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My Latest Grievance
A liberal New England college campus is a peculiar place for a girl to grow up in this "lovable, psychologically intricate [and] bittersweet farce" (The New York Times Book Review).
Massachusetts, 1970s. Born to a pair of "bleeding heart" professors who live on campus as dorm parents, Frederica Hatch soon finds herself the unofficial mascot of Dewing College. Life is so ideal that by the time she becomes a teenager, Frederica finds herself chafing under the care of "the most annoyingly evenhanded parental team in the history of civilization." But she's about to learn that life isn't as simple or idyllic as it seems--even amid the manicured lawns of a small women's college like Dewing.
A new dorm parent has just arrived on campus. Laura Lee French is glamorous, worldly, and the former wife of Frederica's father. Suddenly, Frederica sees her parents' lives--and by extension her own--in a whole new light.
"May be Lipman's best work so far... Every page offers laugh-out-loud dialogue."--The Seattle Times
Massachusetts, 1970s. Born to a pair of "bleeding heart" professors who live on campus as dorm parents, Frederica Hatch soon finds herself the unofficial mascot of Dewing College. Life is so ideal that by the time she becomes a teenager, Frederica finds herself chafing under the care of "the most annoyingly evenhanded parental team in the history of civilization." But she's about to learn that life isn't as simple or idyllic as it seems--even amid the manicured lawns of a small women's college like Dewing.
A new dorm parent has just arrived on campus. Laura Lee French is glamorous, worldly, and the former wife of Frederica's father. Suddenly, Frederica sees her parents' lives--and by extension her own--in a whole new light.
"May be Lipman's best work so far... Every page offers laugh-out-loud dialogue."--The Seattle Times
258 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 10, 2006
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About the author
Elinor Lipman
27 books1,349 followersI love talking with readers - for 1:1s and Book Club visits, find me on Skolay: www.skolay.com/writers/elinor-lipman
Elinor Lipman is the author of 14 humorous novels about contemporary American society; essay and short story collections. Born and raised in Lowell, MA, she divides her time between Manhattan and the Hudson Valley of New York. She received the New England Book award for fiction in 2001. Her first novel, "Then She Found Me," was adapted for the screen, starring Helen Hunt, Bette Midler, Colin Firth and Matthew Broderick. Her fourth novel, "The Inn at Lake Devine" was adapted for the off-off Broadway stage by Tongue in Cheek Theater. In 2011-2012, she held the Elizabeth Drew chair in creative writing at Smith College. Her novel, “Ms. Demeanor," was a finalist for the 2023 Thurber Prize for American Humor. In 2021, her hometown Library, Pollard Memorial Library in Lowell, established The Elinor Lipman Prize, awarded annually to Lowell residents and students at Lowell universities.
Elinor Lipman is the author of 14 humorous novels about contemporary American society; essay and short story collections. Born and raised in Lowell, MA, she divides her time between Manhattan and the Hudson Valley of New York. She received the New England Book award for fiction in 2001. Her first novel, "Then She Found Me," was adapted for the screen, starring Helen Hunt, Bette Midler, Colin Firth and Matthew Broderick. Her fourth novel, "The Inn at Lake Devine" was adapted for the off-off Broadway stage by Tongue in Cheek Theater. In 2011-2012, she held the Elizabeth Drew chair in creative writing at Smith College. Her novel, “Ms. Demeanor," was a finalist for the 2023 Thurber Prize for American Humor. In 2021, her hometown Library, Pollard Memorial Library in Lowell, established The Elinor Lipman Prize, awarded annually to Lowell residents and students at Lowell universities.
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May 3, 2024
My Latest Grievance by Elinor Lipman is a Family Drama and Coming of Age Story Sprinkled with Humor!
This is my first Elinor Lipman novel and right after reading it, I wasn't quite sure how I felt about it, in a kinda-sorta good way...
My Latest Grievance begins with a solid, yet odd, backstory about professors Aviva and David Hatch and their precocious 16-year-old daughter Frederica, who is also our protagonist.
