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Summary: It's All in the Details
Review: Natalie Marx's first encounter with anti-Semitism comes from the quaint, white-bread "Inn at Lake Devine." When her mother receives a reponse to her inquiry on summer availability, it is clear that the genteel Inn does not welcome Jews. Twelve-year-old Natalie accepts the challenge and eventually infiltrates the exclusive Inn.And if that was the end of the story, it really wouldn't be much of a story. But the author lets a series of minor details build to a coincidental turnabout. Natalie's entry to the Inn is through Robin Fife, a dull fellow summer camper. She accompanies Robin's family on their annual trip to Lake Devine. Natalie searches for understanding from the owners and befriends the husband and alienaates the wife and daughter. She finds tolerance masks unfounded prejudices. Over the years Robin drops from Natalie's life until the promise of a camp reunion brings back the memories. In the delightful twist of details, the reunion is cancelled for lack of participation. But this is the detail that puts Robin back in Natalie's life. The cancelled reunion results in a directory that indicates that Robin works in Natalie's neighborhood. They meet up and Natalie once again gets herself invited to the Inn--to attend Robin's wedding to one of the owners' sons. Though tragedy cancels the wedding, Natalie remains at the Inn--part-guest, par-chef--and strikes a friendship that ultimately leads to the Inn's closing and new ownership. This is a funny, yet touching, book. And it's all set up so wonderfully--in real-life moments that you think don't matter. Until you reflect on the big picture and see how it was crafted to fit together. Just like real life.
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Summary: Wonderful book- I couldn't put it down
Review: The Inn at Lake Devine is a wonderful book. I couldn't put it down once I started reading it. I read most of the book in one sitting. The book is funny, humorous, lighthearted and romantic. There is also some vicarious enjoyment in the revenge tactics employed by the main character Natalie. It is a pleasure to watch the characters age and to see how everyone's viewpoints change. Highly recommend!
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Summary: Lipman's wit sparkles but the plot falters at the end.
Review: I enjoyed "The Ladies' Man," Lipman's zany book about a man for whom flirting is as natural as breathing. She has the same kooky and irreverent tone at the beginning of "The Inn at Lake Devine," a novel about a Jewish girl named Natalie Marx. The book opens during the sixties. Natalie becomes fascinated with the inn of the title, mostly because the owner is openly hostile to Jews. Natalie cannot understand this blatant anti-Semitism and she takes it personally. As the plot unfolds, Natalie becomes embroiled with the Berry family, who own the "Inn at Lake Devine". Althought the book starts out promisingly, with a mixture of Jewish shtick and outlandish characters, Lipman fails to keep up the same tone throughout the book. During the last half of the book, the book's plot becomes too convoluted and labored and the characters lose some of their sparkle. This is unfortunate, since Lipman is one of the most original comic writers around and her wit is often sharp and deliciously wicked.
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Summary: Not an Enthusiastic Reader...but This Kept Me Reading!
Review: My friend recommended this book to me and knowing that she's not a big reader either - I figured something went right with this. I want to respond to the review that this book didn't combat anti-Semitism. I think it did - I felt there was a tone with the characters from the beginning to the end that dramatically changed. I LOVED THE CHARACTERS - AND I LOVED THE BOOK! This was a great read. I hope (if you haven't done so already) that you read the book and see what I mean.
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Summary: A CLASSIC!
Review: What a book! Because she was compared to Jane Austen, I had to see what the deal with Elinor LIpman is and I must say that that is a fitting description. Her hand is deft but not heavy, with just enough humor thrown in to dissaude you from thinking she's being TOO serious about it all- "it all" being love, loss, and civil rights.
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Summary: Nothing to offer
Review: This was a difficult book to finish. I found the syle childish, and the characters to be exteremly one dimensional. I must admit that the author was able to pull me in for the first chapter (which may be due to the fact that it was autobiographical to some extent), but the book dragged on after that. At the end, I didnt care about any of the characters, and was suprised I made it through to the end.
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Summary: My first Elinor Lipman, but certainly not my last!
Review: I stumbled upon this gem of a novel one day and decided to pick it up. It then sat on my bookshelf for over a year in the pile of "books i must read". I finally picked it up a few days ago and I really wished I had done so much sooner. I didn't have any idea of what to expect but I was immediately drawn into this story of a young girl who is taken aback by the anti-Semitism of an inn she and her family wish to stay at one summer. The impact this has on her life is far reaching and the journey she takes is one I relished to take with her. I enjoyed all of the different characters and their relationships and was thoroughly surprised at some of the twists in this delightful novel. Looking for a good beach read that's fast paced but not too fluffy? Then this book's for you!
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Summary: Another winner!
Review: Elinor Lipman is a full-hearted writer with a magic pen. I always look forward to a new book by her, knowing that I'll laugh hard and learn a thing or two about the human spirit. Every single one of her books is a gem, and this one, perhaps because of the Lipmanesque (read: cockeyed) view of bigotry, shine brightest of all.
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Summary: Splendidly Turns Nastiness into Sparkling Social Comedy
Review: What I really admire about this delightful book is the way the author starts with a most unpleasant incident - a letter in 1962 excluding a family from an inn in Vermont just because they are Jewish - and turns it into a wonderful social comedy of just revenge and just desserts, without ever being "preachy" about it. Th touch may be light but the voice is assured and serious. This book made me want to read more by Ms. Lipman.
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Summary: A most unexpected delight
Review: This book cannot standup to much critical review. However I read it expecting little and was incredibly surprised. I didn't see any of the twists or turns coming, and was enchanted by the way one letter early led to such a life. It could have been better, perhaps a few more revisions toward the end, however I cannot get over the wonderful feeling this book with all its flaws left me with.
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