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The Book Borrower
On the day they first meet in a city playground, Deborah Laidlaw lends Toby Ruben a book called Trolley Girl , the memoir of a forgotten trolley strike in the 1920s, written by the sister of a fiery Jewish revolutionary who played an important, ultimately tragic role in the events. Young mothers with babies, Toby and Deborah become instant friends. It is a relationship that will endure for decades—through the vagaries of marriage, career, and child-rearing, through heated discussions of politics, ethics, and life—until an insurmountable argument takes the two women down divergent paths. But in the aftermath of crisis and sorrow, it is a borrowed book, long set aside and forgotten, that will unite Toby and Deborah once again.
278 pages, Paperback
First published October 30, 1999
67 people are currently reading
1071 people want to read
About the author
Alice Mattison
29 books66 followersAlice Mattison's new novel, WHEN WE ARGUED ALL NIGHT, will be published by Harper Perennial as a paperback original on June 12, 2012. She's the author of 5 other novels, most recently NOTHING IS QUITE FORGOTTEN IN BROOKLYN, 4 collections of stories, and a book of poems. Many of her stories have appeared in The New Yorker and other magazines. She grew up in Brooklyn, New York and has lived for a long time in New Haven, Connecticut. She teaches fiction writing in the Bennington Writing Seminars, the low-residency MFA program at Bennington College in Vermont.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 291 reviews
May 9, 2011
Many Goodreaders disliked this book, but it was a New York Times notable book, and a few people liked it a lot. So it was an interesting experiment to read through the reviews and for readers whose tastes match my own. Turns out, those who liked it are a lot like me reading-wise (duh). It has been a long time since I read Anne Tyler, but I kept thinking of her and Raymond Carver as I followed the characters through their very ordinary, slightly sad, very believable lives. This was an unromanticized story of friendship, art, and loss that, for me, captured the ordinariness of extraordinary people. Some readers disliked the switches between two different stories, but I love the early 20th century immigrant culture of my grandparents and I found the transitions engaging and easy to follow. The end of the novel made the effort required worthwhile.
September 30, 2009
4-09
I really didn't care for this book, and it was quite an effort to get through it. It was for book club. We all read the blurb and decided that it sounded great, but I think we've been let down. I had a lot of trouble with her writing style. It jumped erratically from one thought to another when characters were talking and thinking. That drove me nuts. Also hated that there were no quotation marks. Just those dash things, which made it confusing figuring out what was spoken, and what was thought. Couldn't find a single character to like or identify with. I just wanted to give Ruben a kick in the butt for being so gloomy and self centered. Are we supposed to like the character of Berry? She was just awful. Hated what she did at the end of the book. I had to force myself to get through it.
I really didn't care for this book, and it was quite an effort to get through it. It was for book club. We all read the blurb and decided that it sounded great, but I think we've been let down. I had a lot of trouble with her writing style. It jumped erratically from one thought to another when characters were talking and thinking. That drove me nuts. Also hated that there were no quotation marks. Just those dash things, which made it confusing figuring out what was spoken, and what was thought. Couldn't find a single character to like or identify with. I just wanted to give Ruben a kick in the butt for being so gloomy and self centered. Are we supposed to like the character of Berry? She was just awful. Hated what she did at the end of the book. I had to force myself to get through it.
July 16, 2015
This book sounded so intriguing but I gave up after 50 pages. Everything about it annoyed me including the writing style and the characters. I couldn't be bothered reading any further.
September 14, 2017
This had such potential with the two storylines but I think the choppy way it was written made me lose interest.
November 15, 2012
Eh...I finished it. My friendships with other women are very important to me. I have been happily married for a long time, to a stand-up guy, who does not talk, and doesn't listen very much. And that's where I look for other women. We're the oral types, right? We have to talk, and we talk to each other.
For this reason, plus the fact that it was a New York Times notable, I anticipated myself becoming immersed in one character or another, or maybe more than one. It never happened. I was glad I didn't pay full cover price for it (half-priced, used).
