[This is from back in MARCH! I found it whilst I was signing in to write about my latest Janet Lambert read. Since it isn't horrible, I will publish it here. It's a little long because I copied and pasted all the posts I put up. But it is an awesome books!]
April 8, 2021
Well, I have to say that I am a little nervous! I have three VERY tough acts to follow. Carla set us up with some solid background information and stellar recaps. Then Grace made me FALL IN LOVE with a book that I had formerly thought I didn't like and then Jessia pulled so many great stories out of an already beloved book. What am I to do? The answer is to urge you to keep your expectations low.
I adore UPTOWN, it is my favorite of the series and rereading it for this group read makes me remember why.
I believe the background has been covered - the family has just moved from the lower east side to Uptown and so we begin.
The first chapter is FOOD'S ON THE TABLE. The girls are on the move. We jump right in as they are headed to Lena and Hyman's for supper. On the way they run into Sarah's history teacher and mention is made of a history prize at the end of the year. But I am sure that that is just a side note and definitely won't play into the story later. It turns out that Henny hates history because it's all names and dates the way her teacher teaches it. But Sarah learns it as stories so she loves it. It so often comes down to the teacher and this book really respects teachers, librarians, settlement house workers - all the "female" professions
When the girls get to Lena's there are several clues that something might be amiss. Shall we keep track?
- There's a new set of dishes. (On Hyman's salary?)
- There's a new dinette set. (He must be doing well!)
- There aren't enough places set. (Is Lena getting forgetful?)
- There isn't much food. (Does she not know how to cook for a crowd??)
Mama is at the Red Cross knitting club because she's a good citizen, and also her kids are grown and the war has started. So the girls are on their own and we get some chat to set up the book. Hey, who is this Jules of whom they speak? Do you think he will be important?
They get to Lena's building and head up to the apartment. There is a note that says to go ahead and eat and since neither Lena or Mama has shown up, they go against their training and dig in. And when they do, their error becomes perfectly clear. THEY ARE IN THE WRONG APARTMENT!!
A complete stranger comes in and it is delightful. The girls are so confident in where they think they are and the lady is too polite to be accusatory. When she sees the food is gone she does freak out a little until everything becomes clear. And yet she is still so kind, explaining how the floors work in his apartment building. As she susses out the story it begins to strike her as funny.
Finally Mama and Lena find them and Mama is horrified, of course! This is the Uptown version of your toddler throwing a tantrum at Target. She can't believe her girls have behaved so terribly. But Lena just loses her mind laughing. She can not contain herself and just gets everyone going.
Mrs. Shiner, her upstairs neighbor is in the same boat and she and her family are invited downstairs to eat with the family. And if I may be a little spoiler-y, Mrs. Shiner becomes a dear friend of Lena and shows up throughout the rest of the book because she is AWESOME!
The second chapter is TEA PARTY or HENNY CAN NOT BE TRUSTED AT ALL.
I believe this is my second favorite chapter of the series! There is no beating Lena saving Charlie from peril and her life being changed forever because of her bravery, but this is a close second. I love illustrations of selfless sacrifice but also stories of self-centered come-uppances.
Let us look at Henny. I have always loved her as a character, but if she were my sister I would never stop tattling on her. She is the WORST!! (Except when she is the best, which is exactly twice in this book. I will point out both instances, so you don't miss them.)
Henny is a popular girl. She's confident and that's hot. There is a real Meg/Jo vibe to Ella and Henny. I think one of the things I like about BT is that Julia is allowed to be the more "extreme" sister in the relationship. As the second girl, I am far more partial to Betsy than I am Jo or Henny. But I digress...
They mention "It's a Long Way to Tipperary" which took me by surprise. Music is such an intrinsic part of the BT books, but I never noticed in the AoaKF books. They are set around the same time, of course, but they seem like such different worlds. Anyone care to write some mash-up fan fic?
