I promised myself I would read Elinor Lipman's novel The View From Penthouse B (#465), and it turned out to be every bit as enjoyable as her book of essays, I Can't Complain. So much of her lead character Gwen-Laura Schmidt echoes what Elinor Lipman has to say in her own personal little gems.
Gwen is recently and suddenly widowed. Her older sister Margot persuades her to move into her penthouse in the Village so that she can afford to continue to live there after losing her money to Bernie Madoff, and her marriage to philandering physician husband Charles, convicted of fraud in a spectacular and notorious trial. In order to help them both make ends meet, the sisters take in a young boarder, Anthony, with a knack for baking amazing cupcakes. Who could ever predict that Charles would move into the same building and try to worm his way back into Margot's life? Or that their youngest sister Betsey would gang up with Margot and Anthony on a reluctant Gwen to prod her back into actually having a social life?
It's fun, it's bittersweet, it's touching, it's outrageous and it's a darn good read!
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