I honestly don't know how to rate this book. Parts of it I really liked, parts of it I just didn't for different reasons. This is a modern-day take on Edith Wharton's "The Age of Innocence" and takes place in London. Just as the Age of Innocence (AofI) is a social commentary on the turn if 20th century New York society, this book too tries to be/ wants to be/ is a social commentary on Jewish life in northwest London in the 21st century. I'm not sure it fully succeeds and it certainly doesn't reach the impact of its predecessor. Generally I am all for modern day versions of classics, be it in movies or novels. I very much enjoyed the movie "Cluless" a modern day version of Austen's Emma. It was creative and fun and lighthearted yet stuck to the story. This book however, falls short. First of all, I don't really get the title. Yes, I do get that it's a play on words of the AofI Which is cute, but a little too cute especially because I don't get who the Innocents are supposed to be in this book. Is there more than one character that is supposed to be innocent? And innocent of what? And if this is a social critique then nobody in that society is really innocent-are they? They all play a role in perpetuating a lifestyle that the author chooses to criticise. Also Wharton's title is a comment on a time period, it is actually a social critique that doesn't necessarily judge it's characters, it's the time period on which she is focusing, not necessarily the individuals she writes about . The title in this book shifts the whole perspective onto the characters themselves. For me this was just confusing. (None of them seemed particularly innocent except for maybe one-Rachel and if that is the case it should be called "The Innocent"). Furthermore there were parts of the book that were so similar to AofI that it was just annoying. Especially since I loved AofI - it was so beautifully written that I just don't think you could top it or add to it. I think the author would have succeeded much more if the references weren't so in your face. (Clueless, on the other hand succeeds because you don't really know you are watching a modern day Emma). Having said that, there were aspects of the book I really did like- I thought the writing was good. The author definitely evoked images of Jewish London with all it's quirks and kinks and positive sides as well. Bottom line is if you are going to go up against a giant you'd better be great or you'll fall short. A reworking of Age of Innocence set in a modern, tight Jewish community of North London. I would really give this a 3.5 due to the excellent, lovely writing. Segal is extremely talented and I look forward to future novels . I can't imagine this working very well as a stand alone because the modern day characters just don't have the same sensibilities as in Wharton's time and in that sense the story falls flat. But Segal really captures Archer's character in Adam and the ending is very well done.
What do You think about La Cugina Americana (2012)?
not bad. enjoyed the depiction of the north london jewish community.
—karla
An easy read. Good tension in the middle, more so than the end.
—emmarave2012
