What do you think?
Rate this book
The Matzo Ball Heiress
Q: How does Heather Greenblotz, the thirty-one-year-old heiress to the world's leading matzo company, celebrate Passover?
A: Alone. In her Manhattan apartment. With an extremely unkosher ham-and-cheese panini.
But this year will be different. The Food Channel has asked to film the famous Greenblotz Matzo family's seder, and the publicity op is too good to, ahem, pass over. Heather is being courted by the handsome director and the subtly sexy cameraman, and she's got family coming out of her ears. It's enough to make a formerly dateless heiress feel like a princess.
After she casts an ancient shopkeeper as Grandma and coaxes her bisexual father to make an appearance, Heather thinks she's pulled it off. Until her mother stages an unexpected walk-on. As the live broadcast threatens to become a Greenblotz family exposé, Heather must dig deep to find faith in love, family and, most of all, herself.
A: Alone. In her Manhattan apartment. With an extremely unkosher ham-and-cheese panini.
But this year will be different. The Food Channel has asked to film the famous Greenblotz Matzo family's seder, and the publicity op is too good to, ahem, pass over. Heather is being courted by the handsome director and the subtly sexy cameraman, and she's got family coming out of her ears. It's enough to make a formerly dateless heiress feel like a princess.
After she casts an ancient shopkeeper as Grandma and coaxes her bisexual father to make an appearance, Heather thinks she's pulled it off. Until her mother stages an unexpected walk-on. As the live broadcast threatens to become a Greenblotz family exposé, Heather must dig deep to find faith in love, family and, most of all, herself.
320 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2004
9 people are currently reading
362 people want to read
About the author
Laurie Gwen Shapiro
7 books122 followersLaurie Gwen Shapiro is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and journalist whose writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, New York, The Daily Beast, Lapham’s Quarterly, Slate, Aeon, The Forward, and the Los Angeles Review of Books. Her documentary film awards include an Independent Spirit Award for directing IFC’s Keep the River on Your Right, and an Emmy nomination for HBO’s Finishing Heaven. Shapiro is the 2022 winner of the Silurians Press Awards Gold Medallion for Best People Profile for “He Bombed the Nazis, Outwitted the Soviets and Modernized Christmas” for The New York Times and the 2021 winner of Best NYC Essay or Article from the GANYC Apple Awards for “The Improbable Journey of Dorothy Parker’s Ashes” for The New Yorker. The Stowaway (Simon & Schuster) was her best selling first full-length work of nonfiction, and was an Indie next selection. Her next nonfiction book will be The Aviator and the Showman, for Viking Books. July 2025.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
April 22, 2024
What a fun read! I would classify this book as a combination of chicklit, women's fiction and a romantic comedy. I was looking for a Passover romance book. This book had everything. Lots of Jewish rep. And a fun Passover experience.
This book features 31 year old Heather Greenblotz. She is the heiress to the world's leading matzo company. She is also a documentary producer.
This book is set in New York City during Passover. I loved that the Food Channel was part of the story and that they wanted to film her family's seder. And I really enjoyed the romance (even though it wasn't the main focus of the story).
I absolutely love books with Jewish representation. And it is very meaningful to me to read books that take place during Passover.
This book features 31 year old Heather Greenblotz. She is the heiress to the world's leading matzo company. She is also a documentary producer.
This book is set in New York City during Passover. I loved that the Food Channel was part of the story and that they wanted to film her family's seder. And I really enjoyed the romance (even though it wasn't the main focus of the story).
I absolutely love books with Jewish representation. And it is very meaningful to me to read books that take place during Passover.
January 6, 2009
I'll admit it; I loved this book! I'm turning into a chick lit fan :)
Laurie Gwen Shapiro is one of those authors who writes characters I can actually see in my mind's eye, or I have actually known. So many of the scenes (believable or not) were easy to imagine, because she has such a great "descriptive gene".
I could have done without the mini-sex scene early on in the book, but did find it fascinating that there wasn't a sex scene at all with the hero/guy-we-were-cheering for. Intentional? Because their love was real? Too special to taint by letting us in on it? Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but I kind of liked that.
I loved the New Yorkiness of this story. Having worked with NY/NJ people and telecommuted back and forth for the last 8 or so years, I have a soft spot in my heart for any story set "in the city". And of course, I couldn't help but chuckle when Heather talks about standing "on line". This is such an east coast expression, and always makes me want to ask -- was there really a line to stand on? :)
I agree with the friend who sent this to me -- that this is very like Good in Bed, but I think I liked this a little better. Maybe 'cause it was just a little less angst-filled, and a little lighter-hearted.
