This Is Not About Us

Reviews

“A compelling, love-laced portrait of several generations of a family much like yours, mine and just about everyone’s.”—People

“In this vibrant collection of linked stories . . . Allegra Goodman dissects the foibles and fantasies of her cast, from the three founding sisters to their offspring and offspring’s offspring.”—Time

“Allegra Goodman’s new novel is her crowning glory (so far). This is Not About Us delivers a funny and moving Jewish family saga.”—The Boston Globe

“Goodman overlaps characters and storylines, repeatedly, from different perspectives and the reader is treated to experiencing the family as a symphony, not necessarily a harmonious arrangement, but satisfying all the same as an excellent read.”—Association of Jewish Libraries Reviews

“Ms. Goodman’s mature and deftly written book suggests that, in family as in art, there is no such thing as uncomplicated happiness. To partake of the forbidden apple cake—and who could resist it?—is to know that joy is always ringed by sorrow, and made sweeter for it.”—The Wall Street Journal

“The arbiter of Jewish American family tsuris . . . Goodman has been wowing readers since her undergraduate days at Harvard, in the late 1980s. . . . Readers will leave This Is Not About Us wanting one more story—and then a second helping.”—Hadassah Magazine

“This Is Not About Us is a nimble, heartfelt, acutely written collection that forms one wonderfully cohesive unit. It’s a wise, witty exploration of a contemporary American family, and a deliciously readable book.”—The New York Times Book Review

“Allegra Goodman’s utterly charming new book is carving out new territory in the genre of linked short stories. . . . This is a volume that builds and surprises on many fronts, the cacophony of love and discontent reifying into filigreed depictions of the familial ties that bind.”—Vogue

“An entertaining ride—poignant and funny by turns. Goodman, always talented, is now a virtuoso, limber and graceful. She handles her sprawling cast with a sure, light touch, and her bantering dialogue is never trivial or canned.”—The Washington Post

“Goodman’s insight into the intimate machinations of a domestic life is absolutely perfect.”—Literary Hub

“Goodman delivers a bighearted linked story collection about a family’s travails. . . . In their messiness and constant striving for harmony, the Rubensteins are wholly relatable.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“A beautiful story of generations of a complicated family.”—Town & Country

“Goodman offers an unsparingly frank, wryly funny take on a multigenerational American family. Like an exquisitely baked apple cake, Goodman’s delicious and deeply perceptive novel is something to savor.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“Astute, incisive, and soulfully witty, Goodman circulates among her irresistible characters to that each intriguing point of view reveals another facet of their tumultuous family dynamic.”—Booklist, starred review

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