The Matzo Ball Heiress (Red Dress Ink (Numbered Paperback)) [Paperback]

Laurie Gwen Shapiro (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2004 | Series: Red Dress Ink (Numbered Paperback) (Book 30)

Q: How does Heather Greenblotz, the thirty-one-year-old heiress to the world's leading matzo company, celebrate Passover?

A: Alone. In her Manhattan apartment. With an extremely unkosher ham and cheese panini.

But this year will be different. The Food Network has asked to film the famous Greenblotz Matzo family's seder, and the publicity op is too good to, hem, pass over. Heather is being courted by the handsome director and the subtly sexy cameraman, and she's got family coming out of her ears. It's enough to make a formerly dateless heiress feel like a princess.

Here's hoping that no one will discover that a Greenblotz family seder is about as real as the Easter bunny.

With the "family" cast of her mailman as her uncle, an ancient shopkeeper as Grandma, and her best friend as . . .well, her best friend, Heather thinks she's pulled it off. Until her bisexual father, his lover and her estranged mother stage an unexpected walk-on. As the live broadcast threatens to become a Greenblotz family expose, Heather must dig deep to find faith in love, family and, most of all, herself . . .

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Heather Greenblotz is the most down-to-earth heiress you're ever likely to meet. She's got a chilly, self-centered and travel-obsessed mother and a warm, self-centered and gay father; her cousin Jake, a real trooper, runs the family business, Greenblotz Matzo; her cousins Marcy and Rebecca are covetous and litigious. Shapiro, author of ALA Notable Book The Unexpected Salami, deftly manages to keep her heroine above the fray: while Heather may be angry at her relatives, she is never bitter. But what's an heiress-albeit a very nice and hardworking one-to do when she discovers that the family business is in financial trouble and only she can save the day? Why, she throws together a last-minute Passover seder to be broadcast by the Food Channel. The only problem is that the cantankerous Greenblotz clan doesn't celebrate Passover. In a highly improbable sequence of events, Heather and her kosher heartthrob, cameraman Jared Silver, attempt to pull off the seder of the year, attended by, among others, a stoned intern, Heather's father's gay lover, the official spokesman for the Egyptian consulate and a young woman with the unfortunate surname of Hitler. There is plenty of humor in this novel, and while some of it flirts with slapstick, Shapiro rescues her characters' dignity, sometimes hauling them out of the abyss at the last moment. Heather's likable personality and work as an award-winning documentarian also help her to "keep it real," even as she trips along toward the inevitable happy ending of this amusing, irreverent novel.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Heather Greenblotz's mother is distant and preoccupied with her own life, and her father is off in Amsterdam with his lover. Heather's shares in the family business, Greenblotz Matzo, have allowed her to pursue her dream of being a documentary filmmaker. She still helps out with some of the PR for the company, and when the Food Channel wants to do a segment on it, Heather's cousin Jake asks her to give them the tour. She's greeted by two delicious men when she arrives at the factory: sexy interviewer Steve and thoughtful, handsome cameraman Jared. She's attracted to both men, but it's Steve who makes the first move, though Heather quickly learns there's a business motive behind it: he wants to film a Greenblotz family Passover seder. Greenblotz Matzo needs the publicity, but Heather has no idea how to get her wayward family together for a religious event. A lighthearted and fun read from the author of The Unexpected Salami (1998). Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Red Dress Ink (April 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373250533
• ISBN-13: 978-0373250530
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #995,620 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny and Sassy --- A Pleasure to Read, April 3, 2004

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Bookreporter (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Matzo Ball Heiress (Red Dress Ink (Numbered Paperback)) (Paperback)

As the holiday of Passover approaches, Heather Greenblotz is gearing up for a typical observance: spending time alone and eating decidedly non-kosher food at a time when most Jewish families gather together. It wouldn't bother Heather so much to be without her family at this time of year but for the fact that the Greenblotzes manufacture kosher products, including the world's most popular Passover matzo. What in the world would people think if they knew how non-traditional the family really is?

