What do You think about The Inn At Lake Devine (1999)?
This pretty much felt like a standard "-ism in the 60's" novel: after learning that a Vermont Inn accepts "Gentiles only", 13-year-old Natalie Marx develops a bit of an obsession with the place and spends the next 10 years of her life connecting herself in one way or another with it.I didn't think the story had anything particularly new to say about anti-Semitism, and the book does a lot of telling rather than showing. I picked this up because I loved Lipman's The Family Man with its sparkling, laugh-out-loud prose; while I don't expect a book about anti-Semitism to be funny, I was disappointed in its lack of sparkle. I found the characters to be rather flat and lifeless, and Natalie's re-introduction into the innkeeper's family seemed so contrived, it actually made me cringe. I'm very glad I'd read something else by Lipman first; I certainly wouldn't recommend this as an introduction.
—Jennie
The Inn at Lake Devine by Elinor Lipman is narrated by Natalie Marx. Natalie's family is Jewish. And in the "enlightened" times of the 1960s, racial barriers are falling. Supposedly. But when Natalie's parents are looking for a place to spend their vacation in the summer of 1962, they receive an answer from Vermont that sounds very much like a challenge to Natalie. The guests of the Inn at Lake Devine are all Gentiles--they're the ones who "feel most comfortable here and return year after year." After her mother shows her the letter, Natalie becomes almost obsessed with the Inn. She is determined to cross the threshold as guest. What follows is a wonderful novel coming of age novel. It is all about growing up with racial and religious differences. It's an insightful commentary on the prejudices and bigotry that kept Jewish people and others out of certain establishments and forced them to create their own places. It shows how one girl's determination can bring understanding to at least a few people. And it does it without being heavy-handed, without hitting the reader over the head with platitudes. It even manages to produce a lovely romantic story along the way.I picked this one up for the Getting Lost in a Comfortable Book Challenge. Not my normal reading fare, but a wonderful story and a very quick read. Natalie is a marvelous central character--someone that I wish I knew in real life. And the supporting characters are just as finely drawn....there are no cardboard cutouts here. Real people facing real problems....and dealing with events in a very realistic way. Highly recommended. Four stars.This review is mine and was first posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
—Bev
This book was a very satisfying read. This is a wonderful, almost a comedy of manners, coming of age story. The author shows remarkable perspicacity regarding intergenerational conflict, bigotry, cultural differences, and the eras of the 1960s and 1970s. And I must say I’m always a sucker for any good bad mushroom story.The first and shorter Part 1 was my favorite portion. During that section, I was often laughing out loud; it was hilarious. The section would have sufficed as a stand-alone novella. I probably also really enjoyed it because I do so appreciate stories about young people.I’m so glad that Lipman continued with the story. Part 2 actually felt as though it might have been written at a separate time; the style was somewhat different. I was merely smiling, grinning at times, but did not actually laugh as I did during the first chapters of the book; that didn’t diminish my reading enjoyment however. The personalities of the (very compelling) characters did remain true to themselves, even through the changes they all experienced. I was afraid for a time that the ending would be too abrupt, but the novel came to a very satisfying conclusion, and also left me wanting more, which makes it my favorite kind of novel.I admire anyone who can create such a delightful comedy out of a serious premise: the exclusion of Jews from a restricted vacation property. And I found it fascinating that the author’s mother (revealed in the acknowledgments) had received a similar letter as the Jewish family in this story receives.
—Lisa Vegan
