Cousins' Club

By: Warren Alexander

Narrated by: TJ Clark

Length: 5 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

How wrong can a grandmother be?

When the matriarch of the least successful Jewish family in America gets tired of their misfortune, she begins to consult mystical texts for help.

Determined that their next born grandchild will be a genius who changes their fortunes, and convinced that no one in her clan is smart enough to raise a genius by themselves, she decides that the child will be passed from household to household to gain their collective wisdom.

A picaresque romp set in 1950's Brooklyn, Cousins' Club is a delightful escape filled with unusual events, radical rogues, cockeyed intellectuals and pie-eyed strivers.

Semi-finalist - 2017 Booklife Prize (Fiction)

Praise from critics and readers:

"A darkly comic novel about an eccentric Jewish family that hatches a novel plan to raise a genius child." (BookLife)

"Written with a sharp, satiric blade, Cousins' Club reminded me strongly of Tristram Shandy." (Readers' Favorite)

"Mix a little Alfred Hitchcock, Agatha Christie, some history of lower Manhattan circa 50’s & 60’s and throw it all into a pot of hysterical Jewish humor. Cousins’ Club is a delightful read!" (George Landress)

"A real achievement." (Publishers Weekly)

©2017 Warren Alexander (P)2020 Warren Alexander

This is a great book.

This book has the most important element of a great book, I felt as though I knew these people. It tells the story of a Jewish family which practice the old adage, " It takes a village to raise a child." The different characters have their own individual personalities, each imparting their own wisdom on a child. I enjoyed the similarities to my family, the domineering grandmother, the greedy relatives, genuine family relationships mixed in with humor. I look forward to future works from Warren Alexander. I hope you will give this book a listen, I believe you will be glad you did.

Quirky and fun, A light and enjoyable diversion.

When the matriarch of a Jewish family in 1950's New York prophesises that the next child born into the family will be a genius, she decides that none of the family is smart enough to raise the child alone, and dictates that the entire extended family will take turns raising the child.

What ensues is a satirical look at the core nature of families and the individuals that make them up, that applies just as much to the average family today as to the family of this story - and that is what makes it so enjoyable. As the boy grows up living among various colorful family members, the reader is treated to many chuckles as the story unfolds and the young man comes of age.

Did the genius child learn something from each of the family members? Absolutely! Was it what the grandmother had envisioned the child learning? Absolutely not!

TJ Clark did a wonderful job of bringing life to all of the fun, wacky characters in this book . His voice was clear and pleasant, and he performed with an impressive range of characters, and the appropriate emotion. I would not hesitate a second to purchase another audiobook narrated by Clark.

This pairing of an amusing story and talented narrator made Cousins' Club a humorous and enjoyable audiobook, well worth the listen.