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Claudia and David #4
Young Claudia
COPYRIGHT 1946 BY RINEHART AND COMPANY, INC. NEW YORK - TONRONTO PRINTED IN THE U.S.A.
428 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1946
43 people want to read
About the author
Rose Franken
60 books8 followersRose Dorothy Lewin Franken was born on December 28th 1895, in Gainesville, Texas and was one of the most popular and influential Jewish woman writers of her day. She was a celebrated Broadway playwright and director, a Hollywood screenwriter and a popular novelist whose fiction touched a sympathetic chord in American women. Franken's work reflects her personal struggle with traditional gender roles and her ambivalence about balancing domestic and career commitments.
Novelist and short story writer Rose Franken crossed over into the theater with the surprise hit of her play Another Language in 1932. Her sharp-eyed observations about the American family gave tang to her domestic dramas Claudia (1941) and The Hallams (1947). Social concerns such as antisemitism, homophobia, sexism, and war fueled her other plays such as Outrageous Fortune (1943), Doctors Disagree (1943), and Soldier’s Wife (1944).
Franken was married to William Brown Meloney who helped bring the Claudia stories to the radio. They had three sons.
Novelist and short story writer Rose Franken crossed over into the theater with the surprise hit of her play Another Language in 1932. Her sharp-eyed observations about the American family gave tang to her domestic dramas Claudia (1941) and The Hallams (1947). Social concerns such as antisemitism, homophobia, sexism, and war fueled her other plays such as Outrageous Fortune (1943), Doctors Disagree (1943), and Soldier’s Wife (1944).
Franken was married to William Brown Meloney who helped bring the Claudia stories to the radio. They had three sons.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 14, 2024
Yeah, I liked it! I did not know what to expect. I was picking books out of the cellar of a Crime & Mystery bookstore that lets me down there ever since they might be closing for good soon (the time-frame is a bit in flux), and this book did not look like a Mystery. I had already rescued a few Westerns, SF, and Fantasy paperbacks from decades past that had somehow gotten lost in the basement of the wrong bookstore - along with some actual Crime & Mystery gem-stuff, of course - but this Young Claudia thing…committing to it would mean that I was up for Romance? Or would it be a Romance? And if Romance, cringe-catalysing Romance that has not aged well and chiefly romanced stereotypes?
The cover of my edition is a bit misleading. So there is Claudia, presumably, out trimming hedges with no top on under her overalls, and a Playboy centerfold face, and look on her face. Plus, the back of the book seemed to suggest that the main plot would about this Claudia trying to keep her husband out of the clutches of some kind of younger rival. So I’m thinking “Okay - is this like a Thorne Smith novel?”…not necessarily with some Fantasy element hidden inside, but Claudia constantly half naked, either deliberately because she’s resorting to daring tactics to be more sexy, or accidentally, because her dress gets caught in the new automatic door at the supermarket and gets ripped off, leaving her in lingerie. Thorne Smith’s Turnabout, or Rain in the Doorway, meets two women fighting over a man (who doesn’t deserve it)? Bawdy titillation comedy with horribly outdated wife/husband dynamics?
It’s not that. Nor did it suddenly turn into a whodunit, or other sort of Crime novel - though sudden death, and grief, do figure into the book, in a very affecting way. And as far as the sexy cover goes, it does not represent what the book is like, or why we should follow Claudia around, or why she managed to carry a series (I didn’t know this was a multi-book affair until I had read a chapter or two, and then confirmed). So, not a raunchy comedy of scantily-clad, bouncy women delighted by armies of leering men, or whatever.
To stop fiddling about, and focus, I’ll say it’s sort of a Romance. It’s a Romance between Claudia and David, who have been married ten years and have two kids. He’s just come back from the war, her life has been different for years because of his absence and also because of other reasons, and they get to hit the re-set button on life together. They seem upper middle class, but his career in architecture evaporated while he was away, though there’s a farm that keeps things going, and a strong network of friends and relations. The two kids, Bobby and Matthew, are both quite young, and some of the dialogue between either of them and their parents is a delight to read. It soon becomes clear that Claudia can indeed be a bit jealous, or worried, when it comes to other women’s behaviour towards David, but it’s hard to tell if she is justified in certain cases, and it’s also hard to tell if this is where the book is actually going. I’ll just say that I’m glad that Claudia didn’t turn into some insulting Fatal Attraction caricature that has no identity other than clutching at a man. She seems in every way the equal of David, though David does not seem to ever be worried about any of the men in Claudia’s life. Nevertheless, this aspect of Claudia’s personality never dominates the storylines, and it is interesting to see whether any of her fears in this regard have any merit. I am glad that this was not a novel about Claudia holding on to her man.
