Book: My Latest Grievance

Let’s start off this “review” by stating that I’ve only written two fan letters in my entire life. One to a tv “star”, the other to an author.

The first one was when I was in high school sometime in 1985 or 1986. I wrote to Lee Curreri, who starred as Bruno on the tv show “Fame”. Yes, I was dork. But he played piano and had a pretty voice, so I became a fan girl and wrote him a letter. About six months later I got a “signed” picture from him and a note to keep watching the tv show which was on its way toward being cancelled (I think it died a quick death soon after Janet Jackson’s atrocious acting (and surprisingly bad dancing) came on the scene).

Anyway, my second fangirl letter was sometime between 1997-2001. I know this because I was married and living in Queens when I received the response to my letter.

The letter was to author Elinor Lipman. I told her I loved her books, I loved her writing, I loved her characters, and I loved her stories. I told her that my one dream was to write a book and have it be as fun and engaging as all of hers were. Several months later (maybe almost a year?) she wrote a charming letter in response which I immediately tucked inside one of her books on my shelf.

But I gotta say. While this latest book was very enjoyable, it wasn’t her best if only because there was no ending to the book. Everything just kind of suddenly came to an end, and I would have been perfectly happy to keep on reading.

It’s the tale of Frederica, an out-spoken teenager with union leader, academic parents at an all-girl’s university in the 1970s. One day dorm-mother Laura Lee French arrives and turns their worlds upside down.

Lipman’s writing is fun and elicits laughter. Her characters are marvelous in their capacity to tolerate the chaos in their lives. But it’s almost like Lipman was writing blissfully along when suddenly she realized the book was due at the printer’s TOMORROW and within 10 pages she wraps up everything with a neat little bow. It was more than a bit disconcerting.

For that, I can’t whole-heartedly recommend the book, but I will recommend you go pick up some of her other books. She’s a great writer and completely worth the investment. And one more thing – I just read that her book “Then She Found Me” is being made into a movie starring Helen Hunt, Bette Midler, Matthew Broderick and COLIN FIRTH. Yum!!!