The Charlotte Jewish News - November 2020 - Page 5
~ Sue’s Bookshelf ~ By Sue Littauer
During our most recent CJE monthly book club discussion, we were talking about selections for upcoming books. The consensus was that many of our members don’t want to read anything “depressing” during the pandemic — our lives are depressing enough. After hearing the same thoughts from some of my friends, I started thinking about what books I could recommend that fall within parameters of our book club — written by a Jewish author or have a Jewish theme, content, or subject matter, and are not too heavy or dark. Sounds easy enough? Right? Wrong. When you are least expecting it, something about World War II and the Holocaust crops up. Then there’s antisemitism that hits too close to home in today’s world. And dark dysfunctional family stories are way too stressful.
In an attempt to find a suitable book, this past week I read “My Wife Says You May Want to Marry Me,” by Jason B. Rosenthal. From the title, it sounded like it might be light. However, it was a beautifully written memoir of love, loss, and new beginnings. Do I write more? Nope. Poignant and inspiring, but can’t say it wasn’t heartbreaking. Which brings me to my recommendations — two novels by author Brenda Janowitz. A couple of years ago, I read her very funny novel about a modern Jewish family entitled, “The Dinner Party: A Novel.” The matriarch, Sylvia, is hosting Passover seder and has invited the families of her daughters’
Book Club News: Our Center for Jewish Education Monthly Book Club will meet again on Wednesday, November 11, when we will discuss “This Is How It Always Is,” by Laurie Frankel, and on December 9 to talk about “The Bookshop of Yesterdays,” by Amy Meyerson. Both meetings will be on Zoom at 10:30 a.m. Everyone is welcome. For more information, please contact sueb.littauer@jewishcharlotte.org. boyfriends. One daughter is dating a “Rothschild”; the other daughter has a non-Jewish boyfriend with a seemingly undesirable mother. Sylvia’s preparations for the “perfect” dinner party/seder are seriously over the top! But when we get to the actual evening, everyone is trying to conceal their imperfections, and outright chaos breaks loose when their hidden secrets are exposed for all to see.
When I saw that author Brenda Janowitz had a new novel out, I was eager to read it. The Grace Kelly Dress is charming, entertaining, and fast paced. Two years after Grace Kelly’s royal wedding, her iconic dress is still all the rage in Paris, and one replica and the secrets it carries will inspire three generations of women to forge their own paths in life and in love. (Amazon) First, we meet Rose in Paris in 1958. She’s a seamstress at a fashion house. Sixty years later we meet her granddaughter tech CEO Rachel, who goes by the childhood name Rocky. Rocky wants nothing to do with the family heirloom wedding dress, but doesn’t want to break her mother Joan’s heart. The lives of these three women come together as the history of the dress and the secrets of the three women are revealed. Fans of Kristen Hannah’s, “The Nightingale” will enjoy the book. Both of Janowitz’s books can be found in the Levine-Sklut Judaic Library.
www.vrbbcharlotte.com
