From Publishers Weekly
The venerable Jane Austen would no doubt be astonished to find herself compared via back cover copy to the author of this dreary, plodding tale of matrimony and mishegas in modern-day Philadelphia. Dr. Evelyn Rubin became a doctor at a time when women simply didn't become doctors, but in her 60s, her only source of pleasure is getting her own daughters safely married off. She's succeeded with the middle child, Isabel, who hasn't been able to get her husband to impregnate her; but her bitter disappointments are goody-goody Alice, the eldest, 38, and woefully single, and wild-child Tina, the youngest, who subscribes to the blow-and-throw disposable-man school of dating. Men of varying degrees of suitability wander in and out of the story, upsetting the lives of our three heroines in various ways. Unfortunately, neither the men nor the ensuing turmoil are interesting enough to sustain readers' interest. Sedate to the point of colorlessness ("Still, she did not actually broach the subject with him but asked instead, 'So, when did you first become interested in me?' "), this is an excellent lesson in the difference between going through the motions and pulling out the stops; the ranks of wedding lit won't be improved by this addition.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
"Love at first sight," "whirlwind courtship," and "happily ever after" are not mere cliches in the Rubin household; they are the truisms that Dr. Evelyn and Judge Rubin have fed their three daughters throughout their legendary 40-year marriage. They have, therefore, unwittingly set impossibly high standards, ones each daughter despairs of ever achieving for herself. Unable to conceive a child, Isabel's marriage to Theo is failing rapidly, while Alice chalks up yet another in a long string of disappointing relationships, and Tina becomes engaged to a man who is still legally married. You can almost hear their parents asking, "Where did we go wrong?" Smart and insightful, with just the right combination of common sense and cynicism, each daughter ultimately follows her heart to her own, rather than her parents', storybook ending. Pastan cunningly reveals the myriad sides of being married--the good, the bad, and the ugly--in an engaging look at the current state of love and courtship. Carol Haggas
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