Henny thinks boys are the worst and they ruin parties. And she's not wrong. But nonetheless, she wants to borrow Ella's party dress and she's not taking no for an answer. When she is denied, the claws come out. Ella is dull and Henny is careless.
Henny pretends to acquiesce but as if to prove Ella's point, she slides the security lock on her sisters' room (virtually ensuring attack from outside forces) to break in later. Then everyone takes hot baths. Papa must be doing well to afford all that hot water!
Henny shrugs off Mama's offer to iron her dress because the game is afoot! And once she leaves for the night, she doubles back and breaks into Ella and Sarah's room to steal that dress!
And it pays off. She's a belle, confident and gorgeous. There's a cute part where the girls are hiding in Rose's bedroom at Henny's all "Let's rip off his band-aid and go see the fellows..."
Henny breaks the gender gap with the hapless Ed Slick-Hair. They talk, they sting, they dance - it's teenage paradise. She gives dance lessons to the hapless boys and yet she is one of the boys. She's the "cool girl". And then it happens - the tug-of-war that Ella predicted would happen, happens. The dress is accidentally stained by tea and ruined.
As if to add insult to injury, Henny finds out that Ed is YOUNGER! She regrets every decision that she has made up to this point. She offers Ed to the other girls, like a piece of cake, if you will.
Henny has an epiphany - what if the dress is tea stained on purpose?
She and Rose get busy living as they get busy dying. It goes well and she lives such a charmed life that Rose's mom offers to iron it for her once it dries! She has a grand time at the rest of the party, she is clearly a champ at compartmentalization.
After the party, she comes home, the picture of innocence, and seems to have gotten away with the perfect crime.
But that's actually not the case.
Next Sunday Jules is taking Ella to a dance downtown in the old neighborhood. She goes to get her white dress and freaks out when she sees the ecru dress hanging in its place. Henny is perhaps in a fugue state. The little sisters think it's beautiful and Mama immediately knows what's up.
Compliments are shared. Jules' new blue suit looks amazing. And he is struck down by Ella's "prettiest dress [he's] ever seen". He gives her a rose and a promise that someday he'll give her dozens and dozens of them.
As soon as they are gone, Mama busts out the guilt and Henny confesses and is consigned to do the family wash that week and feels, if not absolved, at least a little bit cleaner.
Okay - here are some questions.
Sarah's history teacher seems awesome. Who was your best teacher ever?
[Mine was Mademoiselle Sully, my middle school French and English teacher. She was friends with my mother and adored me in English and despaired of me in French - but she let me read under my desk all the time and I love her for it. We still correspond.]
It is lovely that Lena and Mrs. Shiner become friends. It's hard to make new friends as an adult! Have you made close friends as a grown up? Any good stories?
[Well, I saved young Will Davis-Kay's neck when he was an infant which endeared me to his mama.]
There is some real truth to this birth order stuff. Where do you fall, sibling-wise? Do you fall into any of the stereotypes?
[I am the picture you see when you look up "middle child" in your Funk and Wagnalls.]
Hey how about that mashup AoaKF/BT fan fic? Who would hit it off? Where would they meet? Come on, you know you want to write it...
[Henny and Winona have a shipboard romance in the early 20s - I'd read the hell out of that!]
Have you ever screwed over your older sister for selfish vain reasons like Henny before the party?
[Never on purpose, but when I was 12 I called my then 16 year old sister a very bad (if accurate) name and she threw a vase at my head. It was the third worst fight of my life, but I ADORED the drama.]
Have you ever made a huge mistake and yet carried on under pressure like Henny at the party?
[The night of my senior banquet (we were Baptists, we didn't prom) I was smoking in the car on the way to the after party and burned a few holes in my dress. I knew I would be dead in the morning when my mom found out, but I partied like it was 1999 in the meantime. Although it was really 1984.]
Have you ever faced up to the consequences of your folly and felt better for it like Henny after the party?
[It is something of a recurring theme in my life. I make stupid mistakes, I face the consequences. I learn virtually nothing from them. Alas...]