Frederica feels smothered by the nontraditional lifestyle her parents have raised her in. They live in a dorm at Dewing College, a women's college where Aviva and David teach and where their daughter was born. Frederica is craving a change. Something different from what she's come to expect from her predictable parent-team.
In walks Laura Lee French, a new dorm mother, who also happens to be David's ex-wife...
There wasn't a moment when I didn't think this story was going off the rails but the flawed characters, the mixture of topics, and wonky, wacky humor grew on me. It was Frederica's bright, bold narrative that kept me listening, with the deep love and frustration she felt for her parents and the desire and longing for something new and different to enter her life. "Be careful what you wish for" comes to mind here.
The audiobook is narrated by Piper Goodeve whose narrative and voicing adds another layer of believability to the character of Frederica.
My Latest Grievance is quirky, over-the-top, eye-rolling, and thought-provoking entertainment. Will I read another Elinor Lipman story? You betcha!
3.75⭐
Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Elinor Lipman for an ALC of this book. It has been a pleasure to give my honest and voluntary review.
This is my first Elinor Lipman novel and right after reading it, I wasn't quite sure how I felt about it, in a kinda-sorta good way...
My Latest Grievance begins with a solid, yet odd, backstory about professors Aviva and David Hatch and their precocious 16-year-old daughter Frederica, who is also our protagonist.
Frederica feels smothered by the nontraditional lifestyle her parents have raised her in. They live in a dorm at Dewing College, a women's college where Aviva and David teach and where their daughter was born. Frederica is craving a change. Something different from what she's come to expect from her predictable parent-team.
In walks Laura Lee French, a new dorm mother, who also happens to be David's ex-wife...
There wasn't a moment when I didn't think this story was going off the rails but the flawed characters, the mixture of topics, and wonky, wacky humor grew on me. It was Frederica's bright, bold narrative that kept me listening, with the deep love and frustration she felt for her parents and the desire and longing for something new and different to enter her life. "Be careful what you wish for" comes to mind here.
The audiobook is narrated by Piper Goodeve whose narrative and voicing adds another layer of believability to the character of Frederica.
My Latest Grievance is quirky, over-the-top, eye-rolling, and thought-provoking entertainment. Will I read another Elinor Lipman story? You betcha!
3.75⭐
Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Elinor Lipman for an ALC of this book. It has been a pleasure to give my honest and voluntary review.
May 21, 2013
This was my second Elinor Lipman book, having really enjoyed "The Family Man" and wanting more of her bright, cheeky humor and colorful characters. In "My Latest Grievance," we meet the very unconventional Hatch family, comprised of professors Aviva and David, and their precocious 16-year-old daughter Frederica. The Professors Hatch are both proud leftists, who, when not teaching, investigate possible union violations as reported by the faculty. As faithful anti-materialists, they have lived as dorm parents for years, raising their daughter as "the Eloise of Dewing College," a small, second-tier East Coast college. where they have taught and even raised their daughter.
Their uneventful lives are disrupted, though, when David's ex-wife, the colorful Laura Lee French, "happens" to get a job as a dorm mother on the same campus. News of her father having had a first wife astonishes Frederica, and her parents worry that the flamboyant Laura Lee is working to undermine their own relationship with her. Laura Lee's adventures on campus, in particular with Dewing's president, create a lot of drama and upheaval, and force David and Aviva, who would like nothing better than to see Laura Lee just go away, to become embroiled in the messes she makes.
I especially love Lipman's gentle mockery of David and Aviva Hatch, who take themselves and their parenting duties so seriously they become self-parodies. Frederica is wise beyond her years, lovingly exasperated by her annoyingly even-handed parents, and charmed (at least at first) by Laura Lee, who could not be more opposite from her own mother.
It's a funny read, and the characters well drawn as always.
