Customer Reviews

Isabel's Bed

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

The blurbs on the cover of this book really put me off at first - someone on the front cover saying that 'by about page ten the reader has a grin on his face' and on the back something about her being the new Jane Austen - etc etc. While being none of those things to me though, I found a lot else in it which grew on me as the book progressed, and surprising to myself I found that I couldn't put it down - and reading to the finish I found it a fun, and infinitely satisfying read.

The heroine of the novel is Harriet Mahoney - 42, failed in a long term relationship, aspiring novellist and looking for a way to escape New York and her ex-partner for a while - wound-licking stuff. She applies for a position ghost-writing Isabel Krug's life story - the fact that she has no idea just who Isabel is, or how notorious her story is, is the subject of the book. Harriet goes to live with her at Cape Cod and in fact it is the growing relationship between these two women which was for me, the most interesting part of the book. As we learn more about Harriet we also have more of Isabel revealed. Its all done in context of the novel and some of it is quite startling. One thing I'll say for Elinor Lipman is she really knows how to tell a story without over-killing points - but she is also wonderful at providing great twists to the story at various points.

It really is an 'engaging' read, but it might take you more than 10 pages to get into. I certainly didn't find I was grinning for a week - but I found it a great read and I think itsworth perservering with if you aren't immediately grabbed by it.

Isabel's Bed looked like a great read & it's gotten great reviews, but in all honesty I was diappointed by it. The writing is great, I would give Elinor Lipman 4 *'s for her writing talent, but this story just never took off for me. Harriet Mahoney is a 40 something year old woman who finds herself alone after her live-in boyfriend of 12 years meets someone else. An aspiring writer, Harriet takes a job working for Isabel, living in her mansion & helping her to ghostwrite a novel about Isabel's scandalous life. Where this book fell short for me was in the character development-I never got to know or care too deeply about any of the characters. I will still give Lipman's other novels a try as she is a talented writer. This novel wasn't terrible, but I felt it was a little flat.

What a wonderful novel! This book had everything - romance, intrigue, friendship and revenge. Such a great combination. I really did love this book, a second for me by Elinor Lipman, and much better than the semi-drivel that was The Inn at Lake Devine. One thing bothered me about Isabel's Bed - the absence of you-know-who by the end of the book. The Itzy-Hare-Pete-Costas combination should have ended with a collective bang! Needless to state, I highly recommend this book! It's a light and fast read, packed with humour and realism.

ISABEL'S BED by Elinor Lipman
October 10, 2004

Two women bond and become unlikely friends in ISABEL'S BED, my introduction to the writing of Elinor Lipman. This book has made me a fan for life, and although I've been told most of her books are as good as this one, I can imagine that a "bad" book by Lipman will still be a passable read.

Harriet Mahoney finds herself going nowhere in the world of writing. Her dream is to have a book published, and she is currently writing a novel based on her parents' life. She belongs to a writing group, where she does not feel she totally belongs, and she is in a long-term relationship with a man that only cares about his bagel business.

Harriet soon finds herself without a boyfriend and without a place to stay. She and Kenny had been together for twelve years, when he tells her he's met someone else, the love of his life and they are now engaged to be married. Out of the blue, she gets an offer to ghost write a story by an infamous adulteress, Isabel Krug, and Harriet finds herself moving into a mansion in a New England town called Truro. The neighbors despise the mansion for being "more Malibu than Cape Cod". But Harriet loves her new home, and is now on her way to getting to know her new employer, who was in bed with her married lover when his wife shot him to death.

Isabel Krug is a woman of mystery. What's not mysterious about her is her need for attention and drama in her life. It is evident in her choice of men (two of whom were married at the time she got involved with them) and her desire to write a book about the murder that made her famous. Harriet suspects that she was hired not just to write this story for Isabel, but to be a companion to this woman, who lives alone with her handy-man Pete, and a man Harriet later finds out is her husband, Costas. Isabel needs Harriet just as much as Harriet needs Isabel.

As Harriet learns more about the murder of Guy Van Fleet, the more she learns about Isabel and her wild and crazy past. Lipman has a knack for writing witty and intelligent passages and I found myself laughing throughout the book. Lipman also does a wonderful job building up the character of Isabel Krug, who was larger than life but yet written in quite a believable fashion. What I loved most of all was the friendship that developed between Harriet, the very insecure writer with low self-esteem, and Isabel, who was beautiful and glamorous and belonged with the rich and famous. Lipman paints Isabel as a woman in need of attention, but someone who is compassionate and understanding, too. Harriet grows with the help of Isabel, as she slowly gains confidence in herself and finds out truly what makes her happy, and it isn't her "passion" for writing. ISABEL'S BED is highly recommended by this reader!

