Customer Reviews

Breaking the Bank

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

From the first chapter, I was hooked on this book. Using the same locale as "Prospect Park West" Yona tells a far more engrossing story. As in PPW the neighborhood institutions are recognizable, but instead of skimming along on top, peeking in at one-dimensional characters with sleazy sex lives, we are introduced to believable people facing real, though magical, problems.

A single mom struggling with financial problems, with a beloved and stubborn daughter who will not eat, suddenly begins to get more money than she asked for when she goes to her ATM. Her adventures as she tries to help her daughter, resolve the moral and legal issues of taking the money, free herself from her ex, and find new love make for fascinating reading.

I read "Breaking the Bank" in less than 24 hours because I couldn't wait to see what would happen next. And once I was finished I kept thinking about it. It raised so many interesting issues. Is the parent with more money the better parent? Is stealing from an institution stealing if there is no record of it? Should a family help a depressed family member with money troubles with money or with tough love? Does giving money to the needy expiate the shady nature of its acquisition?

Then there were the well-drawn characters of the men to ponder, the seeming sensitive selfish ex, the boring but reliable new man, the wild man who was both a devil and an angel, and the traitorous brother.

I very much enjoy reading novels set in my neighborhood. Interesting how the fairy tale rang more true than the realistic one.

I loved this book! It had me in thrall for days. There was such a nice light touch to it -- it was just a pleasure to read. I liked that it was utterly realistic except for one magic ATM machine. All the relationships, Mia/Eden, Mia/ex-husband, Mia/boyfriends, Mia/girlfriend were totally convincing, and I had to keep turning pages. Also I enjoyed the Park Slope setting. Great job!

This is a feel good story, something nice happening to a nice person. Mia Saul is having a really rough time. Her rat of a husband left her for another woman, and has become a sporadic father to the their ten year old daughter, Eden. She lost the job that she loved, and is trying to support herself and her daughter working temp jobs because she can't count on her ex-husband for child support. Her daughter is having a hard time coping with the divorce, and Mia has her hands full. She is a good mom to Eden, but she is blamed for Eden's problems by Eden's teachers, her ex-husband, and even her own family. When the ATM at her bank starts spiting out free money, at least her money worries are relieved. Of course, there is a whole new set of worries to go along with the free money. Why is she getting this money, and could she go to jail for keeping it? Mia knows that she should give some of the money she is getting to people who are in need, and she begins to find ways to use some of the money to help her neighbors. It was pleasant to read about Mia, an ordinary person dealing with life as best she can, finding herself in the middle of a real life fairy tale.

A charming and believable fairy tale, Breaking the Bank is a must for book clubs as well as book lovers. A divorced woman who is on the brink of financial ruin discovers a kindly ATM machine who, like Cinderalla's good fairy, grants her her utmost wish. A dose of magic realism in Brooklyn, Breaking the Bank is fiction that's fun and also has a moral message about the joys and tribulations of money, family, and love. Ms. McDonough is a wildly imaginative and skillful writer who imparts great love and understanding to all her characters. I promise you will never look at an ATM machine the same way again. Highly recommended.

Breaking the Bank creates characters so real, they almost step off the page and into your life. The story is about Mia Saul, a struggling single mother who discovers an ATM that begins to dispense huge amounts of money without deducting it from her account. Yet, this is not some workaday bank error; the money is accompanied with messages directed to Mia, the most important of which is "use it well." The "it" refers to the money, but to much more than the money: The moral is that life gives us many precious gifts, and it is up to us to "use well" what we are given. There are other morals as well--never didactically presented--but of course a fairy tale should have some morals! And some magical people as well. While McDonough never abandons the realist aspects of characterization (only the ATM is truly inexplicable), by an extraordinary artistic sleight of hand, she creates characters who can be perceived as absolutely real and magical at the same time, such as Patrick: dropout or guardian angel (he dresses all in white)? There is one scene in which all of Mia's friends and all the people who have benefited from her generosity come out to support her in her time of trouble. It's like the scene in The Things They Carried, where O'Brien imagines all the people who will look down on him if he escapes the Vietnam War by running away to Canada, but here it is in reverse: these people represent the consequences of one's good deeds, of a life well-lived. McDonough also has the gift of the storyteller. This is a page-turner, and you'll be as unable to turn out the light and go to sleep as any child captivated by Harry's adventures. Breaking the Bank is magical, but much its magic stems from McDonough's writing.

Mia Saul is barely keeping her head above water. She lives in New York City with her daughter, Eden, and works a series of temp editorial jobs. Her husband, Lloyd, has walked out after sixteen years of marriage for a young girl he met while filming a documentary on the nail salon industry. He sends child support haphazardly when it suits him, but still considers himself able to interfere in all of Mia's decisions. Mis is constantly worried. Worried about Eden, who is having trouble at school, worried about money, worried about their apartment, just worried.

Then one night it happens. She goes to an ATM to take out one hundred dollars, and the machine gives her two hundred, while putting out a receipt for the hundred she asked for. She assumes the machine just made a mistake and it would reflect on her next statement, but the mistake doesn't show up. The next time it is five hundred, then a thousand, and finally an uncirculated ten-thousand dollar bill. Mis can't believe what is happening, but doesn't tell anyone. She starts to give money to those around her in need, trying to make their lives a little better as the money does hers.