Their uneventful lives are disrupted, though, when David's ex-wife, the colorful Laura Lee French, "happens" to get a job as a dorm mother on the same campus. News of her father having had a first wife astonishes Frederica, and her parents worry that the flamboyant Laura Lee is working to undermine their own relationship with her. Laura Lee's adventures on campus, in particular with Dewing's president, create a lot of drama and upheaval, and force David and Aviva, who would like nothing better than to see Laura Lee just go away, to become embroiled in the messes she makes.
I especially love Lipman's gentle mockery of David and Aviva Hatch, who take themselves and their parenting duties so seriously they become self-parodies. Frederica is wise beyond her years, lovingly exasperated by her annoyingly even-handed parents, and charmed (at least at first) by Laura Lee, who could not be more opposite from her own mother.
It's a funny read, and the characters well drawn as always.
May 29, 2009
Listening to this one on CD. Enjoying it a lot so far. Might add another star if I like the way it ends.
Update: I finished listening to it this morning, and decided to add that 4th star because I found the book thoroughly enjoyable. It's not great literature, but the competent writing, the plot developments, and the lively, mostly likeable characters kept me looking forward to the next chance I'd have to listen.
I lived on a campus as a child (a boys' high school where my father was headmaster, not a women's college where this one is set), attended a girls' high school where some girls boarded, and have spent all my adult life in academia as a student or an employee, so the setting and characters were very familiar to me. At first the characters seemed like stereotypes, but I changed my mind about that as I got to know them better. I felt like Dewing College and its denizens were like fascinating composites of places and people I have known.
Also, hooray for comeuppances and happy endings! Sometimes one needs that in a book. A good light read.
Update: I finished listening to it this morning, and decided to add that 4th star because I found the book thoroughly enjoyable. It's not great literature, but the competent writing, the plot developments, and the lively, mostly likeable characters kept me looking forward to the next chance I'd have to listen.
I lived on a campus as a child (a boys' high school where my father was headmaster, not a women's college where this one is set), attended a girls' high school where some girls boarded, and have spent all my adult life in academia as a student or an employee, so the setting and characters were very familiar to me. At first the characters seemed like stereotypes, but I changed my mind about that as I got to know them better. I felt like Dewing College and its denizens were like fascinating composites of places and people I have known.
Also, hooray for comeuppances and happy endings! Sometimes one needs that in a book. A good light read.
June 26, 2019
Delightful! My first Elinor Lipman novel, about a girl raised in a mediocre women's college by her activist professor/houseparent parents surrounded by the usual assortment of oddballs, and the upheavals that occur when they are joined on campus by her father's ex-wife.
March 7, 2024
3.5/5; 4 stars
I don’t know really know how to classify this book. I really enjoyed the variety of interesting characters and Lipman’s tongue in cheek commentary on society through her character’s behaviour and conversation. The main character, Frederica, was a year younger than me and I am trying to remember myself as a teenager in the 70s. I enjoyed the author’s insights into that time in history and the changing roles of women and men.
Frederica started off portraying a teen who was kind of exasperated with her even keel, boring, stable parents. However, as she told the story of her life at that stage and all about meeting her father’s first wife, she slowly came to realize that she had pretty great parents.
This was a fun story.
Mia Barron was a great narrator.
I don’t know really know how to classify this book. I really enjoyed the variety of interesting characters and Lipman’s tongue in cheek commentary on society through her character’s behaviour and conversation. The main character, Frederica, was a year younger than me and I am trying to remember myself as a teenager in the 70s. I enjoyed the author’s insights into that time in history and the changing roles of women and men.
Frederica started off portraying a teen who was kind of exasperated with her even keel, boring, stable parents. However, as she told the story of her life at that stage and all about meeting her father’s first wife, she slowly came to realize that she had pretty great parents.
This was a fun story.
Mia Barron was a great narrator.
March 24, 2019
A good coming of age story with typical Lipman humor and snarkiness. A nice light one to listen to while I am waiting for some heavier holds to come in from the library.
February 9, 2024
Oh wow, this book. This book was too good. I enjoyed it thoroughly both the narration and the writing are good.