And there is your first installment!
April 10, 2021
I have some bad news. Mama is not well. Luckily, this is the chapter where ELLA TAKES OVER! Going to the hospital now is stressful, but back in the day it was a VERY big deal. I don't know what the percentage of people who entered the hospital and didn't come out was in 1917, but I bet it was a lot. Everyone is worried as Mama gets ready to leave. Well, not everyone - Charlie is nonplussed but the girls are heavy-hearted as they say goodbye. And once she is gone, he loses it.
Grace, the lovely landlady's daughter comforts him with a kitten. It turns out it's Mama's appendix and an operation is imminent. Gerite says what they are all feeling "people die from operations."
The girls decide, at Ella's urging, that cooking and cleaning will distract them as these tasks have distracted women throughout the ages. Not me, but some women. Ella says growing up means "standing on your own two feet and being your own mountain." Not unlike mustering your wits and standing in your own defense.
Lena and Hyman are up in the Catskills gestating a little stranger so they're no help . Ella was supposed to be working at Uncle Joe's place, whatever that is. Opportunity missed, because she must take the lead at home now.
She makes cocoa and soda crackers are nibbled. I guess that's what passes for comfort food in 1917. She sends the younger kids off to play to get distracted, but finds them, along with Charlie and Henny at the bottom of the stairs waiting for the phone to ring. Get used to it girls. It finally does, mama is safe! And there is much rejoicing.
In the next chapter, SABBATH WITHOUT MAMA, the girls decide to make a schedule and Taylor as a cute detail quote dishes were stacked in the sink and beds weren't made while girls struggled over the schedule. Because planning to do work is infinitely more fun than actually working.
Henny, of course, plans to have servants instead of doing her own house cleaning. Classic Henny. She quickly volunteers for Charlie duty. Grace prefers to help the girls rather than her own mother. Since she is in the kitchen, Ella can lay out a nice bit of exposition on how to make meat kosher. Henny is hanging out with the girls rather than watching Charlie. So he takes this opportunity to almost kill them all playing with matches
Henny does a great job getting Charlie to confess his crime in the most sympathetic manner. This is, I believe, the first instance of her not sucking in this book. Perhaps she would make a good detective.
The chapter ends with Papa telling a nice story about a good angel and a bad angel judge the Sabbath preparation of different families while behaving passive aggressively towards one another. He assures them that if their Sabbath was observed, the good angel would come out the winner.
DINING OUT is the cringiest chapter in the series! Compare this to the Rays dinner at the Moorish Cafe; and of Betsy and Julia turning down the offer of going to the Moorish Cafe after a dance with Phil and whoever Julia was torturing at the time. I guess things are different in the big city and going to a restaurant isn't as scandalous. Strolling down Broadway Ella thinks "This is the Enchanted world of adults and I belong to it too." Remember that glorious feeling?
The place is described fancily. There's nothing like a New York restaurant. Julie manfully requests a booth and "my good man's" the busboy and while he is clearly mortified, Ella is charmed by his manliness - all she sees is suave confidence. She orders a sandwich because she has silverware terror. And she is flummoxed by the olives. I've been lucky and then I will just dive into eating regardless of fork or olive confusion.They eat awkwardly.
Once Jules drops his cutlery and longs for the floor to open up and swallow him, they both confess their lack of confidence and realize the other is just as nervous. It breaks the tension they celebrate with Parfait Royals.
Not a lot of questions this time around, but perhaps we are having group read fatigue and these will help keep the pressure off!
Have you ever had to "take charge" of the house?
[My parents moved to Syracuse, New York the summer after my freshman year of college and then went on a cross-country trip with my little sister. So I was keeping house for just me in a strange city. I spent the whole summer waitressing (badly) renting videos and eating takeout from work. It was glorious.]
Let's have those awkward date stories!!
[One night in college when I was coming home from work, I got a flat tire. Some guy pulled over and gave me a ride back to campus. Two nights later I was coming home and someone was pulled over at the same spot on the highway and it was the SAME GUY! So the good Samaritan guy and I decided that it was kismet that we both pulled over for each other so we planned to meet for drinks the next night after work. It ended up being awful. We had nothing in common, he was 20 years older than me, had just been released from one of our local correctional institutions and worst of all, I had just started casually dating this guy I really liked and he was at the same bar where the GS and I were! Luckily, the guy I had been seeing was impressed by the coincidence of the story and we went out again. That guy has been my DH for nearly 30 years. Whew!]
And if you don't like these - I will post again on Monday, Wednesday and Friday! After that - Constance is up with THEY LOVED TO LAUGH on the 18th!
April 12, 2021
Well, Mama’s still in the hospital, but things are looking up. Everyone has big plans. Ella has a date and it’s a mysterious one! Henny Charlie and Sarah are going to Crotona Park to watch people fish. Snooze. Gertie and Charlotte volunteer to hold down the fort.
Grace gives Ella a garden bouquet to take to Mama. Thoughtful, but one more thing to carry. Thank goodness Jules can be a pack mule. And that pack mule drops a bombshell, he's enlisting. He gives an impassioned and thoughtful speech about his motives. He kisses her cheek and leaves her on the hospital steps.
Meanwhile back at the ranch, Gertie and Charlotte are visited by Mrs. Shiner, Lena’s upstairs neighbor whose dinner they pillaged. She comes by with some corned beef, because she is a lovely human.
Char and Gert fall all over themselves to offer hospitality. They pour her a seltzer, as politeness demands, but they are mortified that they have no food! She insists she needs no sustenance, but they demand, she tries to dissuade them, but there is none of that. They are Mama’s girls and she WILL be fed! She realizes it is futile and rests on the couch reading the paper while they attempt a pancake - the traditional hostess treat.
This is one of the most charming unexpected guest stories I have read. Compare the lovely Mrs. Shiner to that nasty piece Phyllis Brandish dropping in on Betsy. They engineer a gorgeous pancake only to have it hit the floor before it can be consumed. Hence the title of the chapter OUT OF THE FRYING PAN. Were you wondering when I was going to get to it? Mrs. Shiner saves the day which is apparently her superpower by offering to take the girls out for ice cream.
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Mama is still goldbricking in the hospital and there's a nice bit about “the relative dish”, the times of trouble casseroles that are brought by family.
Mama has GOT to come home, but before she does, there is a beautiful description of the Sabbath table and the ritual surrounding it. Papa describes the way all five senses are used in this act of worship and once again it makes me regret the lack of ceremony in my midwestern Presbyterian upbringing. I was such a Bonnie. (JK, not even a little bit!)
And then Mama comes home. What A GOOD WEEK it is! Can you imagine her joy to see her beautiful children have managed to take care of each other and their home so well? As Jen DK would say, it's because she was a perfect mother who has never made a single mistake.
There is a little recap about how everyone helped out. Even the generally useless Mr. Healy would take Charlie on as “Helper”. Ella is teased about taking care of a husband and Henny plans to marry someone who will be completely hen-peckable. I bet that is going to go well for her…
But danged if Henny doesn't come up with a clever plan to hook Grace up with Jule’s basic training pal, the jaunty, color-ad-type Bill Talbot. This is the second and last illustration of Henny not sucking in this book.
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Such good news for Hyman and Lena! Their “little stranger” arrives and he is healthy and Lena is well. There is something weird though. Hyman seems to think that it is a big deal to have a boy. That poor man thinks boys are better. Hasn't he even been reading these books?
There is going to be a ceremony called the P’IDYON HA-BEN. And everyone is excited about it. They go to the new parents’ home and my beloved Mrs. Shiner is acting as Lena's wingman at the celebration.
Grace is there so there's an excuse to explain stuff to the goyim. Charlie is disappointed not to see Benny the pigeon, just proving that he is the weakest link. What it boils down to is that the Cohan holds the baby for ransom - he is going to have to serve in the temple as is the obligation of first born sons. But Hyman gladly pays the ransom and the bebe is freed up for”the study of the law, the state of marriage and the practice of good deeds.”