There were many fun parts in this book, and I could go on and on quoting and citing things I liked. But I'm going to leave some treasures for the rest of the ring members :)
Laurie Gwen Shapiro is one of those authors who writes characters I can actually see in my mind's eye, or I have actually known. So many of the scenes (believable or not) were easy to imagine, because she has such a great "descriptive gene".
I could have done without the mini-sex scene early on in the book, but did find it fascinating that there wasn't a sex scene at all with the hero/guy-we-were-cheering for. Intentional? Because their love was real? Too special to taint by letting us in on it? Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but I kind of liked that.
I loved the New Yorkiness of this story. Having worked with NY/NJ people and telecommuted back and forth for the last 8 or so years, I have a soft spot in my heart for any story set "in the city". And of course, I couldn't help but chuckle when Heather talks about standing "on line". This is such an east coast expression, and always makes me want to ask -- was there really a line to stand on? :)
I agree with the friend who sent this to me -- that this is very like Good in Bed, but I think I liked this a little better. Maybe 'cause it was just a little less angst-filled, and a little lighter-hearted.
There were many fun parts in this book, and I could go on and on quoting and citing things I liked. But I'm going to leave some treasures for the rest of the ring members :)
June 3, 2020
Fun, entertaining funny but a bit stereotypical story of Heather Greenblotz who along with her cousins has inherited the Greenblotz company to run. This is an imaged company that is in competition with the very real, Manischewitz company which produces and markets matzah and other food products . This is a fun novel about the Jewish family behind Greenblotz matzah and their lack of religious conviction. Like all good entertainment there is some tension and some romance nd of course a happy ending.
June 25, 2025
Gem of a book!
October 31, 2014
Read it a while ago, don't remember too much about it so three stars.
August 28, 2024
Definitely dated, but still entertaining. I have always had a soft spot for Red Dress Ink as an imprint. Combine that with it being Jewish chick lit and I knew I had to buy this.
This book is 20 years old. There is a lot of dated technology of course. But there is also a lot of dated banter that wouldn't fly today. One section that left me scratching my head was when they were at the museum and they talked about Roswell flirting with a young teen girl and they all admired her breasts. That was ick.
Another part that threw me was when Jared shaved off his beard and she was telling him about people that braid theirs and said she saw it on a Generation Z kid who was skateboarding. The oldest Gen Z kid was 7 in 2004. Was this what Millennials were then? Or did she misspeak?
This book is 20 years old. There is a lot of dated technology of course. But there is also a lot of dated banter that wouldn't fly today. One section that left me scratching my head was when they were at the museum and they talked about Roswell flirting with a young teen girl and they all admired her breasts. That was ick.
Another part that threw me was when Jared shaved off his beard and she was telling him about people that braid theirs and said she saw it on a Generation Z kid who was skateboarding. The oldest Gen Z kid was 7 in 2004. Was this what Millennials were then? Or did she misspeak?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 11, 2022
I thought this book's plot was sort of all over the place and that there were too many creepy sexual portions of it; which was awkward. My favorite quote however, was, "...she made me soup. It was cabbage soup in some interesting looking broth. But it was the first time my mom had nurtured me since I was probably five." I chose this because it represents the dysfunctional family in this book and them coming to terms with one another.
October 28, 2020
I read this book many years ago (decades) and think of it with mirth throughout the year. It was smart, funny, and all around a pleasurable read that I was and am grateful to have experienced. Very relatable from the world of Jewish culture.
September 27, 2020
Giving this to the rebbitzin come Pesach!
November 23, 2020
Predictable but still enjoyable. I always enjoy a quirky family and I especially liked that a Passover seder was front and center.
April 13, 2021
Read this for a book club.
September 12, 2021
This was a fun romp through NYC, dysfunctional families, Jewish issues, cultural norms.
October 23, 2021
A Jewish woman who knows nothing about being Jewish, and really doesn't care about being Jewish, and her search for a guy who's Jewish but not 'too' Jewish. A sad waste of time.
April 14, 2025
Some very dated treatment of women, and some incorrect information about Jewish traditions.
July 28, 2020
I found this book to be a fun, quick read. It wasn't anything special...but it was a fun place holder. I loved the references to Judaism. Growing up Jewish, I appreciated reading something that reminded me of my family. Oh, and Matzo Ball Soup is my favorite food!
March 11, 2011
My sister gave me this to read - I doubt I would have picked it up otherwise - and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Several pages in I found myself googling "matzo" and "seder" though - maybe I'm slow but I didn't seem to be completely understanding what they were from the context, only generally, and I'm a bit of a freak about exactness. I knew what matzo ball soup was, but not just "matzo."
Heather is a Jewish woman, heir and sometimes participant to the world's largest kosher matzo factory. She and her family, however, are not kosher, don't go to temple, speak Hebrew, or know Judaic rituals. When Food Channel wants to do a live show of her family's "seder" dinner during Passover they really have to scramble. To fill out the "family" they include their employee Bertie, in the role of grandmother, a friend and her boyfriend, who happens to be the UN rep for Egypt (!), and a cousin's girlfriend who's last name is far, far from Jewish, among others.
We join Heather through the joys and trials of love and family, so even those who are not Jewish can easily relate. I enjoyed learning more about Jewish traditions.
I like the author's writing style, but for some reason she found it necessary to use the "f" word on occasion, and it felt like a very solid slap every time. Sort of like being at a petting zoo and suddenly being confronted by a lion.
Heather is a Jewish woman, heir and sometimes participant to the world's largest kosher matzo factory. She and her family, however, are not kosher, don't go to temple, speak Hebrew, or know Judaic rituals. When Food Channel wants to do a live show of her family's "seder" dinner during Passover they really have to scramble. To fill out the "family" they include their employee Bertie, in the role of grandmother, a friend and her boyfriend, who happens to be the UN rep for Egypt (!), and a cousin's girlfriend who's last name is far, far from Jewish, among others.
We join Heather through the joys and trials of love and family, so even those who are not Jewish can easily relate. I enjoyed learning more about Jewish traditions.
I like the author's writing style, but for some reason she found it necessary to use the "f" word on occasion, and it felt like a very solid slap every time. Sort of like being at a petting zoo and suddenly being confronted by a lion.
April 5, 2008
Heather Greenblotz has the life that many people would envy. She is an heiress to one of the largest food companies in New York City, Greennbolz Matzo. She is extremely wealthy. She is a documentary film maker with a few Emmy awards to show for her brilliant work. However, when the Food Channel decides to produce a special on her family’s Passover seder—suddenly, her world comes falling down. Heather’s family is as disjointed and dysfunctional as they come and they have not celebrated Passover since Heather can remember. With the help of Jared, a camera she met from the Food Channel, Heather is suddenly on a mad dash to find her gay father in Amsterdam, get her mother to cancel her yearly scuba driving trip, and gather the rest of the crazy family to pull of a Passover in front of millions of viewers.
Do you have a crazy family? Well, join the club…so does everyone else in the world—this novel proves it! The novel is a quick read about the craziness of family, the difficulties of finding love, the struggles of being rich, and how to keep it all together when it feels like everything is falling apart. It is a humorous look at life and family. It is a quick read and enjoyable to the last drop matzo ball soup.
Do you have a crazy family? Well, join the club…so does everyone else in the world—this novel proves it! The novel is a quick read about the craziness of family, the difficulties of finding love, the struggles of being rich, and how to keep it all together when it feels like everything is falling apart. It is a humorous look at life and family. It is a quick read and enjoyable to the last drop matzo ball soup.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 10, 2008
This book was kind of super cute!
I liked that Heather didn't annoy me to no end like the majority of chick lit heroines do. She was fun! And even though she was pretending to be something she was not - a chick lit plot that is also usually annoying - it was different in this case because it wasn't some ridiculous scheme she had come up with herself. It wasn't her idea! It was for the good of the family business! The whole family was in on it! Oh, and I really liked that the love interest knew her secret not because he figured it out on his own (only revealing that he knew all along at the end, like a dude in another book would have done), but because she behaved like a normal person who really likes someone and just told him.
And the supporting characters were all fantastic.
It was fun! I liked it!
I liked that Heather didn't annoy me to no end like the majority of chick lit heroines do. She was fun! And even though she was pretending to be something she was not - a chick lit plot that is also usually annoying - it was different in this case because it wasn't some ridiculous scheme she had come up with herself. It wasn't her idea! It was for the good of the family business! The whole family was in on it! Oh, and I really liked that the love interest knew her secret not because he figured it out on his own (only revealing that he knew all along at the end, like a dude in another book would have done), but because she behaved like a normal person who really likes someone and just told him.
And the supporting characters were all fantastic.
It was fun! I liked it!
