The Room-Mating Season

Rating:
Summary: Delicious, gossipy, schmaltzy good fun!
Review: I'm baffled as to why some of the other reviewers don't like this novel. And, believe me, I haven't always liked everything Rona Jaffe has done. Jaffe's "Five Women" was awful, and her "The Cousins" was only average, if not marginal.

But Jaffe again hits the jackpot with "The Room-Mating Season", as it is just as good as her last novel, "The Road Taken." I easily had "The Room-Mating Season" finished in less that a week. Actually I could have devoured it in one sitting, and there were times I had to force myself to put it down. I like to pace myself in my reading, but this novel is un-put-down-able.

Just as with "Road Taken"....."Room-Mating Season" spans a good chunk of time in the character's lives. Well, "Road Taken" spanned a whole century. But still, "the Room-Mating Season" tells the story of 38 years in the lives of 3 NYC roommates and their mysterious male bachelor friend, as they all make their lives and go from their 20s to their 60s, against the backdrop of the many decades (1960's, 70's 80s 90s) right up to the new Millenium.

The setting of NYC plays a very important role, as Rona Jaffe has her finger on the pulse of the City at every turn. She also has an uncanny knack for moving a plot along swiftly with the right amount of dialog to narration.

Many of the characters drift in an out of a series of extra-marital affairs. Rona Jaffe, as an author, does tend to normalize dysfunctional behavior. I can put up with it in most of Jaffe's novels, such as "Road Taken", and "Room-Mating Season" because; 1. The characters are so humorous and lovable, and 2. Jaffe is such an expert storyteller and chronicler of the times.

There were several times when the characters act so stupid and are running around in NYC circles, that I just had to laugh out loud. The reader can accept it though, because Jaffe's characters are vulnerable and likeable. I say an author can get away with nearly anything if their characters are relateable, loveable, and likeable enough to the reader.

Was there anything I didn't like? Yes. The ending. I was stunned when, as I neared the end, and the story was winding down...Jaffe threw a new twist in. An author does not want to throw in new twists and turns into the novel, just as the story is finishing up....leaving the reader with new questions.

However, this was such a small part of the endlessly fascinating story, that I can overlook it. With Rona Jaffe's hysterical, (there were many times I was laughing out loud) characters that are written in such an extraordinarily insightful and intelligent way, I just have to give this novel 5 stars.

Rating:
Summary: Delicious, gossipy, schmaltzy good fun!
Review: I'm baffled as to why some of the other reviewers don't like this novel. And, believe me, I haven't always liked everything Rona Jaffe has done. Jaffe's "Five Women" was awful, and her "The Cousins" was only average, if not marginal.

But Jaffe again hits the jackpot with "The Room-Mating Season", as it is just as good as her last novel, "The Road Taken." I easily had "The Room-Mating Season" finished in less that a week. Actually I could have devoured it in one sitting, and there were times I had to force myself to put it down. I like to pace myself in my reading, but this novel is un-put-down-able.

Just as with "Road Taken"....."Room-Mating Season" spans a good chunk of time in the character's lives. Well, "Road Taken" spanned a whole century. But still, "the Room-Mating Season" tells the story of 38 years in the lives of 3 NYC roommates and their mysterious male bachelor friend, as they all make their lives and go from their 20s to their 60s, against the backdrop of the many decades (1960's, 70's 80s 90s) right up to the new Millenium.

The setting of NYC plays a very important role, as Rona Jaffe has her finger on the pulse of the City at every turn. She also has an uncanny knack for moving a plot along swiftly with the right amount of dialog to narration.

Many of the characters drift in an out of a series of extra-marital affairs. Rona Jaffe, as an author, does tend to normalize dysfunctional behavior. I can put up with it in most of Jaffe's novels, such as "Road Taken", and "Room-Mating Season" because; 1. The characters are so humorous and lovable, and 2. Jaffe is such an expert storyteller and chronicler of the times.

