I recently enjoyed hearing Elinor Lipman speak at our local BookMania! event sponsored by our county library system. She was on a panel which discussed not just romance, but the power of friendship - the ties that bind us to others. After listening to the witty discussion by the panelists, I decided I had to read more of Ms. Lipman's work, not in any particular order. Thus, The Family Man (#1,128) because it was available in large print!
I must say this book delivered! The eponymous Family Man is Henry Archer, a successful New York City attorney. He hears from his ex-wife that her husband of twenty-four (and a half!) years has died. Under the terms of the pre-nup Denise signed, she gets nothing unless they had celebrated their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. Can Henry please take a look and see what he can do?
That starts the ball rolling on an off-beat tale which results in several happy endings. No, Denise and Henry are not reunited; did I mention that Henry is gay and cannot abide his former wife? Henry has never gotten over the loss of his stepdaughter Thalia when Denise divorced him. She was adopted by the new husband at age three and was cut out of his life. He finds her again in the most highly improbable circumstances and finally has a chance to become the father he always wanted to be.
It's funny, it's rude and the emotions are real in this entertaining novel. It was the perfect antidote to the constant depressing news of the day. Looking for something to lift your spirits? The Family Man will do the trick!
No comments:
Post a Comment