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Marty Fish is 17 years old when she meets her future mother-in-law, the awe-inspiring Mrs. Hornstien. Mrs. Hornstien lives in an enormous apartment in Ritterhouse Square, Philadelphia, complete with marble stairs and mahogany walls and a zodiac painted on the library ceiling. Heady stuff indeed for a young girl of Marty's humble background. InMrs. Hornstien,Fredrica Wagman chronicles the relationships between Marty and her mother-in-law and Marty and her husband, Albert, from that first meeting in the Ritterhouse Square apartment to the engagement of Marty's own son 35 years later. It sounds like a pretty massive undertaking, but Wagman accomplishes it in under 120 pages.
The book might be slim, but it's certainly vocal. Everyone inMrs. Hornstienseems to be shouting; scarcely a page passes without someone speaking in capital letters. This is especially true of Mrs. Hornstien, who seems to value DRIVE and AMBITION above all. One wishes she'd switch to emphatic italics from time to time. This is not a subtle book, but it is a heartfelt one. The message contained within it is obvious: trust love; let troubles strengthen, not break you.Mrs. Hornstienwill fit nicely on the shelf next to anything by Robert Fulghum.
One of the best books i've ever read This should be mandatory reading material for young women! A very short book packed with precious insight. The advice contained in this book is millions of times worth its price. Absolutely wonderful. I rushed to the store and bought an extra copy for my sister. I could write 50 more sentences and still not be able to convey the tremendous impression this book has made on me. Enjoyable from page one, funny and touching and dynamic (i love the way some of the characters speak, all in CAPS). Buy it and keep it on your nightstand forever!
Surprised and Moved I just found this book in the library with no knowledge of the author or title and I slowly fell in love with it. I read it in one day and started it all over again when I'd finished. I thought it would be light reading but turned out to contain wisdom and depth and then brought me to tears (no, I'm not a whimpy baby either). Now I'm searching the web for info about the author to tell her I lived in that world with Marty and felt her feelings. I didn't read about her I was there with her! Thank you for writing such an honest book Fredrica Wagman.A tiny novella in size but mighty powerful in word Packed in this little novella is a lot of powerful advice. If you have ever wondered what a great mother-in-law / daughter-in-law relationship is like, wonder no more. Watch it develop on each page. If only we were blessed with hindsight first!
