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Claudia and David #1
Claudia: The Story of a Marriage
Some wear on binding and pages still readable buy from us
305 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1939
1 person is currently reading
185 people want to read
About the author
Rose Franken
60 books8 followersRose Dorothy Lewin Franken was born on December 28th 1895, in Gainesville, Texas and was one of the most popular and influential Jewish woman writers of her day. She was a celebrated Broadway playwright and director, a Hollywood screenwriter and a popular novelist whose fiction touched a sympathetic chord in American women. Franken's work reflects her personal struggle with traditional gender roles and her ambivalence about balancing domestic and career commitments.
Novelist and short story writer Rose Franken crossed over into the theater with the surprise hit of her play Another Language in 1932. Her sharp-eyed observations about the American family gave tang to her domestic dramas Claudia (1941) and The Hallams (1947). Social concerns such as antisemitism, homophobia, sexism, and war fueled her other plays such as Outrageous Fortune (1943), Doctors Disagree (1943), and Soldier’s Wife (1944).
Franken was married to William Brown Meloney who helped bring the Claudia stories to the radio. They had three sons.
Novelist and short story writer Rose Franken crossed over into the theater with the surprise hit of her play Another Language in 1932. Her sharp-eyed observations about the American family gave tang to her domestic dramas Claudia (1941) and The Hallams (1947). Social concerns such as antisemitism, homophobia, sexism, and war fueled her other plays such as Outrageous Fortune (1943), Doctors Disagree (1943), and Soldier’s Wife (1944).
Franken was married to William Brown Meloney who helped bring the Claudia stories to the radio. They had three sons.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
September 8, 2024
I can't really explain it, but Rose Franken's Claudia series is one of my primary comfort reads. The 1930s-40s series grew out of magazine short stories Franken dashed off when she was supporting her first husband, who was dying of TB. The short story spawned a book, which gave birth to a series, which turned into a Broadway play and eventually two movies (Robert Young and a star-making turn for Dorothy McGuire as Claudia).
I suspect what I enjoy so much is what I also like about classic American films and that is the sense of place and time that Franken conveys. This is Manhattan during the Depression and WWII, when an architect can afford an apartment in the city and a restored 18th c. saltbox farmhouse and acreage in Connecticut and household staff and a spouse who amuses herself with occasional parts on Broadway. Yes, the customary sexism, racism, and classism are all present and accounted for. But I still like being a houseguest of the Naughtons on a regular basis.
I suspect what I enjoy so much is what I also like about classic American films and that is the sense of place and time that Franken conveys. This is Manhattan during the Depression and WWII, when an architect can afford an apartment in the city and a restored 18th c. saltbox farmhouse and acreage in Connecticut and household staff and a spouse who amuses herself with occasional parts on Broadway. Yes, the customary sexism, racism, and classism are all present and accounted for. But I still like being a houseguest of the Naughtons on a regular basis.
February 7, 2020
Claudia is a charming, simplistic but highly enjoyable story about a young girl and her experiences in her first years of marriage. Her husband David teases her for being brainless, but she is certainly crafty, if not all that conventional. The two buy an antique farm and she busies herself as her German housekeepers care for their son and their home.
I was taken in immediately with this story because it perfectly wove my own experiences in my first years of marriage with my love of nostalgia and the conventions of the past. I flipped between chuckling over how much has changed and marveling over how much has not.
The writing is also very clever. Much is implied, if you know how to read between the lines.
"Are you really, David?"
"A lot happier," he said.
He had a one track mind, however. He said afterwards, before they fell asleep. "Seriously, Claudia, you ought to begin to know about things like taxes and stocks and annuities. Suppose I died?"
This series was wildly successful and inspired a few movies and a radio program which you can stream here: https://archive.org/details/Claudia_340
I was taken in immediately with this story because it perfectly wove my own experiences in my first years of marriage with my love of nostalgia and the conventions of the past. I flipped between chuckling over how much has changed and marveling over how much has not.
The writing is also very clever. Much is implied, if you know how to read between the lines.
"Are you really, David?"
"A lot happier," he said.
He had a one track mind, however. He said afterwards, before they fell asleep. "Seriously, Claudia, you ought to begin to know about things like taxes and stocks and annuities. Suppose I died?"
This series was wildly successful and inspired a few movies and a radio program which you can stream here: https://archive.org/details/Claudia_340
June 22, 2013
I love all the Claudia books. Because of the name, I picked up one at a used book store or sale in the 80's and fell in love with Claudia, David, and her life. They are sweet but not without trials. I guess this was before authors felt like they had to cram their books with all kinds of weirdness, perversion, and just plain ugliness.
June 3, 2014
My mother introduced me to the Claudia books when I was a young teen, and I think the books had a profound part of shaping how I pictured living my adult life. I loved these books and read them all, and in recent years have been trying to find and buy them again. I'd love for my girls to read even one of them, just to see the world as I once saw it.
December 1, 2017
I think this should be a primer for every young woman contemplating marriage. It shows how much love and effort is needed to make a strong, successful marriage and what two people can achieve if they only love and work in the same direction.
I had a few problems with the book, hence 4 stars and not 5. David was a bit too perfect and gee, who couldn't love him? The book was a bit repetitive too. For example, I didn't think the second time Claudia considered cheating on David was really needed.
I also had some problems with how the book treated the "help" and immigrants. Everyone who was an immigrant was treated as though they were second-class and primitive. Claudia addressed them by their first name and they addressed her as Mrs. Naughton.
Funny last note. I must have read this when I was young but I don't remember it. I do remember the first scene of the second book. Isn't that odd because it is about trimming bushes. :)
I had a few problems with the book, hence 4 stars and not 5. David was a bit too perfect and gee, who couldn't love him? The book was a bit repetitive too. For example, I didn't think the second time Claudia considered cheating on David was really needed.
I also had some problems with how the book treated the "help" and immigrants. Everyone who was an immigrant was treated as though they were second-class and primitive. Claudia addressed them by their first name and they addressed her as Mrs. Naughton.
Funny last note. I must have read this when I was young but I don't remember it. I do remember the first scene of the second book. Isn't that odd because it is about trimming bushes. :)
July 28, 2019
A series of novels by author and playwright Rose Franken are about Claudia, her husband, and family. This one, published in 1938 (plus the 1943 movie) was greatly admired by my mother. When I was born in 1947, I was named Claudia, based on what she gained from the book. When I read this novel I was compelled by the story of Claudia's challenges and her marriage. The spirit of my mother was with me while I read it.
May 6, 2012
A lucky find at a library used book sale- this novel was wonderful! I jumped to dig up the author and discovered a sequel. Happy day.
September 6, 2021
This is the first book in the Claudia series by Rose Franken.
My grandmother first piqued my interest in this series when I was young. She read several funny passages and then encouraged me to read the series when I was older, so I suppose these books hold a lot of nostalgia for me. I have read this series countless times and it is always an enjoyable read!
I do not really relate to Claudia, especially with regards to her relationship with her husband, but I enjoy reading about her life. The books begin in Manhattan during the 1940's, I find the descriptions of daily life to be fascinating. As the series progresses you see Claudia grow from a young, helpless girl, to a strong, capable woman, and while the style of the writing keeps the tone lighthearted and humorous, the subject matter can be quite heavy. This couple had more than their share of heartache, and the struggle and grief is present even in this lighthearted read. As with most books of this era, the racism and sexism is present, but it is still a series I enjoy reading.
The Claudia series
1) Claudia
2) Claudia and David
3) Another Claudia
4) Young Claudia
5) The Marriage of Claudia
6) From Claudia to David
7) Those Fragile Years
8) The Antic Years (US)
(Also published as The Return of Claudia-UK)
*Book of Claudia is "Claudia" & "Claudia and David"
My grandmother first piqued my interest in this series when I was young. She read several funny passages and then encouraged me to read the series when I was older, so I suppose these books hold a lot of nostalgia for me. I have read this series countless times and it is always an enjoyable read!
I do not really relate to Claudia, especially with regards to her relationship with her husband, but I enjoy reading about her life. The books begin in Manhattan during the 1940's, I find the descriptions of daily life to be fascinating. As the series progresses you see Claudia grow from a young, helpless girl, to a strong, capable woman, and while the style of the writing keeps the tone lighthearted and humorous, the subject matter can be quite heavy. This couple had more than their share of heartache, and the struggle and grief is present even in this lighthearted read. As with most books of this era, the racism and sexism is present, but it is still a series I enjoy reading.
The Claudia series
1) Claudia
2) Claudia and David
3) Another Claudia
4) Young Claudia
5) The Marriage of Claudia
6) From Claudia to David
7) Those Fragile Years
8) The Antic Years (US)
(Also published as The Return of Claudia-UK)
*Book of Claudia is "Claudia" & "Claudia and David"
September 3, 2024
I don't even know how to rank this one. I remember reading and enjoying all eight books in the Claudia series in my youth, and decided to read the first one again to see if it holds up. I generally love older books and turn a blind eye to any politically incorrect actions since I don't believe in revisionist history. However, this was an incredibly sexist novel, although quite amusing. It's about a young couple who are adjusting to marriage. Claudia is ditzy to the extreme and her husband David calls her "dumb" and "crazy" all the time, but in an affectionate tone. When he tries to explain how to maintain a chequebook register, she reveals that she can't accurately subtract nine from thirteen. The icing on the cake is when he SPANKS her for spending too much on pots and pans because they were on sale. And she loves it, because she is thrilled to be married to an architect who is also a caveman!
Having said all that, the story reveals a lot about the male and female roles in 1939, when the first book was written. Both Claudia and David embrace their traditional male and female roles. At one point Claudia reflects: "He needed her at this time to be exactly the way she was — not smart, or capable, but trusting and dependent. And in some strange way, her dependence would build him up, instead of pulling him down, and her trust would make him strong."
