Comments on: Elinor Lipman Redux

By: Jenny

Jenny — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 23:33:44 +0000

In reply to Charlie. It is! The novel's better, of course, than the essay collection. The novel's properly good.

By: Jenny

Jenny — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 23:30:18 +0000

In reply to litlove. I have never heard of Claire Chambers! I will try to look her up, if her books are available here.

By: Jenny

Jenny — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 23:29:10 +0000

In reply to Eva.

Yyyyyyeah, I don’t know that this would be your thing. I’m not sure it wouldn’t! But also very not sure that it would.

What are some essays you’ve been enjoying? I’m a little in love with them myself so I’d appreciate some recommendations. 🙂

By: Jenny

Jenny — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 23:24:41 +0000

In reply to Charleen.

So true. And it’s hard to know right away if a book’s going to be a comfort read — this was true when I was a kid too, but I tended to read some of the same books over and over because I had limited access to the library (not limited-limited! just limited because my parents didn’t take me there every instant I wanted them to), and because the library had a limited number of books (again, not limited-limited, just because children’s books are not in vast numbers).

By: Jenny

Jenny — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 23:22:32 +0000

In reply to Sharon. Hahaha, yes, that is the rough outline of their plots. This one too really! But I don't mind because they still make me happy. :)

By: Charlie

Charlie — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 21:04:21 +0000

From the few I’ve read, I know what you mean about not needing to be collected, sometimes the essays work better on their own. That said, the book sounds good, despite the fact I’ve not heard of her. And there does seem to be a fair variety of subjects.

By: litlove

litlove — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 19:26:06 +0000

Hurray! A new Lipman novel is a cause for celebration in this household. She is definitely a comfort read of mine, too. Hmm, I wonder then if you would like Claire Chambers, who is British but on the same sense of humour wavelength? I loved both Learning to Swim and In A Good Light. Comfort read authors are hard to find, so this is just a gentle suggestion rather than a full-throttle rampant one! 🙂

By: Eva

Eva — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 01:55:28 +0000

Hmmm: I wonder if she would be a comfort author for me. My knee-jerk reaction to your descriptions of her plots is ‘run away!,’ but maybe I shouldn’t judge so quickly. 😉

Too bad the essay collection isn’t’ real essays: I’ve fallen in love with them and am on the hunt for more! But that excerpt you quoted was unfortunate, to say the least.

By: Charleen

Charleen — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 23:24:14 +0000

It is hard to find new comfort reads… they don’t come with the same swell of nostalgia that accompanies old comfort reads.

By: Sharon

Sharon — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 17:14:21 +0000

Can’t wait to read this! Family Man and Lake Divine are definitely my favorites–Lake Divine was my first discovery of hers. They do all tend to be about an annoying but not ill-intentioned character who causes problems for the basically down-to-earth yet somehow unfulfilled hero. But I’m so glad to hear her new one is great!