“It was a noteworthy lesson, even for someone who'd been fed a daily diet of italicized lessons: that people in high places, luminaries with advanced degrees in Classics and in possession of excellent manners, can disappoint you as profoundly as anyone else.”
The best part of the book is it isn't complicated. It is one of its kind book, something that was totally new for me and I totally adored it. I read few days back somewhere that not every book is about a profound life learned lesson and although a part of me did not agree with it me being a classic lover but I know it is the truest statement for every reader out there.
My Latest Grievance is one of those books which I will count as my favourite and I'm sure that I will grab all other books by the author. It is simple, uncomplicated without any lessons to preach and yet it teaches us about how humans are so colourful beings. One can be so thoughtful and other can be so thoughtless or disregard how their actions can affect others. The story isn't simple though but it never felt heavy or overly sad.
Every character is flawed but you fall in love with everyone. Our protagonist Frederica Hatch has no constrains, she is bold, dynamic and caring. She cares for everything around her, at first even for Laura Lee even after she being her father's ex wife. That's how good natured she is. Her parents even though seem dry and uncaring at the start of the book, in the end you will end up loving David and Aviva both. Frederica is one of the characters that will stay with me for long time. She might appear unreal being a teenager and caring for materialistic things but she was so close to what I was like in my teenage years except the bold part. I always wished I could be bold, something like how her character is written So I could relate to her more.
Laura Lee made me feel " Is she for real" and even though she irritated everyone even readers I'm sure from the point she makes her way in Dewing college, she makes one think, she is just born this way. Some human beings are just the way they are and they can't really help it.
Highly recommended if you like satire and light and cheeky humour. This book is for you.
Thank you Netgalley and dreamscape media for this wonderful audiobook ARC in exchange of an honest review.
“It was a noteworthy lesson, even for someone who'd been fed a daily diet of italicized lessons: that people in high places, luminaries with advanced degrees in Classics and in possession of excellent manners, can disappoint you as profoundly as anyone else.”
The best part of the book is it isn't complicated. It is one of its kind book, something that was totally new for me and I totally adored it. I read few days back somewhere that not every book is about a profound life learned lesson and although a part of me did not agree with it me being a classic lover but I know it is the truest statement for every reader out there.
My Latest Grievance is one of those books which I will count as my favourite and I'm sure that I will grab all other books by the author. It is simple, uncomplicated without any lessons to preach and yet it teaches us about how humans are so colourful beings. One can be so thoughtful and other can be so thoughtless or disregard how their actions can affect others. The story isn't simple though but it never felt heavy or overly sad.
Every character is flawed but you fall in love with everyone. Our protagonist Frederica Hatch has no constrains, she is bold, dynamic and caring. She cares for everything around her, at first even for Laura Lee even after she being her father's ex wife. That's how good natured she is. Her parents even though seem dry and uncaring at the start of the book, in the end you will end up loving David and Aviva both. Frederica is one of the characters that will stay with me for long time. She might appear unreal being a teenager and caring for materialistic things but she was so close to what I was like in my teenage years except the bold part. I always wished I could be bold, something like how her character is written So I could relate to her more.
Laura Lee made me feel " Is she for real" and even though she irritated everyone even readers I'm sure from the point she makes her way in Dewing college, she makes one think, she is just born this way. Some human beings are just the way they are and they can't really help it.
Highly recommended if you like satire and light and cheeky humour. This book is for you.
Thank you Netgalley and dreamscape media for this wonderful audiobook ARC in exchange of an honest review.
March 10, 2024
A family living on a college campus is an interesting concept. It seems like that family oils be rather progressive but it’s actually the opposite, they are fairly traditional they just live a different life. I think her parents are kind of cool for making it work how they do cuz they love their jobs and just stick with it regardless of what other people think .
🌀Synopsis
Federica lives a different life than most. Her whole family still lives in a college dorm. Her parents both work at the school and that allows them all to live there. Federica is disappointed with that thought and longs for a normal house and normal life.
