Why She Went Home: A Novel

by Lucinda Rosenfeld

You have to love her, even when you’re laughing at her—Phoebe Fine, that is, the star of this hilariously eccentric and affecting new novel.

On the cusp of thirty, Phoebe has fled the high life and, ultimately, the no life of trying and failing to “be somebody” in Manhattan. She returns to her parents’ Depression-era bungalow across the river in New Jersey, the house she grew up in, to lie low with the crabgrass and dust bunnies and memories of her childhood, and perhaps just be herself. Easier said than done. Once resettled, Phoebe hatches a plan to resell her neighbors’ garbage on eBay, begins work on a solo album for electric violin and voice called Bored and Lonely, and accepts a date with the conductor of the Newark Symphony Orchestra, Roget Mankuvsky, a man with acid-washed jeans and a mysterious past. And so, with the hope of progress on both fronts, Phoebe’s search for a good way to make a living and a good man to make a life with continues.

In this second installment of Phoebe Fine’s life story, author Lucinda Rosenfeld raises the emotional and romantic stakes. Though still consumed with appearances, including her own, Phoebe now has serious grown-up issues to deal with—her mother’s illness, a hostile and competitive older sister with marital problems, and a moral and financial crisis involving a viola that may be worth millions of dollars. But the comic notes prevail. The question is, will Phoebe?

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit

320 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 1975

About the author

Lucinda Rosenfeld is the author of five novels, including CLASS, a satire about parenting, public school, and the liberal bubble.
Please see: @authorlucindarosenfeld on Facebook. Purchase here: http://amzn.to/2cNULku

Reviews

[Jessie Payne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Solidly bad. The story line was shoddy and cliche, the characters were stilted and the grammar was atrocious. It was like reading a high school lit assignment. I got about halfway through and threw the book away.

[Suzy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading "What She Saw" and was excited when this follow-up was released. Unfortunately, it was somewhat pointless.

[jillian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe I just didn't get the character. Maybe I just didn't get the book. But I couldn't get into this book at all. I struggled through, valiantly, through every confusing moment, through the inconsistency of characters, through the cringe-worthy moments of suburbia. I struggled through the slightly unreal scenes of parties in Manhattan, the surreal relationship between the main character and her love interest, the sudden twist to a happy ending. And at the end, I was just kind of dizzy and craving something with a normal, straight plot, and characters that didn't go around in circles. I have no patience for characters who drift through books, as the "Fine sisters", Phoebe and Emily, seem to do here. I have no patience for people who drift through life in reality - why should I dedicate my reading time to them as well?

[Celin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not like the way this book is written. I could not get into it. I did not finish the book. The author would start a thought and go off on three different tangents before she finally finished the thought much later. It also had too much bad language for me.

[Alicia · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5

[Elizabeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had this book on my book shelf for years. I don't know why. It wasn't good. I can't even remember why I let it take up valuable real estate in my bookshelf.

[Carly Grossman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book a little bit harder to get through than the first book what she saw. I didn’t understand where it was going, but I felt like Phoebe‘s character felt a little more defined in this book and had more potential. It felt like a little bit more normal with the sibling rivalry and the sick mom and aging father and coming into your own in your 30s. I absolutely loved the twist at the end when we find out who Roget was and I was basically giddy through the rest of the book. The ending kind of felt like a Seth Rogen romcom with all the hijinks of people coming to the house and reconciling and the money they got for the broken viola. But I think I enjoyed this book more than I like the prequel.

[Nita · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got this book for free from someone in the publishing industry who just sent me a handful of books one day some years ago. I never would have bought it myself. I also would have never read it except that I was going through a period where I couldn't read anything too stimulating or too scary or too tense. I found Phoebe very confusing and annoying and couldn't figure out why she found Roget even the least bit interesting or why she would ever go out with him again and yet I still wanted to know what happened to them after just a few chapters. The author did her job. Somehow, even though I detested her main character, she got me to read the book.

[Courtney McManus · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started this book, not realizing that there was a prequel. Maybe that's why it was difficult for me to get into the storyline.
Phoebe was not a truly relatable character, despite her Jersey girl attitude. The love interest Roget was also a terrible person, not only to everyone but, especially to Phoebe.
It wasn't until I had gotten about 60% of the way through the book that I sort of began to care about what would happen to Phoebe.
What I think the author did do well, however, was the development of the relationship between Phoebe and her sister Emily.

[Julie McDonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes I like a book more for the circumstances around which I read it, and not so much for the book itself. This book provided much needed human warmth and respite from my workday. I read it in the fall while usually parked at a Sonic next to neighborhood with nice trees. It was such a nice escape from the day.

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

I actually couldn't finish this book, it was terrible...

[Camille · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wry and funny with a protagonist who is all too easy to relate to. More depth than your average chick-lit.