The Good People of New York

Rating:
Summary: Capitaving from page one
Review: As someone who lives in New York myself, and having read some positive press about Ms. Nissen, I was excited to pick up this book. While I found the characters, especially Roz and Miranda (the mother and daughter respectively) to be very realistic and easy to relate to on some levels, I felt that Miranda was vastly more interesting and that much more could have been done to demonstrate the effect that her parents relationship and her mother's actions had on her life.

I too, found the ending to this book unusually abrupt and disappointing. I think that much more could be written about the woman that Miranda was becoming and that the ending cut things off just as they were really getting interesting.

However, for a first novel, Ms. Nissen certainly entertained me and kept my attention, and I look forward to reading more of her work.

Rating:
Summary: A Real STINK Bomb
Review: I can't believe I wasted as much time as I did on this book. This is perhaps one of the worst slap-together-a-story jobs in recent publication. I was looking for a slice of NY life, and what I got was no Big Apple--just a rotten apple. Does anyone want to buy my copy (only about 3/4 read and slightly vomit stained)?

Rating:
Summary: The good people of New York deserve a better story
Review: I had high hopes for this book, but in the end it was quite a let down. The writing, which started out very good, would just kind of trail off. Storylines that might have been original were left hanging there... in the end making them unoriginal and boring. I think this could have been a great story about interesting characters in New York (that in and of itself should be interesting) and yet this was a forced series of narratives that had nothing to do with the city. The main character is one you end up having no sympathy for.

I had heard the author describe this story as "a love letter to the city of New York" and actually it is quite the opposite.

Rating:
Summary: Okay, I guess.
Review: I liked reading bits of this book, which seemed to work fine because the novel was put together in bits. Nissen uses way, way, WAY too many adjectives (and particularly adverbs) to describe the most simple objects and actions, so in that's she's definitely showing off, character's voice or not. I wasn't convinced by how each of the characters fit together and, in the end, I felt no sympathy or empathy for any of them. Typically, I enjoy any novel that describes NYC street for street: it's one of the most relaxed, warm feelings I have, imagining I'm in Manhattan. Nissen did okay with that. What she didn't do so well with was the time period: I felt like she was making fun of the 70s (or was it the 60s?) retro fashions instead of putting us there firsthand. Overall, okay. Don't expect to feel as though you've accomplished anything reading this book, but it can be fun if you pick it up at random.

Rating:
Summary: Good People, Good Enough?
Review: I'd been waiting for this paperback for a long while. I thought the book sounded fascinating. And indeed, parts of it are. Feeling generous, I gave it four stars. I found parts of it be not well played (characters fade away--time shifts too quickly). In other parts of the book, I was geniunely moved by the characters and their traumas. There is a sense of growth--particularly in Roz and Miranda (Roz most of all, who becomes just a wonderful person--we see that Miranda is missing out during her rebellious years). Other plot twists I might have done without, but still, that is how life isn't it? We can't pick and choose what happens. Nissen seems to have drawn on some of her real life (as she hints at in her acknowledgements) and it may well be unfair to judge her twists and turns, particulalry if they are real. PErsonally, I liked Edwin and Darrin a great deal and would ahve liked to hear more from them. At it's heart, this is a story about mother and daughter. Being neither a mother or daughter, I might not be the best to comment on this book--however, in the end (and I Loved the END) they are indeed good people. And it is a good, but not great, book.

Rating:
Summary: i have long hair, read me!
Review: Let me give you the scoop on Thisbe Nissan. I am a student of the Writer's Workshop at the University of Iowa. Before I came I made it apoint to read everyone's books. I have not had Thisbe Nissan as a teacher and I have not even seen her around except just at a reading. But this is what I think. Good People of NYC is a novel of adolescence. The character's are well formed, but they are characters that no one would want to ever know. They are childish and it shows just how little this writer knows about the real world. This book is not worth buying. Don't even borrow it from a library. Nissan's first collection suggested that there might be something interesting to come from this writer., but with this work she has failed.

Rating:
Summary: Okay, I guess.
Review: The Good People of New York began as more of an "adult" novel but quickly and without much notice turned into a "teenage" novel. Not that this book should be considered a juvenile book, but I really thought I would be reading about adults -- perhaps in New York (based on the title alone), but it was centered around Miranda and how she grew up with her parents and then later with just her Mom, Roz.

I did like The Good People of New York -- I thought it was a quick and entertaining read. I cared about the characters, which to me, means the author did her job. I think there were some parts throughout the book that could have been shaved down -- mostly the personal thoughts of characters that just went on and on. That style of writing didn't quite match the subject, which was about growing up.

Another thing Ms. Nissen did that drove me nuts was building up a scene to not finish it. You're just left wondering if the character did what they set out to do (you do find out way later one that she did), but it's a little disarming to have the build-up with no follow-through. Could be a unique writing style, but I think it would annoy a lot of people.

I am excited to read more from Ms. Nissen. I think she's got a good voice and can tell a really good story. Not too many people can begin a novel before the main character is born, bring the main character into the world, and then see them through until the age 18 or 19.

Rating:
Summary: A show of literary talent
Review: The Good People of New York is a parallel coming of age novel. The novel follows Roz, a slightly neurotic single mother and her daughter Miranda. One cannot read The Good People of New York and not recognize that Thisbe Nissen is an extremely talented writer. On the other hand, it seems as though her talent gets in the way of telling a good story. There are passages in this book where the paragraphs were so beautifully constructed and the metaphors were so creative, that I found myself admiring only the language and losing track of the story. In basketball terms, Nissen often uses a 360 reverse tomahawk dunk when a simple lay-up will do. The play leaves the audience oooing but it's still only two points.

The Good People of New York is still a very good novel, even if the plot feels a bit uninspired and Nissen's show of talent detracts slightly from the readability. I still recommend this book, but I wish Nissen creativity and flair carried through the entire work instead of a few flashy paragraphs.

Rating:
Summary: CANT TELL A BOOK BY ITS COVER!
Review: This book is so bad. The first two chapters are good,But each page gets worse and worse after that. The only reason i finished the book was because i was waiting for it to get better. I live in new york. This book has nothing to do with new york in any way. When i first saw the books cover i thought.. this should be a good book. Boy was i wrong.

Rating:
Summary: Hot & hilarious!
Review: This book was such a pleasure to read. . . hilarious at times, tender and wise. Roz & Miranda are the mother/daugher friends we all should be so lucky to have in our lives! Thisbe Nissen expertly captures their spirit. It's great fun not only to watch these two build a meaningful relationship with each other but also to meet the peripheral characters they encounter along the journey as well. We cringe as Roz muddles through motherhood and ache for Miranda as she struggles through adolescence. I am very glad to have discovered this talented writer and will look forward to her future books.