Brenda Janowitz

I always enjoy a good family story with realistic sibling relationships, and Brenda Janowitz's latest novel with the enticing title The Liz Taylor Ring fits that bill perfectly.

When Lizzie falls for her older sister's former boyfriend Ritchie, her parents and sister are not happy. Ritchie doesn't seem to be able to keep a job, yet he always seems to have money. Add on the fact that Lizzie is infatuated with all things Liz Taylor (including her stormy relationship with Richard Burton), and show more Lizzie feels that it is destiny that she and Ritchie belong together.

We see their courtship and eventual marriage. Their marriage has its ups and some serious downs, including a nine month separation after Ritchie's gambling addiction comes to light in a bad way. Ritchie convinces Lizzie to take him back and gifts her with a huge diamond ring, similiar in style to the ring Richard Burton gave Liz Taylor.

After running through a series of jobs, Ritchie opens an inexpensive clothing shop that becomes successful in part thanks to their eldest child Addy's creative ideas. Eventually the store is being run by Addy's husband Gary and her brother Nathan. Their younger sister Courtney is still trying to get work as an actress, but she has problems of her own.

Following the death of their father, the siblings receive word that their father had a safety deposit box in the Cayman Islands no one knew about. Inside the box was the ring he gave their mother, which they had always believed had been stolen years ago. The three siblings disagree on what to do with the ring- keep it in the family (and who should get to keep it) or sell it and share the profits.

As the oldest sibling, Addy feels she deserves the ring. She has always felt that she doesn't get enough credit for making the store the success that it is. Nathan believes his husband Diego is cheating on him. Courtney has a drinking problem, and she and Addy fall right back into their troubled sibling relationship, with Nathan having to play peacemaker.

The siblings have to deal with the reality of their parents' marriage, their father's addiction, and how that all affected them in adulthood. Brenda Janowitz does a great job with the complicated sibling dynamics, it feels real to anyone who has siblings. She shows how adults fall right back into their old childhood ways with the people who know them best.

The characters are all so well-drawn, from the siblings to Nathan's husband Diego and Addy's husband Gary to Lizzie and Ritchie to Addy's teenage daughters, I cared about all of them. I highly recommend The Liz Taylor Ring. show less

Life Is Messy And Beautiful And That Is What Makes It So Wondrous. The title here is ultimately the message of the book - that no matter how messed up things get or seem, there is also great beauty to be found even in some of the most messed up situations one finds themselves in. The true power of the tale lies in its ability to show how even at our most broken - both visible and not so visible - families can still come together and work through differences. Truly an excellent look at a few show more different generations of very broken characters in a wide variety of ways and how they all come together. Very much recommended. show less

The Grace Kelly Dress, by Brenda Janowitz, is available at booksellers 3-3-2020. Grace is my first experience with Ms Janowitz work and I'm pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the book; I'm definitely interested in exploring more of her work. The story of 3 generations of women and their experiences with a lovely, special wedding dress was a delightful read. Each of the ladies story was individual and at the same time connected by family ties and the dress. They were very different show more personalities and time frames which enhanced the journey to the sweet conclusion. The ladies lives were messy, believable, and complicated. Their relationships with each other are complicated too, as is the usual case with families.

My favorite character was Rose, the grandmother & 1st experience with the dress. Grace Kelly comes into the picture with her recent wedding and the fantastic original wedding dress that the world fell in love with. Ladies everywhere wanted that dress or something similar. That's our dress. One thing I didn't like was the way each story was chopped up, I'd have liked a little more of each before the next started. Moving back & forth between the ladies was a tad difficult to follow & keep the plots straight. I won't say it was a fun read, it was too emotional for me to consider it fun. It was heartfelt and enjoyable.

#Netgalley #BrendaJanowitz #HarlequinBooks #TheGraceKellyDress #Romance #FamilyDynamics show less

This Passover Seder is not just any Passover Seder. Yes, there will be a quick service and then a festive meal afterwards, but this night is different from all other nights. This will be the night the Golds of Greenwich meet the Rothschilds of New York City. The Rothschilds are the stuff of legends. They control banks, own vineyards in Napa, diamond mines in Africa, and even an organic farm somewhere in the Midwest that produces the most popular Romaine lettuce consumed in this country. And show more now, Sylvia Gold's daughter is dating one of them. This is when the fun begins. “You think your family is chock full of quirky personalities? Pull up a chair for a holiday meal with the Golds of Greenwich!” show less