Goodman's novel is a handsomely-constructed story, meeting all of the complex demands of a novel's craft. Characters are nuanced, settings are evocative, and the strange love-terror-happiness entrapment her protagonists feel for their tight-knit and very conservative Jewish community is well expressed.

The upstate town of Kaaterskill Falls is a painterly setting. Pages turn and the plot unfurls. Yet nothing ever snaps or nips. One cares about the characters; their foibles are endearing and believable. Yet the threads, despite several intriguing arcs, never resolve.

Ambiguity in ending is a reasonable authors' prerogative. But here it feels like the time-slice of the novel is arbitrary. Goodman's examination of American Jewish communities in light of upheavals in the mid-1970s is an academically admirable project, but it doesn't necessarily translate to intrigue for the reader. Snippets of (real) political history seem to invade the quietness of the family-based stories, not enrich them.

And in the end, the sense of quiet-town stagnation feels muggy and oppressive. Not much has changed or resolved, and there is a haze of disappointment, almost. Perhaps Goodman is trying to project a helpless disillusionment on the part of her characters.

A very worthwhile book for learning about elements of conservative Jewish culture; a respectable plot and a carefully-built story, yet, in the end, the very accuracy of the characters Goodman has built--restrained, traditional, averse to conflict--keeps the book from kindling a real spark. ( )

Offers very interesting insights to Jewish values and traditions, but the story is very slow in the telling. ( )

I really did not enjoy this book at all. It was boring and had no substance.

http://steelbrassnwood.livejournal.co... ( )

I really enjoy Goodman's stories about religious Jews, and this one was esp interesting since the community was different from the ones I've been exposed to. However, there were too many storylines going on at once. ( )