What do readers think of The Family Tabor by Cherise Wolas? Write your own review.

Harry Tabor’s family is getting together to celebrate him winning the prestigious “Man Of The Decade” award. Harry is in his sixties and has been happily married to Roma for decades. This award is weighing heavy on Harry because he doesn’t feel deserving. He has been carrying a heavy secret about the funding for his philanthropic projects over the last three decades. He becomes plagued with memories from his past and the mistakes he has made. Feeling unworthy he seeks to make amends.

His adult children travel to Palm Springs to celebrate but each has their own hidden issues. One child is in the midst of a broken marriage while another is hiding a failing academic career. Another child pretends to have a boyfriend instead of admitting she has problems with long-term relationships. From afar this family appears to be close-knit but in reality, their interactions remain superficial. They all converge for a weekend which will change the future of their relationships.

This is the second novel written by Cherise Wolas. The Family Tabor is told from many voices and each character seems to grow while they gradually come together to address their issues.

I enjoyed this book, a rare criminal mystery not involving murder, but something far more common. The family members each have interesting issues, which lead you through the story. However, the premise of a serious financial crime unremembered and the primary perpetrator not prosecuted, not even interviewed, provides the backdrop to the story. Like a Greek tragedy the main character suffers from a fatal character flaw and the plot has seriously unbelievable facts relating to the criminal prosecution, but even so, the theme of creating a satisfying life is interesting and addresses several disparate problems modern Americans face. The book will provide a lively discussion for bookclubs about spiritual needs, marital bliss, life goals and victims. I have so much more to say, but more appropriately discussed with people who have read the book so as not to reveal plot spoilers.

Each family member has a story to tell. Families are complicated - each member is developed well with a backstory that will keep you reading this novel by Cherise Wolas. I enjoyed it and will read her prior novel now.

You might think this is a story of an alpha male brought down by his own hubris, but you would be wrong. It's a story about family: how the history of a family arranges itself around choices made by parents, around choices foisted upon grandparents by history, how the perception of a family can skew even slightly depending upon whose eyes you are seeing it through, how people can choose a role, create a personality, make mistakes and make those same mistakes again because a family pattern imprinted upon them.

Wolas asks the reader to consider big themes of family dynamics, religion/spirituality, atonement, Jewish history in the context of one beautifully crafted, glowing and flawed family.

Recommended for book groups who like a little meat in their discussions.

My favorite book of the year in 2017 was the Resurrection of Joan Ashby. I love it so much that I gave it as a Christmas gift to my niece who is an aspiring writer. I was thrilled to be picked to receive this book to review. Some of the things that I love about this author is her ability to tell a unique story and develop interesting characters that you care about. I thought it was a good story and I was very invested in the characters. I was disappointed in the ending because the main character didn't find the closure that he was seeking. This was a thought provoking read on many levels and I recommend it. I can't wait for this author's next book!

I loved The Resurrection of Joan Ashby so I had high expectations for The Family Tabor. Cherise Wolas did not disappoint me. Wolas once again excels at character development & describing family dynamics. It's another extremely well written family saga. This book would be a fantastic book club selection & has made me an even bigger fan of Cherise Wolas. I'm once again eagerly anticipating her next book.

I found the "Family Tabor" to be a compelling, though at times, infuriating read. I especially enjoyed the extensive exploration of the lives, hopes, and frustrations of the Tabor children. However, I found Harry and Roma to be frustrating and rather superficially drawn characters. They seemed to be willfully blind to so much in their past and the amnesia on the part of Harry I found rather unbelievable. His decision to go to Israel to atone was understandable, but I found it infuriating that he ignored his first and foremost obligation to ask for forgiveness from his family. His disappearance perplexed and angered me. I also wasn't quite sure why Wolas had included the story of Roma's patient in the narrative. It, to me, only served to belabor the point of running away from problems.
I would highly recommend this as a book club book because of the characters, their deficiencies as well as their virtues, and so many of the questions that are posed by the narrative.

A well written story of a family with many secrets. On the outside, they appear to be the ideal family. As the time approaches when they must publicly lie or come clean, their world starts to come apart. The story shifts from family member to family member. How each chooses to deal with their secret is surprising. An unexpected ending.