It's enough to make a modern woman sick, and yet. Marriage works when both parties know what they want and neither is dissatisfied with the arrangement. Perhaps that's why a number of reviewers expressed nostalgia for the old days, when men were men, and women were glad of it. It isn't my idea of a happy marriage but it is clear that both Claudia and David are deeply in love, and there are quite a few references to their passionate sex life as well.
Having said all that, the book is well-written and quite funny in places. The Claudia books were extremely popular at one time, made into a successful Broadway play and two movies starring Dorothy McGuire and Robert Young. I'm not surprised Claudia has fallen out of favour, but judging it within the framework of its time, I have decided on four stars.
Having said all that, the story reveals a lot about the male and female roles in 1939, when the first book was written. Both Claudia and David embrace their traditional male and female roles. At one point Claudia reflects: "He needed her at this time to be exactly the way she was — not smart, or capable, but trusting and dependent. And in some strange way, her dependence would build him up, instead of pulling him down, and her trust would make him strong."
It's enough to make a modern woman sick, and yet. Marriage works when both parties know what they want and neither is dissatisfied with the arrangement. Perhaps that's why a number of reviewers expressed nostalgia for the old days, when men were men, and women were glad of it. It isn't my idea of a happy marriage but it is clear that both Claudia and David are deeply in love, and there are quite a few references to their passionate sex life as well.
Having said all that, the book is well-written and quite funny in places. The Claudia books were extremely popular at one time, made into a successful Broadway play and two movies starring Dorothy McGuire and Robert Young. I'm not surprised Claudia has fallen out of favour, but judging it within the framework of its time, I have decided on four stars.
August 20, 2019
Well isn't that cover appalling? :)
Trust me, the book is so much better than any of the covers.*
This was a beautiful revelation of a book. Franken captures, I think, perfectly so many of the transformative moments in life-- from love, to death, faith, loss, growth and (I'm blinding trusting in this one) birth. Some may complain that Claudia is flawed and David is perfect... I didn't read it that way. In fact, David is remarkably flawed and I saw so much of myself in their newly-married relationship-- the well-meaning misunderstandings, the first disagreements, the worry, the absentminded lack of communication (because you didn't have to communicate these things before you were married).
Claudia's grief, in particular, struck home for me. It was a realistic reaction that all of us childishly have at some point in our lives. While I found her rather naive in first chapters, life, as it does with all of us, realistically rounded her out into a multi-faceted character.
Some may squirm at the lack of ingenuity in their family roles... but I found that it was pretty forward for its day.
* For once, and in spite of the mega-talented Dorothy Maguire, the book was better than the film.
Trust me, the book is so much better than any of the covers.*
This was a beautiful revelation of a book. Franken captures, I think, perfectly so many of the transformative moments in life-- from love, to death, faith, loss, growth and (I'm blinding trusting in this one) birth. Some may complain that Claudia is flawed and David is perfect... I didn't read it that way. In fact, David is remarkably flawed and I saw so much of myself in their newly-married relationship-- the well-meaning misunderstandings, the first disagreements, the worry, the absentminded lack of communication (because you didn't have to communicate these things before you were married).
Claudia's grief, in particular, struck home for me. It was a realistic reaction that all of us childishly have at some point in our lives. While I found her rather naive in first chapters, life, as it does with all of us, realistically rounded her out into a multi-faceted character.
Some may squirm at the lack of ingenuity in their family roles... but I found that it was pretty forward for its day.
* For once, and in spite of the mega-talented Dorothy Maguire, the book was better than the film.
June 6, 2020
This is one of those book from my teen aged years that I remember loving. Now, I don't love it any more, but I do like the couple's banter. The treatment of women (who are still wearing girdles) seems so dated now, although my mother lived through it.
July 17, 2023
Got the be the most ridiculous but amusing books I've read I can only feel sympathy for Claudia and her naivety. And if I'm completely honest the ending was abit naff to me but none the less I'm glad I read it
June 24, 2022
Unforgettable
October 4, 2022
I like the time period and the humour
October 25, 2023
It was a great story overall. The plot got a little lost at points but I still enjoyed it. I love reading stories written from this point in time and it didn’t disappoint.
December 26, 2024
Well written but doesn't stand the test of time. Read this because it's the first in a series that I found among my mom's books.
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July 18, 2008book 1
August 1, 2008
See my review of The Book of Claudia - an omnibus volume containing Claudia and a second book, Claudia & David.
March 25, 2009
A sweet, quaint book from the 40's...one I always reread when I'm having trouble getting into other books.
April 30, 2009
The sequel to "Claudia and David", it's follows the young couples misadventures in California. Very funny and very frivolous.
January 4, 2018
It's a book about everyday people, which the main character says that is the type of book she would like to read.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews