On the HahaFiction shelf
Don't Forget to Write
Audiobook available · 9 hr 2 min
In 1960, Marilyn Kleinman's public encounter with the rabbi's son threatens her chance to return to college. Her parents send her to Philadelphia for a summer with great-aunt Ada, a professional matchmaker whose ideas about independence are more surprising than Marilyn expects.
From the author’s blurb
“She’s sharp, straight-talking, takes her job very seriously, and abides by her own rules…mostly.”Read the full description at Sara Goodman Confino, author description
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What makes it funny?
Marilyn's scandal begins when a secret kiss turns into a crash through stained glass in front of the congregation. Ada supplies another kind of comedy: she demands obedience, speaks without much restraint, and sometimes bends the rules she imposes on others.
The comedy at work
Ada puts Marilyn to work attracting young men to her matchmaking business so she can pair them with other clients. The supposed summer of discipline gives Marilyn a close view of a woman who makes a living arranging marriages while following her own rules.
Try this if…
Readers drawn to a young woman's search for independence and an outspoken older mentor will find plenty beyond the matchmaking. Philadelphia and the Jersey shore frame a summer of family friction, potential romances, and plans to become a writer.
Good to know
Marilyn faces family pressure over marriage and education, including her father's threat to disinherit her. The humor shares space with sadness as she weighs the cost of choosing her own future.
A few distinguishing details
- A synagogue scandal involving stained glass
- An apprenticeship with a rule-bending matchmaker
- A summer between Philadelphia and the Jersey shore
More funny historical
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