Blue Heaven

This was my first novel from this author, and it was indeed a great place to start!The story is told from three different characters, Grandma Mollie, Mum Gilliana and daughter Clare. Mollie has Altzeimers and is diminishing into the world of her past, where we meet her first husband and dashing love of her life. We learn of his problems and discover why she choose her later husband, Lew.Gilliana is a comedy writer and uses her jokes to hide behind. Her husband has just left her, her daughter has stopped communicating with her and she also has been heartbroken from a previous love and is scared to hurt again.Clare is confused, scared and angry at her parents. She is on the cusp of adulthood and feels her parents treat her more as a child than adult.These are the three uniquely different voices which l came to love throughout this book, reading of their past, their present and what the future held for them. A lovely story that will make you laugh and cry.

It's easy to forget what a truly good book is...this book reminds you. Elaine Kagan knows how write; she knows how to encourage you to jump right into the story beside the characters. This is a book that will stay with me. Keep writing Elaine, I want more!

I read The Girls and Somebody's Baby by Elaine Kagan before I picked this book. Those two were really great, but Blue Heaven was terrific. Kagan has a magical way with words and how to express feelings through generations. The love stories in this book are so very touching that I could not put the book down. The only disappointment was the relationship with Gilliana and her husband, Christopher. Also, the title doesn't exactly fit with anything in the book, but this doesn't really matter since you are too wrapped up in the magnificent story to notice. It is a shame the book is currently out of print, a big mistake by the publishers, so go to the library. Can't wait to read another book by Elaine Kagan.