November 5, 2015
I want to like this book, the premise was interesting but upon reading it, I find everything in it to be so contradictory. She said it's a big secret that her family, the Matzo Ball Biggest Maker in America isn't kosher but she blabbed/revealed about that fact to everyone that she has just meet for only 5 seconds, including someone that can clearly be seen as very unreliable like her intern, Roswell. Second she said over and over again she's a heiress but she mentions about buying from a sample sale or stores that targets mid-to-low finance condition. Third, she makes as if she's depressed all the time, need to go to the psychiatrist, etc, but appears normal all the time. Also the book contains too much digression from the main plot / thing that is happening. The scene in the restaurant with Jared and Sarah for one, or the Amsterdam scene. All in all, a wasted good premise :(
October 13, 2010
Okay, I'm not sure I can quite legitimately claim this one was recommended by Rebecca... more like she mailed it to me with a post-it note that read "terrible, but amazingly so!" And since I do whatever Rebecca tells me to do, and I can also be convinced to summon up at least a vague interest in pretty much anything involving Jews in New York, I read it. And totally enjoyed it. It's pretty absurd, but no one reads chicklit expecting anything less. And it turned out to be marginally less fluffy than I expected (which was actually to its detriment; it occasionally lapsed into taking itself too seriously to be much fun). The writing was decent and the protagonist's dad is gay. What's not to like?
August 16, 2009
Heiress to the most well-known matzo brand, Heather Greenblotz is everything you wouldn't expect: she doesn't go to synagogue, she doesn't read Hebrew, and she is mot certainly NOT kosher. Heather's dirty little secret isn't that big of a deal until the uber-cute producer at the Food Channel wants to do a live broadcast of the famous family's seder. The seder that doesn't exist. Suddenly Heather's having to pull together her far-flung family and start hiding their massive secrets. Not to mention having to choose between two very attractive men...
Cute. Typical chick-lit, but it was a fun read.
Cute. Typical chick-lit, but it was a fun read.
January 4, 2016
The Matzo Ball Heiress is a great chick-lit book that is not only a good read, but also informative. Okay, so the protagonist does spend a considerable amount of time whining about how tough it is being from a rich, dysfunctional family but she is more educated and sympathetic than many chick-lit characters.
The author includes plenty of tidbits about Judaism which I found interesting and relevant to the story. I also liked the behind-the-scenes look into making documentaries and television shows. The ending, though, is a bit forced. Everything is all tidied up and decorated with a bow- too improbably for my taste. The last chapter seems like an afterthought and serves no purpose.
The author includes plenty of tidbits about Judaism which I found interesting and relevant to the story. I also liked the behind-the-scenes look into making documentaries and television shows. The ending, though, is a bit forced. Everything is all tidied up and decorated with a bow- too improbably for my taste. The last chapter seems like an afterthought and serves no purpose.
December 31, 2015
Very entertaining story about the heirs of a matzo ball kingdom whose family life is severely dysfunctional. Yet, in order to boost their failing business, they must act like a normal Jewish family at their seder, televised live. The book's full of interesting characters from the best friend, the Egyptian diplomat, the gay father, the shopoholic mother, and the eccentric therapist. Not quite as good as The Anglophile, in my opinion, but still superior to most of the chick-lit out there.
July 3, 2009
Honestly, I was lured by the chartreuse- cutesy cover & witty title. The wit, characters, modern allusions, & plot of this comedy make for an entertaining read. I suspect it would translate well into a screenplay for a modern romantic comedy starring a team the likes of Ryan & Hanks. -- Definitely a light read suitable for summer lounging.
April 25, 2010
How much fun to find Jewish chick-lit! Matzo ball soup, dysfunctional Jewish family, gay characters, and Jews in all their different chosen traditions. I'd like to spend one of my Passover seders with this crowd (though on the second night...can't miss my favorite holiday with my family on the 1st!)
January 29, 2011
Surprisingly, this was very cute. Home with a bad cold, I wanted something light - didn't expect to quickly finish it and find it as enjoyable as I did. It's VERY heavy on the Judaism - the language, the cultural references, the humor.... may not be as easily enjoyed by someone less familiar with it all.
January 18, 2012
I was pleasantly surprised. I thought I'd picked up a romance book by accident or something but it had more depth than i expected. Now it's no War & Peace and it is a bit light weight easy read but it was also enjoyable and I liked the characters. Good story, actually more plausible than one might think, and has some good humor.
July 22, 2007
This is a light book, a fast read, and is great fun. Brings out the Passover family spirit, and there's some romance too. Goes to show that no matter how much money someone has, it doesn't mean they're happy; and it's written in a way that makes me smile.
March 31, 2010
It was cute. I bought it last year before Passover, but never got a chance to read it then, so I waited until Passover again this year. It was a fun and cute read, which I enjoyed timing it with the holiday.
August 10, 2008
Just remembered this book when I found it at the Avenue J library and recommended it to my sister. Much in the vein of the shopaholic books and the like, but I found it much wittier and acerbic (right up my alley!) Plus, the heroine is Jewish, the heiress to a matzo factory fortune.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews