Trouble

Product Information

Turkey Trouble”– In this book, Turkey must come up with a plan to avoid being turned into Thanksgiving dinner. This is indeed a very readable novel with really interesting characters. There are a lot of people in their early forties having mid-life crises in this novel. And I was really interested in those crises as they are very interesting. The prose is so dense, almost too dense at times. This is one of those novels where there is so much story to tell and I wanted to know all of that story but I question the structure. There is a narrative device of a third party narrator that honestly drove me to distraction. I kept thinking, "why is she telling us this story?" I just wanted Toby and Rachel to tell their story.

Toby Fleishman thought he knew what to expect when he and his wife of almost fifteen years separated: weekends and every other holiday with the kids, some residual bitterness, the occasional moment of tension in their co-parenting negotiations. I watched a couple go by, burrowing into each other so that they were nearly facing each other but still walking forward, like the cover of that Bob Dylan album. (98%)

Like I said, I did like the writing. The bothersome bit was trying to empathize with someone being so miserable but making a quarter of a million dollars. Sometimes the "woe is me" tone got a bit grating. Then she uses her skills as a writer to do just that, beginning her tale through Toby (a man's eyes), who is going through a divorce and using a constellation of characters around Toby to fill in the details. It's very clever. The way she reverses roles, and without giving away the ending, makes her point very clear. I bring this up because drama requires stakes. The higher the stakes, the better the drama. There are no stakes here. Toby is well-off. Rachel is well-off. The divorce isn’t going to ruin them, as it could possibly ruin someone who isn’t perched atop the highest marginal tax rate. There are so many other topics covered such as the challenges of mid-life crises, sexism in the workplace, raising kids (especially in separated families), sex, friendship and more. I have just finished Fleishman Is in Trouble... and feel bereft. I read it too fast, because I couldn't stop, but can't bear that it's ended. It is a Great Novel (yes: cap G; Cap N). It has depth, wit, nuance and life. Heartbreaking and funny'- Nigella Lawson

And -- if we hadn't previously gotten the drift -- it becomes abundantly clear that Chay and Louisa (Henry and Franklin's sister) have been spending time together and are in love. One might well conclude that knowledge of this relationship has contributed to Franklin's neanderthal behavior. Wendi Silvano is an award-winning author and illustrator of children’s literature. She has written and illustrated numerous picture books, early readers, magazine stories, and educational materials. Silvano’s books, including “Turkey Trouble,”“Just One More,” and “Turkey Claus,” have received recognition from the International Reading Association’s Children’s Choice Award and YABC’s “Ten Best Picture Books of 2012” list. Wow this book, such an entertaining foray into the messy lives of rich white people living in New York City! For most of this novel we follow Toby Fleishman, a divorced doctor with two kids whose ex-wife Rachel has disappeared, leaving him with childcare responsibilities beyond his capacity. As the story progresses, we learn more about Toby’s grievances against his wife, witness his inability flourish in his post-marriage state, and recognize that maybe Toby’s narrative about Rachel isn’t all that it seems. He could see pink and white blossoms in nearby orchards, and farther away, the brief yellow of the daffodils, so bright they looked as if Van Gogh had just come from them with his paint-brush still wet in his hand" (pg 108)A blistering satirical novel about marriage, divorce and modern relationships, by one of the most exciting new voices in American fiction. This book... is the most astonishingly brilliant Trojan horse of a novel. Begins as a hilarious, fast-paced tale of a middle-aged Manhattan man navigating fast sex culture of dating apps, ends as a gut-punch feminist text' - Dolly Alderton It is worth noting that Wendi has a strong passion for children’s literature and education, and she has dedicated her career to creating engaging and educational books for young readers.

My own interest in the Troubles stems from my family on my father’s side. My father grew up in the Ardoyne, the primarily Catholic area of north Belfast that was the epicentre of the strife. His father had been a member of the IRA, and although my dad left Belfast just as the Troubles were beginning, most of his family stayed, and throughout my youth the war in Ireland, as my father called it, dominated family discussions, especially when one of his brothers came from Belfast to stay with us. So much to think about here. This is a book of many layers, a book that keeps on giving. Brodesser-Akner has so many astute observations about marriage and being a woman--particularly interesting is her thesis that a story must be told through the perspective of a man to be taken seriously. Brodesser-Akner examines the lives of three friends who were close in college and have recently re-established their friendship. One is in the midst of divorce (with very mixed feelings about whether that is really the best resolution to the problems in the marriage,) one who is uncertain about her what dreams and desires are and how that fits within her marriage, and one who feels like it is finally time to settle down and get married. But is marriage really right for any of them? Do their expectations match the reality of married life? Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s debut novel, “Fleishman is in Trouble” has been advertised as a perfect beach read. I’m not entirely sure how marketers determine what qualifies as a beach read, but this is no light, frothy, confection of a book and not much time is spent at the beach. In fact, Brodesser-Akner recently questioned why her book was being marketed as a beach read. “I am confused as to why our taste for what we like would change in the location we read it, or the season.” So if the book is not a beach read, what is it? My experience with this novel is that alone: mine. It’s entirely subjective, and filtered through my own pet peeves, one of which is frivolous and moneyed individuals committing self-inflicted wounds in a whitewashed New York City. If you can get past that, then perhaps Brodesser-Akner’s ideas land with more impact.The book piles on further down the oppressive white man path when we come across a ‘‘print’’ of an Indian slave ship. (A super unlikely coincidence in a series of unlikely events.) From the Captains face we are to infer some specifics about history and the print has “captured’’ this, implying it’s a photo? (Not possible but we are inferring a lot from what is described as if it were a photo.) Or are we to assume the artists was close to these events? What we do learn is that hero’s daddy’s money is dirty, as all old money must be. What Does the Wind Say?”– In this book, a little girl wonders what the wind is saying as it blows through the trees and across the fields. Wendi Silvano is an author and illustrator best known for her children’s books. She has written and illustrated several popular children’s books, including: Anyway, other than all of that.. I enjoyed reading Trouble. I was frustrated, it got me laughing and it made me think. I don't think it's for everybody though, but it's worth giving a try!