I kept turning the pages, partly because I thought that if I read far enough in, the things that were promised on the blurbs that praise it, would happen for me. Also, to be honest, I didn't have another novel I had not read in the house, and this was better than going back to re-read something else (barely). I had 4 nonfiction titles I was reading, some pretty heavy, and I needed a bedtime book that didn't require rapt focus or a pen in my hand to make notes in the margins.
I will say one thing: it put me to sleep just fine.
For this reason, plus the fact that it was a New York Times notable, I anticipated myself becoming immersed in one character or another, or maybe more than one. It never happened. I was glad I didn't pay full cover price for it (half-priced, used).
I kept turning the pages, partly because I thought that if I read far enough in, the things that were promised on the blurbs that praise it, would happen for me. Also, to be honest, I didn't have another novel I had not read in the house, and this was better than going back to re-read something else (barely). I had 4 nonfiction titles I was reading, some pretty heavy, and I needed a bedtime book that didn't require rapt focus or a pen in my hand to make notes in the margins.
I will say one thing: it put me to sleep just fine.
May 12, 2011
Has this ever happened to you.... You are checking out the books at Costco and come across a book with a great picture on the cover. Suddenly you are intrigued. Then you read the fabulous title. The Book Borrower. (Especially when you love books about books--The Book Thief, Shadow of the Wind). It ends up in your cart next to the frozen chicken and clorox wipes. Why not, its only eight bucks! Well, I wish I had my eight bucks back. Lame book.
July 28, 2012
I only read about 1/3 of this book. Today our book group met and I found that even those who read the entire book had to force themselves to continue.
The English teachers in the group were very bothered by the lack of punctuation, especially quotation marks. No one in the group really was able to interpret much of a message.
The review of the book which several of us had read contained statements that were not borne out in the book.
One member of our group had read that this is an example of post-modern literature. If this is post-modern I hope future authors will warn us so we do not invest our money in this type of literature.
The English teachers in the group were very bothered by the lack of punctuation, especially quotation marks. No one in the group really was able to interpret much of a message.
The review of the book which several of us had read contained statements that were not borne out in the book.
One member of our group had read that this is an example of post-modern literature. If this is post-modern I hope future authors will warn us so we do not invest our money in this type of literature.
January 5, 2023
If I can explain this book in one word, it’s chaos. The writing style without quotation marks was chaotic, which made it simply annoying to read, but you tend to get used to it after a while. I enjoyed reading this book because it reminded me of this infamous anime called Nana. Much like the anime, this book talks about the friendship between two women who had a lot going on. (Of course, it’s not exactly like Nana, but it was similar enough for me.) I enjoyed moving through the two stories that the book provided. I can see how this book is not for everyone, but if you’re in the mood for something a little different, I think you should give it a shot.
December 29, 2018
My open letter to authors everywhere: Please please please use quotation marks when writing dialogue. Not using them doesn't make you edgy. It doesn't make you new and inventive. It doesn't set your writing above others. It make your books annoying and hard to read. It takes the reader out of the story because they have to concentrate on when someone begins and finishes speaking and sometimes go back to a boring sentence they don't care about just to try and figure it out. It's horrible. Long live quotation marks!
Thank you.
Thank you.
March 22, 2013
I can't believe I finished this book. What's more, I can't believe someone published this book!!! I kept thinking 'its going to get better', and yet, it didn't. Unless this is some other super cerebral story that I didn't just get.
All I wanted to do was strangle the main character but then realized its the author I should strangle. Or at least find out what drugs she was on when writing this story.
Pass on this one everyone...
All I wanted to do was strangle the main character but then realized its the author I should strangle. Or at least find out what drugs she was on when writing this story.
Pass on this one everyone...
March 1, 2008
I recently reread this book and was enthralled all over again. It's still one of the most moving books I've ever read on the subject of female friendship over time. It also has an ingenious book-within-a-book narrative strategy. Mattison's style here reminds me a lot of Grace Paley.
August 8, 2012
This is a very weird book - but a good one - and actually one that will probably linger in my mind for sometime to come. It's about the friendship of two women and their connection over their lifetime with a book - called Trolley Girl - which is a memoir about a Jewish Anarchist woman who led a strike in Boston in the 20s. Yet neither of the women are attached to the book, nor the anarchist woman - who eventually shows up in the story in the present.
The narrative switches from the "present" lives of these women who are mothers, and teachers (and honestly don't seem to be very good friends) and then the story of the trolley system, the anarchists and the labor disputes.
The writing style is strange, and it is almost vague (reminds me of one of those emo-fanzines) and leaves out as much as it includes and the switch in narratives isn't very well marked.
But the story grew on me and I wanted to find out what happened to the anarchist who was accused of murder, as well as to the friendship of these two women as well as their families. The book actually belonged to the husband who was obsessed with trolleys and it's the other woman's son who ends up working for the artist and connecting things together - though no one makes the connection, or actually reads the book. But the idea is that the book continually brings about a connection and ties things together.
Well, I ended up liking this one.
The narrative switches from the "present" lives of these women who are mothers, and teachers (and honestly don't seem to be very good friends) and then the story of the trolley system, the anarchists and the labor disputes.
The writing style is strange, and it is almost vague (reminds me of one of those emo-fanzines) and leaves out as much as it includes and the switch in narratives isn't very well marked.
But the story grew on me and I wanted to find out what happened to the anarchist who was accused of murder, as well as to the friendship of these two women as well as their families. The book actually belonged to the husband who was obsessed with trolleys and it's the other woman's son who ends up working for the artist and connecting things together - though no one makes the connection, or actually reads the book. But the idea is that the book continually brings about a connection and ties things together.
Well, I ended up liking this one.
June 26, 2011
Unfortunately, around the time this book was written (1999), there was a style of writing that many authors used in which the author flipped back and forth between parallel stories, eras. Usually, I found it distracting and detracted from the story. Sometimes it was ok.
When I first began to read this book, it was too confusing and I put it down. I picked it up again because I never quit on a book!
This author has somethingn to say and I believe had the story been written in a different style, would be a my list of really liked books. The trolley, anti-semitism as simply a fact of life for the Jewish immigrant in the 1920s, friendship between women, sisters, what it means to be family. Great themes in this book!
p. 133 "She liked clothes with buttons, flaps, and zippers, as if they sectioned her off into acceptable parts." (overweight and self-conscious) Interesting idea!
p. 265 "A book one has read is different from a book one has not read." So true!
p. 265 "Sorrow can be encompassed, somehow..." True!
I would like to read something else by this author. She has something to say that is worth reading.
When I first began to read this book, it was too confusing and I put it down. I picked it up again because I never quit on a book!
This author has somethingn to say and I believe had the story been written in a different style, would be a my list of really liked books. The trolley, anti-semitism as simply a fact of life for the Jewish immigrant in the 1920s, friendship between women, sisters, what it means to be family. Great themes in this book!
p. 133 "She liked clothes with buttons, flaps, and zippers, as if they sectioned her off into acceptable parts." (overweight and self-conscious) Interesting idea!
p. 265 "A book one has read is different from a book one has not read." So true!
p. 265 "Sorrow can be encompassed, somehow..." True!
I would like to read something else by this author. She has something to say that is worth reading.
July 14, 2018
It's clear from the start that this book is intriguingly off-balance and challenging. Its style reflects the main character's uncomfortable relationship with herself, and may explain why some reviewers were uncomfortable with the book. Toby Ruben is just one of the puzzling people in the book that make you want to read on, and the way that the narrative moves in and out of fantasy keeps you wondering what the author will do next. In fact, Ruben has many unappealing qualities, with her "kindness deficit" and tendency to undermine people close to her. But simple views of morality, like many other things in the world, are questioned in this novel. Some obvious ties between contemporary characters and the novel within a novel about a fictional 1920s strike are joined by numerous echoes, such as the sisterlike relationship between Ruben and her best friend. We do not know till the end what is resolved and what is left hanging.
July 22, 2008
Our first book in the book club and this book required considerable effort for me to finish. If it had not been a book club choice I doubt if I would have finished it at all. I found the book within the book much more interesting than the main story itself. Also the main character--to me anyway--was not very likeable at all. I found her to be very selfish at times. It is difficult to like a book when you don't really care for the main character throughout the story. However two people in our group did enjoy the book and one admitted truly identifiying with the main character. I don't get it. I doubt if I would pick up another book from this author again.