Then, maybe David should worry about holding on to Claudia; suddenly, she has a chance to appear in a theatrical production, put on and financed by big important people who see her as a future star. This begins to drive the novel - Claudia’s unexpected chance to start a career; what happens then, how does the family work, the farm thing? Then, David gets a dream architectural job dangled in front of him, with commuting to, or living in, New York just being the start of new concerns. This becomes, fully, (not your usual) Romance mixed with Family Drama. But I must also say that one wonderful thing about this book is that it is pure, authentic 1945 (well, published 1946). Yes, we’re stuck in one bit of socio-economic, upper middle-class white stratification…but keeping that in mind, I felt transported to family life in 1945. The novel stops in its tracks as Claudia and David react to the news that America has dropped atomic bombs; then the plot continues, and they later have to deal with more personal tragic news.
But the book is ultimately a feel-good book. Some terrible things happen, some delightfully mundane things happen, and lots of stuff in between as Claudia and her loved ones try to pick a life after the missing piece comes back from world war. The book is not heavy-handed in trying to show this was happening all over the place in 1945-46, but it is clearly so; and this feels very real, very focused on the currently-rattling and shaking nuts and bolts of one family in transition. Friends and relatives so show other little (or big) dramas playing out, other choices married couples can make, teenagers can make, lonelier people can make. The book does end with one final, somewhat predictable revelation to cap all the struggles, real and imagined, off, and this particular phase of Claudia’s life closes. Now that I know there are others on record…I don’t know that I’ll return to Claudia, but I’m glad I met her. She’s a cool, free-thinking woman of 1945, and I’m confident that things went well for her from here on in.
The cover of my edition is a bit misleading. So there is Claudia, presumably, out trimming hedges with no top on under her overalls, and a Playboy centerfold face, and look on her face. Plus, the back of the book seemed to suggest that the main plot would about this Claudia trying to keep her husband out of the clutches of some kind of younger rival. So I’m thinking “Okay - is this like a Thorne Smith novel?”…not necessarily with some Fantasy element hidden inside, but Claudia constantly half naked, either deliberately because she’s resorting to daring tactics to be more sexy, or accidentally, because her dress gets caught in the new automatic door at the supermarket and gets ripped off, leaving her in lingerie. Thorne Smith’s Turnabout, or Rain in the Doorway, meets two women fighting over a man (who doesn’t deserve it)? Bawdy titillation comedy with horribly outdated wife/husband dynamics?
It’s not that. Nor did it suddenly turn into a whodunit, or other sort of Crime novel - though sudden death, and grief, do figure into the book, in a very affecting way. And as far as the sexy cover goes, it does not represent what the book is like, or why we should follow Claudia around, or why she managed to carry a series (I didn’t know this was a multi-book affair until I had read a chapter or two, and then confirmed). So, not a raunchy comedy of scantily-clad, bouncy women delighted by armies of leering men, or whatever.
To stop fiddling about, and focus, I’ll say it’s sort of a Romance. It’s a Romance between Claudia and David, who have been married ten years and have two kids. He’s just come back from the war, her life has been different for years because of his absence and also because of other reasons, and they get to hit the re-set button on life together. They seem upper middle class, but his career in architecture evaporated while he was away, though there’s a farm that keeps things going, and a strong network of friends and relations. The two kids, Bobby and Matthew, are both quite young, and some of the dialogue between either of them and their parents is a delight to read. It soon becomes clear that Claudia can indeed be a bit jealous, or worried, when it comes to other women’s behaviour towards David, but it’s hard to tell if she is justified in certain cases, and it’s also hard to tell if this is where the book is actually going. I’ll just say that I’m glad that Claudia didn’t turn into some insulting Fatal Attraction caricature that has no identity other than clutching at a man. She seems in every way the equal of David, though David does not seem to ever be worried about any of the men in Claudia’s life. Nevertheless, this aspect of Claudia’s personality never dominates the storylines, and it is interesting to see whether any of her fears in this regard have any merit. I am glad that this was not a novel about Claudia holding on to her man.
Then, maybe David should worry about holding on to Claudia; suddenly, she has a chance to appear in a theatrical production, put on and financed by big important people who see her as a future star. This begins to drive the novel - Claudia’s unexpected chance to start a career; what happens then, how does the family work, the farm thing? Then, David gets a dream architectural job dangled in front of him, with commuting to, or living in, New York just being the start of new concerns. This becomes, fully, (not your usual) Romance mixed with Family Drama. But I must also say that one wonderful thing about this book is that it is pure, authentic 1945 (well, published 1946). Yes, we’re stuck in one bit of socio-economic, upper middle-class white stratification…but keeping that in mind, I felt transported to family life in 1945. The novel stops in its tracks as Claudia and David react to the news that America has dropped atomic bombs; then the plot continues, and they later have to deal with more personal tragic news.
But the book is ultimately a feel-good book. Some terrible things happen, some delightfully mundane things happen, and lots of stuff in between as Claudia and her loved ones try to pick a life after the missing piece comes back from world war. The book is not heavy-handed in trying to show this was happening all over the place in 1945-46, but it is clearly so; and this feels very real, very focused on the currently-rattling and shaking nuts and bolts of one family in transition. Friends and relatives so show other little (or big) dramas playing out, other choices married couples can make, teenagers can make, lonelier people can make. The book does end with one final, somewhat predictable revelation to cap all the struggles, real and imagined, off, and this particular phase of Claudia’s life closes. Now that I know there are others on record…I don’t know that I’ll return to Claudia, but I’m glad I met her. She’s a cool, free-thinking woman of 1945, and I’m confident that things went well for her from here on in.
May 13, 2011
I read all of the Claudia books- Claudia, Claudia & David, Another Claudia, Young Claudia, The Marriage of Claudia, From Claudia to David, Those Fragile Years, and Return of Claudia. The copyright date on these books is 1946. They originally appeared in magazines during WWII as escape literature. Very light stories! Claudia is a zany, wise, silly woman. The books took place in a period of twelve years. They were great. I could not put them down. So simple but poignant.
September 24, 2023
Just love these books
September 6, 2021
This is the fourth book in the Claudia series by Rose Franken.
My grandmother first piqued my interest in this series when I was young. She read several funny passages and then encouraged me to read the series when I was older, so I suppose these books hold a lot of nostalgia for me. I have read this series countless times and it is always an enjoyable read!
I do not really relate to Claudia, especially with regards to her relationship with her husband, but I enjoy reading about her life. The books begin in Manhattan during the 1940's, I find the descriptions of daily life to be fascinating. As the series progresses you see Claudia grow from a young, helpless girl, to a strong, capable woman, and while the style of the writing keeps the tone lighthearted and humorous, the subject matter can be quite heavy. This couple had more than their share of heartache, and the struggle and grief is present even in this lighthearted read. As with most books of this era, the racism and sexism is present, but it is still a series I enjoy reading.
The Claudia series
1) Claudia
2) Claudia and David
3) Another Claudia
4) Young Claudia
5) The Marriage of Claudia
6) From Claudia to David
7) Those Fragile Years
8) The Antic Years (US)
(Also published as The Return of Claudia-UK)
*Book of Claudia is "Claudia" & "Claudia and David"
My grandmother first piqued my interest in this series when I was young. She read several funny passages and then encouraged me to read the series when I was older, so I suppose these books hold a lot of nostalgia for me. I have read this series countless times and it is always an enjoyable read!
I do not really relate to Claudia, especially with regards to her relationship with her husband, but I enjoy reading about her life. The books begin in Manhattan during the 1940's, I find the descriptions of daily life to be fascinating. As the series progresses you see Claudia grow from a young, helpless girl, to a strong, capable woman, and while the style of the writing keeps the tone lighthearted and humorous, the subject matter can be quite heavy. This couple had more than their share of heartache, and the struggle and grief is present even in this lighthearted read. As with most books of this era, the racism and sexism is present, but it is still a series I enjoy reading.
The Claudia series
1) Claudia
2) Claudia and David
3) Another Claudia
4) Young Claudia
5) The Marriage of Claudia
6) From Claudia to David
7) Those Fragile Years
8) The Antic Years (US)
(Also published as The Return of Claudia-UK)
*Book of Claudia is "Claudia" & "Claudia and David"
March 23, 2017
Fourth in the series.
July 18, 2008
book 4
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews