Serendipity

First and foremost, I think I've found a new author to adore. I lucked out in getting an advanced copy from LTER and I am now looking forward to purchasing her other previously published books.

The story opens introducing Carrie Manning, a 30 something lady who has a wonderful best friend and an amazing ex-fiance (though you immediately start to wonder why he's an ex). By the end of the story, her close circle of loved ones will expand. The tale goes from present day to flashbacks giving background on Carrie's great-grandmother, a first generation Italian immigrant. She has the backbone and strong spirit that the females in her family line all inherit. Then we learn a bit about her grandmother, who was a famous Broadway star who made no show more bones about being selfish and doing what she wanted. Finally, we learn (with Carrie) about her mother, who used to live in the spotlight and later decided to give everything she had- literally, money, time, love she should have given her daughter- to homeless and underprivileged people.

I loved the way the story unfolded. I was hooked in the beginning of the story when Carrie describes her first time in a theater because she wanted a sense for what her dad (genius Broadway writer) and grandmother's world was like. Shaffer captured the feel for live performances perfectly.

The only regret I have with this book is that I can't forgive Carrie's mother, Rose. Throughout the book there are themes of self-sacrifice versus self-serving, honesty and deception, but that strange loves can grow and develop through all of these contradictions. Her mother, I found, was too dishonest. The other selfish people owned their weakness and weren't necessarily apologetic for that in of itself, rather, they were apologetic for the hurt it caused. They showed honesty to others as well as themselves. Rose, however, was not only dishonest with others, she was even more dishonest with herself and I disliked that. I found redeeming qualities for most of the characters, but hers was one I just couldn't like. I suppose that's better, it makes the book seem more "real".

I enjoyed the pacing and writing style as well as the way the character development played out. You knew that with the book starting out with a devastated girl feeling like an orphan over the loss of her mother and that she had some series issues she had to deal with, there was no way everything could be wrapped up in a perfect bow. However, I do like happy endings, and this one was happy enough for me; most questions were answered and you could see where the future was going. show less

A multi-generational story of mothers and daughters, with a dash of Broadway theatre. As I write this review on Mother's Day, it seems appropriate to have heard a quote today, 'Mirror, mirror on the wall, you've become your mother after all.' Serendipity ably handles an engaging story of a daughter finally learning about where her mother came from and why she was raised in a spartan apartment from focusing on humanitarian work when she was also the daughter of a famous and successful Broadway musical writer. Also why she felt the need to cancel her own wedding and try oh so hard to just be friends with her hurt fiance. The 'oh so hard' exemplified well by the opening scene of mistaking deodorant for hairspray and calling him about it, show more at 3 am. Such is what happens when one's mother dies and leaves behind a mystery.

While there were a few flashbacks with a tinge of nostalgic cliche, overall I found the exploration of mother and daughter relationships interesting enough to stay up late at night once a page-turning stage was reached. Satisfying ending too. show less

I normally try to write and publish my reviews in the order in which I have read the books. In this case, I’m making an exception. I have been somewhat in a reading lull - reading casually, not voraciously like normal. Serendipity changed that. Once I got into this novel, I didn’t want to put it down. When I finished it, I almost immediately wanted to pick up my next novel at quarter to one in the morning. It is now quarter after 1 and I had to start this review. Needless to say, this novel was an energizing read for me.

Serendipity tells the story of four generations of Italian women, each one of them disenchanted with their lives and distant from their mothers. The novel begins with Carrie Manning, the daughter of Rose Manning, a show more NYC icon renowned for her philanthropy. Rose has just passed away, but her presence is no less present. Carrie can’t bare to let Rose down in death any more than she could in life. Rose was all about her charity work, living in a cramped 5th floor walk up apartment in a questionable neighborhood so that the fortune and royalties left by Bobby Manning could go into the homeless shelter run by the local archdiocese. Carrie grew up feeling like a fraud. She wanted more for her own life than giving it and all potential luxuries up because she was more blessed than other children. It’s not that Carrie was entirely selfish. What she really want is what Rose could have given her for free - her smile, her warmth, a desire to be close to her. Instead, Carrie had to go to strangers to put the pieces of her mother’s life together along with those of her grandmother Lu and great-grandmother Mifalda.

What made this novel was the women. They were all charming in their flaws. There were so very human. There was a scene, a thought, or a feeling associated with each of these women that felt just a little (sometimes a little too much) like me. This was especially true with Carrie. I know very well what it is like to grow up with a good Catholic mother when you are not a good girl (and neither Carrie nor I are that bad really). My mother is a wonderful, loving woman. I am blessed to call her Mom. She is in my eyes the stereotypical good Catholic girl. I’ve always tried to get some dirt on her from her siblings and close friends. Those dust bunnies are pretty darn microscopic. The most I ever got was that she and a friend used to argue over who had the meanest mother. This gives me nothing to work with. I am a pleaser by nature and she is the last person in the world I want to disappoint. I am 37 and live 700 miles away, but that doesn’t matter. I didn’t need a Broadway background to understand how Carrie internalized and magnified her own faults when they were held up against her selfless and seemingly perfect mother.

I truly enjoyed Serendipity. I enjoyed the way that Carrie’s visits with those who knew and loved her mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother were intertwined with Mifalda, Lu, and Rose’s stories. Despite the fact that those telling Carrie these stories could not have known the private details and inner thoughts of those women, it didn’t bother me in the least that the story was told in this way. It was almost as if that woman was reaching out to the reader to explain what was never shared between mother and daughter. The ending brought a tear to my eye and made me glad to be both a mother and a daughter. Louise Shaffer weaved an interesting history through the relationships of three mothers and four daughters. While Serendipity may not change the world, it kept me up until nearly 2am to finish the review. That puts it in a category all to itself.

http://literatehousewife.com/2009/03/146-serendipity/ show less

This is a beautiful novel exploring mother-daughter relationships, and particularly the way mothers unintentionally affect the personalities and decisions of their daughters. Each woman's story is utterly believable, lending an extra poignancy to the difficulties they face. While I disliked every one of the characters at least at some point, exploring what led them to behave as they did made this a fascinating and absorbing read.

A beautifully told tale of family, pride, and self-discovery, Serendipity is a story that successfully follows the lives of several women without falling into the dreaded 'chick lit' category. Juxtaposing past and present, mother and daughter, New Haven and New York City, this series of vignettes lets us into the hearts and minds of a web of characters, each one unique, each one engagingly developed through the eyes of the others.
This story was the first in a long time to compel me to read it in its entirety in a day; the prose wasn't over the top, the characters were realistic, and the desire to learn more grew with each new perspective. I'll definitely be reading others of Shaffer's works, in the hopes that they are each as show more well-crafted as this one. show less

Though Carrie Manning is the daughter of a Tony award-winning Broadway playwright and granddaughter of a famed Broadway actress, she knows very little about her family. Her austere mother, Rose Manning, has devoted her life to charity and seems to have put her past completely behind her. When Rose dies, Carrie finds herself lost at thirty-seven. She can’t settle on a career, abandoned the man she loved three days before their wedding, and is now bereft of the mother she’s spent the last year caring for. Carrie sets out on a quest to find her past, to discover not only her mother’s history but that of her glamorous grandmother Lu Lawson and her Italian immigrant great-grandmother Mifalda.

I really enjoyed this multi-generational show more novel. All of the women are vastly different but each believable in her own way. Mifalda is strict and old-fashioned, but still loves fancy clothing and wants what she believes to be the best for her daughter and granddaughter. She has the beginnings of independence, but she’s been taught to smother her true inclinations in order to further her children’s lives. Lucia, better known as Lu, can perceive her mother’s unhappiness, and with her extraordinary musical talent, is determined to find a life for herself outside of marriage, and her determination allows her to succeed. Rose grows up as a spoiled girl, but she too shares her mother’s determination and insistence on getting what she wants. Carrie, in the present day, has no idea what she wants or what to do with herself, having lived in her mother’s shadow her entire life. Each strand of the narrative combines to give us a full picture of both how far this family has come and how far they have regressed.

The ending of the book was not quite as spectacular or shocking as the back cover implies, but I think it fit perfectly with that particular character’s personality. This is not a book that speeds along with excitement or has a shocking revelation. It’s a slow unveiling, learning who these women are through their stories, which is engrossing and fascinating. I had a hard time putting this book down once I got involved in it.

I would definitely recommend this book to another woman. It’s not only a wonderful story but a demonstration of how far we’ve come since the first half of the twentieth century. I received this book from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers’ program and I was so pleased to discover that for once, the algorithim selection got it right. I enjoyed every word.

http://chikune.com/blog/?p=732 show less

Fantastic novel by Shaffer, an Emmy-winning actress-turned novelist. She made a melodramatic story about three generations of showbiz women believable and sincere. Carrie, a 20-something New York City woman who has never followed through on anything, decides to find out what made her the way she is after her mother's death. She starts by looking up an uncle who gave her more mysteries than clues and ends up learning why her gorgeous and giving philanthropist mother hasn't spoken to her gorgeous and legendary Broadway star grandmother for decades. The novel explores family secrets and how our beliefs help and hurt us.