Anything for Jane Book

What a wonderful book. It's the third in a trilogy, Cheryl Mendelson's first fiction. I'm especially attached to the books because all three take place in Morningside Heights, my old neighborhood in New York. It's cool to read about character's eating at restaurants you've eaten at and walking down streets you've walked down. Mendelson's biggest strength is her characters. I usually don't like omniscient narratives, but Mendelson does a great job of articulating all the character's thoughts, and we come to know each of them so well. Anne Braithwaite is one of my favorite characters ever. Mendelson's writing is a pleasure to read. And she's funny. I kept laughing out loud and reading passages to my husband. She describes a bunch of Columbia students as "puppy-people"--hilarious. There's a lot of depth in these books, but it's not forced on you at all. You could read them just for fun without thinking much and still enjoy them immensely. She slips in a lot of interesting philosophical, political, and moral ideas too, but I especially love her focus on family life. The plot too was gripping. I read for five hours straight to finish, staying up too late. The ending was perhaps a bit over the top, but I loved it. Perhaps my favorite of the three books, but I loved all of them.