Customer Reviews

Feeding Mrs. Moskowitz and the Caregiver: Two Stories

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Amazonreview

This delightful double, a set of two short novels by middle-aged sisters, is impressively executed, the characters full-bodied. I actually looked up the authors to see what else they're written, and it turns out that much of their work has been done in Hollywood. So that's why their prose is so vivid and their stories beautifully wrought: though the subjects (the trials of the aging) in lesser hands could fall flat or cause us to wince, here the main players make us laugh and even rejoice rather than lament their growing old. From the literary and cinema awards the authors have won, they clearly know how to create a good plot--a talent I've found missing of late in too many best-selling novels.

I have just spent several delightful hours immersed in the lives of the elderly and their caretakers, courtesy of two inspired novellas, Feeding Mrs. Moskowitz and The Caregiver. These stories take place not in some alternate universe but in our own, partially populated by the aging and the aged, characters so real they could be us - and with some luck, they will be. I was alternately amused, irate, sympathetic, impatient, admiring and totally captivated. Who knew the lives of the 65-plus cohort could be so filled with drama, suspense, pathos, humor, and even romance? Clearly authors Barbara Pokras and Fran Yariv knew, writing with an insight born of personal experience about people who are seldom given star turns like this.

Elderly Mrs. Moskowitz, for instance, is a woman we recognize. Living alone, she is careful to lock her door and check it twice, wrap her pocketbook strap around her wrist three times so no one can grab it, and head off to the market taking a couple of empty tin cans with her to remind herself of what to buy. With all this caution, who can blame her for being outraged when she is knocked over by Natalie Holzman's red Toyota at a stoplight, so outraged that she climbs up on the bumper to berate the passing world. That fateful meeting of Mrs. Moskowitz and Natalie, both alone and in need of a life change, alters their futures: after a series of adventures, each of them will get that life change, along with - would you believe - just the right sort of man for their new circumstances. It's never over till it's over.

Also in need of a new future is Ofelia Hernandez, the caretaker in Yariv's novella and the unofficial conscience of Sunset Hills Retirement Community. The residents might be old but they're feisty, and they're past masters of passive resistance. Ranged against them, as seen through Ofelia's shrewd eyes, are the self-serving management at the Hills, the careless incompetence of nurses and aides, and a host of well-meaning but clueless family members who exercise control over elderly relatives "for their own good." When the elegant, silver-haired Louise Draper moves into the Hills, Ofelia "knew she would be one of the `in crowd'" and she is not surprised to see her seated for meals with the popular residents, including the Captain, and the first to notice the brewing romance. When family members intervene to separate the two, the residents' once mild protests and mini-rebellions over meals and movies become a force to be reckoned with, reaching dangerous proportions. And yes, Yariv assures us, the elderly are not too old for love, or sex, or standing up for themselves. Can we say the same for Ofelia?

I hope someone's bought the film rights.

Feeding Mrs. Moscowitz is a literary treasure. Each of the two stories is so different, one a lyrical art piece, one ready for a tv sitcom on assisted living, characteristic of each sister.Their love for their mother in her late life is luminous and inspiring. I read the Pokras sisters' unique and loving stories all night through with my own mother's story in assisted care resonating. Brava!

Imagine this. A dumpy elderly widow, Mrs. Moskowitz, who has trouble remembering everyday needs heads out of her apartment for a little grocery shopping. A neurotic young woman, Natalie, obsessing with guilt about how she didn't attend to her mother before her mother's death hurries to work. They collide and a fairy tale is born. A happy fairy tale. Other characters include an insurance adjuster and a painter or two. Barbara Pokras, a film editor in another life, has written a charming, totally unbelievable tale with hilarious yet realistic dialog both out loud and within the thought process. The women by themselves could be our neighbors. It is the situations which are outlandish. A delightful read.

Fran Pokras Yariv, sister of Barbara Pokras, creates a more serious character, Ofelia, in The Caregiver. If I'm ever in a situation which calls for a caregiver, I want Ofelia. She is compassionate, thoughtful and efficient in her work as a private caregiver in the Sunset Hills Retirement Community. She minces no words in her journal and her conversations with the staff about the management treatment of the guests. She treats her charge, Mrs. Breur with dignity and care. Her dealings with the daughter- in- charge is more like walking on eggs.