Laurie Gwen Shapiro's second novel, THE MATZO BALL HEIRESS, introduces Heather as she emotionally prepares for another disappointing Passover. 31-year-old Heather is a successful documentary filmmaker with two Emmy Awards to her credit, and her involvement in the family business is minimal. Few people even know she's a wealthy heiress to the Greenblotz family business, begun by her grandfather Izzy many years ago. Every spring, however, she helps out her cousin Jake (figurehead and CEO of the business) during the busy Passover season. Otherwise, she is seemingly disconnected from the world of traditional Judaism and kosher food. One day, while filling in for Jake at the matzo factory, she is interviewed by the Food Network and her Passover plans begin to radically change.

After the success of the interview with the dashing Steve Meyers, the Food Network wants to do a live broadcast of the Greenblotz family Seder. Jake Greenblotz thinks it's an excellent idea and that it will boost slumping sales. Heather, on the other hand, has her doubts. The family, she reminds Jake, has never gathered together for the ritual meal; her mother usually goes snorkeling, her other cousins can't stand Heather or Jake, Jake's brother lives like a playboy in Florida, and her father Sol, the only one who could lead the seder and read Hebrew, was last heard from several years ago when he moved (with no forwarding address) to Amsterdam.

At the urging of her over-the-top therapist, Heather agrees to the broadcast and begins to assemble relatives; when that fails, she asks others to act as family members for the broadcast (including Jake's Irish girlfriend Siobhan, who becomes Shoshana for the day). But will the world be convinced by the staged Greenblotz Seder?

Complicating the already sticky situation is Heather's entanglement with on-air personality Steve Meyers and her growing fondness for kosher cameraman Jared Silver.

With a little patience and faith, Heather survives a near disastrous Seder and emerges with a new love in her life and a newfound respect for her family and friends.

THE MATZO BALL HEIRESS is funny and sassy, and because it focuses on a Jewish family's traditions (or lack thereof) and issues, it is also unique. Heather Greenblotz is more than a typical Manhattan socialite; she has depth and intelligence. Thus, Shapiro's novel moves beyond the simple classification of Chick Lit, although it retains the romance, sex and attitude. The writing here is light and natural, a pleasure to read. And the humor is well balanced with some of the weightier issues, such as religious observance, identity and family dynamics. While Shapiro doesn't offer many meaty insights into these issues, she doesn't shy away from them either.

THE MATZO BALL HEIRESS is a fun and quickly read novel coming out just as Jewish families across the world prepare to sit down together to celebrate Passover. Chances are that some readers will find their own families reflected in these pages. Others will be treated to a good story.

--- Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A winner, March 30, 2004

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Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Matzo Ball Heiress (Red Dress Ink (Numbered Paperback)) (Paperback)

The five Greenblotz cousins sit on the board of directors for the family run matzo company. However, Jake actually runs the firm while his brother handles the Florida sales and documentary film director Heather fills in when Jake needs her. The other two cousins are estranged from this trio.

Heather takes a Food Channel crew on a tour of the matzo factory. Later, the interviewer Steve Meyers asks Heather out. When they return to her apartment following their dinner date, he informs her in the middle of sex that his station wants to televise her family's Passover Seder. After throwing Steve out, Heather panics because her family avoids Seders. She dines on ham while Jake has an Irish Catholic lover; the rest of the family is worse. However, Jake informs her that their business is in trouble as the competitors are part of conglomerates that spend a fortune on advertising. They need this show and a family to go with their Seder so Heather begins the hiring process. Of course the dysfunctional Greenblotz rally around the Seder.

This is an intriguing look at a Jewish family fully assimilated into the American culture. The story line is fun to follow as Heather struggles to understand her heritage beyond her inheritance with the Seder serving as a symbol between the old and the new. Fans will appreciate this insightful look at the de-Americanization of Heather and her family who discover there is more to being Jewish than chocolate matzo.

Harriet Klausner

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun and I learned something, too..., July 6, 2004

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Kristen (Texas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Matzo Ball Heiress (Red Dress Ink (Numbered Paperback)) (Paperback)

As an inquisitive Gentile, I thoroughly enjoyed Shapiro's The Matzo Ball Heiress. Not only was the main character, Heather Greenblotz smart and witty, she paved the way for an education of sorts...for me, anyway. Heather attempts to find herself, her roots, and a little romance in between filming a live Seder for the Food Network with her more than dysfunctional family. The book is fast paced and full of information about Jewish dietary laws and practices. But don't let that fool you...there is lots of story packed in, as well.

I applaud Shapiro for creating a great summer read that educates as well as delights.