Rating: 
Summary: my favorite of Lipman's novels (so far)
Review: Alice Thrift is beautifully plotted, extremely funny, and shows a real step up in the skill of this already hugely skillful novelist. Lipman restores the dignity and the smarts to the term "light entertainment," which lately seems to have come to mean bad writing with wide margins and teeny tiny chapters. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll laugh some more.
Rating:
Summary: Witty romp about a social misfit's metamorphosis.
Review: Alice Thrift, a graduate of Harvard Medical School, is an unhappy intern in a Boston hospital. Her ineptitude with people is legendary. She says whatever pops into her head, no matter how inappropriate. This is not a good characteristic for a doctor, who is expected to be tactful with her patients. In addition, her romantic life has been on the back burner for years, while she works brutal hours in her pursuit of a career in medicine. Alice lives platonically with her roommate, a male nurse named Leo Frawley. Leo is extremely popular with everyone and he is thoroughly at ease with himself, qualities which Alice sorely lacks. Suddenly, a new man enters Alice's life. Ray Russo, a chocolate fudge salesman, comes to Alice for a consultation, and it soon becomes apparent that Ray may have romantic designs on the harried intern. Will Ray bring Alice out of her shell at last? Will Alice learn to think before she speaks? "The Pursuit of Alice Thrift" is a winner. The characters, dialogue, and plot are sharp and witty, and at times I laughed out loud at a particularly amusing line. What makes this book stand out is that the reader grows to care about Alice and roots for her to succeed both in medicine and in love. Lipman brings every character to hilarious life. These include Alice's frustrated parents, her cynical friend, Sylvie Schwartz, and her unctuous and opportunistic boyfriend, Ray Russo. "The Pursuit of Alice Thrift" is one of Elinor Lipman's best. From the first page to the last, it is fast-paced, brisk, sophisticated, sexy, and thoroughly entertaining.
Rating: 
Summary: Not your usual chick-lit?
Review: Alice Thrift, a surgical intern, is definitely not your typical "chick lit" heroine. She's not gorgeous; she doesn't have a close group of girlfriends to chat about men with, in fact, she's not really actively looking for a man. When Alice meets Ray Russo one day and manages to talk him out of a nose job, she never guesses he will want to start a relationship with her. Can Alice trust Ray? Does she even like him? And why would someone outgoing like Ray like someone who's basically a social misfit like her? While I admit sometimes it was difficult to read about a main character with so little self-esteem, the others around Alice kept the book from being dragged down too much in Alice's depressed moods. Not bad, not great, but different nonetheless.
Rating: 
Summary: solid character study
Review: Boston surgical intern Alice Thrift is a genius with an IQ in the stratosphere and a Harvard degree. Ray Russo is street educated dropped out. They meet when Ray pursues rhinoplastic surgery (a nose job). For a reason only he knows, sweet talking Ray courts the caustic Alice, known for her terrorist bedside manner. Shockingly, the brilliant Alice, after shunning Ray's pitch as nonsense, finally capitulates. They have sex leading to her realizing that there is more to life than work. Yet ironically her work improves and she even makes a friend Sylvie Schwartz at the hospital. When her platonic former roommate registered nurse Leo Frawley and Sylvie flirt with one another, Alice feels lonely. Vulnerable, she elopes with Ray only to learn he conned her out of cash and his "deceased" first wife lives with him. Leo and Sylvie are there for Alice, who bitterly knows she failed her first life lesson. Though Alice is not a likable character, fans will feel her loneliness and hope she makes it with someone who cherishes her and she treasures in return. Ray is a mean man while Leo and Sylvie are people the audience would like as friends. The bittersweet story line may seem rough to romance readers, but actually salutes friendship when one thinks a friend in need is a pest and prefers not to become involved, but does so anyway. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Whimsical and engaging
Review: Did you like The Dearly Departed? Well then, you'll love The Pursuit of Alice Thrift. Alice is socially inept and therefore utterly endearing - but get this: she's a Boston intern, hoping to do plastic surgery not on the blue-nosed matrons of Beacon Hill but on the city's poor. But Alice has problems in social situations and has trouble learning how to navigate the political hurdles of inner-hospital communication. Her roommate, a hunk of a pediatric nurse named Leo, tried to help. Then add to the mix a creepy Lothario and a truly vicious senior doctor - and it's a winner. I've worked in hospitals all my life, and Lipman knows her stuff. This book rings with realistic scenarios.
Rating:
Summary: The Elinor We Know Is Back
Review: Elinor Lipman has not lost her touch. Although I was Deeply Disappointed with her Dearly Departed, her latest book gets us Lipman fans back on track. I enjoyed Alice Thrift tremendously, and unlike some people have said, she doesnt really give away the story at the beginning. Alice's being a resident in surgery at a big city teaching hospital makes for an interesting background and sets the scene for some wild incidents, as well as introducing a large supporting cast that keep things moving. These characters and the setting make up for the fact that Alice may not have quite as much pizzazz as some earlier Lipman heroines. However, Alice is capable of growing and learning, and that is a big part of what the book is about. I think Lipman actually took a step forward with this book, moving to a more serious story that still is laced with her humor. I also found the medical scene from the viewpoint of an overworked intern was interesting enough in itself. I'm sure there are some arrogant doctors like Charles around. I'm looking forward to Lipman's next book. Go for it.
Rating:
Summary: Better Luck Next Time
Review: For fans of Elinor Lipman's brilliant novels, this one might well be a disappointment. I couldn't find much to root for in her protagonist, a brainy surgical intern with zero social skills, and there wasn't enough about the more interesting secondary characters to redeem the novel for me. As for Alice's unorthodox fudge salesman suitor, Ray Russo, it seemed as if Lipman couldn't decide how she felt about him. One minute he was showing incredible thoughtfulness toward Alice, and the next minute he was portrayed as a hopeless cad. Based on my past experiences with the author, however, I've given the book one more star than it really deserves. For those unfamiliar with Elinor Lipman, don't hold this one against her. Try any of her other novels, and enjoy.
Rating: 
Summary: just okay
Review: I agree that inn at Lake Divine was by far Lipman's best book. The rest have been entertainments that sort of slog on with uninspired dialogue and what I think are improbable scenes that have no ring of truth in them. I did like this story a lot, but using an emotionally frozen character as the point view makes things feel stilted and it's hard to feel any empathy for Alice. I didn't really believe the ending (which I won't give away) but I could see where it was going. All in all, this is an easy, enjoyable read. Better than some of the other crap out there, but not as smart or original as Lipman's finest work.
Rating:
Summary: hasn't figured out her genre
Review: I can't quite figure out what's wrong with Elinor Lipman's novels. Nothing has touched The Inn at Lake Devine. She's clearly an intellectual, as evidenced by her language, but her characters all sound the same. They're fairly intellectual too, with lots of clever wordlplay. But the plots are predictable and the characters all sound entirely the same. Lipman falls just short of being a truly comedic writer.
Rating:
Summary: You must "vow" to read this book
Review: I flipped open The Pursuit of Alice Thrift and when I saw the reference to the NYTimes "Vows" feature there on the first page, I knew I was going to love this story. I devour "Vows" each Sunday, and only wish I could have a new Lipman book to read as often - even if it weren't about an improbable couple (wallflower medical intern and oafish travelling fudge salesman to New England souvenir shops) who meet when he seeks an opinion about getting a nose job. Lipman 's combination of smart, funny, unpredictable storytelling and unforgettable characters never fails. "Vow" to do yourself a favor and read this book.
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