laugh out loud, identify family members with so many of the characters. It is such a joy to read that I treat myself to rereading it every few years. Treat yourself if you haven't yet discovered Paul Rudnick.
July 25, 2018
Just pure fun- my favorite is the Loehmans chapter which is described perfectly!
August 25, 2020
Probably the funniest book ever
July 31, 2024
Hilarious! Love Paul Rudnick.
December 25, 2024
I loved this book. Paul Rudnick is a great storyteller and a pleasure to read. I enjoyed the characters, the plot, and going on an adventure with these sisters to look at the Fall leaves.
December 29, 2024
Laughed out loud, and helped me understand how some people can just love shopping!!
October 30, 2025
This is my favorite book. It is kooky and cozy. My favorite combination!
October 13, 2010
I have given as presents several copies of I'll Take It, which is one of the two funniest books I've ever read. Paul Rudnick is a playwright and author and is from New York. This book is about the three Esker sisters, two of whom live in New York and the other one, for reasons the two New Yorkers will never understand, lives in New Jersey. The three are going, along with the son of one of them, to New England for an "autumn leaves" tour. The son's mother's real goal is ...well, I don't want to ruin the book for you. Save it until you need a good laugh, but read it.
March 4, 2010
Paul Rudnick is familiar to me through his short humor pieces in the New Yorker, but this is a sweet little novel from 1989. Here's the set up: 26-year-old male Yale grad and Mahnattan resident agrees to accompany his mother and her sisters on a drive through New England to view the fall foliage. The not-so-hidden agenda: shop for bargains at the outlet stores along the way. You'll relive every wincing moment of shopping with your own mother or teenage daughter.
November 9, 2018
Admittedly, I only made it to page 50, and also went and read the supposedly funny Loehmann"s dressing room scene which was a few chapters ahead.
In all that time, I laughed once. I too, do not think shoplifting, by anybody, is funny. The "Joe said " "Aunt Ida said" "Mrs. Reckler said" "Aunt Pola said" writing bored me to tears.
To put it succinctly, the shtick was worn out long before page 50.
In all that time, I laughed once. I too, do not think shoplifting, by anybody, is funny. The "Joe said " "Aunt Ida said" "Mrs. Reckler said" "Aunt Pola said" writing bored me to tears.
To put it succinctly, the shtick was worn out long before page 50.
December 21, 2012
This is an all time favorite. As the hapless nebish nephew makes his way to L.L. Bean in the company of his Aunts the journey is truly laugh out loud funny. Rudnick's book is a family favorite, dog eared from being so frequently read and adored. He comes from a lineage that includes Neil Simon, Woody Allen, George S. Kaufman and Dave Barry.
April 16, 2010
Really great dialogue.
Though some of the events were not really believable.
And there wasn't a lot of development of the Joe character or his mother. (And clearly he's gay, but it was never acknowledged either by him or his family...)
Though some of the events were not really believable.
And there wasn't a lot of development of the Joe character or his mother. (And clearly he's gay, but it was never acknowledged either by him or his family...)
June 7, 2007
Paul Rudnick is better known as a screenwriter, but I just loved his first novel, so fun.
January 28, 2008
Perhaps the funniest book I have ever read
March 31, 2008
Absolutely hilarious--a man goes on a "shopping" spree with his elderly aunts, a couple of white-haired shoplifters.
April 6, 2008
This and Tristam Shandy are two books that never disappoint. From beginning to end, just a delightful read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews