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The Divorce Girl

by Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg (Goodreads Author)

4.05 of 5 stars 4.05 · rating details · 19 ratings · 8 reviews

Meet Deborah Shapiro, a New Jersey teenage photographer whose parents' outrageous divorce lands her in the biggest flea market in the free world, a Greek diner with immigration issues, a New York City taxi company, a radical suburban synagogue, a hippie-owned boutique, bowling alleys, beaches, and bagel shops. As her home explodes, a first love, a series of almost-mothers,...more

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Published July 1st 2012 by Ice Cube Press

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Mar 23, 2013 Tracy Simmons rated it 5 of 5 stars

A perk of reading books by Kansas authors is that I end up knowing many of the authors whose books I read. I like knowing authors. Sometimes I know them just a little when I start a book, and by the end of the book I feel like I know them much better. Sometimes I know them well enough to see in and around their prose. Sometimes, like with The Divorce Girl, I get so caught up in the story that I forget to do any examining between the lines at all until well after the story has ended.

My heart quic...more A perk of reading books by Kansas authors is that I end up knowing many of the authors whose books I read. I like knowing authors. Sometimes I know them just a little when I start a book, and by the end of the book I feel like I know them much better. Sometimes I know them well enough to see in and around their prose. Sometimes, like with The Divorce Girl, I get so caught up in the story that I forget to do any examining between the lines at all until well after the story has ended.

My heart quickly went out to Deborah, the protagonist of The Divorce Girl. I spent a lot of time worrying about her. I was worried about where the story was going. I was worried that she was going to get raped or preyed on by some horrible individual. I kept breathing little sighs of relief as I turned pages and the things I most feared for her did not happen. I liked Deborah and found myself rooting for her as she somehow seemed to maintain direction, even with all the family crap she was having to deal with. I was happy that she was able to find good people to lean on along the way.

It was a sad story, a far too real story, and yet it left me feeling hopeful and satisfied in the end.

As I put down the book when it was over, I realized I hadn't spent much time thinking about the author, at all. I'd been pulled into and wrapped up in the story. That's the best kind of book there is, as far as I'm concerned, one that just keeps pulling you from page to page, wanting to know more about the story.

Though I first met Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg more than 20 years ago (she was a teaching assistant when I was an undergrad at KU), I haven't had much contact with her in the intervening years. I've watched her career develop from afar. She is the current Poet Laureate of Kansas. The few times I've had the opportunity to hear her speak, I've been impressed by her ability to inspire. That is what I remember most about the class I took from her in college. I've often credited Caryn over the years as one of the early positive influences in my own writing. The feedback I received on the papers I wrote in her literature class still stands out as advice I return to when I find myself floundering as a writer.

Caryn has 14 published books of prose and poetry and this is her first published work of fiction.(less)

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Aug 07, 2012 Inga rated it 5 of 5 stars

My review:

I decided to review this book purely for personal reasons. I went through divorce for 1,5 years ago and my kid had to go through it on his own way, too. He still does. I was curious and afraid to read The Divorce Girl for exactly the same reasons - and I was right. The Divorce Girl touched me on a personal level, even though the time and the place and the age and path of the kid were different, it still affected me. I enjoyed every minute of reading.

The Divorce Girl by Caryn Mirriam-Go...more

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Jul 12, 2012 Laurie Carlson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: divorce, daughter, brothers-and-sisters, mother, father, dysfunctional-family, relationship-problems, religion, jewish, rabbi, arguments, book-tour, teenager, a-family-torn-apart-by-divorce, a-novel, psychological-abuse, publisher-provided-in-exchange-for, teenage-angst, the-school-of-life

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book from the teenage daughter's perspective. It's about Divorce. Divorce. Is it ever good? Especially for children who get into the tug and pull of the parents. Is that right? Deborah and her brother get put in front of a Judge and is each asked who they want to live with. Each has a different answer. Does this happen in the real world? Do adults really think about the children enough when they divorce? Here is one story that will captivate you and help answer...more I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book from the teenage daughter's perspective. It's about Divorce. Divorce. Is it ever good? Especially for children who get into the tug and pull of the parents. Is that right? Deborah and her brother get put in front of a Judge and is each asked who they want to live with. Each has a different answer. Does this happen in the real world? Do adults really think about the children enough when they divorce? Here is one story that will captivate you and help answer any questions you may have. At least it did me.
Deborah hides behind her camera and shoots every aspect of life. Lives with her father, and works for him on weekends at a flea market selling plus-size women's clothing. She may even learn to grab an extra dollar or two to help get her what she wants. Dad doesn't have a clue about his own daughter, nor does he necessarily care at times.
Deborah gets the chance to take a photography class and she puts her all into it. This Hippie Instructor ends up becoming Deborah's mentor for the things that happen in her life. She helps Deborah through quite a bit. I really like how this story ended and the guidance she received.
Caryn Mirriam Goldberg writes in a different approach to divorce by looking at it through this teenager's eyes. It's quite an interesting perspective, one I liked a lot.
I would not suggest this book for kids going through divorce, as this is a fictional story, not a self-help book or something to help them cope. This book is better for the over 18 crowd.
I received this book for FREE from WOW, Women on Writing and the Author, through a Book Reviewers Program in exchange to read this book and write a review about it. It is NOT required for this review to be either positive or negative, but, of my own honest opinion. “Free” means I was NOT provided with ANY MONIES to read this book nor to write this review, but to enjoy the pure pleasure of reading the book. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/wa...
Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.(less)

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Oct 28, 2012 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Kansas poet laureate Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg, who has also written writing guides, a memoir and nonfiction, turns her hand to the novel with “The Divorce Girl.”
The book is written from the perspective of Deborah Shapiro, a high school student in 1970s New Jersey whose parents, as the title reveals, get divorced. Her father takes up with a waitress from a Greek restaurant; her mother withdraws into herself. Deborah finds an outlet in art photography, and earns a little money by helping her father...more Kansas poet laureate Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg, who has also written writing guides, a memoir and nonfiction, turns her hand to the novel with “The Divorce Girl.”
The book is written from the perspective of Deborah Shapiro, a high school student in 1970s New Jersey whose parents, as the title reveals, get divorced. Her father takes up with a waitress from a Greek restaurant; her mother withdraws into herself. Deborah finds an outlet in art photography, and earns a little money by helping her father with his booth selling irregular plus-size clothing at an immense flea market.
Neither parent is particularly sympathetic -- OK, not at all sympathetic -- but neither is a complete monster, either. The fact that they lost a child goes a long way in explaining their emotional states, and the fact that they’re parents to a teenager goes a long way in explaining how they deal (or don’t deal) with Deborah, who can be moody, touchy, sullen — as 15-year-olds are.
I have to admit I approached the book with a little trepidation, since the exploration of a divorce, even (especially?) from a child’s perspective is not exactly new ground, nor is a teenage girl coming of age. But “The Divorce Girl” is a fresh, interesting story done well. By turns sad and sweet, angry and funny, the book brings you right into Deborah’s life, into the house with her, into the flea-market booth exposed to the elements, behind the camera lens as she looks at her world not as a participant but as an observer.
The writing is full of lovely surprises. Mirriam-Goldberg keeps her poet’s eye for detail and drops nice turns of phrase into the prose. Deborah’s mother one day looks “like someone dressed badly for bowling.” At the flea market, Deborah meets “a man the size of a telephone pole.”
The cast of characters — and they are “characters” in every sense of the word, but never caricatures — is diverse and a bit on the wacky side, but perfectly reflective of the variety of people almost anyone would know. The adults and teens alike are fully drawn, realistic people: sometimes quirky, sometimes annoying, sometimes laugh-provoking. A reader will want to slap them, or hug them, or cheer them on — sometimes all three in short succession. Caring that much about them is certainly a sign of a worthwhile book.

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Aug 05, 2012 Margo Dill rated it 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book-- mostly because of the voice and the main character development. The dad is such a jerk! Sometimes, he is hard to take, but the reaction of the MC is so realistic--given the situation. Caryn really developed this story and these characters. I could hardly put the book down.

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Jul 10, 2012 Denise Low rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This snappy book keeps moving along as a teenager faces family disasters with humor and rebellion. I felt immersed in this world and enjoyed the ride. This is a fund read.

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Sep 23, 2012 Pam rated it 4 of 5 stars

I had a lovely book reviewer provide the review for this book. Check it out...http://unconventionallibrarian....

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Jan 11, 2013 Rachel rated it 2 of 5 stars

See my review at http://www.thereportergroup.org/Artic...

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Mar 25, 2013 Leah Kulikowski rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult-fiction, kansas

Mar 25, 2013 Miranda rated it 3 of 5 stars

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Shelves: iola-festival

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About Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg

Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg is the Poet Laureate of Kansas, and the author of 14 books, including a novel, The Divorce Girl (Ice Cube Books), a non-fiction book, Needle in the Bone: How a Holocaust Survivor and Polish Resistance Fighter Beat the Odds and Found Each Other (Potomac Books); The Sky Begins At Your Feet: A Memoir on Cancer, Community & Coming Home to the Body (Ice Cube Books); the antho...more

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Books by Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg

Write Where You Are: How to Use Writing to Make Sense of Your Life: A Guide for Teens

The Sky Begins at Your Feet: A Memoir on Cancer, Community, and Coming Home to the Body

Sandra Cisneros: Latina Writer and Activist

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