Red Hook Road in Ask Ayelet Waldman

Aug 14, 2010 K2 ----- rated it really liked it

I heard Waldman on the Diane Rehm Show and then read a review of the book in Booklist (the American Library Association's phenomenal magazine) and decided it was a novel of merit.

The book was written based in part on a short snippet of a story that the author had read about a couple in NY who had been killed going from their wedding to their wedding reception with the best man also in the car.

Waldman weaves quite a tale and is able to weave into each of her characters their own ways of dealing I heard Waldman on the Diane Rehm Show and then read a review of the book in Booklist (the American Library Association's phenomenal magazine) and decided it was a novel of merit.

The book was written based in part on a short snippet of a story that the author had read about a couple in NY who had been killed going from their wedding to their wedding reception with the best man also in the car.

Waldman weaves quite a tale and is able to weave into each of her characters their own ways of dealing with the profound grief that results from this tragic loss. Red Hook Road takes place in Maine and draws its many contrasts upon class and traditions. The bride's family are Jewish and from NYC. They are highly educated summer people with money who have been coming to Maine for several generations. The groom's family are down easters with working class roots and a certain resentment toward the summer people who avoid the dreaded winters that make Mainers such hearty people. The groom's mother, Jane is the caretaker of the bride's family's house in the winter and her crew cleans their house all year long. The bride's mother is a domineering woman who is used to getting her own way and has deeply rooted plans for her offspring that are sidelined by their own desires.

Waldman's words are well-chosen, she sets a stage, and her book is extremely well-paced. You see how the various characters handle their grief over three summers and the twists and turns their lives take. The book is soaked with an accurately captured portrayal of loss in various ways. It is a super book for summer, but it is also a book I would recommend to someone who has had a tough time accepting a loss some years back. I tried to de-construct her writing style to figure out how she made it read as well as it did.

Indeed I would recommend this book, and it would be a great airplane read as it is a page-turner. I will look for her other books.

The author is married to novelist Michael Chabon and was lambasted some years back by the media for a comment she made that she loves her husband more than her four children, that he came first in the hierarchy. I enjoyed her interview that you can find on-line and it made reading the book a richer experience. ...more

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Aug 13, 2011 Judy rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Mar 29, 2011 Jana Bouc rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: did-not-finish

OMG. This was just unlistenable -- the narrator of the audio book reads the story in a way to cutesy chic-lit voice and after listening for an hour couldn't stand another minute. The first hour is basically just a lot of "telling" about who each of the characters is, their back story, blah blah blah. ...more

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Jul 21, 2011 Susan rated it it was amazing

The story centers around the families of Becca and John, who are killed in a car crash on their wedding day, just an hour after they completed their vows.

Everyone deals with loss in a different way and Waldman so eloquently shows this in her novel. Becca’s parents come to terms with their own marriage, John’s mother mourns stoically, and Becca’s and John’s siblings hook up.

An endearing side story is the budding mentorship between Becca’s elderly grandfather, a famous violinist who escaped Europe ...more

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Aug 23, 2010 Kate rated it it was amazing

This book is my first foray into the writings of Ayelet Waldman and I will be reading other things she has written. Her writing is gorgeous and the story was absorbing. Red hook Road is the tale of two families, brought together by a wedding and then tragedy after the bride and groom are killed on the way to their wedding reception. Waldman, on NPR, said she was inspired to write the book about hearing about a story of a bride and groom involved in an accident on their wedding day. This is a mus ...more

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Sep 28, 2010 Yvette rated it it was amazing

Beautifully written with lush prose and strong characters. I heard an interview with Ayelet Waldman on NPR which piqued my interest and I was not disappointed with this lovely book about love, loss, and how two very different families learn to accept the other's presence in their lives and begin to come together despite their initial reluctance. ...more

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Jul 06, 2011 Mary rated it it was amazing

What an amazing book. This perfectly suited my mood this summer, missing Dad so much and being in Maine. My lupines have faded but I will hang onto this book rather than donating it to the Friends of the Library Used Book sale. I know I will share it with my sad sisters and read it again and again.

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Jun 30, 2010 P rated it really liked it

Shelves: first-reads

I won this on Goodreads! Didn't get an email...just found out when I checked my entries. Wow! I can't wait till it gets here!

While the beginning was shocking and sad, I found the middle kind of predictable, although really well written. At the end it became very tense and shocking again. The author's language is beautifully descriptive and her characters are clearly and realistically drawn. I liked these people and I really liked this book! ...more

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Aug 20, 2010 Amanda Ishtayeh rated it liked it

I have to say this was by my favorite author ever. BUT it was not my favorite book by her. I am not sure why. The characters were great and you could really relate to them. The story was intriguing but I often found my mind wondering... Anyone else fell the same way?

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Jun 01, 2011 Dara rated it it was ok

took me awhile to read. some of the perspective changes were a little jarring for me.

oh, and it bothered me that she made the family so intent on following some Jewish rituals in regard to burial and unveiling, but still held a lobster party every summer.

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Jun 27, 2010 Gina rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction, chick-lit

This book opens with the death of young couple while riding in a limo from their wedding ceremony to the reception. What follows is the next four summers and how their families deal with the deaths. I love Ayelet Waldman, and I really liked this book, but wanted a little more from the characters and the plot.

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Feb 01, 2011 Kyle rated it really liked it

Hauntingly beautiful. Loved it, was touched by the plot and characters. As someone who has experienced sudden loss, I found it an accurate depiction of grief.

A good book to read for sure, but be in the mood for drama.

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