Rating: 
Summary: Great new offering from Ms Kirshenbaum
Review: Wow! I had the wonderful opportunity of previewing the newest book from this very talented author. It is about a Jewish teenager growing up in Brooklyn in the 70's. It touches on her relationship with her single parent mother and the mother's friends, the grandparents of the father she never knew, her friends at school, and several of her teachers. I really enjoyed it, but these are the kinds of stories I like. There is humor, sadness, betrayal, growing, etc. Things aren't always perfect and happily ever after, but rather realistic endings. Mariam and Valentine are well defined characters that will stay with you after you turn the last page. There were some twists and turns and along with the humor and wisdom, it was dark in some places. As in life, there are some not-so-nice characters and their less than sterling behavior. All in all a good read for those who enjoy mother/daughter and relationship books that are more true to life than sugary sweet.
Rating: 
Summary: an almost perfect novel, a perfect pleasure to read
Review: Written with a unique wisdom that I identified with on a personal and satisfying level. This book may remind readers that life in truth is in its plainest form cruel and uncaring; our only defense is the love we share with others. Kirshenbaum's characters' love, bittersweet loneliness, and regret create for us reflections of our own triumphs and moments of pain. While Kirshenbaum's narrative style is dynamic and easy to read, my regret is that the editing work left much to be desired; there are obvious, grammatical errors that will test the patience of even the laxest reader.
| 
