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Paternity
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Joel Bergers charmed life is slipping away. Determined to father a child before he dies, Joel makes one desperate appeal to the women of his macrobiotic dinner group for help. Soon he is surrounded by a colorful cast of female characters, including his iron-willed yet oddly endearing mother, Sylvia. Youll laugh and cry along with the Bergers as the story of their patchwork
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Paperback, 247 pages
Published
August 1st 2008
by Comfort Publishing, LLC
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Showing 1-50
Disclaimer: The author is a friend of mine.
Paternity opens in Rochester in 1980, when Joel Berger is diagnosed with terminal cancer. As the son of Holocaust survivors, he vows to continue the genetic legacy of two people who fought to live against overwhelming odds. To that end, he asks the women of his weekly macrobiotic potluck if they would be interested in carrying his child. Two agree: a black lesbian and a virginal Catholic who marries Joel on his deathbed. His parents are less than thrill ...more
Paternity opens in Rochester in 1980, when Joel Berger is diagnosed with terminal cancer. As the son of Holocaust survivors, he vows to continue the genetic legacy of two people who fought to live against overwhelming odds. To that end, he asks the women of his weekly macrobiotic potluck if they would be interested in carrying his child. Two agree: a black lesbian and a virginal Catholic who marries Joel on his deathbed. His parents are less than thrill ...more
“Paternity”, took a while to get into, and the patience was rewarded. This is a delightful story of a family tree, and the planned an unplanned creation of new and budding branches. The choices and wishes of the various characters in the story illustrate how the strategies of man cause god to laugh.
I listened to the audio-book and found the reading enjoyable and the various accents well executed. I saw a lot of my own family in Joel’s. That, and the smattering of familiar Yiddish words, made me ...more
I listened to the audio-book and found the reading enjoyable and the various accents well executed. I saw a lot of my own family in Joel’s. That, and the smattering of familiar Yiddish words, made me ...more
Apr 27, 2015
Julie
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
audible,
audiobooks
I received a free copy of this audiobook from the narrator and author as a no-strings-attached Christmas-time gift. I finally listened to it, and here is a review.
THE STORY
The story is in two parts. The first section deals with Joel, a young Jewish man who is dying of cancer in the early 80s and his wish to be a father before he dies. He has relationships with a black lesbian, Lucy, and the young Catholic woman who eventually becomes his wife, Celeste.
The second part is about the lives of the ch ...more
THE STORY
The story is in two parts. The first section deals with Joel, a young Jewish man who is dying of cancer in the early 80s and his wish to be a father before he dies. He has relationships with a black lesbian, Lucy, and the young Catholic woman who eventually becomes his wife, Celeste.
The second part is about the lives of the ch ...more
Paternity is a very good novel. For a first novel by the author, it is amazing. It is primarily a book about relationships. Building characters through short vignettes in which they face the issues of diversity in ethnicity, religion, sexual preference and cultural norms, Baruch gives us insight into the complexity, pain and joy of human relationships. The story line of a man facing death from cancer who seeks to pass on the family line by finding a woman to be the mother of his child by artific
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This was actually my second reading of this book, and I enjoyed it just as much as the first time. It was easy to picture the various places because as a Rochester resident, I actually knew where they were. Joel was a man who knew his life would be ending much too soon and wanted to be sure that his family line was carried on, out of respect to his parents who were survivors of the Holocaust and had lost family members during that time. It was interesting to see how the various characters develo
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I had read about this book in the D&C as it was written by a local author and was looking forward to reading it. I have to say I was greatly disappointed in the book -- the characters could not really hold my interest and at the end I found myself skimming which is something I rarely do even with books that I am not especially fond of. The only interesting aspect of the book was the familiarity of the local places and things written into the book. Sorry -- wish I could give a local author a
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I got this as a free audiobook. Which is good because if I was reading it myself I don't think I would have finished it. This story just seemed to go all over the place and I didn't find myself caring for any of the characters in particular. One particular dilemma in the story was really obvious and could be seen a mile away. Ultimately I don't know if this story had much of a point or if it was just minimally interesting accounts of different peoples lives.
Well written, good development of the characters and their interactions, serious at times, in addition to humor and irony. I particularly enjoyed this book because I could relate to the setting (Rochester, NY) and I personally know the author. Hats off to you, Sue Baruch.
Review is posted on Audible
I really am glad I read this book . I recommend !
I loved the questions this raised, and the setting is Rochester! What fun!
Baruch is a local author, and she was very interesting to listen to at the Gates Library last week.
Baruch is a local author, and she was very interesting to listen to at the Gates Library last week.
I loved this book. It only took me about 4 days to read - I just couldn't put it down. What a great story and an unexpected twist.
I found this book both charming and emotionally powerful, with rich characters and excellent descriptions. Very nice work.
The story was thought provoking. I mulled it over in my mind for some time. It's fun reading a story that takes place locally.
Dec 06, 2013
Susan Baruch
rated it
it was amazing
· (Review from the author)
·
review of another edition
Aug 30, 2013
Karen Krause
rated it
it was amazing
· (Review from the author)
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
audiobooks
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audiobooks: Audible Review Copies | 1 | 39 | Jan 17, 2014 11:00AM | |
| Audiobook Fans: Only 11 Hours Left to Enter Audiobook Giveaway | 1 | 6 | Dec 22, 2013 10:01AM | |
| Audiobooks: Only 11 Hours Left to Enter Audiobook Giveaway | 1 | 18 | Dec 22, 2013 09:59AM | |
| Audiobook Fans: Less Than a Week Left to Enter Audiobook Giveaway | 1 | 2 | Dec 16, 2013 09:50PM | |
| Audiobooks: Less Than a Week Left to Enter Audiobook Giveaway | 1 | 16 | Dec 16, 2013 09:45PM | |
| Audiobooks: Less Than a Week Left to Enter Audiobook Giveaway | 1 | 13 | Dec 16, 2013 09:43PM | |
| Audio-Bibliophiles: Audiobook Giveaway! | 1 | 12 | Dec 11, 2013 03:18PM |
Susan Baruch is a retired Kodak scientist/engineer with thirteen U.S. patents to her credit. As a writer, her first published piece was a humorous essay entitled, It’s Personal, which was featured in the anthology: A Cup of Comfort for Women in Love published by Adams Media in October 2005. More recently her short story, A Perfect Confluence, was featured in an on-line journal called JewishFiction
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