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53rd out of 100 books
—
1 voter
When We Were Bad
"'The Rubin family, everybody agrees, seems doomed to happiness'"
Claudia Rubin is in her heyday. Wife, mother, rabbi and sometime moral voice of the nation, everyone wants to be with her at her older son's glorious February wedding. Until Leo becomes a bolter and the heyday of the Rubin family begins to unravel . . .
'As intelligent as it is funny. A beautifully observed li...more
Claudia Rubin is in her heyday. Wife, mother, rabbi and sometime moral voice of the nation, everyone wants to be with her at her older son's glorious February wedding. Until Leo becomes a bolter and the heyday of the Rubin family begins to unravel . . .
'As intelligent as it is funny. A beautifully observed li...more
Hardcover, 320 pages
Published
by Picador USA
(first published 2007)
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This novel, though filled with a great deal of dry humor, is actually more of a picture of melancholy and lost opportunity than anything else. A lot of the book deals with the Jewish faith and how it has affected the characters’ perceptions of duty and happiness, but I think by the end, the despair and feelings of responsibility captured are so universal that it could have been about nearly any religion, or even none at all, because the family dynamics supersede the religious elements. Watching...more
When We Were Bad, by Charlotte Mendelson is a literary work of a family in crisis. It is set in England and is a novel that portrays the family unit through an ensemble of characters.
The central character and family matriarch is Claudia Rubin, an intelligent rabbi in an age when female rabbis were not the norm in English Jewish circles. Not only is she a rabbi, but she is also a well-known writer. She is manipulative, forceful, attractive, and knows how to put on superficial faces when necessary...more
The central character and family matriarch is Claudia Rubin, an intelligent rabbi in an age when female rabbis were not the norm in English Jewish circles. Not only is she a rabbi, but she is also a well-known writer. She is manipulative, forceful, attractive, and knows how to put on superficial faces when necessary...more
I really enjoyed this. A rambling kind of family saga in some ways, but the sort that cover a lot of family in a short space of time rather than sort that transcend generations. The central characters are the members of a London Jewish family - Claudia, successful mother, and Norman, unsucessful father, and their four grown up children (for various values of "grown up").
I found the characters all pretty believable, often they are "larger than life" in the way that real people really are. What I
...more
Apr 19, 2011
Sue Smith
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
books-read-in-2011
Somehow I think if I was of Jewish descent I would have gotten this book better .....I just felt like i was out of the loop on some of the antics of what was going on - or they would have made more sense as to the intensity they were given.
I did get the family dynamics though - that pretty much translates across the board - in all races and religions. Let's put 'FUN' back in dysFUNctional!!!! Although they did seem alittle more screwed up than most..... or maybe just in relation to my particula...more
I did get the family dynamics though - that pretty much translates across the board - in all races and religions. Let's put 'FUN' back in dysFUNctional!!!! Although they did seem alittle more screwed up than most..... or maybe just in relation to my particula...more
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Y'know... I don't think I've ever had this much fun watching a family implode.
It's the tale of the Rubin family. The Rubin family's life circles around their mother's expectations. Claudia Rubin is a respected member of the community, a Rabbi, über-mother par excellence. She writes books, goes on TV and the radio and generally seems to be respected and looked to as a moral compass.
Her husband, Norman, is a writer himself, but clearly stands in his wife's shadow, their four grown-up children seem...more
It's the tale of the Rubin family. The Rubin family's life circles around their mother's expectations. Claudia Rubin is a respected member of the community, a Rabbi, über-mother par excellence. She writes books, goes on TV and the radio and generally seems to be respected and looked to as a moral compass.
Her husband, Norman, is a writer himself, but clearly stands in his wife's shadow, their four grown-up children seem...more
A great read. Mendelson deftly creates a zany family replete with mild dysfunction - Rabbi and matriarch to all, Claudia, is at the helm, hung up on appearances and her own family values; the kids each have their own issues (one being they are all adults yet act like kids) and at times this book was just hysterical.
Deduction of stars - often Mendelson was very unclear - the dialog or the overall narrative left pieces out and we were somehow supposed to follow anyway - also certain threads didn't...more
Deduction of stars - often Mendelson was very unclear - the dialog or the overall narrative left pieces out and we were somehow supposed to follow anyway - also certain threads didn't...more
The story of Claudia, a famous English rabbi and powerful matriarch, the husband living in her shadow, and their four children. Think The Corrections meets Philip Roth. Kind of.
Quite frankly, I wasn't expecting to like this book too much -- the only reason I picked it up was that it was sitting on my office bookshelf and I had forgotten to bring the other book I was reading. As I'm terrified of being caught on public transportation with nothing to read, I grabbed this, mostly because it looked...more
Quite frankly, I wasn't expecting to like this book too much -- the only reason I picked it up was that it was sitting on my office bookshelf and I had forgotten to bring the other book I was reading. As I'm terrified of being caught on public transportation with nothing to read, I grabbed this, mostly because it looked...more
Read this for my book group; it was chosen because it was one of several recommended by our independent women's bookstore. Fascinating, funny, slightly unbelievable but none the worse for that. A slightly irritating style (haven't read any of her other books so don't know if this is habitual) where each event seems to be announced by "here is "x" doing "y". But again, it doesn't overwhelm. Not all characters are as clearly drawn as some; but the most sympathetic, who are possibly also ironically...more
On paper (which it is) this novel should have been the ideal read for me: the story of the collapsing family of a famous woman rabbi living in Hampstead. Unfortunately, and with apologies to the kind lady who gave me my copy, it was one of those books I couldn't pick up again when I'd put them down. The characters are mostly sketchy, the plot is non-existent (not that this would normally bother me but without decent characters you at least want a good plot) and it took me until two thirds of the...more
I struggled at first to get into this book. So many characters, all equally important as the story unfolds. All so flawed. All so Jewish. That isn’t a criticism. Just an observation that understanding the Rubin family (and all the characters are family members) means getting to grips a bit with what it means to be Jewish too.
I persisted. It was worth it.
The lives of every family member begin to unravel as son Leo’s life very publicly does, the day he leaves his wife-to-be some 4 minutes before t...more
I persisted. It was worth it.
The lives of every family member begin to unravel as son Leo’s life very publicly does, the day he leaves his wife-to-be some 4 minutes before t...more
I found that the book was not convincing... it starts off with an idea that then continues, but without any real 'umph'... you know you read it and it fills the minutes, but does not give you anything to really think about... even though it is supposed to be this brilliant book about a family falling apart and various other bits and pieces that could make it good, but they just don't... It is a book that will be forgoten by me before the year will be over I think... On the positive side... it is...more
Somewhat of a soap-ish novel, this is about a family that is struggling to keep everyone together. There are love stories, family angst, affairs, and other drama-filled tales to be told. While a characters such as Claudia, Leo, and Frances are interesting, you just don't seem to care much about the others. And during a lot of the novel, you get frustrated reading because the characters are so selfish.
An interesting book with potential, but it gets caught too much up in causing a "whoa" moment th...more
An interesting book with potential, but it gets caught too much up in causing a "whoa" moment th...more
Dec 05, 2008
Angela
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Angela by:
Orange Prize Shortlist
"When We Were Bad" seems like a great novel born a little too prematurely. The story follows a seemingly tight-knit London Jewish family as the cracks in their happiness are uncovered one after another. The older children aren't all that happy in their relationships, the youngest has some sort of hinted problem, and the parents are keeping a host of secrets from the whole family. It's full of deceptions that range from the small but unforgivable (unable to find the proper ingredients, Frances us...more
Like the diner who wants to like brussels sprouts but just can’t quite do it, I wanted to give this book four stars, but its flaws held it at 3 (when are we getting those half stars, Otis?)
The strength of Charlotte Mendelson’s writing is evident. She started out giving me a family whose members I universally disliked. But as they each harbored and nurtured their secrets, they became much more interesting, if not always more endearing, and soon, everything was hurtling toward what promised to be...more
The strength of Charlotte Mendelson’s writing is evident. She started out giving me a family whose members I universally disliked. But as they each harbored and nurtured their secrets, they became much more interesting, if not always more endearing, and soon, everything was hurtling toward what promised to be...more
Although I grew to like the book some by the end, it was tough for me to stick with. Usually I love stories set in London, and I like a wacky Jewish family as much as the next guy but somehow each member of this one was so entirely out-of-control it made me feel anxious. And I didn't like picturing their house, it made me feel grubby. So overall this story kind of made me queasy and sad.
I actually ran across this book on afterellen.com (I go there to browse their books section, often handy and interesting), so I knew there would be some sort of lesbian subtext/content in it. Her writing reminds me of Zadie Smith, but I like it a lot more.
This is a very literary book (yes, I do read literary fiction :P). It also reminds me of Anne Enright's writing in that it's a very sardonic look at family life. None of the Rubin clan is perfect and they are not always likable or pleasant. Th...more
This is a very literary book (yes, I do read literary fiction :P). It also reminds me of Anne Enright's writing in that it's a very sardonic look at family life. None of the Rubin clan is perfect and they are not always likable or pleasant. Th...more
What should we want for our children? Should we feed them a strong family narrative and expect them to remain within that narrative? Should we send them on their way with love and kisses to find their own path? What is it to be truly grownup? That's the subject of this book. I think the author did a wonderful job of illustrating this ever-present dilemma.
Feines Buch über eine perfekte und also schreckliche Familie und wie schwer es ist, sich daraus zu befreien. Denn gegen einen patriarchalen Vater zu revoltieren ist vergleichsweise einfach. Aber wer traut sich schon, einer strahlend-feministisch-erfolgreichen Mamma in die Quere zu kommen?
As a novel about a dysfunctional family in Jewish London, I found it quite a good read. I read it very quickly and enjoyed some of the set piece scenes very much. It is interesting how much the reviewers of this book disagree about it.
This book was very well written and an interesting story. It delves into what motivates the characters to do what they do. It is an inspiring reminder for real life, that we always have a choice, even when it seems like we are stuck.
I always wondered what it would be like to have a rabbi in the family. Definitely screwed up everyone in this family. It seems even those living the holiest life on the outside can't convey it internally. Easy quick read!
I hated this book!!!! Choppy writing and put it down after 58 pages. Story about a woman rabbi and her son leaves his bride at the chuppah. Didn't like any of the characters and did not the telling of the story.
I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would. The plot isn't that surprising but the characters and the relationships between them are very believable, which made this a really nice read.
May 27, 2009
Andrea
marked it as to-read
this was on the short list of the orange prize of fiction (UK, last year)! i have to prepare a book display! this is classified under "domestic fiction"
I didn't finish this one. A few chapters in I got bogged down and realized I didn't like any of the characters and didn't care what happened to them. The mother was a controlling harpy who kept her adult children bound to her with love, fear and, if necessary, manipulation. The kids were all pathetic and wierd. I finally skipped to the last couple of chapters and read them but it doesn't matter. I think that in my version of the story the entire family, except for the young children, got into a...more
Another world. Great on family relationships, glad to have the Jewish Glossary at the back of the novel. I learnt a lot without effort.
We barely knew what the deal was with the younger children, didn't seem like real characters at all. Some amusing parts but then just fizzled out until the last page and that was that.
Engaging, amusing portrait of North London Jewish family members struggling to disengage from their matriarch and live their own lives. I thoroughly enjoyed it, even when it meandered a little.
I found this story uptight and over-dramatic, but maybe that was the intention with the chaos the Rubins and Claudia brought to the table. It is a dissection of Jewish family in London England after Leo (the eldest) is found out to be having an affair with another woman on his wedding day. While other family members hide secrets and try to find themselves and happiness. The drama breaks loose left, right and center.
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“But what she had always imagined were the two basic ingredients of happy adulthood, intellectual companionship and thrilling sex, are missing too.”
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2 people liked it
“He glances again at the door. Would a taste of the outside world be so unwise?”
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1 person liked it
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May 14, 2012 09:26am