In this longer novella, we meet several of the other inhabitants of Sunset Hills, who strive to remain interesting individuals while skirting numerous rules and regulations. As in her sister's novella, conversations are natural and often hilarious. It takes very little time for the reader to join the retiree/staff team against the management team. I know that independent living facilities can and often are outstanding in their care of their residents, but not in this situation.

Both authors shine in their depiction of aging human beings as fighters in the "not dead yet" crusade. Hurrah for fiction which illustrates some positive aspects of aging.

by Judith Helburn
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women

These two short novels give two different perspectives on growing old - and do it in an uplifting and inspiring way. One looks through the eyes of an elderly just-barely-getting-along widow and the young woman who is projected into her life through a car accident. The other looks at a senior home with the vision of a Hispanic caregiver. Each is a beautiful and authentic look at a condition which we all hope to share someday - being old!

Moving and funny tales of getting older and the people who care enough to help.

Natalie Holtzman hits Golde Moskowitz crossing a street with her car. Golde is not seriously hurt, but hurt enough to need to go to the hospital in Natalie's car. Natalie, pretending to be Golde's daughter takes her home and cares for her, fixing food, setting out pills and doing the laundry. Golde, elderly and a bit confused, talks to ghosts, like her husband Joseph, and Natalie feels so badly about hurting her that she takes her home. For the first time in years, Golde sleeps a good and deep sleep. Things are about to get difficult. Golde's landlord, Myra, has called the police because Golde is missing and she has an idea that she didn't go with Natalie willingly. The insurance agent wants to talk to Natalie about the accident and the nurse at the hospital thinks Natalie meant Golde no good. So, where is Mrs. Moskowitz during all of this?

Ofelia works as a caregiver in an assisted living facility and she does not like the way her patients are treated by the management. The only thing to do is find a way to help her elderly charges and deal with the management so that Ofelia's charges get what they need and deserve.

Sisters, Barbara Pokras and Fran Pokras Yariv, share their visions of the world of the elderly and their caregivers in two novellas. Barbara's tale of Feeding Mrs. Moskowitz has a cinematic quality with an emotional panorama while Fran's The Caregiver with its vignettes connected through Ofelia is more of a situation comedy. In each, the dialogue is sharp and quick and the characters memorable. Together, the novellas are a literary feast with a rich and earthy Merlot followed by a buffet of tasty appetizers and a crisp Pinot Grigio. Neither is to be missed.

It is Golde's memories and the way she relates to the world at large, as well as Natalie's need to help and thus redeem herself and ameliorate her guilt about her mother, Rose, that made Feeding Mrs. Moskowitz such a pleasure to read and reread. Ofelia's good heart and native wisdom and the antics of the still sharp and mischievous residents as they find ways around the assisted living facility rules kept me smiling through the tears. I hope that when I am in need of a caregiver I find people like Natalie and Ofelia. I am glad I met them both.

I thoroughly enjoyed this double novella which deals with aging women from two different viewpoints. Anyone who has dealt with an aging parent and the comedy and pathos that results will devour these stories. Though these sisters write with diverse styles, the two stories are a cohesive double novel. This book is funny!

I absolutely loved this book! Read it in less than 2 days, just couldn't put it down. Both stories are so beautifully written, they should be made into a movie right away!

The elderly have quite a bit of wisdom, and often you'll get it whether you want it or not. "Feeding Mrs. Moskowitz & the Caregiver" is a pair of two novellas focusing on the topic of the elderly and their interactions with the people around them. 'Feeding Mrs. Moskowitz' is the story of the titular elderly lady and her encounters with a girl rapidly approaching middle age. 'The Caregiver' tells the tale of a caregiver and her job at an assisted living facility. "Feeding Mrs. Moskowitz & The Caregiver" is an enticing read that shouldn't be missed.

This book is so geared to our human condition, and so well written, that I think everyone should read it!
Harriet Livathinos