January 15, 2018
After reading some of the reviews, I guess this is one of those books that you either like or you don’t like. I loved this book, and I really enjoyed Mattison’s style of writing. Her prose might be described as spare but in a positive way, a way that emphasizes the body of the novel imbued with the most meaning— the dialogue. Through the dialogue, the characters become fleshed out and take on truly realistic dimensions. As readers, we are enlightened with perspectives that not only slowly and poignantly divulge the lives of the characters but our own lives as well. This was a beautifully written, meaningful novel on what it means to be human, to love, and to lose.
June 14, 2010
I rarely give a book a single star because if it's that bad I simply quit reading it and there's no point in mentioning it further. Well, I quit reading this one, but I wanted to pass along just how bad it was to help others possibly avoid wasting the time and money. It dragged and bounced around oddly, the characters were unlikable and the authors 'artistic' usage of punctuation marks made it hard to read. Avoid this book.
January 25, 2021
Just barely a 2-star book. The structure of the book and the lack of quotation marks made it slow-going. Almost all of the “action” takes place in Toby Ruben’s head and so much of it is about her. I didn’t feel I got a good sense of Deborah. I kept reading to find out what happened to the borrowed book and when that occurred around page 200, I was really tempted to abandon the story.
January 3, 2024
Seemed to be my kind of book, but I did not love it. I found the writing odd. The author seemed to spend a fair amount of time on storylines that seemed inconsequential and there were other times I felt she rushed important lot points.
Also, I had very little interest until two-thirds of the way through the book, and i found part of the plot unbelievable.
Also, I had very little interest until two-thirds of the way through the book, and i found part of the plot unbelievable.
August 27, 2014
The story is set in Boston and begins in the 1970's. Toby and Elizabeth meet at the park while there with their children and form a lifetime friendship. Toby who is an avid reader is given a book by Elizabeth called "Trolley Girl" and hence begins the "bookception" if you will, a book-within-a-book.
"Trolley Girl" is made to believe it's based on a true account of a union activist in the 1920's in Boston. It tells her story of tragic events that changes the lives her she and her family.
I felt the character development in this story was superb. Toby and Elizabeth's friendship spans the decades from when their children are infants until they are grown. Definitely one of the best books I've read about a friendship. It was believable and palpable.
As I began this book I found it difficult to follow due to the unusual dialogue construction. Fighting it at first it was beyond frustrating but once I grew accustomed to this style it became easier to follow. I would recommend this a book to a true reader. Someone who loves reading simply for the sake of reading.
How I acquired this book: Half-price books
Shelf life: Guessing more than 4 years
"Trolley Girl" is made to believe it's based on a true account of a union activist in the 1920's in Boston. It tells her story of tragic events that changes the lives her she and her family.
I felt the character development in this story was superb. Toby and Elizabeth's friendship spans the decades from when their children are infants until they are grown. Definitely one of the best books I've read about a friendship. It was believable and palpable.
As I began this book I found it difficult to follow due to the unusual dialogue construction. Fighting it at first it was beyond frustrating but once I grew accustomed to this style it became easier to follow. I would recommend this a book to a true reader. Someone who loves reading simply for the sake of reading.
How I acquired this book: Half-price books
Shelf life: Guessing more than 4 years
July 21, 2008
This is a story about friendship, as well as a reminder that even the best of friends aren't always in the same relationship. Writers and readers aren't always in the same relationship, either. The book within a book was a strain, here. I didn't see much growth in Toby and Deborah's friendship over 20 years, but some friendships are like that: stuck in the time the twosome began. The main character, Toby, was annoying, but almost all of the characters were unlikable. Berry was the worst. My last and darkest thought is that in both tales, maybe the wrong person died. And, that speaks to an unhealthy relationship between writer and reader.
December 11, 2018
1.5 stars. What was this story about, you may ask? Who knows. The author is actually a very good writer, so I hope her other books are a bit more exciting/have more of a plot. I just didn’t like the story or the characters or the way the author described everything (sculptures, old women, driving, fire hydrants!) in a sexual way. Also, what do people have against quotation marks? Use them! Trust me, they are great. It’s like this magic symbol that lets your reader know when someone is talking. Pretty revolutionary.
