Olivia or the Weight of the Past

by Judith Rossner

Caroline Ferrante, a charismatic cooking teacher, faces a new challenge when her hostile daughter, Olivia, the result of a teenage marriage to an unfaithful, domineering Italian, joins her in New York

Genres: Fiction, Food

521 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Judith Perelman Rossner was an American novelist, best known for her 1975 novel Looking for Mr. Goodbar, which was inspired by the murder of Roseann Quinn and examined the underside of the seventies sexual liberation movement. Though Looking for Mr. Goodbar remained Rossner's best known and best selling work, she continued to write. Her most successful post-Goodbar novel was 1983's August, about the relationship between a troubled young woman and her psychoanalyst who has emotional troubles of her own.

Reviews

[Angie · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a waste to time to read this entire book...

[Julie Wesson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually dreaded going back to the story; it really pulled me down.

[Vickie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book because of the title - I have a niece named Olivia. I'm glad I read it.

[Deborah Hoehn · Rating 2 out of 5]

ending?

Very unclimactic ending - definitely left things hanging. Otherwise, an ok book. Nowhere near as good as Looking for Mr. Goodbar.

[Stevie Holcomb · Rating 1 out of 5]

On page 52, Angelo starts beating Caro.

While I know that art imitates life, the fact that she didn't immediately leave him more than bothered me. While it is known from the beginning that she does get out of that situation, it is abhorable for me to read about it in detail. Done.

[Meutia Muskita · Rating 2 out of 5]

a nice story :)

[Soma Rathore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice character development. The food and the description makes me want to invite Cara to come live with me.

[Rosemarie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I hadn't read anything by Rossner since Attachments many years ago. She is a fine writer.

[Kristi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't like this at all at first. The mother and daughter both seem to think the worst of each other. The last third of the book was more interesting.

[Memije Christian]

wala din

[Miriam and Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it for the most part. Thought the ending was a little abrupt. I would have liked to see Olivia's return to health explored in a little more depth.

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed immensely...until the end! Very disappointing and somewhat "suspended" thread to a story that made a lot of emotional sense until the last chapter!

[Sandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book about the angst of a teenager and her teen-at-birth mother. Kept my interest, although the ending was a bit abrupt.

[Natalie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Olivia. A hateful child.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did anything happen in this book?