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5th out of 17 books
—
4 voters
The Edge of Maybe
by
Ericka Lutz (Goodreads Author)
Adam and Kira Glazer live a Northern California liberal lifestyle, entering middle age with politically correct values, an obsession with gourmet organic food, and no idea what has happened to their punk rock, adventurous youth. Then, a shocking reminder of the past lands on their doorstep. Adam, Kira, and their 13-year-old daughter Polly take on freeways, yoga classes and...more
Paperback, Premium Edition, 326 pages
Published
March 2012
by Last Light Studio
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Jul 18, 2012
Literary Mama
added it
Tolstoy famously noted that all stories grow from one of two roots: a character's journey or a stranger's arrival. In The Edge of Maybe, a new novel by Ericka Lutz, page one finds that proverbial stranger on the doorstep of the story's protagonist, Kira. But this stranger is the (maybe) daughter of Kira's husband, Adam, a twenty-year-old one-night-stand gone awry named Amber, and she's looking for "Dad." And if that's not enough to set Kira's gyroscope in motion, the greasy haired Amber has a sm...more
This was a fun book. When I first started reading it, I thought I wasn't going to like it. I had just finished reading a Margaret Atwood book that I had particularly enjoyed, and writing styles of these novelists are quite different. However, as I continued to read, the tone started to remind me of Armistead Maupin's Tales of the CIty. With my head in this mindset, I enjoyed reading The Edge of Maybe.
I like reading books set in places that I live, or have lived. It's fun to feel that places and...more
I like reading books set in places that I live, or have lived. It's fun to feel that places and...more
I read this book while I was designing it for the author. Although I read parts of all the books I design, it's very rare for me to read the whole thing. I just don't have time. But The Edge of Maybe had me hooked.
Just following the way the members of a family in Berkeley, California deal with, and try to make sense of, what life keeps throwing at them was compelling, and there was no way I could put the book down before I knew what had become of them.
The author is an adept and intelligent story...more
Just following the way the members of a family in Berkeley, California deal with, and try to make sense of, what life keeps throwing at them was compelling, and there was no way I could put the book down before I knew what had become of them.
The author is an adept and intelligent story...more
The Edge of Maybe is a smart, well-crafted novel of the modern, urban, middle class that does something particularly cool which is that it is able to simultaneously show love for and satirize its main characters, the Glazer family- father Adam, mother Kira, and thirteen-year old daughter Polly- residents of Oakland, California.
In many ways, the Glazer's are a typical liberal, middle class family at the beginning of the novel and they inhabit some of the clichés of that world including food snobb...more
In many ways, the Glazer's are a typical liberal, middle class family at the beginning of the novel and they inhabit some of the clichés of that world including food snobb...more
3 likes · like · see review
I really enjoyed this book. It was hard to put down! The author has drawn memorable characters and painted very vivid pictures of the places and lifestyles that she depicts. The book is touching in places, gritty in others, and told through some really great phrases (i.e. Joey lays on the floor in a "puddle of blankets, his hands cupped like delicate shells"). I would recommend this book to anyone, especially fellow Californians, who will identify with many of the minute details throughout.
[Plea...more
[Plea...more
Ericka Lutz's THE EDGE OF MAYBE is a pleasure. Full of compelling characters and spot-on skewering of Bay Area middle class, middle aged, creative, liberal culture, the novel is satire with heart. She gets all the details right -- the love-hate relationships with Café Gratitude, sexy-smarmy yoga teachers, the wonder of the Berkeley Bowl. I didn't want this book to end.
I loved the opening scene ... it really captured my attention and made me invested in the characters from the beginning. If you are a Bay Area liberal, it may be a bit of a tough read at times b/c it does take a bit of a satirical look at this demographic. Ends with you wanting to know the characters more and find out what will happen to them in the future.
I don't know what to think about this book. I got a recommend from the San Francisco Chronicle and suggested it to our book club. They uniformly disliked it. The group, mostly women in our sixties and up, found the story shallow and soap-operaish. Kira and her family are from Berkeley/Oakland, they recycle, take yoga, eat out a lot -----
Such a compelling, beautifully written book about a family that's forced to confront the past while dealing with the very real and urgent challenges of everyday life. Although the book is set in a location familiar to me, peopled with the kinds of characters I encounter regularly, the novel continually surprised me, insisting that I not make assumptions. Usually I gravitate toward/identify with the mothers in a novel, and Lutz offers several complex women in this role (Kira, Lindsey, Amber), but...more
enjoyed the book just fine. liked the writing style, and it was hard to put down. Didn't particularly like the story, and found myself not caring for any of the adult characters.
I was sometimes overwhelmed by the level of food detail (I live in Berkeley and I Am Not A Foodie) but it is one of the novel's themes, so it makes sense in the big picture. And the big picture is big. Lutz covers a lot of territory in this novel: families--how they are made, unmade, remade; the body--how we care for it, how we abuse it; deception--of self and others. The characters are wonderful. And if you don't want to give Molly a gigantic hug by the end of the novel, there's something wrong...more
Aug 12, 2012
Brenda Wood
added it
good enough
Jan 02, 2013
Cathy
is currently reading it
A mother, a father, and a daughter all live in the same house in Southern California, Oakland. It was not that easy for them to live. When the mother cheated on the husband with her yoga, he found out. The condom was so visible in the laundry basket. Should he leave or stay with her?
I wish more novels about middle-aged people concerned plots other than infidelity. It just seems sad that writers seem to have trouble imagining other ways that their characters might grow and be challenged. I had hoped this book might be different.
I reviewed this book at New Pages...
http://www.newpages.com/bookreviews/a...
http://www.newpages.com/bookreviews/a...
Feb 27, 2013
Meggie
marked it as to-read
Jan 24, 2013
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Nov 10, 2012
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May 15, 2011 07:15pm