Hope

A Novel

De: Andrew Ridker

Narrado por: Rob Shapiro

A New York Times Editors' Choice

A Boston Globe, Forward, and Times of Israel Best Book of the Year

“Riotous. . . . Hilarious . . . impeccably written . . . . Intelligent, bighearted, spew-your-gefilte-fish-funny.” —The New York Times Book Review

“A writer with this much talent can take his readers anywhere.” —The Washington Post

“Painfully funny. . . . This rivals Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s Fleishman is in Trouble in its pitch-perfect portrayal of Jewish American life.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“A comedy of (bad) manners. . . . Engaging.” —The Boston Globe

A hilarious and heartfelt novel about a seemingly perfect family in an era of waning American optimism, from the acclaimed author of The Altruists

The year is 2013 and the Greenspans are the envy of Brookline, Massachusetts, an idyllic (and idealistic) suburb west of Boston. Scott Greenspan is a successful physician with his own cardiology practice. His wife, Deb, is a pillar of the community who spends her free time helping resettle refugees. Their daughter, Maya, works at a distinguished New York publishing house and their son, Gideon, is preparing to follow in his father’s footsteps. They are an exceptional family from an exceptional place, living in exceptional times.

But when Scott is caught falsifying blood samples at work, he sets in motion a series of scandals that threatens to shatter his family. Deb leaves him for a female power broker; Maya rekindles a hazardous affair from her youth; and Gideon drops out of college to go on a dangerous journey that will put his principles to the test.

From Brookline to Berlin to the battlefields of Syria, Hope follows the Greenspans over the course of one tumultuous year as they question, and compromise, the values that have shaped their lives. But in the midst of their disillusionment, they’ll discover their own capacity for resilience, connection, and, ultimately, hope.

Very good

This was touted as a very funny book.
I found parts of it humorous but not laugh out loud funny, maybe because I listened to it as opposed to reading it.
Still I enjoyed it very much.

Family evolution

Seemingly perfect family is riddled with dysfunction. Each family member eventually finds a path to self actualization. I got it. This book is engaging and well written, but travels a path to nowhere. When it ended, it left me with a very heartfelt so what.

A compelling read that leaves you rooting for hope

In "Hope," we traverse the perilous fall from grace of a Jewish family, enthralling readers with tales both somber and hopeful. Given the uncanny parallels to the author's own life — a Jewish family of four hailing from the same town, with a patriarch practicing cardiology — it's hard to dismiss the whisper of autobiographical undertones. One can only wish that in the realm of reality, the author's real-life counterparts, particularly the cardiologist father, possess a more commendable heartbeat of trustworthiness and charisma. A compelling read that leaves you rooting for hope, even in the darkest of times.

Loved every minute of it!

Such a fabulous story about an ostensibly perfect family. Everyone is actually a mess but they’re all pretty decent people. The mother in law alone is worth the listen.
The narrator is excellent,

A well written, rich, modern novel.

Andrew Ridker has written an intelligent, timely, well-plotted novel with characters I wanted to discover. I took one star away from the story as the themes here are fairly quotidian, and a little more drama wouldn’t have hurt. Despite that, I really enjoyed the writing, and admired his ability to capture dialogue from different points of view, no mean feat.

The audio was impeccably done.
Pacing, intonation and inflection spot on.

Slice of life--upper middle class northeast family

Intimate view into a successful family's internal wranglings with one another and themselves. It is filled with first-world problems.

A modern story of privilege

Andrew Ridker elegantly exposes the modern family for their privilege. The idiosyncrasies of the Greenspan family and their community are highlighted in subtle but powerful contrast to their “charitable works” as well as their searches for meaning in a fast-paced world.

One of my favorites ever

This book had it all, and I think what really tied it together was the most fantastic narrator I’ve ever heard! The writing itself was a little reminiscent of taffy Brodesser Ackerman, of “Fleishman is in trouble” fame, a mix of wry humor, and multidimensional characters, told from different perspective throughout the book which I feel is a fabulous technique which really gives the reader time to “live“ with the character and really enhances perspective. I am so sad that the book has ended, as these characters will stay with me for a long time. Don’t hesitate!

Not long enough

I simply loved this and craved more. It reminded me of Franzen’s “Freedom” which I also could read or listen to forever. I’ll be tuned in to whatever this author writes.

All over the map

Good writing but I had difficulty staying focused on the story. Appreciate the topics introduced but too many! Also back and forth in time added to the confusion. I was left hanging.