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Summary: A Devine Story
Review: A great, quick read and very enjoyable. I don't want to give any part of the story away so I just want to say it's an adoreable story of basicly 2 families of different religious backgrounds set in the 1960s through the '80s/90s and the changing mind set of different generations. There are a lot of Yiddish words and customs woven through the story. It's a great book, it's educational in certain ways, and at times it will make you laugh. The characters are very real and when I finished this book, I felt like I just returned from a visit with these folks. This story touches on prejudice beliefs that are instilled by "old" thinking. The light and humorous way that the author handles the situations is what really makes you want to laugh because it's easy to picture these ideas and things really happening and how ridiculous it is. A very good book and one that can be read quickly. A joy to read.
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Summary: Two contrasting worlds described with a light hand.
Review: The description of the book intrigued me, and I was not disappointed by the story. The characters came across as real people - not perfect, but sometimes stumbling through what happens to them. Not always sure of doing the right thing, but making an effort. I particularly enjoyed seeing how Natalie felt she must respond to those things that she saw as a challenge. And hoped that how she responded wouldn't tear her away from things that she shouldn't lose. A very good read.
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Summary: Inn and out,...A Ready to Wear kind of book
Review: If you want a quick, easy, light hearted summer novel, this would please you! This is a great book to either zip through, or casually meander without the worry of losing track of the story. Put it down, go for a swim, or a weekend vacation. When you come back to it, it will be still fresh and memorable. Better yet, take it with you, if you go away.. Simply put, a perfect summer time book, "ready to wear", so to speak. This is a sweet, good humored, yet, sensitive story about a young, jewish girl facing one of her earliest experiences of predjudice. At the age of 12 years, she encounters the reality of her family affected by religious persecution. Her family inquires as to reservations for a summer get-away and is blatantly slighted by the vacation resort called The Inn at Lake Devine. Provoked by the reply that follows in response, she instantly becomes a young advocate, mailing material alledging the resort's transgressions. Dating back to 1962, the memory of her family being rebuffed by the gentile Vermont Inn becomes somewhat of an obsession for Natalie. The sweet comedy alights from the relationships that originate and the ones that are celebrated at this very resort. A passive/aggressive or love/hate relationship is developed between the inn and Natalie AND the relatives between the two. The fun is seeing the end result. Not bitter, not mean spirited, it is sweet rewards for Natalie who carries a hurt in her heart long enough to do something about it.
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Summary: Finding Humor in Pain - A Tradition
Review: It has always amazed me that the cultures with the most recent history of pain and suffering also have the strongest tradition of comedy. Usually a large part of the subject matter are the more painful events themselves. The Inn at Lake Devine is a classic example of taking a painful event in real life and transforming it into an insightful comedic exercise. I breezed through The Inn at Lake Devine in two days of light reading. Ms. Lipman's writing style is very brisk, and she has a nice way of setting scenes and characters using descriptions which are short and yet so concise that manage to convey everything she needs to about the subjet. It is the writing equivalent of the arched eyebrow. After reading her interview at Brown University, I understand that some of the real gems are the literal truth, things that were actually written and said. She still manages to use them well and does the same with her fictional elements. The Inn at Lake Devine is a fast and funny read which successfully makes its point about several issues of social importance.
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Summary: Slight but charming
Review: I picked up this book for a paper I was writing about modern Jewish heroines. It wasn't a great addition to my paper, but it was a quick, charming read that would be great for a beach, a plane, or a rainy day. Our heroine is a cooking student who is scarred by an incident from her childhood in which a resort--the titular inn--refused to allow her family to stay there one summer because they were Jewish. The premise seems heavy, but the execution is not. While the novel does concern the heroine's need to go back to the inn (where she once stayed with a childhood friend and her family), this is not a serious treatment of anti-Semitism or interfaith relationships. What it is--and what it does well--is detail the fumblings and failures of several families--Natalie's, her childhood friend Robin's, and the Berrys, who own the inn. The end result is a Jane Austen-lite comedy of manners: funny but without the biting wit or satire. The book drops the ball on some of the issues (in particular, Natalie's interfaith relationship with a member of the Berry family is too neatly resolved considering what has come before it), but what it does do, it does well. An endearing, easy read.
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Summary: Jew vs. Gentile over a lifetime
Review: In a warm and humorous manner, this 1960's story by Lipman reveals the grudge of one Jewish girl against the Gentile owners of the Inn at Lake Devine. It is this grudge which moves the story line. Twelve-year-old Natalie determines to invade the Inn that is off limits to her Jewish family. She insinuates herself into an extra vacation with the family of a fellow camper, regular Gentile visitors at the Inn. This childish plot results in Natalie's epiphany that not all things at Lake Devine are that special, including her rather ditzy Gentile friend. Yet, in her life to follow, as she moves into the hospitality business, Natalie becomes more intimately involved in the lives of her rivals, the Gentiles. Her experiences reveal the life of Jewish vacation resorts with their special menus, entertainment, and delightful characters in contrast to the Gentile establishments she seeks to integrate. The Inn at Lake Devine is an easy read and provides some belly laugh moments. With its romantically cliche and comforting resolution, it should make a good chick flick.
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Summary: Well-Paced and Funny
Review: No question but that Ms. Lipman is one of modern fiction's better writers, even if she is not yet a household name in every American home--as she deserves to be. THE INN AT LAKE DEVINE is one of her most enjoyable works, in part because it is lively and quick-moving. For a story with so many morals and so much character development, it is easy to read and usually funny. This novel comes highly recommended.
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Summary: Sorry To See It End
Review: What a great book! I enthusaistically read through this in two (seemingly short) sittings. The story consistently kept me wondering what would happen next and how the various realtionships would evolve. I became especially attached to Natalie and the Berry brothers. By blending the topic of anti-semitism with elements of friendship, loss, love and ultimately acceptance, Ms. Lipman is able to capture the reader without seeming preachy or melodramatic. I just recently finished the book and I already miss it!
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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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