Certain Girls: A Novel
by Jennifer Weiner
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Book Summary Information
Author: Jennifer WeinerEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-04-08
ISBN: 0743294254
Number of pages: 400
Publisher: Atria Books
Accessories:
Book Reviews of Certain Girls: A Novel
Book Review: A follow-up novel that doesn't disappoint
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm usually not a big fan of follow-up stories about somebody's
life . . . but I made an exception with CERTAIN GIRLS by
Jennifer Weiner, and I'm glad that I did.
The novel, Weiner's sixth, picks up from GOOD IN BED--her
2001 debut novel . . . heroine Cannie Shapiro is now
the mother of a thirteen year-old daughter, Joy, who takes it
upon herself to find out the true story of her life.
I liked about their respective lives unfolded, told in a
first-person narrative in alternating chapters by both
women . . . the dialogue, in particular, was
quite realistic--and often hilarious in spots . . . such
as this one passage that described a special presentation
they were attending entitled "B'nai Mitzvah and
the Blended Family:"
* The small man snatched at his yarmulke before it
slid off his bald head and onto the floor. "Well, my
youngest son is nineteen. He's undergoing gender
reassignment surgery. You know, a sex change?"
Deidre's smile wobbled. I guess maybe this was
something she hadn't heard before.
"He's been taking the hormones and had the laser
treatments, but he hasn't had the, um . . . " He raised
two fingers in a snipping gesture. Bruce winced and crossed
his legs. "He dresses as a woman. He considers himself
female now. He--well, she--she'll have an aliyah at my daughter's
bat mitzvah, but she wants to be called by her new name.
Naomi bat Peninah." He fumbled with his yarmulke again. "Naomi,
daughter of Peninah. And our rabbi won't do it because
technically she's still a he."
Deidre's bracelet jingled as she raked one hand through her
hair. "Well," she said, "Have you considered a role where your,
um, child's name wouldn't come into question? Maybe dressing
the Torah?"
Right, I thought. Because she'll be so good with clothes now.
"But even though that gets us out of using the Hebrew name,
what's the rabbi supposed to say? That Maddy's sibling will
come to help dress the Torah. He won't say 'sister.' "
"Maybe if the rabbi won't say it, your daughter can."
The small man thought this over. "Maybe," he agreed.
Though some of the difficulties that the women encountered
were a bit over the top, I found myself relating to them . . . for
example, the matter of rationalizing when to check up on
a child:
* "You're her mother. Invading your kid's privacy is part of the job
description. Besides, it's not invading her privacy if we just decided
that it was time to flip her mattress over, which you're actually
supposed to do every six months."
Or attempting to explain a lack of interest, in this instance a
parent who wants nothing to do with his child:
* "The allure of the unknown," my mother said. "It's like with junk
food or Disney princesses. The more you tell a kid she can't have
something, the more she wants it."
CERTAIN GIRLS will make you smile, but you'll also be moved
by much of it . . . there's also a touching love story between
Cannie and her husband, as well as an ending that's guaranteed
to want you to have some tissues nearby.
Summary of Certain Girls: A Novel
It's been almost thirteen years since we last saw Cannie Shapiro, the heroine of Good in Bed, whose journey towards happy-ever-after made millions of women the world over lgh, cry and recognise themselves. The last decade of Cannie's life has brought some surprises. Her life story, in fictional form, became an unexpected bestseller, and Cannie has since retreated from fame's fallout, writing science-fiction under a pen name and praying that all her dghter inherited from her father, Cannie's ex-boyfriend Bruce Guberman, are her curls and her eye-colour, and not his predilection for smoking pot. Meanwhile Cannie's best friend, Samantha, is looking for love in all the wrong places, and Cannie's husband, Peter, has decided that he'd like to have a baby, and the family's first choice for a surrogate is none other than Cannie's flamboyant kid sister ...Domestic Life Books
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