In the Unlikely Event: by Judy Blume | Summary & Analysis

by Book*Sense

Enhance Your Reading Experience With This Summary & Analysis!

Judy Blume gets personal in her latest adult novel. Based on the true events of three airline crashes in 1950s Elizabeth, New Jersey, Blume writes about the tragedies that took place in her childhood hometown. The personal touches of her experiences enhance the novel in a way fictionalized details never could. Blume skillfully weaves her players together until they are all neatly intertwined, alluding to a community that has a shared history of a tragedy that will inevitably define them for the rest of their lives.

Fifteen-year-old Miri Ammerman is a typical American teenager living in Elizabeth, New Jersey in the early 1950s. She has a best friend, a first love, and a cashmere sweater, everything a girl her age dreams of. Her sheltered innocence is soon shattered, however, when an airplane crashes into the Elizabeth River, killing everyone on board. The disaster sends her town into shock as they seek answers regarding what caused the flight to go down.
Judy Blume fans have waited five years for her latest novel, and they will not be disappointed. A story of the loss of innocence amongst unbelievable tragedy and heartache, readers will be mystified.

This companion includes the
• Book Review
• Story Setting Analysis
• Story elements you may have missed as we decipher Blume’s novel
• Details of Characters & Key Character Analysis
• Summary of the text, with some analytical comments interspersed
• Thought Provoking /or Discussion Questions for both Readers & Book Clubs
• Discussion & Analysis of Themes, Symbols…
• And Much More!

This Analysis fills the gap, making you understand more while enhancing your reading experience.

52 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 5, 2015

Reviews

[Aline Tucker · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting adult book

[Mary Harding · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always liked Judy Blume books. In fact I just read parts of Superfudge with my grandson, Sam. That being said, I really enjoyed this book. While not great literature, it was almost like a memoir by several characters of the devastating plane crashes in Elizabeth New Jersey in 1951 / 1952. I was born in 1952 so it was very relevant to me. I enjoyed reading what life was like in the early fifties. Also interesting was seeing how Jewish teenagers live. Not very different from Catholic teenagers - same likes,dislikes, problems and issues. I also enjoyed the great characters: Miri, Natalie, Christina, Mason, Jack, Rusty, Irene, Dr. O, Daisy, and many more. I recommend this book if you like to read a great fictional story based on true facts.

[Bonnie Novick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This work of fiction is based on an incident from Blume's childhood in Elizabeth NJ when three airplanes crashed within a few weeks of each other in the early 1950's. The story is told through the voices of various fictional characters who witnessed or were impacted by these crashes. The sense of time, the agitation and fear, the effect on relationships between characters, are so well drawn and move the story along briskly. People change, perceptions change, and children mature in the year the story so well depicts.

[Sheila Osborn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book. It was fast and easy to read. But, at the beginning of the book I wrote a list of all the characters that were introduced and it helped me. Instead of looking back in the book I just glanced at my notes to remind me who they were,and who they were related to or worked for. I'm glad I did that. I gave it 5 stars.

[Kendra J · Rating 5 out of 5]

mmmmmm good!

[Marcia Drake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lot of characters but very interesting

[Gerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have liked this a lot more without the soap opera stories!
I didn't know about the plane crashes and of course googled to read about them. I like historical fiction and this was a good one.

[Casey Bowers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cared about the characters, and felt tugs to my heart for an entire small town. Judy Blume is an author for all ages.

[Layne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book based on actual events.

[Laura Schmigel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audio book. This adult fiction by Blume looks beneath the veneer of respectability of Elizabeth, NJ, in the 1950s, as adults try to prevent their teens from making similar mistakes, while the teens keep secrets, grow into adults, and learn to be more forgiving of their parents' faults. The novel is framed around three real-life plane crashes between Chanukah and Valentine's Day, and the various residents in this multi- ethnic small city. Part three contains the bulk of the frank sexual content, while the epilogue ties a quick bow on all the loose ends left as characters try to break free of the fear and instability left on a community after such frequent disasters. Some strong language.