book data
45 ratings, 3.27 average rating, 10 reviews
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published
August 1st 2005
by St. Martin's Griffin
binding
Paperback, 288 pages
isbn
0312324995
(isbn13: 9780312324995)
description
From the bestselling author of Jane Austen in Boca, 'another witty tale that combines classic literature with contemporary social comedy.' -Hartford C...more
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 73)
Read in September, 2007
I thought the Dark-Lady-in-a-former-life plot device would be interesting, but this book is mostly about planning the daughter's bat mitzvah. There is a whole chapter on choosing the bat mitzvah menu, a chapter about the bat mitzvah deejay, a chapter about the bat mitzvah photographer... you get the idea. The Shakespeare plot was secondary to the bat mitzvah, and Jessie Kaplan is a secondary character. I think this was a good concept poorly executed. But if you want to read a book about planning...more
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Read in January, 2009
I'm a huge fan of Paula Marantz Cohen. I stumbled upon her first novel, Jane Austen in Boca, while browsing in the library, and I've been a fan ever since. For some reason, I missed the publication of her second novel, Much Ado About Jessie Kaplan, even though I read her most recent one, Jane Austen in Scarsdale: Or Love, Death, and the SATs.
Although it's hard to name a favorite, Much Ado About Jessie Kaplan is certainly in contention. It's the story of Carla, a stay-at-home busy planning he...more
Although it's hard to name a favorite, Much Ado About Jessie Kaplan is certainly in contention. It's the story of Carla, a stay-at-home busy planning he...more
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Read in June, 2008
The Kaplan family includes three generations of suburban Jewish American women in Cherry Hill New Jersey. How each generation finally deals with changes in close relatives is both different and the same. People grown to familiar to see any more, can appear to change overnight. This leaves the family needing to see each other with new perspective. Sisters, parents, children and beyond we see our relatives in context but when the context shifts we panic, sometimes.
Carla's mother, Jessie, is r...more
Carla's mother, Jessie, is r...more
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Read in September, 2007
I enjoyed this novel a lot, and I read it in one day. It centers around a family preparing for their daughter's bat mitzvah; the mother's mother, Jessie Kaplan, lives with the family.
Life is proceeding normally in their household until one day Jessie "remembers" that she was Shakespeare's Dark Lady in Venice. For a woman who only completed tenth grade, Jessie is surprisingly knowledgeable all of a sudden, which knocks the family for a loop.
The daughter's English teacher belie...more
Life is proceeding normally in their household until one day Jessie "remembers" that she was Shakespeare's Dark Lady in Venice. For a woman who only completed tenth grade, Jessie is surprisingly knowledgeable all of a sudden, which knocks the family for a loop.
The daughter's English teacher belie...more
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Read in November, 2007
Carla is a housewife struggling with her disenchanted doctor husband, preparing for her daughter's bat mitzvah, and trying to keep her hyperactive son from destroying her home. On top of all this, her mother is having delusions that she was once William Shakespeare's girlfriend, and Carla's high-powered criminal defense attorney sister is too busy to help out. So, Carla seeks out the assistance of a local shrink and her daughter's English teacher -- to learn a little more about her family's vari...more
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Read in September, 2008
Another cute, fluffy fun read. I didn't think the two plot lines had much to do with each other, but I enjoyed them both. Coming on the heels of reading "Dough," I especially appreciated the way this book portrayed a happy, boisterous Jewish family, in touch with their faith and with each other in spite of their imperfections. I would have preferred a different conclusion to the Dark Lady plot line, though what happens probably makes more sense in the end.
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Read in January, 2008
recommends it for:
Shakespeare modern-remake fans
There's lots of Shakespeare in this modern love story. Actually, there are more love stories than Grandma Jessie's in this book. A fun read. :)
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Read in May, 2007
Very enjoyable book. I really like this author and can't wait read more.
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Good, easy read.
Interesting twist near the end.
Interesting twist near the end.
07/10/08 rec via bookmooch
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