Family and Friends [Paperback]

Anita Brookner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 12, 1998

In an ambitious departure from her usual form, Anita Brookner expands her canvas in FAMILY AND FRIENDS to create a richly textured novel about the life of a wealthy Jewish family in London, centering upon the generation that came to maturity between the two World Wars. "Brookner works a spell on the reader; being under it is both an education and a delight".--WASHINGTON POST BOOK WORLD.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Unlike Brookner's other novels, this one does not focus on a thirtyish, single woman but on a family of European descent living in England. If there is one major character, it is Sofka, the somewhat eccentric widowed matriarch, but her childrentwo boys, two girlsdivide up the reader's attention. Three of the four marry, with their wedding photographs providing jumping-off points for several story linesa neat device, cleverly handled. Family and Friends will appeal to readers who like the clean, spare prose which marks Brookner's works. She does what she does very well, pleasing a loyal audience. For fiction collections. Mary K. Prokop, CEL Regional Lib., Savannah, Ga.
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Vintage (January 12, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679781641
• ISBN-13: 978-0679781646
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.2 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #233,053 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Is Your Family This Complicated?, December 20, 1999

By 

"mgerald" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Family and Friends (Paperback)

If this novel were a person, one would find it hard to get to know, and harder to come to love. It has a peculiarly distant and reserved quality to it, as if it were shy and did not want anyone to approach too closely for observation. As is often the case with people, however, the timid and withdrawn character of this novel do not indicate shallowness, but rather a complex and interesting nature for some reason fearful of easy discovery. "Family and Friends", unlike other Brookner stories, takes place in the somewhat remote past. Its author has chosen a decidedly abstracted narrative style, hard to catch hold of at first, perhaps, but one which gradually earns for itself a fascination uniquely its own. As is usual with Brookner, the story told is first rate, the characters nearly as memorable as one's first heartstopping brush with love. Her themes? The uphill ascent of an adult life; escape as a watermelon rind of light on a sometimes graspable horizon; the complexity of family life as puzzle within puzzle. Though the story imbedded in the pages of "Family and Friends" may at first seem as inaccessible as the images trapped inside an old sepia photograph, try persistence. There is a terrific tale here, ready, if you are, to leap into life.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A very dry read, April 8, 2003

By 

Busy Mom (Ohio) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Family and Friends (Hardcover)

This is my first Anita Brookner book and I have complex feelings about this book. It is very depressing and written in such an arid style that I find myself flipping to the back to see how much further I have left to read. Normally, I love reading books about families and their "issues" but this family is so normal that I find myself wondering what their issues were. I ended this book with a dejected feeling ~~ is that all to this book? I will read another Brookner book before I give up on her.

Sofka is the matritach of the family, with oldest irresponsible and shameless flirt, Frederick. Then there is Mimi, the perfect and docile daughter. Betty is the irrepressible youngest daughter who decides to run off to Paris to live flamboyantly. Then there is stern Alfred who was brought up to run the family's finances since Frederick couldn't be counted on to be responsible. And this book is about their lives ~~ how they attempt to leave behind their upbringing. Mimi and Alfred remain behind to devote themselves to their mother while Betty and Frederick took off for places unknown to do what they want to do. And in the end, they remain just as estranged from their family and mother just as they've always been. However, Sofka devotes her thoughts and energy to those two and labels them as her favorite. Even at the end ~~ she remained devoted to her eldest son and youngest daughter, though Mimi and Alfred spent their entire lives taking care of Sofka.

This book is a disturbing look into familial relations and of expectations that didn't measure up. It is an interesting book ~~ but written with such a dry style that I find myself often putting it aside. It is not the worst book I've ever read ~~ but it's not the best. It's great for English literature enthusiasts ~~ but not for others.

4-8-03

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great depth in writing, January 22, 2002

By 

chuck coley (cincinnati,ohio usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Family and Friends (Paperback)

I've read most of Ms.Brookners books and found this one to be typical of her great writing skills.This may have been the best one I've read-just so poignant I couldn't put it down.I'm sure I'll read it again.