Good Riddance
Feb 2019 · HarperCollins
2.5star
2 reviewsreport
eBook
320
Pages
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About this eBook
In a delightful new romantic comedy from Elinor Lipman, one woman’s trash becomes another woman’s treasure, with deliriously entertaining results.
Daphne Maritch doesn't quite know what to make of the heavily annotated high school yearbook she inherits from her mother, who held this relic dear. Too dear. The late June Winter Maritch was the teacher to whom the class of '68 had dedicated its yearbook, and in turn she went on to attend every reunion, scribbling notes and observations after each one—not always charitably—and noting who overstepped boundaries of many kinds.
In a fit of decluttering (the yearbook did not, Daphne concluded, "spark joy"), she discards it when she moves to a small New York City apartment. But when it's found in the recycling bin by a busybody neighbor/documentary filmmaker, the yearbook's mysteries—not to mention her own family's—take on a whole new urgency, and Daphne finds herself entangled in a series of events both poignant and absurd.
Good Riddance is a pitch-perfect, whip-smart new novel from an "enchanting, infinitely witty yet serious, exceptionally intelligent, wholly original, and Austen-like stylist" (Washington Post).
Daphne Maritch doesn't quite know what to make of the heavily annotated high school yearbook she inherits from her mother, who held this relic dear. Too dear. The late June Winter Maritch was the teacher to whom the class of '68 had dedicated its yearbook, and in turn she went on to attend every reunion, scribbling notes and observations after each one—not always charitably—and noting who overstepped boundaries of many kinds.
In a fit of decluttering (the yearbook did not, Daphne concluded, "spark joy"), she discards it when she moves to a small New York City apartment. But when it's found in the recycling bin by a busybody neighbor/documentary filmmaker, the yearbook's mysteries—not to mention her own family's—take on a whole new urgency, and Daphne finds herself entangled in a series of events both poignant and absurd.
Good Riddance is a pitch-perfect, whip-smart new novel from an "enchanting, infinitely witty yet serious, exceptionally intelligent, wholly original, and Austen-like stylist" (Washington Post).
Ratings and reviews
2.5
2 reviews
Gaele Hi
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5 February 2019
Daphne left small town New Hampshire for the bustle and opportunity of New York City, and in her attempts to declutter her life and make a new start full of NONE of the mistakes of her past, her mother’s yearbook from her first year of teaching isn’t one of the things that hit the Keep pile. A favorite teacher of many, had treasured this yearbook and left little notes about students, successes and failures all through it. Surprisingly, she also left the yearbook to the daughter who had the least interest in it, in fact, Daphne has ZERO idea why it was important to her mother, or that it would become an important element in her growth and learning to be an adult. Tossing it out in the garbage, her neighbor, who also turns out to be a budding documentarian retrieves it – and begins to question everything and everyone about it. But, things quickly deteriorate as Daphne, fresh from her ‘declutter phase’ is confronted by the budding documentarian Geneva, a woman with no boundaries or social niceties, and a childish unwillingness to return the yearbook to Daphne- ‘finders keepers’ was the phrase invoked. Oh these two were completely off the rails – funny and angsty, sharp tongued and insatiably curious, the story moves from laugh out loud moments in an almost ‘call and response’ manner to some truly thorny questions that have Daphne wondering far more about her mother and the yearbook than she ever thought possible. Clever characterization and development, dialogue that is witty and often pointed, and plenty of moments that bring choices past and present into the forefront, this is a story that is lighthearted at first, revealing it’s deeper and more relevant pieces as it moves along, showing growth and discovery in equal measure on the way to the end. I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via Edelweiss for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
Simi F.
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29 June 2019
good riddance to this boring ng stupid book indeed. they had to be friends with /pay for all those great reviews..i slowly went into a coma trying to read this. I read from the beginning. boring . I read from the end ..still boring. not sure if a lead character can be any dumber than this one was with zero personality .I see will be avoiding anything else I see with this name on it
About the author
Elinor Lipman is the award-winning author of sixteen books of fiction and nonfiction, including The Inn at Lake Devine, Isabel’s Bed, I Can’t Complain: (All Too) Personal Essays, On Turpentine Lane, Rachel to the Rescue, and Ms. Demeanor, a finalist for the Thurber Prize for American Humor. Her first novel, Then She Found Me, was adapted into a film directed by and starring Helen Hunt, with Bette Midler, Colin Firth, and Matthew Broderick. Lipman was the 2011–12 Elizabeth Drew Professor of Creative Writing at Smith College and divides her time between Manhattan and the Hudson Valley.
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