Review
by Deb Czajkowski
Pretty
Little World is the
story of three families that geography brought together. Moving onto one of Philadelphia’s best row
house streets, these three families─all strangers when each family purchased
their tiny row house─quickly formed a unique bond that is so strong, it’s like
family─the best kind of family.
Midwesterners Mark, Celia, and their
three children, Ted, Lu, and Ollie, live on the left side of the triplex row
house. Chris, Stephanie, and their son,
Harvest, bought the center home. East Coasters Leo, Hope, and their daughter,
Shoshanna, complete the triplex on the right side.
Until the day comes that Mark and Celia
announce that they are selling their house.
“Our house was tiny and crowded before we had Ollie,” they explain, “but
now we really need more room, a larger space.”
“NO! You can’t move!”
“That will break up our family!”
“We can figure this out!”
So the idea begins to form: take down
the inside walls that separate the three houses and make it one big house! The first floor would be shared space; the
upstairs bedrooms would remain as they are, separate and still private. The three families who are as close as family
would live together as one family, one big family in one big house.
Like a modern day Kibbutz? Interesting thought. But wouldn’t that change
the family dynamics? Won’t familiarity
breed contempt? Or at least seriously threaten the present harmony? And that’s only addressing the friendships
between the three families. What impact
might this communal living have on each individual family? On each marriage?
Pretty
Little World is
co-authored by Elizabeth LaBan and Melissa DePino. Is there a clear division of labor between
the two authors? Is it obvious that each
author wrote certain chapters? Are there
two distinct plotlines that intertwine and converge? Not even a little! Pretty
Little World is a well written, consistent, and entirely fluid novel.
But do authors LaBan and DePino make
this concept─ three families who jell like, well, jello─ work? Is their
Pretty Little World actually plausible?
I say yes! Perhaps, though,
more like tapioca─still jelled, but not quite so smooth, maybe a bit messier. Yes. Like a real family (or families, as the case may be).
I have a friend who is my sister in all
the ways that truly count: not by blood, but heart-to-heart. We click─have from day one─on a level that
not even blood can promise. I believe this concept would have worked for our
families. So yes, I can envision the scenario.
Do you have a heart-sister? Does your family have an always together family? Does
one of your kids have a bestie that she/he has had forever, and it seems like
you hardly ever see one without the other? If yes, you can picture it, the
bond. If not, imagine the possibility.
Then read Pretty Little World for a
peak in the window. You’ll love the view.
Purchase the book at:
About
the authors:
Elizabeth
LaBan is the author of The Tragedy Paper, which has been translated
into eleven languages; The Grandparents Handbook, which has been
translated into seven languages; and The Restaurant Critic's Wife. She lives in
Philadelphia with her restaurant-critic husband and two children.
Melissa De Pino is the founding partner, principal, and
editorial director of Leapfrog Group, a branding and marketing firm for
nonprofits, and a former high school English teacher in Camden, New Jersey. She
grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia and earned degrees at both Villanova and
Temple universities. She lives in Center City, Philadelphia, with her two sons. Pretty
Little World is her first
novel.
Connect with Elizabeth at:
Connect with Melissa at:
Lake Union Publishing is giving one lucky winner
A print
copy of Pretty Little World by Elizabeth LaBan
a Rafflecopter giveaway
