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Lynn D. (Kingston, NY)
Blood is thicker than water
Morningside Heights is an easy and engaging read which explores themes of family dynamics over the time of a long marriage. This is primarily the story of Pru's marriage, although we do at times get the story through the eyes of the daughter and stepson. As her husband, Spence's health deteriorates, Pru, and the children deal with family expectations, acceptance, grief, and loss. As a subplot we have the primary caregiver and her son mirroring their parent-child relationship.
Overall, I think this is a sympathetic and somewhat predictable portrayal of a family coping with challenging times.
Sandra C. (Rensselaer, NY)
Love a mind health hardships
This book held my interest throughout. It struggles with the difficulty of caring for a loving partner with Alzheimer's. How do you nurture your own needs when your spouse can no longer do that. In addition it dealt with family secrets.
Wendy F. (Kalamazoo, MI)
Great read
Really enjoyed this story of a blended family and the unfortunate things they suffer through over the years. The characters are developed quite well and it reads beautifully. Pru is faced with a difficult diagnosis for Spence and this novel shows how she deals with it with and without her daughter and Spence's son. These people are so real and the situation is heart wrenching. The relationship that Pru forms with Spence's caretaker Ginny is also a vital part of the story.
Margot P. (Mandeville, LA)
Common tale feels new
The story about the effects of Alzheimer's on marriage, family, and career has been fictionalized countless times, but somehow Henkin makes it feel fresh and original. Everyday, flawed characters revolve around Spence, a Columbia professor stricken with early onset Alzheimer's. It's a read in just few sittings tale, and other than some jumps back and forth time periods, the story is straightforward and does not require a lot from the reader. A real strength of the novel is how it really is a story of New York City as well . As a southerner I felt as though I could be living there with the characters, not just
…more visiting as a tourist.
What kept me from giving it five stars was the fact that I did not emotionally connect powerfully with any of the characters. I am dealing with a family member with this awful disease so perhaps the detachment I have to have to face it, extended into the novel.
All in all, a very satisfying read that would be a fantastic book club choice. (less)Morningside Heights could be called, the story of a marriage. Spence, a charismatic professor marries Pru, his student. He is an atheist and she has been raised in a Kosher home. He has a son, Arlo, being raised in a haphazard way by his ex wife, Linda. Together, Pru and Spence have a daughter, Sarah. To give Arlo some stability, he joins the family. Problems are handled with patience and love but not always solved. Spence begins to show signs of early onset Alzheimer's disease. That's when Ginny and her son Rafe enters their lives.
Not only did I learn a little about Judaism, laugh a little, feel sad at time, I
…more enjoyed getting to know characters who handled life's challenges with courage and grace. (less)Morningside Heights is the journey of one family throughout the years. Spence, a well-educated and beloved college professor marries one of his students (Pru). They have a daughter (Sarah.) Pru learns that Spence had been married before (Linda) and has a son (Arlo) who lives with his transient mother. The moving and emotional stories of each of them was woven throughout the book. Dreams were shattered and decisions were difficult and heart wrenching leaving the reader with hope but sadness with the situations each of them encountered. There's a reality to lives we live especially when dealing with dementia and
…more the difficulties your loved ones and caretakers encounter. (less)A New York City, Jewish tale of a family – the long story of how they came to this time and what they did about it. The culture and conflict of being Jewish shines through but often without explanation or translation for the secular reader. There is a distance from the characters but with insight and depth. Some of the actions are improbable or confusing but lead the story along. For the reader intimately familiar with New York City and the East Coast, some of the references to time and space will have more connections. There are contemporary issues of health, aging, profession and connections that will resonate with all.
Catharine L. (Petoskey, MI)
Morning side Heights
Knowing friends dealing with dementia, this novel pulled me into this imperfect family - trying to understand each other, and how we fail; and yet we try again. I read the book in one day.
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