When Laura Lee enters the picture her life changes. She finally has someone cultured to learn and talk to. Laura Lee lives life her way and she’s determined to not conform for the college. It isn’t long before her eyes are known and being spread around the college.
Now the college has decisions to make and when they impact Federica, she realizes how fickle she’s been.
🌀Synopsis
Federica lives a different life than most. Her whole family still lives in a college dorm. Her parents both work at the school and that allows them all to live there. Federica is disappointed with that thought and longs for a normal house and normal life.
When Laura Lee enters the picture her life changes. She finally has someone cultured to learn and talk to. Laura Lee lives life her way and she’s determined to not conform for the college. It isn’t long before her eyes are known and being spread around the college.
Now the college has decisions to make and when they impact Federica, she realizes how fickle she’s been.
December 14, 2023
An absolute gem and one of the best things I’ve read this year.
Elinor Lipman’s campus novel is a delightfully funny and sweet look inside the life of a girl who grows up on the campus of an unremarkable small college as a sort of mascot/Eloise to the faculty and students.
The voice of the protagonist is just so well-rendered here, and I’m always impressed with writers who can channel their inner teenager and give a truly accurate portrayal of what it’s like inside one’s head at that age. This book gave me my favorite central character that I have encountered in a long time, as well as a terrifically nuanced and fascinating cast of misfits populating the rest of the story.
The book is sharply critical yet delightfully nostalgic about campus life, and while largely a comedy, the story is also exceptionally sweet without ever becoming overwrought and saccharine.
I adored this and will absolutely seek out more by Lipman, whose work was unfamiliar to me prior to reading this.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
Elinor Lipman’s campus novel is a delightfully funny and sweet look inside the life of a girl who grows up on the campus of an unremarkable small college as a sort of mascot/Eloise to the faculty and students.
The voice of the protagonist is just so well-rendered here, and I’m always impressed with writers who can channel their inner teenager and give a truly accurate portrayal of what it’s like inside one’s head at that age. This book gave me my favorite central character that I have encountered in a long time, as well as a terrifically nuanced and fascinating cast of misfits populating the rest of the story.
The book is sharply critical yet delightfully nostalgic about campus life, and while largely a comedy, the story is also exceptionally sweet without ever becoming overwrought and saccharine.
I adored this and will absolutely seek out more by Lipman, whose work was unfamiliar to me prior to reading this.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
March 8, 2024
DNF -- I got a third of the way through this audiobook and found that the title was probably more accurate than I wanted because the tone of the book up to this point is all pretty negative -- whether the political/social commentary of the parents or the psycho-babble of the first wife or the slightly amused/condescending observations of the daughter. Every interaction was a verbal joust between whichever set of characters were assembled at the time. It just made me tired to listen to it, so I have moved on to an author I know I will enjoy.
November 1, 2009
By all accounts, I should have liked this book more.
"My Latest Grievance" is about Frederica, a 16 year old student, who lives on the campus of a local all-girls college, Dewing. Her parents are both professors at Dewing and also houseparents of one of the dorms. Frederica grew up at Dewing and enjoys a certain celebrity on campus. This, coupled with her parents' unique parenting style - calls parents by first names, is privy to any and all discussion/decisions, is treated like an adult - make for one precocious, and at times, highly annoying, protagonist. The first half of the book, Frederica was nearly intolerable; she grew on me as the book progressed, but I still found it difficult to identify with her.
The plot and storyline were new, which I appreciated, but still lacked something that made them irresistable. I found that I could put this book down for a few days without wondering what was going to happen next. The characters were interesting in a 2-dimensional way; though Grace Woodbury turns out to be the most interesting and dynamic (in a way, of sorts) character. The story ends happily, but not before briefly touching on some of the heavier issues considered throughout.
Overall, not a bad read - unique characters and plot though the X factor of a truly engaging and exciting book was missing (for me anyways).
