Review: Couldn't put it down
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 10, 2013
I thought the book was well-written, except for a few spots that could have been edited more closely.  However, the whole story was compelling, and I learned a lot about the Jewish culture.  I had no idea there was such diversity of belief among the various Jewish groups.  For instance, I thought a man ALWAYS wore a yarmulke at any Jewish religious gathering.  I thought every Jew unfailingly kept the traditions of the Sabbath.  This book helped dispel many of the stereotypes I grew up with.  I was surprised to see the cavalier attitudes toward religion in the young.  Those teens could have been from any Christian group, with all of the horsing around they did, joking about different aspects of the religious traditions.  I had held the notion that all young Jews were brought up to be reverent.  In my youth, I thought every Jew in America was rich, and highly educated.About the characters:  Bernie was such a good man, and so patient to put up with Letty and all her neediness.  The daughter, Darby, seemed to inherit her father's kind heart and her mother's quick wit.  But it sure did take an exasperating amount of time for Letty to finally realize that she would never please her horrible parents, if she lived to be a thousand. Those parents were people that everybody loves to hate.