“Light and tight, On Turpentine Lane is constructed with an almost scary mastery.”—New York Times Book Review “A diverting delight.”—People “[Lipman] has a way of crafting books so utterly charming that you want to set up residence inside them… has returned to her claustro-suburban hometown, where she writes institutional thank-you notes for her alma mater. It’s a peaceful life, really, and surely with her recent purchase of a sweet bungalow on Turpentine Lane her life is finally on track. Never mind that her fiancé is off on a crowdfunded cross-country walk, too busy to return her texts (but not too busy to post photos of himself with a different woman in every state). And never mind her witless boss, or a mother who lives too close, or a philandering father who thinks he’s Chagall.
When she finds some mysterious artifacts in the attic of her new home, she wonders whether anything in her life is as it seems. What good fortune, then, that Faith has found a friend in affable, collegial Nick Franconi, officemate par excellence . . .
Elinor Lipman may well have invented the screwball romantic comedy for our era, and here she is at her sharpest and best. On Turpentine Lane is funny, poignant, and a little bit outrageous.
“A light but serious antidote to what ails us all these days.”—Washington Post
“Delightful! I read it in one day—truly a peak reading experience. Every page was packed with wonders.”—Maria Semple
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A delightful read. My second Lipman in one week, which is a sign of how much I’m enjoying her writing. Great characters, great little town setting, a few wonderful idiots, and a plot that’s just plain fun. I read them with much the same pleasure I take in a Barbara Pym novel, though LIpman is very American and resolves her stories more happily, at least in the two I’ve read so far. Believe me, I’ll be reading more soon.
I haven’t offered a reading recommendation on my blog in quite some time, but I’m inspired to do so today. I spent the better part of my free time this past weekend reading Elinor Lipman‘s On Turpentine Lane. This author had been highly recommended by many, but I’d never actually read her work until now.
Ms. Lipman has drawn a wonderful, kooky cast of characters and combined it with great wit, snappy dialogue, and a nice little mystery to keep you guessing. This is the first book I’ve read in a while that I resented having to put down throughout the day in order to attend to chores and other matters.
My only quibble with the story is the fact that, at times (especially the first half), Faith could be somewhat dim-witted when dealing with Stuart (although she did wise up before the halfway point in the story). In all other regards, she was quite worthy of affection for the way that she handled her family and co-workers. Her neuroses made her quirky in the best way.
I thoroughly enjoyed the story’s secondary characters, all of whom were well-developed and interesting. The Frankel family certainly encountered its fair share of drama–some manufactured, some real, and always portrayed with real warmth and endearing peculiarity. There were several moments when I laughed aloud and recognized some of my own family dynamic being played out on the page.
If you enjoy humorous fiction with a hint of romance and mystery, I highly recommend this book. If you grew up in a big, nosy family, I also recommend this book!
And although it wasn’t a romance, Faith’s friend/crush Nick will make your heart flutter with his humor and thoughtfulness. Without spoiling anything, let me also add that I was extremely glad with how Faith’s mother ultimately handled her marital woes!
Now I’m off to decide which other of Ms. Lipman’s other books I should read next.
Elinor Lipman is nothing if not the master of creating characters with jobs so stultifying you sweat with comic tension about how they can possibly survive them. It would have been hard to top thinking up In Pursuit of Alice Thrift’s traveling fudge salesman, but in On Turpentine Lane, Lipman gives us Faith, a woman who writes donor thank-you notes for a private elementary school. She passes the days writing these notes while waiting for her doofus boyfriend to find himself on a crowd-sourced walk across the country, which he embarked upon after giving her a piece of thread as an engagement ring. The rollicking rom-com vibe turns whodunit when Faith becomes a somewhat accidental home owner, taking on a fixer-upper that reveals a secret in the attic that leads to the police ripping up her basement. The obstreperous nursing home resident Faith has to confront to get some answers is lots of fun. Lipman’s books never fail to entertain, so I keep reading them, even though none have measured up to my adoration of one of her earliest books, And Then She Found Me, the only one I’ve ever re-read, and gosh, I think it’s time to do that again .
I’m always up for a story involving house rehabs and this was a quirky one, full of the unexpected, but lots of fun
This one has been pretty well summarized, so I’m just going to get into my thoughts of this book. Faith is very particular in how she likes things done, except when it comes to her fiance. (ugh, I hated him and hated that she put up with him as long as she did.) I didn’t care for her bla·sé statement of “I think I have post-traumatic stress disorder,…” with no real reason as to why she would have it because as a sufferer, I really hate off-handed comments like that. But her family was full of entertainment from beginning to end.
While I did feel the major mystery seemed added in for excitement, I rather did like it. Though when it comes to solving it, I felt Faith was a bit of a bully when it came to interviewing Mrs. Lavoie. The exchanges she has with the police officers are clever and amusing, and I chuckled during one of them in particular. As far as characters go, they’re all richly in-depth, even the ones I didn’t like, such as the fi·an·cé Stuart and Faith’s father, were well-written to be unlikable.
Overall this was a fun read. It was well-written, with a storyline that had a lot of fun elements and situations. I was happy that Faith found her backbone, happiness, and that she figured out the mystery on her own. Lipman did a really good job with this, and she definitely has a new fan.
Light fluff. Enjoyable, but very light (think dandelion fuzz). Most problems/conflicts are resolved within a page or two with little effort on the part of the characters. Plot kind of meanders. Pleasant read for when you’re in a mood for something that doesn’t require a lot of thinking.
A good quick read.
This book was fairly long and without much of a plot. The idea was interesting, and the characters were likable. I did not care for some of the language. There wasn’t a lot of it, but it didn’t need any.
I enjoyed reading this story
A wild ride!
On Turpentine Lane by Elinor Lipman
2017
This is a fantastic “beach read.” It was a nice break from the “heavy” psychological thrillers I’ve been reading! This book is a light and funny romantic comedy with a little mystery. The plot is somewhat outrageous but achieving its goal to entertain the reader.
When Faith Frankle buys a house in her old neighborhood, she never imagined the mystery she would uncover. She wonders if anything in her life could go smoothly. She has a fiancé who went to find himself backpacking across the country and detailing his travels online. Then, she has a rather tame job at her alma mater writing thank you notes to generous alumni. Her quirky family offer comedic relief while the mystery On Turpentine Lane unravels.
This is the book for you if you are looking for a light humorous summer read.
I really like Elinor Lipman – she writes snarky Everywomen who get in over their heads and, finally, after a LONG slog, manage to come out the other side with wit and aplomb. Sure, there’s usually an overabundance of drama along the way – along with an overabundance of foolish choices, sad-sack men, and self-indulgent self-pity. But they’re fun to read, and there are enough clever bits to keep me entertained throughout.
In this latest, the protagonist finds herself buying a house – and a life – she’s not prepared for, on so many levels (financial, emotional, professional, criminal)… The hi-jinks are many, as are the pratfalls and misunderstandings. Those are not normally positives to me and by all accounts, I shouldn’t like it, but I found it a quite enjoyable read nevertheless. I think it’s Lipman’s writing style. She has an easy-going, conversational style. It makes reading her books rather like gossipy conversation over coffee with a good friend. Perhaps there’s not much substantive, not many life lessons gleaned or perspectives irrevocably altered. But what there is, is a pleasant, comfortable afternoon (or two). And that’s worth more than substance some days…