"My Latest Grievance" is about Frederica, a 16 year old student, who lives on the campus of a local all-girls college, Dewing. Her parents are both professors at Dewing and also houseparents of one of the dorms. Frederica grew up at Dewing and enjoys a certain celebrity on campus. This, coupled with her parents' unique parenting style - calls parents by first names, is privy to any and all discussion/decisions, is treated like an adult - make for one precocious, and at times, highly annoying, protagonist. The first half of the book, Frederica was nearly intolerable; she grew on me as the book progressed, but I still found it difficult to identify with her.
The plot and storyline were new, which I appreciated, but still lacked something that made them irresistable. I found that I could put this book down for a few days without wondering what was going to happen next. The characters were interesting in a 2-dimensional way; though Grace Woodbury turns out to be the most interesting and dynamic (in a way, of sorts) character. The story ends happily, but not before briefly touching on some of the heavier issues considered throughout.
Overall, not a bad read - unique characters and plot though the X factor of a truly engaging and exciting book was missing (for me anyways).
May 21, 2013
What an enjoyable romp through the worlds of parent-child relationships and the ivory palaces--well, in this case a very, very pale ivory--of a college campus. It's 1976 and Frederica Hatch is turning 16 years old. She has lived all of her life in a dorm at Dewing College, a second-rate all-women's college in Massachusetts, where her parents are professors, dorm parents, and union activists. Frederica has had hundreds of "older sisters", the freedom to move freely around the campus, and because of her parent's focus on their academic and union activities, she feels as if she has largely raised herself. Her parents, David and Aviva, are so outspokenly honest with Frederica as she grows up that they felt compelled to anatomically correct Frederica's Barbie dolls and no subject appears to be off-limits. So Frederica is stunned to discover that her father was married before to a distant cousin, Laura Lee French, and that Laura Lee is moving to Dewing College to take a job as a dorm mother. Predictably chaos ensues as it only can in a small, tight-knit community where everyone knows your business, gossip is queen, and major scandals make life worth living. A fun novel exploring warmth, love, and redemption as only a social satire can.
May 1, 2009
I really enjoyed this - like all Lipman heroines, Frederica is sarcastic, funny, and always right. The other characters are often way over the top but always entertaining and somehow convincing. I especially liked the description of the Blizzard of '78, which I lived through just a few miles away, and the description of the third tier college where Frederica's parents have taught since before she was born.
I am looking forward to seeing the author later this month at the Brookline Booksmith. Those who have not yet read Lipman should try her.
I am looking forward to seeing the author later this month at the Brookline Booksmith. Those who have not yet read Lipman should try her.
February 19, 2023
Like all Elinor Lipman books, it took me a bit to get into it, but, as always, it was worth it. It has all the charm, classic dialog, and quirky characters that makes each of her books a winner.
How strange it would be to grow up in the dorm of a private women's college in Boston. Frederica did that and her parents were just what you would expect: scholarly counselors who used the 'how does that make you feel' technique like two pros. Frederica goes from favored campus mascot to intellectual, overly mature teen as one might expect. However, the arrival of her father's ex-wife (a little detail her usually open parents forgot to mention) stirs up their up-to-this-point unflappable college life.
And what a character Miss Laura Lee French turns out to be. One never quite knows if she is a blatant liar or just the most open person that ever existed. She manages to turn the campus upside down in a matter of months, taking Frederica, her parents, and the entire population of Dewing College for a wild ride.
For me, it wasn't so much what happened, but how the characters reacted that tickled me and kept me reading. From Laura Lee's best friend priest (and what's really going on there?) to the illicit affair that leads to Frederica's father almost losing his job, it's a total romp.
How strange it would be to grow up in the dorm of a private women's college in Boston. Frederica did that and her parents were just what you would expect: scholarly counselors who used the 'how does that make you feel' technique like two pros. Frederica goes from favored campus mascot to intellectual, overly mature teen as one might expect. However, the arrival of her father's ex-wife (a little detail her usually open parents forgot to mention) stirs up their up-to-this-point unflappable college life.
