I read all of Laurie Colwin's novels about 20 years ago and recently reread this book. The protangonist, Geraldine, reminded me of female protangonists in other Colwin novels such as "Happy All the Time" and "Family Happiness" in that she is a privileged woman who may complain about the inequities of life, but doesn't truly have to overcome adversity. The scenes with the other Shakette back up singers demonstrated the wide gap in backgrounds between Geraldine's and their's. And the scenes at the Jewish foundation well showed the diversity of experiences.Colwin doesn't try to make Geraldine sympathetic to the reader and I applaud her for that. We know that she is essentially protected by the lifestyle afforded her by her husband, but that fact is something that she needs to find that out for herself. She isn't making her way alone in the world with a part time job as her husband mentions towards the end of the book. But I found Geraldine more and more likable as the story went along and she became a mother and got involved with the people at the Jewish foundation. She was essentially a compassionate and kind woman. She was a caring mother towards her son. It was interesting that the relationship between Geralding and her son was better explored than the relationship between Geraldine and her husband. What was missing from that relationship that she needed to look for companionship elsewhere or was it just that she was too focused on her own needs and did not think as much of her husband? Geraldine has a good friend in Mary Abbott who seems to function almost as a therapist for Geraldine. Mary seems much more aware of the limitations that life can throw at people than does Geraldine- her relationship with her married but separated Catholic lover exemplified this. Throughtout the novel, I wondered how much Geraldine's relationship with her parents contributed to her feeling so unsettled. At one point, Geraldine says, "My love for marginal people was a kind of lunatic variance on the fact that I had spent a good part of my childhood in secret pursuits. Who would ever know these people except me?" We are often attracted to "marginal people" if we feel isolated and alone, and it was hinted hat Geraldine's anxieties derived from her mother's stringent expectations which is again a theme in Colwin's works, but her relationship was her mother was often in the background in this book.As a young woman, I suspect I identified much more with Geraldine than I do 20 years later. This isn't as good as my favorite Colwin novel, "Happy All the Time", but it was well worth the reread. Colwin creates very believable characters and dialogue and an interesting narrative.
About a woman, Geraldine, trying to find out where she belongs. (M)others try and tell her but she rejects what they say. Sometimes her very rejection looks like a place to belong. While we enjoy searching with her, rooting for her to succeed, we understand that her search is misguided. Her friend Mary appears to know where she herself belongs (and eventually goes there). Her husband finds that Geraldine is where he belongs--paradoxical since Geraldine thinks she's nowhere at all. She understands that her son will need a heritage or share her fate and attempts to learn one for him while we and the others just shrug our shoulders at this.Her best bet, those closest to her often tell her, is to accept her role of rock singer. She is (sort of) convinced that to do so would at best be to co-opt Black music, and yet, maybe this dishonorable role (though her Black colleagues are only encouraging) is what she needs to embrace.The reader himself should not have to feel lost in the end, even if the main character doesn't succeed in finding herself. Or should he? Is that need for closure nothing but a lie that other novels pander to their readers to supply?
What do You think about Goodbye Without Leaving (2000)?
I read this for book club. I found the main character to be a tad whiney, yet I could really relate to her angst. Particularly when she has her child and talks about being a stay-at-home-mom. I felt like the ending was a bit lame. Nothing was resolved and i'm not so sure the character grew, like you would want her to. I also was disappointed by the affair. It didn't seem necessary.
—Rachel
I LOVED A Big Storm Knocked It Over and Happy All the Time, so I thought I would love this. But I didn't feel as excited about this one. Colwin's books aren't really plot oriented, but while I enjoyed languishing in the environment created in the other two books, this one felt really slow. I was kind of jealous of the main character for having such a charmed life, but she was always unhappy and I was ever so slightly annoyed by that. I appreciated the sense of feeling lost, and enjoyed the Colwin-esque observations about motherhood and domesticity very much as always— but ultimately I didn't love this book as much as Colwin's earlier work. I learned that she died before the book was finished, so maybe if she had lived to continue editing it would have been as great as the other two books I loved.
—Kate
Perhaps my favorite book of all time. I can't say enough about this wonderful writer who died far too soon. Laurie had the ability to make you think that everything was going to be ok and that everything in this world was more good than bad. Her descriptions are absolutely amazing. Every word she uses is dead perfect. In Laurie's world, people are eccentric rather than dysfunctional -- nice perspective. This novel, her posthumously-published A Big Storm Knocked It Over, and her collections of food writing are her finest work, I believe. LOVE Laurie Colwin -- a truly delightful writer.
—Ellen Puccinelli