It is so sweet as they celebrate. There is much rejoicing and Lena gives the girls a blessing - “Girls, being married and having a baby is the most wonderful thing in the world. Merchum by you!” (may it happen to you). Now this strikes me as the most egregious propaganda. I got married and had a baby and it was fine. Gosh that sounds awful. It was wonderful, blah, blah, blah… But there are many other things that are equally as wonderful - for example rollercoasters, really good bourbon, charades. But she means it. And I love how her fearless rescue of a stranger’s child, Charlie, has led her to this place of overwhelming happiness. And I look forward to the fanfic where Hyman passes painlessly and Lena and the widow Shiner decide to travel the world together spreading joy and kindness wherever they go.
So not to be indelicate, but they skipped completely over the bris. Would the girls have gone to that? I understand why Taylor didn’t want to put such a penis-centric event in the book, but is that the sort of thing that children would attend now or back in the day?
And here are some other questions as well -
Mrs. Shiner, unexpectedly drops in - do you do that? Do people do that to you?
[I live in New England where this rarely happens, except for my sister's mother-in-law who does it a lot and STAYS! (To be clear, she is the worst.) I have had people drop things off, and I think it is safer now in covid times to do that because it is clear no one is coming to visit. It's a turn and burn.]
What is your go-to meal to take to someone in times of trouble or babies?
[There is a little grocery store in town that makes the most amazing chicken pot pies. Mine are good, but it's no contest. I bring a Henry's chicken pot pie, a loaf of their fresh bread, their famous giant apple fritter sliced like bread and a salad in a bag because some people eat vegetables. I call it the White Starches of Compassion meal.]
Henny is pretty smart about how to catch a fella - have you cleverly used your wiles to trap a lovah?
[I KNOW I have posted the story of how when Rich called me and said
"We should go out some time."
And I said, "Oh, that would be great!"
And then he said nothing for ages,like a dolt. I jumped in and invited him to come watch movies with me at my friend's apartment where I was cat-sitting for the weekend. He said yes and I gave him the address.
We hung up and I immediately called my friend Sherry and said, "I need your apartment tomorrow night and you need to be gone!" And God bless her, she and her boyfriend went camping for the whole weekend. Which is how long our first date lasted...]
And that is that!
April 15, 2021
Here is our next installment. I fear my questions are getting weirder and weirder. This afternoon I was interviewed for a librarian podcast and I went on and on about BT and AoaKF. I sometimes do wonder how I come off to normal people. Oh well, shall we?
The dumbwaiter! How I long for a dumb waiter between this book and Harriet the Spy. Ella and Grace chat through the dumbwaiter and we learned Bill has written to Grace! Success - Merchum by you!! - as Lena would say. Jules writes that they are about to go on leave and Ella is worried because this likely means they're headed overseas. Grace clearly doesn't realize this and is in Teen Angel mode.
The day of their arrival comes and the girls are arranging themselves for the most fetching tableau. But Henny has no chill at all. You know she's dying to go to war. I'd like to see Henry versus the boche. Sara is studying on Sunday- grind - more tidbits are dropped about some history prize.
Jules looks dreamy and they share a quick hug. Then Bill pops up fishing for compliments. He is immense and charming as hell and Grace is immediately taken with him.
The family is bonkers and Bill, that old Sam Hutchinson / Harry Kerr mashup, takes it in stride. Charlie is nearly as infatuated as Grace. The two couples double date all week and it is wonderful.
The last night before the boys ship out, they go to Manhattan to ride a double-decker bus and the conductor uses the word "blowy” to mean windy. I say that a lot and always wondered where I got it from. I imagine it was here!
There's so much in this chapter that puts me in mind of Maud, the description of the evening, Ella hearing the bus wheels chant, “the last time, the last time” like Betsy would hear on the train. Even knowing she needs to put on a brave face like Betsy did at Christmas in BaJ. And they sing “There's a Long, Long Trail a-Winding” just like the crowd. As a matter of fact, they sing for an audience of their fellow passengers as the bus goes ROUND AND ROUND and they are a big success.
And then the boys leave, the girls cry, and nobody appears to get kissed.
I recall this next chapter being annoying and preachy. But perhaps I am misremembering. Let us see.
Charlotte likes to help Tanta Olga the childless seamstress. She can think up stories as she sews and she'll get a dime to buy a thrift stamp which appears to be some kind of war bond. Sara would love to go too, but she has to study for, well, you know what… So Charlotte heads out on her own.
Charlotte read-walks on her way to the EL! She is reading Wuthering Heights and it has her feeling all funny inside. She sees Miss Brady and they have such a nice chat about the book and wartime collecting that Charlotte fears that she may miss her train and runs onto the L without paying her NAUGHTY NICKEL car fare!
Sure enough it is irritating. Charlotte wrestles with her conscience for four pages and confesses at the end and is rewarded with a nickel for being an honest girl.
Okay, this chapter is full of really great details like the thrift stamps, collecting fruit stones and even the ticket chopper. But I hate the moral that she GETS a nickel at the end for being honest. Just have her not get in trouble. I spent much of my life waiting to get rewarded for doing the right thing when in reality I should just have been doing the right thing for its own sake. Of course I have a very weak character. But still.
This RED BOGEYMAN, could it be... Satan?
The High Holy Days are upon us now. Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Succos, but there's no family Succah. The neighborhood synagogue is building a big one to share.
Jules and Bill are in France and sending back letters. Ella and Grace are making care packages for the holidays. As the girls prep their packages they draw parallels between the Jewish and Christian holidays. But there is one outlier and he is about to scare the crap out of Charlie.
Ella asks about the tree, never having seen one on the Lower East Side. Grace is all “You can see ours!” but Mrs. Healey says “Ask you folks first.” Which seems so sensible and respectful of different beliefs. Papa's like “Okay but just to look. Don't get all Pagan.”
The kids see the tree and are floored at the beauty of it, at least the younger three. Charlie loses his mind and breaks a ball. Mrs. Healy takes it in stride.. Then an evil demon comes in and Charlie is the only one who recognizes him for the boogie man he is.
Just kidding! It's Mr. Healy dressed as Santa for a bit of fun.
Just as the evening winds down Bill's mom calls to let Grace know that he is missing in action. Cliffhanger!
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Okay. Questions. You were warned... They suck.
Did you have access to a dumbwaiter growing up? Do you have any dumbwaiter stories?
[I almost got stuck in one at my church as a kid, but then I got out. Isn't that a fascinating story?]
Do any of you read-walk?
[YES!! Even now, if I am reading something good I will bring it with me as I am doing deliveries at work and the students see me read-walking around the halls and know I am obsessed with my book. I don't do it outside as much as I used to because I am afraid of falling and breaking a hip as one does...]
How aware were you of other religion’s holidays as a kid?
[My church was obsessed with Passover so we had a Seder in the fellowship hall every year. Which seems like a kind of cultural appropriation now, but they did mean it respectfully. I loved the AoaKF books for the very reason that they exposed me to the beauty of the Jewish religious year in a more authentic way. But that was as far as I went as far as understanding other religions for a long time. And I don't think I'm the only one. I am surprised even now how few of my adult colleagues understand what is involved in Ramadan. We have students who are fasting and yet are still required to take part in gym class. They aren't allowed to DRINK WATER until night time. Lay off, coach! Grrr...]
I apologize for the questions, but hopefully the BIG FINISH will be better! Also, I am halfway through THEY LOVED TO LAUGH and I am in love. It is so wonderful. I am team Jonathan, but I do appreciate Clarkson as well. And that's all you'll get out of me!
There are struggles in the chapter PLAY FOR SHAVOUS such as meatless days heatless days Jules wounded and no one knowing what happened to Bill
Jules goes back to active duty and Ella is worried so she throws herself into art. She directs a Sunday School play about Ruth and Naomi for Shabbos, the Feast of Weeks. This is when the first fruits were brought to the temple and the poor could follow the cleaners in the fields of the rich. In Christianity these are used metaphorically but no feasting is involved. What a rip-off! It's all so the birthday of Judaism when Moses brought down the 10 commandments.
The whole family is involved in the play and it's going well, but Ella is worried about her Ruth because she's not a good enough singer.
Everyone comes to the play, even my beloved Mrs. Shiner! Henny and Ella invent lip syncing. [I forgot that Henny was awesome at this time. That makes three…] The wonderful story of Ruth and Naomi is told, Gertie loses her skirt. Ruth and Boaz marry, everyone eats blintzes and the Red Cross get $225.
Wow, who knew THE HISTORY PRIZE would come up again at the end of the book. I sure didn't see that coming!
Dorothy Miller is going down! Sarah confesses her nerves but. Dorothy doesn't give an inch, she boasts! Why don't we use the word boast anymore? It’s all bragging isn’t it?
Sarah won't know the results until graduation day and Mama remind sher about doing your best being more important than winning. Sarah has sewn her graduation dress and is ready to move up.
At graduation, the award is announced and Sarah is gracious in defeat when Dorothy wins but she's torn up inside. And then the next day she receives a gift of a lovely dictionary which raises the theory that Miss Brady must be an independently wealthy woman in addition to a teacher because dictionaries are spendy. And it means the world to Sarah.
Germany has surrendered. So we've jumped ahead to the end of March. The family wants to see the boys march through the victory Arch on 23rd Street to celebrate their HOMECOMING. This was a temporary arch and if you want some background you can look at this Daily Beast article by Allison McNary. https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-world-war-one-victory-arch-demolished-in-a-new-york-minute
The city is in full party mode and the parade is magnificent. When they get home there is a ruckus at the Healey’s. Mama rushes in hoping to help in what ever tragedy has happened, but it turns out Bill was a POW the whole time. We don't get to see the reunions of Grace and Bill or even Ella and Jules, but Jules was glimpsed in the parade but I assume Ella of all of a Kind family will fill us in.
And that’s the end!
April 18, 2021
I don’t have any questions other than how many of you won academic awards? I bet we’re loaded with those sorts of awards in this bunch.
But we don’t have TIME for more questions because THEY LOVED TO LAUGH starts tomorrow. I finished reading it Friday and it was WONDERFUL!!
I was going to put a bonus recap of ELLA OF ALL OF A KIND FAMILY after this. I just reread it and it wasn’t as awful as I remembered. I think the problem is that it is not ever the first one in the series that anyone reads and so after the sheer perfection of at least 3 out of the previous 4 books, it is a bit of a let down. Also, Ella is kind of a goody-two shoes.
I am going to quote the wise Jan Sasser here -
I just finished Ella.
I found the book every bit as charming as at least the three middle ones. I do think the first book was the best. But this book continues to grow the family (although the emphasis is definitely on Ella), and add bits of Jewish customs and traditions, and demonstrate the history of the time - particularly the suffragettes and the changing expectations of women. And I felt that Ella's inner conflict was modern and relevant.
And the illustrations: I am a sucker for a good illustrator, and these books are just lovely one after another. My hand is itching to color some of these black and white illustrations.
I would like at least five more sequels with an emphasis on each of the other children through their young adulthoods.
And then there's the two boys yet to be born . . .
Just my two cents, but I think the haters are wrong and this book should be prized as highly as the other sequels.
She made me think of it differently too and now I really want those five more sequels. Okay, there is another question - what happens in those mythical Henny, Sarah, Charlotte and Gertie sequels? GO! Okay, even a Charlie sequel if we must.
Thanks for taking part in the group read. I will see you at the Gardner’s!