There were several times when the characters act so stupid and are running around in NYC circles, that I just had to laugh out loud. The reader can accept it though, because Jaffe's characters are vulnerable and likeable. I say an author can get away with nearly anything if their characters are relateable, loveable, and likeable enough to the reader.

Was there anything I didn't like? Yes. The ending. I was stunned when, as I neared the end, and the story was winding down...Jaffe threw a new twist in. An author does not want to throw in new twists and turns into the novel, just as the story is finishing up....leaving the reader with new questions.

However, this was such a small part of the endlessly fascinating story, that I can overlook it. With Rona Jaffe's hysterical, (there were many times I was laughing out loud) characters that are written in such an extraordinarily insightful and intelligent way, I just have to give this novel 5 stars.

Rating:
Summary: Rona's done it again!
Review: I'm happy to say that Rona's done it again. Her books never fail to be anything short of entertaining...drawing me in, so much so that I almost feel as if I'm there watching it in person. The characters are very real, just like people we all know and love, quirks and all. There are unexpected twists and turns, but not so many or bizarre that they're unrealistic. This is a story about friends that spans the generations...a very good read and one that was virtually impossible for me to put down.

A similar book by Rona that was also very good, another generational saga, but involving a complicated family was "The Road Taken". I highly recommend that one as well.

Happy reading!!

Rating:
Summary: So much potential
Review: Jaffe's latest saga, The Room-Mating Season, has all of the makings of an exciting in-depth story. The story begins with four roommates in early 1960s New York City. Vanessa is a gorgeous flight attendant, Leigh is an aspiring casting agent, Cady is a teacher, and Susan is the misfit who annoys and aggravates the other three. All four of these young women are attempting to find their places in the world and are adapting to a changing society.

This in itself would have made a great novel. However, Jaffe takes us through these women's lives beyond the time spent in their rented brownstone. The decades fly by and there are so many unanswered questions that it's difficult to sympathize or really grasp what has happened in the lives of the characters. I would have liked to have known more about the intricacies and less about the broad pictures that Jaffe chooses to present.

There are pages and pages of seemingly unimportant information, and then...poof! Readers are hit at the end with a startling revelation that isn't really resolved, but is instead hurried into an ending.

All in all, this was a disappointment for me. However, I always enjoy Jaffe's perspective on changing women's roles, especially the sociological aspects of the early years of feminism. This novel would have been better had she stuck to this idea.

Rating:
Summary: So much potential
Review: Jaffe's latest saga, The Room-Mating Season, has all of the makings of an exciting in-depth story. The story begins with four roommates in early 1960s New York City. Vanessa is a gorgeous flight attendant, Leigh is an aspiring casting agent, Cady is a teacher, and Susan is the misfit who annoys and aggravates the other three. All four of these young women are attempting to find their places in the world and are adapting to a changing society.

This in itself would have made a great novel. However, Jaffe takes us through these women's lives beyond the time spent in their rented brownstone. The decades fly by and there are so many unanswered questions that it's difficult to sympathize or really grasp what has happened in the lives of the characters. I would have liked to have known more about the intricacies and less about the broad pictures that Jaffe chooses to present.

There are pages and pages of seemingly unimportant information, and then...poof! Readers are hit at the end with a startling revelation that isn't really resolved, but is instead hurried into an ending.

All in all, this was a disappointment for me. However, I always enjoy Jaffe's perspective on changing women's roles, especially the sociological aspects of the early years of feminism. This novel would have been better had she stuck to this idea.

Rating:
Summary: Not great but worth the purchase price.
Review: No, it's not the best Rona Jaffe book ever written -- and I've read them all. But it was a page-turner and kept me interested until the end. I was pleased when I discovered it, and pleased that I bought it. It was definitely worth buying -- and reading.