And what a character Miss Laura Lee French turns out to be. One never quite knows if she is a blatant liar or just the most open person that ever existed. She manages to turn the campus upside down in a matter of months, taking Frederica, her parents, and the entire population of Dewing College for a wild ride.
For me, it wasn't so much what happened, but how the characters reacted that tickled me and kept me reading. From Laura Lee's best friend priest (and what's really going on there?) to the illicit affair that leads to Frederica's father almost losing his job, it's a total romp.
January 7, 2024
This was an enjoyable, somewhat absurdist, story about the Hatch family. David & Aviva are professors and house parents at an all-girls college. Their 16 year old daughter has been raised as the “Eloise” of the school. Her parents are love her but are benignly neglectful. The plot takes a turn when Frederica discovers Aviva (she calls her parents by their names) is David’s second wife. Enter Laura Lee.
I loved Frederica. Smart, precocious, sarcastic. She is hard on her parents but we see her develop much compassion over the course of the book.
3.5 ⭐️ Rounding up to 4 because I enjoyed the audiobook.
Thanks to NetGalley for my copy.
I loved Frederica. Smart, precocious, sarcastic. She is hard on her parents but we see her develop much compassion over the course of the book.
3.5 ⭐️ Rounding up to 4 because I enjoyed the audiobook.
Thanks to NetGalley for my copy.
February 11, 2024
This is the rerelease on audio of a Elinor Lipman book originally published in the early 2000’s.
I found it very difficult to stomach the main character. I know teenagers are tough anyway but she was just…oomph. Very much a know it all without any life experience to know much of anything yet.
Was it her upbringing with hippie parents? The college campus that raised her right along with said parents? Or the reemergence of her fathers as yet unknown first wife that rocked her world? Whatever it was I did not enjoy her.
The audiobook is done well, though, with great narration.
Thank you to Netgalley, Dreamscape Media, and the author for the ALC
I found it very difficult to stomach the main character. I know teenagers are tough anyway but she was just…oomph. Very much a know it all without any life experience to know much of anything yet.
Was it her upbringing with hippie parents? The college campus that raised her right along with said parents? Or the reemergence of her fathers as yet unknown first wife that rocked her world? Whatever it was I did not enjoy her.
The audiobook is done well, though, with great narration.
Thank you to Netgalley, Dreamscape Media, and the author for the ALC
May 31, 2023
This book was a big surprise. I wasn’t sure at the beginning if I’d even finish it but I always try to give a book 4o-50 pages.
Well…it is top notch writing with great lines, well developed characters. Laughs and twists. And it’s not 800 pages long. Why do authors go on that long. Make it a trilogy for heavens sake and don’t cause arthritis of our hands holding a book big enough to be a deadly weapon. But I digress.
This book’s delightful, five stars. I wrote down wonderful lines here and there for future use. I won’t say more bc of spoilers but I will definitely be checking out her other books.
Well…it is top notch writing with great lines, well developed characters. Laughs and twists. And it’s not 800 pages long. Why do authors go on that long. Make it a trilogy for heavens sake and don’t cause arthritis of our hands holding a book big enough to be a deadly weapon. But I digress.
This book’s delightful, five stars. I wrote down wonderful lines here and there for future use. I won’t say more bc of spoilers but I will definitely be checking out her other books.
January 12, 2024
This book is written from the perspective of a teenager and it sure felt that way. While it kept me mildly entertained while reading it was also not a compelling read nor one I would read again.
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for my advance copy of this audiobook
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for my advance copy of this audiobook
February 20, 2020
Another fun read from Elinor Lipman. A younger heroine this time but with all the sass, smarts, and snark I know and love.
June 27, 2020
I really enjoyed this book! It was the perfect light summer read. I loved the way Elinor Lipman portrayed the Hatch family and their experiences!
March 8, 2024
Possibly my favorite Elinor Lipman book ever!
I laughed, nodded, smiled and giggled.
Just what I needed!
