Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #29280 in Books
• Published on: 2009-05-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 320 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780618644667
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. A divorced gay man's vanquished paternalism returns when he reconnects with his long-lost stepdaughter in Lipman's hilarious and moving 10th novel. Set in New York, the book opens with Henry Archer phoning his ex-wife, Denise, to offer condolences over the death of her husband, the man Denise divorced then-closeted Henry for. Upon visiting Denise, Henry notices photos of now grown stepdaughter Thalia, a charming wannabe actress he recognizes from the hair salon in his neighborhood, and determines to reenter her life. What ensues is a heartwarming reconnection as Henry and Thalia relearn what it means to be a father and daughter, respectively. When Thalia is hired by a PR firm to play the role of real-life girlfriend to a struggling actor, Henry's fatherly instinct and legal background compel him to ask Thalia to move in with him and to serve as her attorney. During the process of managing Thalia's career, Henry also grows closer to Denise, meets a handsome man and rediscovers the joy of family. The plot alone will suck in readers, but Lipman's knack for creating lovable and multifaceted characters is the real draw. (May)
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From Bookmarks Magazine
Most of Elinor Lipman’s novels hinge on complicated wisps of plots, but their comedic lightness rarely detracts from their enjoyment. Reviewers agree that perhaps the best elements in a new Lipman novel are the characters—heartfelt, civilized, completely engaging, and never less than fully human. The Family Man, set in Manhattan rather than Lipman’s usual haunting grounds of New England, doesn’t disappoint in its portrayal of complex family relationships and use of exquisite language. Only the Boston Globe suggested that readers unwilling to suspend disbelief may find the book too fairy tale for their tastes. The Washington Post, however, summed up general sentiment: “Just because something is ‘light’ doesn’t mean it’s not masterful.”
Copyright 2009 Bookmarks Publishing LLC

From Booklist
After 25 years, Henry Archer has been reunited with his ex-stepdaughter, Thalia, and he couldn’t be happier. In fact, he is tickled pink. He gets to help the budding actress negotiate a questionable career move plus provide her with housing on the lower level of his Upper West Side town house. Though the rapprochement also means he is back in touch with his former wife, Denise, this, too, brings Henry added benefits when Denise plays matchmaker by introducing him to his new lover, Todd. As Thalia cagily plays out her role in a staged romance with a toxic Hollywood bad boy, Henry and Todd stand ready in the wings to provide counsel, cappuccino, and even cosmetic input. Meanwhile, the newly widowed Denise must fend off eviction from her luxury condo when her stepsons attempt to enforce their father’s prenuptial agreement, despite the fact that their marriage lasted nearly a quarter of a century. Delightful in every sense, the ever-witty Lipman’s latest comedy of modern manners is bright, breezy, and altogether beguiling. --Carol Haggas

Customer Reviews

Another marvelous read...
Elinor Lipman's latest is another in a long line of great comedy-of-manner novels she's written. Maybe not quite as good as Lake Divine and Dearly Departed, but almost at that level.

There's something unique in Lipman's writing that I've tried to figure out in all ten of her novels. Her secondary characters are written as brilliantly as her main characters. I don't know how she does it - I guess that's why I'm a reader and not a writer - but maybe it's her wonderful dialogue. I'm left after reading her novels with the - unacted on, of course - urge to call her and ask her to write another novel, using the same characters, taking the storyline further. As all her novels are "stand-alones", it's clear she considers each one finished at the end.

She is a worthy successor to the late Laurie Colwin.

"If possible, let bygones be bygones."
In Elinor Lipman's "The Family Man," Henry Archer is a recently retired and unattached attorney who happens to be gay. Henry has a shallow, self-centered, and grating ex-wife, Denise, whose third husband, Glenn Krouch, recently passed away at the age of seventy. All of a sudden, Denise tries to weasel her way back into Henry's good graces. She seeks free legal advice, since Krouch's two sons from a former marriage have inherited pretty much everything from their late father. Denise gets a monthly allowance, monitored by the older son and executor, Glenn Junior. It seems that her stepsons are holding her to a prenuptial agreement, "a hideously airtight legal document," that may even force her to leave her ten room apartment on Park Avenue in New York City.

Henry has no desire to become his ex-wife's buddy or knight in shining armor. When he visits Denise, however, he notices photos of Thalia, his stepdaughter whom he hasn't seen since she was a little girl. Much to his shock, he realizes that Thalia works in the salon where he has his hair cut. Henry decides to reacquaint himself with this now lovely twenty-nine year old woman, who is an aspiring actress and a delightful human being. They soon become fast friends, and Henry does his utmost to make up for the decades during which he and Thalia were separated.

Elinor Lipman is the undisputed queen of the contemporary comedy of manners, and once again, she serves up a frothy and witty soufflé with farcical overtones, a somewhat silly and lightweight plot, romantic entanglements, and amusing banter. The author never takes her subject matter too seriously. Instead, she has fun getting her offbeat cast of characters into and out of outlandish situations. Her theme is the importance of relationships between parents and children, husbands and wives, and any other configuration that works. During the course of this warm and witty novel, Henry finally lets go of the past and embraces the future with renewed optimism and joy. He finally experiences the great satisfaction of loving someone special and being loved in return.

Lovable
If Elinor Lipman's new novel, The Family Man, were a movie, you'd come out of the theater at the end with a smile on your face, and sated from an extra large tub of popcorn. Protagonist Henry Archer is a recently retired gay attorney living alone in a prime Manhattan townhouse. After Henry consoles his divorced wife Denise following the death of the man she left Henry to marry, he reconnects with his stepdaughter Thalia who has been out of his life for many years. The comedic exploits of these characters and a broad supporting cast made me care about them and what happened in their lives. That's perfect summer reading if you're looking to read a light-hearted novel. While life in Manhattan doesn't match the experience of an average American, the characters in The Family Man are recognizable in every community, the plot is playful, and most readers will find pleasure from reading this novel.

Rating: Three-star (Recommended)