Free Downloads The Two-Family House: A Novel
"A novel you won't be able to put down." ―Diane Chamberlain, New York Times bestselling authorBrooklyn, 1947: In the midst of a blizzard, in a two-family brownstone, two babies are born, minutes apart. The mothers are sisters by marriage: dutiful, quiet Rose, who wants nothing more than to please her difficult husband; and warm, generous Helen, the exhausted mother of four rambunctious boys who seem to need her less and less each day. Raising their families side by side, supporting one another, Rose and Helen share an impenetrable bond forged before and during that dramatic winter night.When the storm passes, life seems to return to normal; but as the years progress, small cracks start to appear and the once deep friendship between the two women begins to unravel. No one knows why, and no one can stop it. One misguided choice; one moment of tragedy. Heartbreak wars with happiness and almost, but not quite, wins. Moving and evocative, Lynda Cohen Loigman's debut novel The Two-Family House is a heart-wrenching, gripping multigenerational story, woven around the deepest of secrets.
Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Press (March 8, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1250076927
ISBN-13: 978-1250076922
Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1.1 x 9.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (395 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #8,951 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #39 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Historical > Jewish #43 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Religious & Inspirational > Jewish #165 in Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature
This book absolutely transported me back to the 1950s, when two brothers, Abe and Mort, share a two-family house with their own families. Their wives, Helen and Rose, are close friends until the night they both give birth to their youngest children. Helen had four sons and desperately wanted a daughter. Rose, with three daughters, hoped to give Mort the son he longed for. After they give birth at home in the midst of a blizzard, nothing is the same for them.Loigman is masterful in her character development, and those who initially appear unlikable truly develop into people for whom I have great affection and sympathy. I found my own allegiances shifting as I read, and I was surprised that who I was cheering for changed as I went.The chapters are told from various perspectives, the husbands and wives as well as a couple of the children, and with each new voice, a little more about the family is revealed. Each voice is distinct and well defined and I loved how everyone viewed the family so differently, creating a robust picture.A beautiful read that's both sad and up lifting. Definitely recommend.
I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy of this debut novel by Lynda Cohen Loigman and I am grateful. We are introduced early to Mort and Abe, two brothers that live together with their families on different floors of the same house. Abe is a fun loving family man with a social magnetism and Mort is a distant father with a fondness for numbers over emotions. We also meet Rose and Helen, their wives, who discover they are pregnant at the same time at the beginning of the novel. This book takes place over several decades and uses multiple perspectives to tell the story of wives, husbands, siblings, and family as they come together and break apart.I really thought this novel was brilliantly written. Each chapter is written from a different characters point of view but instead of confusing the readers as this approach sometimes does, it lets you really understand each character's role in this book. The women and the men and the children in this novel are all realistic and it is some of the best dialog and development for both genders that I have read.Besides the vivid characters, the story itself is also very well constructed. The writing is clean and the heartbreaking moments are written with great care and fluidity. I believe it would be a great book club choice due to all the family matters that are addressed and how often you find yourself asking what you would do in their situation if you were the husband/wife/daughter/son/etc. I highly recommend this novel and look forward to reading more by her.I received an ARC of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
A special thank you to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Cover Love.Lynda Cohen Loigman delivers an impressive debut THE TWO-FAMILY HOUSE, a multi-generational exploration of two complex Brooklyn families, in a lovely Brownstone-- rich in history, character, and love.Two brothers, Mort and Abe buy a quaint Brooklyn brownstone. Abe and his family are upstairs and Mort’s downstairs. Busy running their father’s company, their lives are intertwined in many ways.Rose and Mort have three daughters; however, he desires a son. Helen and Abe have four sons. She longs for a daughter.The two wives bond, getting pregnant around the same time, and on one winter stormy night, the two go into labor. This night will change the course of their lives.Choices, family secrets, mystery, intrigue, and strong emotions. From 1947 to 1970, we hear from different perspectives of individual family members, giving readers an inside view to the character's thoughts and actions.From tragedy and heartbreak to love and forgiveness. The author takes you on a journey. It is not so much the destination, but the memorable journey, captured in this character-driven debut, brilliantly crafted.I enjoyed the author’s note, the setting, and the inspiration behind the book. A tragedy resulting from a single misguided choice. Have pre-ordered the audio, narrated by Barrie Kreinik--should be fun!Fans of Lisa Jewell, will enjoy the complex family and domestic suspense. Looking forward to more from this talented new author --a winner out of the gate.
All families have secrets and the only question about the secrets is if the family can keep them from being exposed. In Lynda Cohen Loigman's debut novel, "The Two Family House", it seems that the Berman family of first Brooklyn and later Long Island, there's one act that sisters-in-law commit that carry consequences on through the family into the second generation.Abe and Mort Berman have built a box manufacturing business into a successful family business. Both brothers have unique talents that have blended to make the business work, and they share a house with their wives and children in Brooklyn. One brother has four sons, and the other brother has three daughters. Their wives, Helen and Rose, are close but both are aware that their husbands - in particular Mort - would love to have another child that would be of the opposite sex of their existing children. Both women fall pregnant at the same time and their children are born at home during a raging blizzard. I think most readers can guess what the secret the two women hold close til it simply cannot be kept secret any longer.Lynda Cohen Loigman's strength as a writer lies in the depiction of her characters, rather than in her plotting. Loigman's characters are well-drawn. No "unreliable characters" for Loigman; her people act pretty close to how they're depicted. As a reader, I don't like "unreliable characters" I cannot "trust" to be who they are. (You might know I read a lot of non-fiction!) Loigman's setting are the post-WW2 years, when mores and social conduct change fairly rapidly. Her Berman family is shown as coming to grips with such changes in both subtle and obvious ways.I found Lynda Cohen Loigman's novel quite enjoyable and even a bit thought-provoking.
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