December 31, 2008
I was remarkably dissatisfied with this "story within a story". I find I have less and less tolerance for authors who try to be unique in the way they put words down on a page. I like conventional type and punctuation. I also didn't particularly warm to either Deborah or Ruben (Toby).
April 8, 2021
I rarely give up on books, but this one was a close call. After looking at some reviews, I thought I would stick it out. By page 63 I thought I had caught the wave of thought and kept going, only to lose it again and again on the way. The closest thing I can say it that it is like reading free verse that has no linear thought.
The book was written in 1999 and came off my pandemic reading pile. I admit I was taken by the cover and the flyleaf that gave an enticing blurb, plus it was a NY Times notable book selection.
There are parts that are very relatable to two woman with babies meeting and growing a friendship that at times is rocky because these two women think very differently. As they age, their opinions become very strong and cracks appear.
Now you throw in this story of a book about a Trolley Strike and anarchists which is actually rather interesting. The link here is the husband of the close friend, who lends the book, and his interest in the real life woman who was tried for the death of the person in the Trolley Strike accident which happened to be her sister. (The real life anarchist person is fairly consistent as being a lying and cantankerous women who delights in stirring the pot, also a respected artist.) This person appears in the middle of one of the families as an employer and friend of her wayward son. When she appears, expect trouble. (I am serious, take notes.)
Al least I feel that by writing this I am helping to shed some small ray of light on what to expect. I feel there will be some blow-back citing my wrong interpretations. And I would sincerely love to read a review or comments that might guide me to other's insight on this read.
The book was written in 1999 and came off my pandemic reading pile. I admit I was taken by the cover and the flyleaf that gave an enticing blurb, plus it was a NY Times notable book selection.
There are parts that are very relatable to two woman with babies meeting and growing a friendship that at times is rocky because these two women think very differently. As they age, their opinions become very strong and cracks appear.
Now you throw in this story of a book about a Trolley Strike and anarchists which is actually rather interesting. The link here is the husband of the close friend, who lends the book, and his interest in the real life woman who was tried for the death of the person in the Trolley Strike accident which happened to be her sister. (The real life anarchist person is fairly consistent as being a lying and cantankerous women who delights in stirring the pot, also a respected artist.) This person appears in the middle of one of the families as an employer and friend of her wayward son. When she appears, expect trouble. (I am serious, take notes.)
Al least I feel that by writing this I am helping to shed some small ray of light on what to expect. I feel there will be some blow-back citing my wrong interpretations. And I would sincerely love to read a review or comments that might guide me to other's insight on this read.
August 4, 2022
This is a sweet and simple tale about the lasting friendship between two women, with a backdrop of historical unrest to which the reader is exposed secondhand via an old book. Mattison's writing style is unusual, which seems to have irked a lot of readers judging from the reviews. It certainly took me some getting used to, but I ended up rationalizing the lack of paragraphs or quoted conversation as the free form flow of Toby's everyday life and thoughts; also noting that the historical book, 'The Trolley Girl', contrasted sharply with Toby's present as it had more structure (probably representing the non-rebellious mindframe of the rebel's younger sister).
It was also interesting to get an insight into the life for Jewish immigrants in times of anti-semitism, and how that influenced the characters during extreme historic events. The present bitter life of 'the little Jewish anarchist' felt like a product of a tough century of hardship and disappointments. Mattison did a good job weaving other characters in and giving them the luxury of separate lives and decisions. The best part about this book was that it made mundane, everyday things thought provoking.
It was also interesting to get an insight into the life for Jewish immigrants in times of anti-semitism, and how that influenced the characters during extreme historic events. The present bitter life of 'the little Jewish anarchist' felt like a product of a tough century of hardship and disappointments. Mattison did a good job weaving other characters in and giving them the luxury of separate lives and decisions. The best part about this book was that it made mundane, everyday things thought provoking.
December 27, 2024
On the first page of The Book Borrower, Toby Ruben and Deborah Laidlaw meet in 1975 in a New York City playground, where the two women are looking after their babies. Deborah lends Toby a book, Trolley Girl,--a memoir about a long ago trolley strike and three Jewish sisters, one a fiery revolutionary--that will disappear and reappear throughout the twenty-two years these women are friends.