But worse is to happen. She sells the bill to a local dealer, who then gets killed soon after. That brings the police to Mia's door, and she is even arrested and spends a night in jail. This just provides more ammunition to Lloyd, who manages to get Mia's family on his side. They all insist that she is making poor decisions that affect Eden, and Eden goes to live with her grandparents, leaving Mia miserable.

Along with these woes, there are romantic ones. Will Mia get back with Lloyd, who seems to be around more and more? Will she start a new relationship with Fred, the steady laid-back bartender who is definately interested in her? Or will she throw everything away for an exciting mystery man who everyone thinks is totally wrong for her?

Breaking The Bank is a charming book. It is a light romance as well as an interesting take on the everyday life of single moms. The reader finds themselves cheering for Mia to make it. This book is recommended for those looking for a feel-good book, and for lovers of women's literature.

Breaking The Bank is welcome magic in a very real world. I was rooting for Mia from the get-go and found everyone in this book, from vexing ex to Patrick, a thoroughly original angel, perfectly equipped to carry this lively story forward. Much as I hated to turn the final page, I found the conclusion to be "a wide and mighty place." What a satisfying way for the author to say goodbye to her characters -- and her enthusiastic audience.

I gave a copy of this novel to my mother and here's what she wrote in a recent e-mail: I put Breaking the Bank down only when absolutely necessary--finished this afternoon. Really a fun book. BtB, I'll remember.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Yona McDonough is a beautiful writer. Her prose and imaginative plot pulled me along right to the novel's startling conclusion. I was happy to go along for the ride which was full of surprises. The book also has its quiet pauses that invite readers to reflect along with the characters on what matters most in life. A good read. Highly recommended.

I waited anxiously for this book to show up after reading the synopsis. There have been plenty of books that I was jumping at the bit to read and perhaps because I felt such a build up and had such high expectations, the reality of the book fell short. Not so with Breaking the Bank.

This book works on all levels but the strongest parts of it are author Yona Zeldis McDonough's crisp, honest and witty writing and the character of Mia. Despite the unlikelihood and "magic" of an ATM giving out free money to one particular person, the balance of the stories in Breaking the Bank are brutally honest and steeped in realism. Our heroine, Mia Saul, lives in an old aparment building whose elevator has been broken for ages and who has a drug dealer, an elderly man who only seems to communicate with his dogs, and a family with both parents working at McDonald's as neighbors. Mia is a flawed character - - her husband left her for another woman and she is still alternately bitter and pained about it; she is in denial about her daughter Eden's difficulties at school and acting out over her father's leaving; she feels inadequate as both a parent and a wife; she has issues with her mother and her brother's family; and last but not least, she doesn't necessarily run back to the bank with the free money. But it's precisely these authentic flaws that make Mia such an easily relatable character, if not downright likeable. Without giving away a major plot point, Mia acts in a fashion that may not be exactly amiable but I still liked her throughout the book.

I found Breaking the Bank to be a light and yet astonishingly meaty read. I was quickly invested in Mia and her story and not only wanted to find out how the situation with the ATM resolved itself but I also wanted to know what happened with Mia herself.

I would recommend this book without reservation and without hesitation to anyone who enjoys a story with compelling characters, a difficult conflict to overcome and with a bit of magic.

Imagine you and your only child being left by your husband for some swanky, Asian chick. Now imagine that loser never paying child support or offering you a dime for anything. You work your tail off while your Lloyd is out playing around and enjoying the high life. All he wants is to see his daughter, Eden, at every possible chance. Not quite fair eh?

This is the life of Mia. Her loser ex-husband Lloyd is demanding to spend time with his daughter Eden while Mia is working her absolute hardest to make ends meet. One day she visits a local ATM for some cash for some groceries on the way home. Instead of getting the $100 she asks for, she gets a little extra...at no expense to her account. She thinks of this bank error and just hopes she won't be asked to repay it. A few days later, she visits the same ATM again and receives more than she asks for. What kind of luck is this?

Family holidays and get togethers...you just gotta love 'em!! (NOT) Mia and Eden are visiting Mia's brother Stewart, ever loving sister-in-law Gail, and mom Betty over the Thanksgiving holidays. The girls are sent away to a neighbor's house while the adults are deep in conversation. Mia's family thinks she is the lowest form of scum on earth as a mother and want Eden to spend the Christmas holidays away with Betty. They all seem to think that mother and daughter could use a break from each other. What? Take her kid away to? Mia is beside herself.

A knock on the door starts even more trouble for Mia. It's the detectives and they want to know about her "friend" Weed. What will she tell them? What will Eden tell Lloyd, who'll then tell Stewart, who'll then tell Betty, who'll then tell....

It's only when Mia spends a long night in jail and meets Patrick that life starts to make an upward turn for her. Will she ever get Eden back? Will her family ever see her for the real person she is? What about the money? Will she get to keep it? What will she do?

Overall, I found this to be an enjoyable book. I loved the story line and the underlying theme. I did not appreciate the language of the book (multiple "f" bombs dropped) or the casual sex. That withstanding, the sentiment behind the story is one that I think more Americans need to hear and believe. There are still good people in this world!! Mia, in my opinion, gets a really bad rap from her family and friends. She's a single mom trying her very best to get by. Sure she might have needed to reach out for some help but she was doing what she felt best for her and Eden.