The Little Clan

by Iris Martin Cohen

Ava Gallanter is the librarian in residence at the Lazarus Club, an ancient, dwindling Manhattan arts club full of eccentric elderly residents stuck in a long-gone era. Twenty-five-year-old Ava, however, feels right at home, quietly surrounded by her beloved books and sequestered away from her peers.

When Ava’s enigmatic friend Stephanie returns to town on the hunt for fame and fortune, she promises to make Ava’s dream of becoming a writer come true. Together they start a literary salon at the Lazarus Club. However, Ava’s romanticized idea of the salon quickly erodes as Stephanie’s aspirations take the women in an unexpected—and precarious—direction.

In this humorous yet keenly observant coming-of-age story, Cohen brings us into a boisterous literary world. With eloquent prose and affecting storytelling, The Little Clan is both a wickedly fun yet sharply insightful look at friendship, feminism and finding yourself in your twenties.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Adult Fiction, Chick Lit, Novels, Audiobook, Coming Of Age

352 pages, Paperback

First published April 17, 2018

About the author

Iris Martin Cohen grew up in the French Quarter of New Orleans. She holds an MFA from Columbia University and studied Creative Nonfiction at the Graduate Center, CUNY. She currently lives in Brooklyn. The Little Clan is her first novel.

Reviews

[Selena · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy of The Little Clan by Iris Martin Cohen from Goodreads for my honest review.

A funny and entertaining read. It is a coming-of-age story of being young and full of hope while growing up in New York.

Ava, a librarian who is twenty-five years old. She is a the librarian in residence at the Lazarus Club, an ancient art club. She lives a quiet life which is surrounded by her books that she loves. Ava's friend, Stephanie comes back home after an unplanned year abroad. Stephanie is determined to rescue Ava from a life of uncertainty. Stephanie wants fame and fortune and swears to make Ava's dream of becoming a writer come true.

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars--I liked the book. This novel is charming with some amusing observations, but uneven pacing and some truly dislikable characters kept me from loving it.

I wanted to like Ava, with her love of old literature and dreaminess about the past, but she was so self absorbed that she never realized what a jerk she was being to those around her. I was hoping Ava would grow out of it, but she never really does. And Stephanie was clearly written as a monster from page 1. It was hard to read about how she treated others.

The book dwells a lot on Ava's feelings for the first three quarters, which is a bit repetitive, but then rushes through the end, which was, in my opinion, the more interesting section.

Still, Ava's observations about modern male writers and artists (yes, I know, not all men) were funny and pertinent. I loved the Lazarus club setting. This is a very Millennial novel (which I don't mean as an insult! I know tone can be hard to read)--the plot and characters seem very firmly part of the Millennial generation's experiences.

I received this review copy from the publisher on NetGalley. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review; I appreciate it!

[Jenny (Reading Envy) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A debut novel!

I loved this in the beginning, when it was about an awkward twenty-something working in a private library of a dusty club in New York City. When her "best friend" returns and causes havoc, the entire book shifts to focus on everything about that situation, masking the underlying story of identity and discovery that really felt like the heart of the novel. Ultimately I was left feeling the pacing was off, and I would have preferred a longer ending, and a lot less Stephanie.

Thanks to the publisher for allowing me to view this title early through Edelweiss. It comes out April 17, 2018.

[Brina · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 Stars

Read this and other reviews here: 5171 Miles Book Blog

I really enjoyed the initial storyline of this novel. As a book lover myself I love to read about fictionalized book enthusiasts in literature. I also think that opening a literary club for book lovers with a bar or a coffee house is the dream of many bookworms around the globe. Ava and Stephanie tried to make this dream come true. The only thing I couldn't really get behind was the type of club they wanted to open. Ava loves 19th century classics and the only books she wanted to display were those 19th century classics. I don't think there's something wrong with those kind of novels but opening a literary club in 21st century New York with dusty and old books only is far from reality if you ask me. It's a great idea but it wouldn't be somewhere I would want to go to. If it were a literary book club with modern and classic literature, I would be game.