I read The Inn at Lake Devine and enjoyed it so decided to try other Eleanor Lipman books. The reviews here were all very favorable so I gave Isabel's Bed a try. I'm surprised to 'report' that I was quite disappointed. There was no real development of characters and the plot twists seemed contrived. The relationships were there on the page, but about as flat. Without giving any of the storyline away all I can say is I really didn't 'know' any of the characters even by the end of the book. The end was a bit abrupt too, though I'm not sure what may have been left to say.

As a light summer/beach read it's not too bad but fell short of my expectations by a long shot. I have another Lipman book to try (Then She FOund Me) so we'll see :-)

Isabel's Bed is elegantly written but would be more satisfying to the reader if the characters were more fleshed out.Someone told me not to miss this book because it is so funny. Well, it IS funny. Elinor Lipman has set up an interesting situation with unusual characters and manages to make some rather unsavoury people look surprisingly appealing. But Isabel turns out to be much nicer than she should be. A twist at the end of the plot vindicates her somewhat, but the reader wonders how a woman in her forties with so much self confidence and potential could get into so much trouble. When she turns out to be so doggone nice, it almost lacks credibility.

Still, the author concludes with a satisfactory ending and the loose ends of the plot itself are pleasantly and firmly tied up. If there is a nebulous thread or two, it applies to characters whom we have come to view with jaundiced eye.

This was the first Lipman book I have read and I don't intend it to be my last. Lipman has a splendid sense of irony. However, although I usually believe that less is more, I hope that the next book of hers I read is a little meatier.

This is the 3rd Elinor Lipman book that I have read. She is the author that I am recommending to my friends. The characters in Isabel's Bed are well written and enjoyable people. The story moves along quickly and kept me entertained throughout. I give this book high marks.

If you're after a quick light-hearted read this one may suffice. Be warned: Isabel's Bed is crammed with sterotypical, over-exaggerated characters whose predictability becomes palpable with every page. The heroine of the novel, Harriet Mahoney, is filled with so much self-pity and lack of confidence you feel like slapping her and screaming ,"Get over yourself." I had no sympathy for her constant self-undermining drivel. Harriet shacks up with Isabel, in order to ghost write her life story. Isabel seems to have ten-fold of everything Harriet lacks. One can only assume her brash, self-righteous behaviour are attempts at keeping readers amused. But Isabel merely grates with her self-indulgent comments and pathetic fashion sense. Other characters, mainly men, are again sterotypical and unbelievable. The storyline itself is uninteresting and trite. If you can find it at half-price, Isabel's Bed may be worth it---just.

While I really enjoyed Elinor Lipman's Inn at Lake Devine - I felt that Isabel's Bed did not quite live up to my expectations. It got rave reviews so I was looking forward to reading it but it was slow going and once I got into it the book ended.

Isabel's Bed is the story of Harriet Mahoney, a middle aged, recently jilted, unpublished writer who finds a job and a home with Isabel Krug - the "other woman" in a scandoulous murder. Isabel hires Harriet to ghost write her story.

The novel is about their friendship and how it helps Harriet (and Isabel) put her life back on track.

The book meandered for a while and finally got rolling about 100 pages or so before it ended. I guess if I am still interested in knowing what happens with these character's (which I definitely am) then I really did enjoy the book - I just wish that it had a bit more depth or about 50 more pages...

I had read a few of Lipman's books before (The Inn at Lake Devine, Then She Found Me) and liked them enough to be willing to read more of her work. The back cover of this novel, Isabel's Bed, offered an intriguing setup: unpublished, 41 year old "novelist" Harriet Mahoney agrees to ghost-write a memoir for Isabel Krug, the other woman in a deadly romantic triangle that was a top news story some two years before.

I'm happy to report that I made a good choice, as I can honestly say that this was one of the most enjoyable novels that I have read in some time. Harriet's reason for taking the job with Isabel is that she has just been dumped by her long-time, marriage-shy, co-habitating boyfriend--so that he can marry someone younger, of course. At 42, Isabel is actually a year older than Harriet, but the two women couldn't be more different. Although Isabel certainly fits the definitions of blond bombshell and femme fatale, she is by no means a stereotype, and the friendship which develops between her and Harriet is one of the best aspects of the book.

I have read some reviews comparing Lipman's voice in Isabel's Bed to novelist Anne Tyler. I like Tyler and have read many of her novels as well, and in some ways, I agree--Lipman does share Tyler's penchant for quirkiness at times. But whereas I've often found Tyler's books to be at times bizarre and even sometimes downright depressing, Isabel's Bed is a fun, humorous read. I definitely enjoyed spending time with these characters, and I walked away from this book with a smile on my face.