The View from Penthouse B

From the first book by Elinor Lipman I read, I was hooked. It's hard to exactly explain why I like her writing so much. At a few points during this book, I was thinking "I can't give this 5 stars like I want to. It's got too many flaws. The plot is meandering, there are too many characters brought in and not fully developed, there isn't enough of a story to merit the length of the book..." and then, upon finishing, I decided that the most important part of a novel is how much you enjoy reading it, and the hours I spent reading this book were happy, content hours.

The basic story---Margot and Gwen-Laura are sisters, who find themselves both alone for very different reasons. Margot's doctor husband is in prison after a scandal, and Gwen was suddenly widowed. They move in together to save money, and take in a third roommate, the affable Anthony. Slowly, they both move to new starts, to figuring out life and romance in the 21st century. There isn't much more plot than that.

But the point of Lipman's book, and others of hers I have read, isn't plot. It's humor and character. The characters are deeply real. They have something most book characters don't have, and I wish I could put my fingers on it a little more. It's a humility, a lack of superhero-ness. They seem to think like I would think, not in the know-it-all way that many book characters seem to think. They are nervous about dating, about intimacy. They have actual money problems. They like to eat out and to talk about the meals. They laugh at themselves. And they are generally just plain likable people. Even the "bad" guys in her books are human, are good at the core. Reading her books makes me feel a little better about the world. I am able to believe that Margot and Gwen and Anthony are actually out there someplace, that I could meet them and I would like to do so. And so, I enjoyed this book immensely.

3.5 stars
It's hard to start over anytime but it can be quite tricky in your 50's. This is what the two sisters, Margot and Gwen, must do when their lives take a major downturn. They do it with humor, love and mutual self-support. Margot divorces her husband, a doctor, after he is embroiled in a major sex scandal that sends him to prison. To add insult to injury, she loses most of hr money to the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scam. Gwen's husband dies unexpectedly and she can't seem to move on.

Although Margot holds on to her penthouse apartment, the sisters are cash poor and unemployed. They take in a room-mate, Anthony, who brings youth (he's in his 20's), cupcakes and sage male advice. They get into each other's business and are cheerleaders when they all start to take baby steps to rebuilding their lives.

It's wonderful to read about women who are not obsessed with their looks, have a sense of of humor and want something more in life. It drags a little in the middle but is very heart warming too. It's a nice, light read.

The one thing about picking up an Elinor Lipman novel is, you can be pretty sure what to expect from the get-go.

You know the writing will be confident, breezy, and compulsively readable. You know her characters will be good-hearted, a little on the socially awkward style, and ready for some self-growth. And you know you're going to get absorbed in the narrative and the wit, and really get emotionally invested in the eventual turnout.

So if you're an Elinor Lipman fan, this book is another reason to rejoice. The book centers on Gwen-Laura, a widow of a certain age who has been unable to move on since her husband's unexpected death two years ago. She ends up moving in with her sister Margot, is a victim twice: her husband, an infertility doctor, was sent to the Big House after the discovery that he was "doing the horizontal dance" with his patients...and she also lost most of her savings to Bernie Madoff and his Ponzi scheme.

Add in a few other characters: their third boarder Anthony, a young, gay unemployed charmer who makes to-die-for cupcakes, his sister Olivia, a nanny who has fallen in love with her employer, and a third sister Betsy who dispenses advice from the wings, and there are some great twists and turns ahead.

Far be it from me to spoil any of them! Suffice to say that the novel is surprisingly touching, with much to say about moving forward through grief and bad times, experiencing forgiveness, getting in touch with one's authentic self, and discovering that "family" can mean more than just next-of-kin. And, for anyone who has been through the online dating wars, there are hilarious "tales from the front."

For those who are seeking deeper insights into the characters, you won't find a whole lot of that here. But for those who want a lighthearted story that's deliciously put together and will keep you interested and entertained, this is a book you can sink your teeth into. Definitely recommended.

This is an easy read. The situations are interesting, the characters amusing, even though it's all predictable. Still, it's fun to sit back and read something that has some easy laughs and isn't very demanding. I would recommend this book if you are over-stressed by your own situations in life and you need to kick back and smile.

This book was recommended to me by a fellow English teacher so I was expecting to really enjoy it. Unfortunately, reading it, for me, was like watching paint dry. Because there was so little action, I found it tedious/ boring. I did not like the two main female characters and cannot even remember their names; I would not like either to be my friends = very uninteresting w/ uninteresting lives. I did like the male gay cupcake maker and chuckled at some of his observations on the two women's situations. I simply found it preposterous that the one would take her Dr. husband back, even though he was charming and contrite, after his abominable, loathsome behavior. I did enjoy the 2nd half of the book , with the on-line dating scenarios, somewhat , but.... I would not waste my valuable reading time on this one.