I laughed, nodded, smiled and giggled.
Just what I needed!
April 1, 2021
This is a book you find at the Airbnb and read because you need something light that you can finish before your trip is over. It’s amusing with a snarky teenage girl narrating the story of what happened when her dad’s first wife came to work at the women’s college where her mom and dad are professors. She calls herself the “Eloise of Dewing College,” and, well, you can probably guess the rest.
March 18, 2019
This book was a random pick at the library and it was a great surprise! The precocious and courageous narrator is one of the funniest parts of this kooky dialogue-driven story, but the whole package was great.
March 29, 2025
A teen girl's recollections of when she discovered at 16 that her father had been married before and had left that wife to marry her mother well before she was born. Even more exciting to her the ex-wife will be living on the small Massachusetts college campus where her activists parents teach.
The characters are wacky-ish and the plot a little unbelievable (especially the ending) but it works as a quick read.
The characters are wacky-ish and the plot a little unbelievable (especially the ending) but it works as a quick read.
October 17, 2023
I usually can relate to novels set on college campuses after many years employed on one and this was a nice portrayal of quirky professors, ambitious administrators and students just trying to thread their way through four years. Here the daughter of two idealistic professors/dorm advisors gets caught up in the scandals when her father’s first wife arrives on campus and becomes involved with the college president.
September 9, 2009
I listened to the audio edition of this book, and I think that added one full star to my rating. The story itself is good - I've never read anything by Elinor Lipman before, so I had no clear expectations in terms of style or character development. I thought she did a good job of developing a subtle portrait of college campus life from that faculty perspective. I work on a college campus, and I think the small and subtle but very accurate comments about the campus environment were hysterically on point. Honestly, though, the best part about this book was the actress that did the narration - she was excellent. I like to listen to books and so often the narrator is way too dull. Not so this one.
In sum, I recommend this book at 3 stars, but if you are a book listener and can get the audio version, I give it 4 stars.
In sum, I recommend this book at 3 stars, but if you are a book listener and can get the audio version, I give it 4 stars.
December 27, 2007
Sometimes, in my heart, I get Elinor Lipman and Susan Isaacs mixed up--especially since Isaacs' last few books have been less awesome than when she was at her apex. This book is definitely Lipman, though--the characters who are just on the one-note side of well rounded, the precocious young character who thinks she wants all kinds of things that she doesn't want, the sensible characters who are swept away by a vacuous, glamorous whirlwind of a character.
I liked this book, but now, several months after reading it, it's sort of blended together with everything else I've read this year. I can't say it stuck with me or stood out, but if you feel like reading it, I will not say anything to stop you; you probably won't regret it.
I liked this book, but now, several months after reading it, it's sort of blended together with everything else I've read this year. I can't say it stuck with me or stood out, but if you feel like reading it, I will not say anything to stop you; you probably won't regret it.
October 26, 2010
I love a sassy teen. When others described her as a brat, I laughed and urged her on. The story revolves around teen Frederica Hatch, who has grown up on the grounds of a (fictitious) college in Brookline.Her parents, professors and dorm parents, are committed to treating their daughter as an equal. As a result, they share a lot of info with her, they let her make her own decisions, and they're proud of her when she speaks up for herself and others. Their cozy life spins out of control when Frederica's father's ex-wife arrives on the scene. Funny, silly, with lots of quirky characters.
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January 17, 2016I enjoyed this zany delightful quick and captivating read by a local author, whose earlier book, "Then She Found Me" was also very good. I enjoyed also the pulls in the book toward thinking about morality, and subjectivity, and can we ever truly be unbiased when it comes to these difficult tangles. Ultimately, the book was also about growing up. I thought it was great.
March 20, 2016
My first book by this author and she is quite a story teller. The story is kind of crazy, but, entertaining. It is set on a college campus and is narrated by the precocious daughter of two liberal professors. The former wife of the male professor arrives on campus to take up residence as a dorm mother and her character and antics provide the basis of this wacky story.
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