All That Matters

August 9, 2004
In this sentimental, uplifting first novel by rabbi and self-help author Goldstein (Sacred Wounds
; Life Can Be This Good
), a suicidal young woman finds her bliss with the help of her grandmother, a Holocaust survivor. At 23, Jennifer thinks there's little to live for: her mother is dead, her Hollywood-producer father is busy with his picturesque new family, and her boyfriend has given her the boot. ("Phillip had been the white knight of her childhood fairy tales, the prince she long dreamed would rescue her from a life she had no wish to live.") Enter Gittel "Gabby" Zuckerman, to take Jennifer back with her to New York and make everything all right. Jennifer may not be particularly sympathetic or convincing as a depressive, but Gabby, for all her familiarity (twinkly eyes, "floating halo of white hair," indomitable spirit) is hard not to love. When she reveals to Jennifer how she met her husband and escaped the Nazis in Poland, the story (though often told in fiction) transcends cliché and takes on some urgency. Elsewhere, there are clichés aplenty, but Goldstein unabashedly, effectively yanks readers' heartstrings—and some of them will love it. Agent, Linda Chester. Literary Guild, BOMC, Doubleday and QPB selections. (Sept.)

Forecast:
Can you say Lifetime movie? But with the book's low price, good blurbs and uplifting message, you might also be able to say hit.

September 1, 2004
After one failed relationship, twentysomething Jennifer Stempler decides life isn't worth living and tries to kill herself with a combination of drugs and drowning. Jennifer's father is a successful Hollywood producer, remarried to a trophy wife with a trophy baby. Jennifer's mother was recently killed in a car accident, and Jennifer feels alone in the world. After her suicide attempt, Jennifer is released into her grandmother Gabby's care. Gabby lives in New York and is slowly dying of emphysema. Gabby is also a Holocaust survivor, and she is shocked by her granddaughter's lack of respect for life. On a journey to Maine, Gabby attempts to teach Jennifer about appreciating life. The novel would be stronger if Jennifer were a little more fully realized. However, Gabby's story and message will touch many people. Goldstein's smooth writing style makes this literary medicine go down easily.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)