A moving and evocative debut set in a two-family brownstone in 1950s Brooklyn, unraveling a multi generational story woven around a deeply buried family secret.
Lynda Cohen Loigman grew up in Longmeadow, MA. She received a B.A. in English and American Literature from Harvard College and a J.D. from Columbia Law School. She is now a student of the Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence College, and lives with her husband and two children in Chappaqua, NY.
"It's hard to believe The Two-Family House is Lynda Cohen Loigman's
debut novel. A richly textured, complex, yet entirely believable
story, it draws us inexorably into the lives of two brothers and
their families in 1950s Brooklyn, New York.... As compelling as the
story line are the characters that Loigman has drawn here. None is
wholly likable nor entirely worthy of scorn. All are achingly
human, tragically flawed and immediately recognizable. We watch
them change and grow as the novel spans more than 20
years....engrossing from beginning to end." --The Associated
Press
(As seen on ABCNews.com, San Diego Union Tribune, Daily Mail, The
Daily Journal) "This absolutely riveting book reads like a suspense
novel.... The underlying complexities of friendship, the
intricacies of marriage and the disintegration of family are
explored in this gem of a family saga. The characters are fully
drawn, and the writing is superb. This is a book that is sure to
become a popular choice for book clubs." --Historical Novel Society
"THE TWO-FAMILY HOUSE takes you on a tour of dysfunction and deep
and abiding love in a way that reflects the entanglements that come
with a close-living family....its examination of generations of a
family with their own high expectations to live up to resonates on
several different levels....this very literary tale actually gives
readers so much more than it may seem at first." --Book Reporter
"Loigman nails the way family members, especially parents and
children, inadvertently pierce one another with careless comments
or subtle looks. As the story unfolds, we are reminded of how a
split-second decision can reverberate for decades, even for
generations....the real strength of Loigman's debut effort is her
characters, to whom you find your loyalty shifting as the story
unfolds." --Jerusalem Post "Instead of detracting from the book, my
uncovering of the 'secret' enhanced my enjoyment of this novel--one
of the best I've read in a long time....Who, how and why is the
subject of this well-written, insightful study of human
behavior...that promises good things to come." --Washington Jewish
Week "The Two-Family House by Lynda Cohen Loigman is an outsider's
look into a world filled with tension and mistrust--and most of
all, secrets. [It] will make you question and make you angry--but
mainly, it will make you rethink your own family history, until you
are left wondering--how much do you know about your own past? And
how sure are you that, without warning, your world might not be
blown apart?" --Jewish Book Council "In her first novel, Loigman
uses complex characters to deconstruct the anatomy of family
relationships and expose deep-rooted emotions, delivering a moving
story of love, loss, and sacrifice." --Booklist Reviews "Peeling
back the layers that surround an irreversible, life-altering
secret, this novel weaves a complex and heartbreaking story about
lies and love, forgiveness and family. Written from alternating
perspectives of the different family members over more than two
decades, the deeply developed voices will bring tears and awe,
settling snugly into the heart and mind. It's a reminder that love
is always forgiving." --RT Reviews "In her first novel, Loigman
uses complex characters to deconstruct the anatomy of family
relationships and expose deep-rooted emotions, delivering a moving
story of love, loss, and sacrifice." --Booklist Reviews "Peeling
back the layers that surround an irreversible, life-altering
secret, this novel weaves a complex and heartbreaking story about
lies and love, forgiveness and family. Written from alternating
perspectives of the different family members over more than two
decades, the deeply developed voices will bring tears and awe,
settling snugly into the heart and mind. It's a reminder that love
is always forgiving." --RT Book Reviews Top Pick, 4 1/2 stars
"Where Loigman excels is in capturing the time period--1950s
Brooklyn. She draws gender roles accurately, even capturing the
frustration of Mort and Rose's eldest daughter, Judith, whose
gender constrains her life choices. Loigman nails the way family
members, especially parents and children, inadvertently pierce one
another with careless comments or subtle looks. As the story
unfolds, we are reminded of how a split-second decision can
reverberate for decades, even for generations....the real strength
of Loigman's debut effort is her characters, to whom you find your
loyalty shifting as the story unfolds." --The Jerusalem Post "In
The Two-Family House, young sisters-in-law are thrown together in a
single home, where their children live as near siblings in what on
the surface seems an ideal life. Lynda Cohen Loigman plumbs the
hidden world beneath the happy faces turned to the world with
insight, honesty, and compassion, and in doing so explores
universal truths about family, and love, and loss. I will certainly
be giving a copy of this utterly charming novel to my own dearest
sister-in-law." --Meg Waite Clayton author of The Wednesday Sisters
"In a single, intensely charged moment, two women come to a private
agreement meant to assure each other's happiness. But as Loigman
deftly reveals, life is not so simple, especially when it involves
two families, tightly intertwined." --Christina Schwarz, national
bestselling author of Drowning Ruth (an Oprah's Book Club Pick)
"[Full of] great skill and compassion...a novel you won't be able
to put down." --Diane Chamberlain, New York Times bestselling
author of The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes and Pretending To Dance
"Two families, both living in one house, drive an exquisitely
written novel of love, alliances, the messiness of life and long
buried secrets. Loigman's debut is just shatteringly wonderful and
I can't wait to see what she does next." --Caroline Leavitt, New
York Times bestselling author of Is This Tomorrow and Pictures of
You "A spellbinding family saga...[and a] rare, old-fashioned read
you never want to end!" --Cassandra King, national bestselling
author of The Sunday Wife "...the author's vivid characters . . .
drive the story with suspense and . . . emotional tension to make
it a page turner." --Authorlink.com
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