Through two decades Deborah and Toby raise their children, embark on teaching careers, and argue about politics, education, and their own lives. One day during a hike, they have an argument that cannot be resolved--and the two women take different, permanent paths--but it is ultimately the borrowed book that will bring them back together. With sensitivity and grace, Alice Mattison shows how books can rescue us from our deepest sorrows; how the events of the outside world play into our private lives; and how the bonds between women are enduring, mysterious, and laced with surprise.
Through two decades Deborah and Toby raise their children, embark on teaching careers, and argue about politics, education, and their own lives. One day during a hike, they have an argument that cannot be resolved--and the two women take different, permanent paths--but it is ultimately the borrowed book that will bring them back together. With sensitivity and grace, Alice Mattison shows how books can rescue us from our deepest sorrows; how the events of the outside world play into our private lives; and how the bonds between women are enduring, mysterious, and laced with surprise.
June 8, 2017
I really enjoyed this book, although just nitpicking, the lack of quotations marks with dialogue was really off-putting, but I eventually adjusted. Now about the story, or should I say stories - this book begins by following two different storylines, one set in the in the 1920s and the other in the 1970s. The stories go back and forth so fluidly at first that I wasn't sure what story I was reading and it was a bit confusing. But things soon became clear, and I was fascinated by both narratives - the story of the young 1920s activist and her sister who worries for her safety, and the story of the the two young mothers who find their way through friendship and childrearing from the 1970s through the 1990s. And it is during this later period, the 1990s, that the storylines merge and all the pieces seem to come together. Overall, it was a good book and the ending was very satisfying.
December 1, 2018
Quite the challenge to read. Here’s the breakdown: if you read for entertainment you probably will not enjoy this book. If you read to study writing and technique there are a lot of elements worth noting. I read for the entertainment, which was my own mistake. I only made it half way through before realizing I didn’t care about the novel or characters to continue. Never at any point did the story grab my attention. The writing style is non traditional which requires more work to figure out. The characters are hard to relate to, mostly because they are very realistic. I was unwilling to put in the effort required to get anything out of it. I might try to read this again down the road but I will definitely have a different approach and mind set as there are a lot of impressive techniques used to create this novel that deserve attention and praise.
February 10, 2019
This is one of the more unusual books I've ever read. The main story is an intense, yet fraught friendship between two adult women told from the ... perhaps less-kind woman's perspective? Ruben is a pretty interesting creature, though I would not say we get entirely into her head; we really see her from other people's perspectives mostly even though she's the narrator. And then the trolley story is a kind of weird, unconnected but sort of connected story that gets tied up in the end. So, I really liked it but maybe not everyone will? One device that was kind of distracting but also I think created the distinctive voice is that although most of the book/a lot of the book was dialogue there were no quote marks or even for the most part attributions, as in (blah blah blah, she said). Intriguing....
For some reason I started the book several times but this time it really grabbed me.
For some reason I started the book several times but this time it really grabbed me.
August 4, 2019
Looking at some of the reviews for this book, it is becoming clear that my literary tastes are not mainstream! Story elements that were highly criticized by other readers (absence of quotation marks to delineate change in speakers, flawed and somewhat unlikeable-yet-very-real main characters, unresolved issues, etc.) were the very factors that made this book so intriguing...to me.
Also, this year is the 100th anniversary of the Winnipeg General Strike, so the timely book-within-a-book, “Trolley Girl”, and all the supporting facts for the tragic historical event in Boynton, Massachusetts (ex. quotes from news articles and research papers, descriptions of the woes of turn-of-the-century Eastern European immigrants, etc.) imbedded in the story especially ring true...for me.
All in all, a most satisfying read!
Also, this year is the 100th anniversary of the Winnipeg General Strike, so the timely book-within-a-book, “Trolley Girl”, and all the supporting facts for the tragic historical event in Boynton, Massachusetts (ex. quotes from news articles and research papers, descriptions of the woes of turn-of-the-century Eastern European immigrants, etc.) imbedded in the story especially ring true...for me.
All in all, a most satisfying read!
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