Ava, the main protagonist, is literally all of us bookworms: She absolutely loves books, she has read her favorite stories over and over again, she is currently in the process of writing her first own novel, and on top of that she works in a library. #DreamGoals As I already mentioned her favorite books are the ones from the 19th century, like Little Women and Sherlock Holmes - and only those books. She doesn't read any Contemporary novels, nor Fantasy or Young Adult novels. But she not only reads those old classics, at 25 years, Ava basically lives the life of the people in her favorite books: She dresses like them, she thinks like them, she even uses an actual candle as a night lamp. I don't want to judge her for who she is but she lives so far from reality, I don't think it's normal anymore, which is why I couldn't take her character seriously or even connect with her.
Ava's best friend, Stephanie, was another thorn in my side. She constantly belittled and patronized Ava, she always dismissed her friend's ideas and let Ava do the labor while Stephanie was off flirting with old men to get money for their literary club project. Stephanie was without a doubt a crappy friend and one Ava didn't deserve at all.

The Little Clan was also a little too wordy for my taste. I had to look up at least three words per page because I've never heard of those before and it totally took away some valueable reading time.
Although I liked the initial storyline, it didn't really hold my attention. The descriptions and the characters' doings really bored me which is why I skimmed through the last 70% of the book. I'm glad I did because because from what I gathered through skimming, I didn't miss much.

I feel really bad for giving this book a 1.5 Star rating, but the book was just not what I had hoped for. Nevertheless, if you like wordy books and classic literature book references, then The Little Clan will be the perfect book for you. It releases on April 17th!

**********

Oh boy... this was so not what I was hoping for... :/
RTC!

[Dunja *a chain reader* · Rating 1 out of 5]

After 221 pages I decided to stop reading The Little Clan. Why? Well I read somewhere once that readers have expectations when they start to read a book. That expectations are based on a many different things like what we read or heard about particular book, or what we already read from the author, or on the genre. If these expectations are not met we as readers are disappointed. And that is in some extent is true. I started reading The Little Clan expecting to read about two girls opening a book club within the elite club full of eccentric old people. I expected lot of funny moments, I expected few revelations; but I did not get any of that. What I get is over-analyzing mind of a twenty something insecure girl, Ava, who is forced to do something she did not want but has no courage to stop it. I also get an attention seeking girl who tries to climb social ladder without caring much who she will hurt in the process. Not at all what I expected.
While reading about Ava and Stephanie’s it seems to me that author do not know what to do with them. After a while I just stop caring about both of them. It happened because Ava is so boring girl full of self-doubt. She is so spineless that is painful to read about her mis(adventures). Stephanie, on the other hand, is totally unlikable person and the author did not try to expose her motives for being such a user, at all. Maybe that happened later in the story, but I did not get to that part.
Beside unlikable characters I decided to quit the reading because I didn’t get what is this story about. Is it about friendship between Ava and Stephanie, or is it about Ava coming of age, or is it about Ava finding a love of her life, or Ava writing her novel? This is all so mixed up.
I hate when story does not work and when I have to quit it. Obviously, The Little Clan did not meet my expectations, but then again, I cannot expect that every book will.

[Dawn · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book. I love to read, and the idea of a classic space with a library where an older group of retired writers roams about and where Ava, a young, ambitious yet unsure, book-loving woman who wants to write her own book and who feels like she's found a safe haven, sounded fun, interesting, and promising to me. When Ava is reunited in the beginning of the book with her friend, Stephanie, who she hasn't seen in years, again, I thought it might be interesting to see what the women seek to accomplish and how their friendship might grow.

Without giving anything away, which is tough, I will say that I think this book was supposed to be about a journey of sorts - finding one's way to doing and being what one dreams of doing and being. I thought the story might be about realizing what's important in a friendship, too, and how to give and take to get where two friends want to go. But I had a tough time seeing much progress on this journey (and the journey was dull and irritating in its pettiness, problems and complete lack of anything good one might consider to be present in any kind of decent friendship). I was really cheering both women on, hoping they would find some way to encourage the other and also grow as individuals, while working to achieve a common goal. But there was no depth, no balance (the best villains aren't all bad but have some shred of kindness, compassion or warmth in them; even heroes sometimes stumble or take a wrong path - here, the characters think, speak, and act the same way, all the time), and precious little fun unless your whole life is just alcohol, superficial phone calls, and either taking advantage of others or being taken advantage of without saying a word).

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

By far, one of my favorite books this month was,  The Little Clan , and I would recommend it for a fantastic bookish escape this summer. This debut novel is about two old friends who decide to open a Victorian-inspired literary salon at an aging Manhattan arts club.

While Ava is quiet and bookish, her friend Stephanie is in the scheme for the fame and parties. This coming-of-age story really drives home the challenges of female friendships and the struggles of finding yourself in your twenties.

This  has great humor and Cohen's sentences really shine, thanks to her exquisite storytelling. I enjoyed the pacing in this book and the smart nods to the great classics that Ava loves.  This book definitely does not read like a debut novel and it makes me excited to read more from her in the future.

Reading Challenge Completed- A book that takes place in a library

[Sam · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh noooooo thank you

[Blake Fraina · Rating 4 out of 5]

About three weeks after I finished reading Iris Martin Cohen’s The Little Clan, I read two separate articles about the faux-socialite hoaxer Anna Delvey (aka Sorokin) - one in New York Magazine and the other in Vanity Fair, both written by former friends whom she’d defrauded. She claimed to be a wealthy European heiress planning to open an elite art club with locations in London, Los Angeles, Hong Kong and Dubai. She didn’t really perpetrate the fraud out of a desire for money but in order to live a certain type of lifestyle, to gain entrée into high society, for the notoriety and, of course, all the things money can buy. Because everyone was so eager to be part of her exclusive world, she was allowed to stay in boutique hotels, dine in the hottest restaurants, fly first class and vacation in the best suites at four-star resorts, without paying for a thing.

There are definite echoes of Sorokin’s sorry tale in this novel, the story of two young women – bookish, introvert Ava and ambitious social-climber Stephanie. After encouraging Ava to move to New York, then abandoning her to pursue an [ill-fated] modelling career in Europe, Stephanie eventually returns only to upend the quiet life that Ava has established for herself. Stephanie concocts a plan to start a literary social club in an unused room in the musty private residence where Ava works (and lives rent-free) as the librarian. Like Sorokin, Stephanie is a slick operator who manages to get her and Ava profiled in major publications (including the Times) before they’ve even secured funding (or permission) to open their club. Needless to say, as debts and deceptions mount, things begin to unravel.

While it’s easy to view this as Ava’s coming of age story, because everything is told through her viewpoint, it’s really about two friends who each see in the other something they believe they lack. Friends, female friends in particular, tend to be perceived in a binary fashion. If both are pretty but one is prettier, the other is viewed as the “plain” one. If both are smart but one is smarter, the other is viewed as the “dumb” one. And so it is for Ava and Stephanie. Throughout the story it’s pretty obvious by men’s reactions to her, that Ava is very attractive, but she sees herself as homely next to Stephanie, a former childhood pageant queen. And while it appears that Stephanie is also very well read, an accomplished cook, a savvy and ambitious networker, she constantly tells Ava how she is driven by the desire to prove to her mother that she is more than simply a vapid beauty queen.

This is an enjoyable read, despite the invariable frustrations of the story itself. It’s directly descended from the social satire of Edith Wharton (from whom they get the name for their club – The House of Mirth), cleverly skewering the insatiable quest for easy fame and status in the age of social media. And despite my better instincts, I even found myself swept up in Stephanie’s ambitions, such was the character’s persuasive power.

[Emily · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received this as a free copy from YPG and, based on the cover copy, had great potential to be a wonderful book about books. It didn’t even skim the surface. The main characters were awful, neither likable, and worse, their reasoning was unsound. No plot, no character growth. I do not recommend.

[Yardenne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous writing, laugh-out-loud funny. An achingly relatable story about women stuck in a world of men and introverts stuck in the world of glam. A stunning debut!

[KJ · Rating 1 out of 5]

A new adult novel about the most obtuse main character of all time.

[Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ava is the librarian of a New York arts club, a club whose better days have long since passed. Nonetheless Ava, an introvert and aspiring writer, loves her job. Enter Stephanie, Ava's extroverted and ambitious long-time friend. Ava and Stephanie find a hidden room within the club and come up with the idea to start a literary salon, a la Henry James. So far, so good. I love the idea of secret rooms and old-fashioned literary societies. I may even have had fantasies of attending a salon. Unfortunately the rest of the book did not pan out for me. There, of course, was conflict between the introverted Ava and the extroverted Stephanie and the salon did not materialize in the way that Ava had dreamt it would. I found the book slow-moving and could not connect with either of the two main characters. I actually quite disliked them. Stephanie was selfish and pushy and Ava was a complete doormat. The other characters in the book were completely forgettable and, as a result, I kept getting them mixed up. Overall, a very cool idea but a poor execution.

I received this book from Goodreads Giveaways.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had its moments (like when Ava realized she'd always "thought of herself as an ingenue, the winsome, young Estella character in Great Expectations

[Sarah Violet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 3.5 stars

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Only a writer with this command of language could mine the thoughts of someone whose soul is forged by 19th century classics. A wonderful study of a young librarian who dreams of recovering the past in the form of a literary salon with all the trappings of ones from her favorite novels. While contending with old boys club posturing, a type-A best friend, and feeling insecure living in a time she doesn’t quite belong in, she nearly gets what she hopes for. This is an excellent debut.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having worked in libraries for over a decade, I’ve met a lot of people who feel like they’ve found the perfect corner of the world in which to live. (I’m one of these people.) Not only are we surrounded books, but we encounter a lot of people with their slightly odd obsessions and preferences. Most of us are also very introverted*. Ava Gallanter, the protagonist of Iris Martin Cohen’s The Little Clan, is a quintessential librarian. I identified so much with her (with one big exception) that it was almost scary. She is incredibly shy, affects old-fashioned dress and rituals, and is quite content to work at a job cloistered away in the library of a private club. Her big regret is that she wants to be in a relationship. Her shyness and lack of self-esteem, however, are so acute that she finds it almost impossible to talk to people she doesn’t know...

Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, for review consideration.

[Tessa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love reading books about bookworms and thought I would love Ava, a 25-year old librarian obsessed with 19th-century literature, as I have a similar obsession. Unfortunately, Ava was too unlikable for me. Too pretentious and almost literally stuck in the 1800s. She only reads novels by men, casting off women writers and their novels as silly - as if she, a woman, is not an aspiring writer. It's incredibly annoying. And her best friend, Stephanie, is no better. She's tiresome and obnoxious.

The Little Clan's premise is interesting. An introverted book lover and her more fame-obsessed extrovert of a friend want to create a literary club. It could be an interesting novel of the trials of starting the club, of maintaining friendships throughout that, of growing through it all...but both women are overly critical, superficial, and just frustrating.

I saw very little plot and essentially no character growth. I enjoyed the writing itself, but, with characters like Ava and Stephanie, it was impossible to really enjoy.

[Evie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received The Little Clan for free for my honest review. The back cover blurb for The Little Clan can be a little misleading. Although there are elements of humor, really the book is more a drama and character study. If you want to read about a contemporary, floundering Irene Adler from Sherlock Holmes and someone akin to her begrudgingly awestruck plainer friend burying themselves into trouble, this book is probably for you.

The Little Clan really immerses you in how stuck in the 19th century librarian Ava seems to be, and yet how drawn she is to her best frenemy's glamorous idea of being embraced by the contemporary elite. Self-possession is something that always seems to elude her, slipping through her fingers just as she thinks she's gotten somewhere. It's a love letter to a literature with its awed regard for books and flawed extravagance. The imagery is gorgeous, referencing expensive but hastily applied wallpaper with gaps in between, an ornate broken mirror barely tacked to the wall, and a large, lovingly crafted bar still tacky with varnish in the room the girls so painstakingly prepare to stake their hopes and dreams on.

At times, I was really rooting for Stephanie and Ava's friendship, for them to draw themselves out of what they saw was obscurity, or even to just reframe what they saw as happiness. But their friendship often devolved into petty condescension over jealousies, smoothed over by some degree of loathing admiration or misplaced idea of what loyalty is. By the end it was almost impossible to root for either of them. Ava seemingly craves approval for the things Stephanie mocks her for (boring stories, love of Proust), but sort of openly despises anyone who doesn't love the same things she does. There's almost never an attempt for her to connect with anyone on anything OTHER than 19th century aesthetics or whining about/defending Stephanie's and hers attempts to make a social club. The author calls her out for this through another character, but it never...changes? I mean, she mentions liking toast, so that's new. She refuses to enjoy a single thing someone recommends to her, whether it's a book, movie, or a guest speaker at one of their events. Even when Ava goes to contemporary parties, she only seemingly enjoys flaunting her literary prowess in people's faces before devolving into the debauchery she supposedly doesn't picture in her ideal life. In some ways it could just be showing her conflicted draw to that world, but since she's so wrapped up in her own interests, angry anxiety kicking in whenever someone even asks her a question about something she's not familiar with (poetry, for example, a cousin of the great works), she comes off as just as shallow and insecure as Stephanie, just far less sociable. Their tumultuous relationship had extremely tender moments, but ultimately felt a little ridiculous by the end, especially with Stephanie's extravagant and blatant disregard for anyone other than herself.

There is a romance I briefly invested in that was cute at first, but quickly lost its sheen when the characters' less charming attributes floated aggressively and stubbornly to the surface. The snooty old members of the Lazarus Club were almost hilarious backdrops. For some reason I kept imagining them scowling and bespectacled, possibly with a monocle, complaining about those young people and the racket. The president was unsurprisingly self-serving, but I started to lose track of who was an actual alcoholic and who was just enjoying the seemingly endless libations of the House of Mirth. I can only imagine what the rarely-mentioned doorman Castor did with socialites and high-brows tumbling past him at all hours. The charismatic intern George is one of the few characters contributing points of levity in the novel, but he's a mere sprinkling throughout and I wish we'd seen him in the epilogue.

[spoilers start]
The ending was a little confusing and rushed, but I guess the feel was supposed to be disillusionment sprinkled with newfound determination? Like, why would Stephanie involve a rock star all of a sudden? Wouldn't she rather have used him MUCH earlier instead of as some weird power play at the end? You'd think she'd have ended up more successful that way. Although Ava's love for Stephanie was hinted at throughout the book, it's jarring when she suddenly rejects the idea and then two seconds later forces a sudden kiss on a shiny new acquaintance she barely knows, who isn't much affected. Like, hadn't the book implied Ava was shy and more than a meal ticket to Stephanie? She used her, yeah, but I thought they genuinely relied on having someone be their FRIEND. So why jeopardize one of the few friends she was just making right after her falling out? Ben was also way too chill. He doesn't sue them for the money, care about lady orgasms, and legit wants to be strained friends. I mean, one could argue I'm just criticizing their characters but the motivations themselves were lost on me at the end.
[spoilers end]

Overall, I'd say I thoroughly enjoyed the first third of the book and various scenes throughout. Really the imagery was my favorite part, the hastily scrubbed-together glamour a nice backdrop for the girls so desperately trying to make their lives what they've imagined-whether from 19th century novels or the social section of the newspapers. If you're like Ava and worship Arthur Conan Doyle's worlds and want an ode to characters like Irene Adler, I'd recommend the Little Clan. I'd be interested to see this author's second work, looking forward to more beautiful imagery and possibly more fleshed-out character arcs.

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

*This book was provided to me through NetGalley in return for an honest review*

I just couldn't get into this book. I tried and so much about what the book was about appealed to me. Librarians, literary societies, someone the same age as I, yet every page was a struggle. I so wanted to love this book and connect with the characters, but I couldn't and that was the downfall of this book. Other people may be able to connect to this story, but sadly that wasn't me.

[Morgan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this book until the ending crashed and burned. It all hinged rather offensively on the premise of sexuality. The main character turns out to maybe be a lesbian, or at least to be presumed to be one by everyone around her, and it's all handled in this terrible way that seems like it could only possibly have been written by a straight person. It was all pretty disappointing. I was annoyed because I'd quite liked it up to that point.

[Dorothy · Rating 1 out of 5]

It is unfair of me to rate this book "1" because I didn't stick around after the first few pages.
From the get-go, the prose was over-the-top, too eager to impress. I had a feeling the author wanted readers to be dazzled, rather than settling in for a charming/ whimsical read.

[Diana Denwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read. I loved all of the literary references; I'm inspired to read more classics and early feminists.

[Amy Anton · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not want to read another book about the shy girl and wild damaged best friend.

[Jessica Parsons · Rating 3 out of 5]

“She wondered why, in the reflected glow of the scenery she had worked so hard to create, she felt a small internal deflation, a sigh, a hesitation; it didn’t quite feel as satisfying as she had expected.”

This novel follows a young woman with an old soul, lost in her own life, running while staying in the same place. Never leaving her comfort zone and never trying new things, she works in the library of the Lazarus club and lives in the apartments above. Her best friend Stephanie, ambitious and a little over the top, comes barreling back into Ava’s life one day and they decide (Stephanie decides and does everything) that they are going to open a literary club. Filled with Great Gatsby themes and the journey to self-discovery, getting out of ones comfort zone, this novel is a fun and thought-provoking read.

SPOILERS:

Ava: I was intrigued by Ava at first. A lover of classic novels (only written by men), and a true introvert, she clashed with the back-drop of New York City life. I found Ava to be prudish, selfish, and a “better than thou” attitude. She dressed differently and played heavily on her unique attributes, succumbing to what I would call “special snowflake syndrome”. Her tendency to put herself above others did not, however, take away from the realism of her character. Ava was not a character I was hoping would grow up throughout the novel and branch out from her inner thoughts to care about the people around her. In the end, she did change in minute ways but continued to feel self important throughout the novel. This made her a frustrating character to root for.

Stephanie: The back story of Stephanie was intriguing and gave great insight into her motivations. I found her to be a dynamic and interesting character that I wanted to know more about. Because the story was told through Ava’s eyes for the most part, Stephanie was antagonized during certain sections of the novel. I found Stephanie’s story to be tragic and realistic and I was rooting for her throughout the story to grow and become a more well rounded individual.

Story: The overall story was beautifully written and laid out wonderfully. The progression of the story and the way the writing flowed was very well done. The New York scene was an interesting setting that helped the story to progress in a fast-paced and chaotic manner. While there were parts of the story that dragged, the majority of the story had a natural and fun progression and it was an enjoyable and dynamic book.

[Heather O'Neill · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ava is a young woman that works in the library of the Lazarus Club, which is a Manhattan Arts Club where the members are mostly old. Ava enjoys this job as she is surrounded by books, but doesn't have many friends. Then her old roommate Stephanie comes back into her life and decides that they are going to rent out the space in the Lazarus Club to create a literary space for rich people. Stephanie's plan is to create a place that will be the "it" place in NY and will hopefully make them famous and wealthy. Ava goes along and the story is of them creating this place and how it turns out.

I listened to this audiobook and I thought that the narrator was fine. I picked up this book because I'm doing a book challenge and this book fit the category of "A book that takes place in a library." I think that the book loosely fit the category because the library in the setting wasn't a normal library that most people think about. I thought that the story started out ok, but once Stephanie came into the picture I felt like it went downhill. I could care less about any of the characters. Ava, the main character, was so whiny and annoying. I kept thinking that it is no wonder that she didn't have any friends because she was not someone that seemed nice or likable. Even the side characters seemed very self centered and I hated how Stephanie's goal in life was to be famous and if she didn't get that her life would be ruined. I kept on listening to this book for a few reasons: 1) I only had it available to listen to and I like listening to audiobooks while doing stuff, especially gardening 2) It fit a category for a book challenge I was doing & was given some good reviews by someone I knew and 3) It wasn't completely horrible. I wouldn't recommend though.

[Zachary Houle · Rating 3 out of 5]

What does it mean to be a writer in the 21st century? Iris Martin Cohen’s debut novel The Little Clan seeks to answer that question. Yes, this is another book about writing, and, yes, it is set in New York City (groan!). Does the world need another book about whether or not the act of writing is sustainable in the here and now? Well, I’ll let you be the judge. As it stands, The Little Clan can be read as a book about female friendship and just how tentatively such friendships are built upon. You see, the book is about a writer named Ava — who, charmingly, writes using a quill pen, or rather doesn’t write at all, suffering from writer’s block. She works as a librarian at an exclusive posh club that is so exclusive and posh that it doesn’t seem to have any members younger than 65.

Enter her friend Stephanie, who has returned to New York after sojourning elsewhere. Together, the pair discover a disused room at the club filled with girlie magazines and old paint cans, and set out to revitalize the room and open their own literary salon in it. The differences between the two women, however, couldn’t be more acute. Ava probably hasn’t read a novel published after the year 1899, while Stephanie is more in tune with what’s currently in vogue. So whenever Ava decides to host an event in the space with a quiet and refined author, you know that Stephanie is going to step in and wacky hijinks will ensue.

Read the rest here: https://medium.com/@zachary_houle/a-r...

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Little Clan reads like a debut novel -- it is rough around the edges and the characters are not fully formed. The main character Ava is likable enough, though hard to believe that a 25 year old woman surviving in New York on her own could be quite so naive and untested. Her "best friend" Stephanie is self absorbed and self serving. She is not truly a friend to Ava, but keeps Ava around as her cheerleader to feed and validate her enormous ego. We are supposed to believe that Ava is very intelligent and a talented writer, though she has zero emotional intelligence or interpersonal skill, and she seems to lack the ability to express herself (odd for a writer, I think), perhaps stemming from the fact that she has limited awareness of who she is as a person and what she truly wants from life. Her notion of a Proust-ian Salon for intellectuals to gather is a fantasy, and she gets led astray by her friend Stephanie that the plans they are making represent her dream in any way.
The one character I did like was Ben. He was quirky in a more believable way.
George was written as a reincarnation of Oscar Wilde and was completely absurd.
The synopsis of this book was that it was a "coming of age story." If that is true, then I worry even more about Millennials coming of age today. Are they the new Los Generation? I don't think so. Nor do I think that this is a worthy representation of a 25 year old or of the bonds of female friendship.

[Mona Frazier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twenty-five year old Ava is the librarian in residence at the Lazarus Club, a Manhattan arts club full of eccentric elderly residents stuck in the 1950's and 60's. Ava loves the place and leads a quiet life, surrounded by her beloved books, which is quite different from her peers, like her flaky but mysterious friend Stephanie. This friend reminds me of a young "Samantha" from Sex and the City. She talks Ava into starting a literary salon at the Lazarus Club but Ava's dream for the salon and Stephanie's are quite different.

Cohen presented the story with prose suggestive of Victorian novels. The writing is lyrical and I found myself highlighting sentences. There are many references to literature, characters, and the literary scene. Sometimes the use of slang or a contemporary word jarred me out of an otherwise eloquent narrative. The Lazarus Club characters added humor and a good contrast to the present day life of Ava and Stephanie, two 20-somethings in contemporary NYC.

The story started slowly, but the author did a good job building a setting so the reader could see Ava's personality and the Lazarus Club before the Stephanie character appeared.

[Sharon M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley, Park Row Books and Iris Martin Cohen for the opportunity to read and review this debut novel!

Ava is in her 20s yet in her mind she firmly belongs in another era, one that is reflected in the old-fashioned books she loves to read. She's even taken to wear the clothing of another generation and is happiest in her small room with her cat, reading and trying to write a novel. She works as a librarian for the Lazarus Club - a beautiful old building occupied by elderly eccentric people. When her college friend, Stephanie, comes back into her life, she convinces Ava to open up a literary club within the Lazarus Club but it quickly takes on a life of its own in a direction that Ava isn't happy with.

I love books about books and books about people who love books! So I really wanted to love this book more than I did. The setting for the Lazarus Club was amazing - I could picture it totally in my mind from reading the descriptions. But the characters just never gelled with me - the main characters of Ava and Stephanie weren't extremely likable. However, the writing and descriptions were spot on and made for an enjoyable read.