Paradise, New York: A Novel

Eileen Pollack

Temple University Press, Apr 28, 2000 - Literary Collections - 264 pages

We first meet Lucy Appelbaum, the heroine of Paradise, New York, in 1970, as a nine-year-old girl enjoying her family's Catskills hotel, the Garden of Eden. Ten years later, having found nothing else at which she can distinguish herself, Lucy tries to save the Eden by capitalizing on a wave of nostalgia for the Borscht Belt and running the hotel as a sort of living museum of Yiddish culture.

In the course of the season, Lucy battles her grandmother's attempts to sabotage Lucy's success, her parents' superstitious fears of anything that attracts attention to the Jews, and her brother's contention that what Lucy is doing is more a matter of ego than authentic religious feeling.

Paradise, New York explores the comforts and complexities of American ethnic identity with a charming commitment to laughter and love.

What people are saying

Review: Paradise, New York: A Novel

User Review  - Sarah - Goodreads

Eileen Pollack is a talented writer, but I didn't like this book very much. The premise is interesting, but I didn't find the plot very engaging, and the relationship between Lucy and Mr. Jefferson made me cringe.

Contents

• II: 3
• III: 93
• IV: 145
• V: 205

About the author

Eileen Pollack is best known for her collection of short fiction, The Rabbi in the Attic and Other Stories. She is currently Assistant Professor, Master of Fine Arts Program, at the University of Michigan.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Paradise, New York: A Novel
• Author: Eileen Pollack
• Publisher: Temple University Press, 2000
• ISBN: 1566397898, 9781566397896
• Length: 264 pages
• Subjects: Fiction / General; Literary Collections / American / General; Literary Collections / General