Rating:
Summary: What a piece of trash!
Review: OK, I am not a prude, by any means, but this book was morally reprehensable! The main characters were all selfish, acting without consideration for anyone but themselves. The casual affairs with married men and the cheating on significant others seems to me like it should be treated as a major character flaw. Instead, it is the basis of the entire plot! By the time the women moved past the moral transgressions, I had a hard time, as a reader, caring what happened to them because they were so stupid and weak. The author tried to convince us that these girls were strong and independent, but they were weak and spineless. They deserved every bit of unhappiness they had.

And then there was the lame plot device of the roommate from hell who killed herself. First, maybe Jaffe could have spent a little bit of time explaining why Susan was so hard to live with. I've had bad roommates, and this Susan girl doesn't hold a candle to any of them. She has warts on her feet and she is awkward at conversation and turns the TV on loud. Wow. Satan's spawn, right in Manhattan! Then when she killed herself, the roommates "guilt" was so badly portrayed that it came across as how it had inconvienenced them. We're supposed to believe that they blamed themselves, but it never occurred to them to send flowers or attend a funeral? And then it was justified with, "Well, she had a common name and we would have never figured out who her family was." So now you have a character who you aren't invested in as a reader who is dead, then you add a whole bunch of "guilt" that is not fleshed out. The cherry for the top of this sundae of how not to write a novel is that in the end of the book, thier friend reveals that she didn't kill herself, he killed her. The girls all get together, and you should of had the justified reaction of why did you let me blame myself for 40 years, you were supposed to love me!, which you would expect for characters who think of nothing but themselves for the past 400 pages. Instead, you get a meeting of the mind(less) and they decide, "He's our friend. Let's protect him!" Fine, but for crying out loud, be mad at him! Utterly stupid.

But what bothered me more than anything about this book was the need to define the time period with silly trivia. There was just something about the way that it was written that sounded like a DJ at a bad oldies radio station. Something like - this is the me decade. There was a man in the white house that they called "Tricky Dick". Whatever. Why mention cultural events if the time period they represent do nothing to shape the girls lives or perceptions of things? It was totally useless. In that respect, it fit in the overall theme of the book.

If you want to read a good book about single girls looking for love, there are a lot out here. This one is really the lowest common denominator.

Rating:
Summary: Not the best Rona Jaffe ever
Review: Rona Jaffe has written many interesting books over the years. The latest Jaffe novel is more of a disappointment then a joy. In the opening chapters, the reader is introduced to four room-mates. Leigh, who wants to be an agent. Cady, the schoolteacher in love with a student's father. Stewardess Vanessa, the eldest of the pack. Oddball Susan, who shocks and disgusts her room-mates by exercising nude. And finally Charlie, the sweet "house mascot" of the bunch.

Tragedy strikes the group over the passing years, but even with the upheaval caused, the characters failed to capture the imagination. The big revelation by one character at the end made me gasp, in utter disgust.

Give this one a good long look before deciding to purchase for your personal library.

Rating:
Summary: disappointing
Review: This book started out with some promise, however the character development never fully pans out. Unfortunately the characters remain EXACTLY the same over a forty year span. They think nothing of their extramarital affairs, and remain shallow and generally unlikable. It seems Jaffe should not have tried to span so many years. I finished the book, only because I felt I should after reading half of it. I always finish a book when I start reading, but this one was a struggle. I really just didn't care anymore. There was a "suprise" ending but that gave little satisfaction because, again, by this time I just wasn't that interested in the characters.

Rating:
Summary: This book is not worth your time!
Review: This book was horrible. If you have the misfortune to read Room-Mating Season, you will find yourself waiting throughout the entire story for the hollow and shallow characters to develop and for the plot to pick up pace. Unbelievably the author takes the reader through decades of four women's lives who never learn any signifigant life lessons or grow past the maturity level they possessed at age 23. The overuse of the word "albeit" made me want to scream and I am amazed that I even finished this garbage. My only solace is that I checked it out from the library and didn't waste anything more than time.