Kaaterskill Falls - Softcover

Goodman, Allegra

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0385323905 ISBN 13: 9780385323901

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group, 1999

Synopsis

In the summer of '76, the Shulmans and the Melishes migrate to Kaaterskill, the tiny town in upstate New York where Orthodox Jews and Yankee year-rounders live side by side from June through August. Elizabeth Shulman, a devout follower of Rav Elijah Kirshner and the mother of five daughters, is restless. She needs a project of her own, outside her family and her cloistered community. Across the street, Andras Melish is drawn to Kaaterskill by his adoring older sisters, bound to him by their loss and wrenching escape from the Holocaust. Both comforted and crippled by his sisters' love, Andras cannot overcome the ambivalence he feels toward his children and his own beautiful wife. At the top of the hill, Rav Kirshner is coming to the end of his life, and he struggles to decide which of his sons should succeed him: the pious but stolid Isaiah, or the brilliant but worldly Jeremy. Behind the scenes, alarmed as his beloved Kaaterskill is overdeveloped by Michael King, the local real estate broker, Judge Miles Taylor keeps an old secret in check, biding his time....

About this title

Review:

Praise for Allegra Goodman:

"The brushstrokes seemingly casual yet sure, always the exact--and unlikely--equivalent of a shadow or reflected gleam."--Anna Shapiro, New York Newsday

"An astonishing display of virtuosity."--Los Angeles Times on Total Immersion

"Exceptionally well written: funny, wise, keenly observed....One of the most maddening and recognizable families to come along in years...an enchanting book."--Michiko Kakutani in The New York Times on The Family Markowitz

From the Back Cover:

It is 1976. And the tiny upstate New York town of Kaaterskill Falls is bustling with summer people in dark coats, fedoras, and long, modest dresses. Living side by side with Yankee year-rounders, they are the disciples of Rav Elijah Kirshner. Elizabeth Shulman is a restless wife and mother of five daughters; her imagination transcends her cloistered community. Across the street Andras Melish is drawn to Kaaterskill by his adoring older sisters. Comforted, yet crippled by his sisters' love, he cannot overcome the ambivalence he feels toward his own children and his young wife. At the top of the hill, Rav Kirshner is nearing the end of his life. As he struggles to decide which of his sons should succeed him -- the pious but stolid Isaiah or the brilliant but rebellious Jeremy -- his followers wrestle with their future and their past. With this community, Allegra Goodman weaves magic. The national bestselling author of The Family Markowitz crafts a tale of family and tradition -- one that confirms this young author's place as a virtuoso of her generation.

About this edition

• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0385323905
• ISBN 13: 9780385323901
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 336