Synopses & Reviews
"The Romantics is a smart, edgy novel that is wickedly insightful about class and privilege, amusingly cynical about love and friendship, and thoroughly entertaining throughout. Galt Niederhoffer is an elegant prose stylist and a shrewd social observer."—Tom Perrotta
Laura and Lila were once as close as could be--college roommates at the center of a tight-knit group of friends. But the friendship has wilted a bit. Now, ten years after college, the friends--and the boyfriend they shared--have reunited for Lilas wedding at her familys seaside estate in Maine.
Laura is reserved, single, and the only Jew in the group, while the bride, Lila, is a WASP-y moneyed golden girl, and the groom, Tom, a swim team star from a working class Catholic background, is a perfect paradox of confidence and confusion. As the wedding draws near and wine flows faster, the disappointments and desires of the reuniting friends come quickly to the surface. A drunken game on the estates dock goes awry when the revelers are pulled out to sea by the current. When they swim back to shore, they are short by one—the groom. The search throws the groups shifting allegiances into relief and results in new betrayals as well as confessions.
With Lilas familys picture-perfect Maine summer house as the backdrop, Laura not only sees her old friends in a new light, but reassesses herself as well—is she the only one of the group destined to be unmarried into her thirties? Was it always this obvious that she was the only Jew in a pride of WASPs? Struggling with the traditionally thankless role of maid of honor—not to mention contending with Lilas formidable mother Augusta—Laura also realizes she can't stop thinking about her complicated, long and intense relationship with the groom. But isn't that relationship far in the past?
A wry observer of cultural and social mores, Niederhoffer creates a pitch-perfect group of characters and a winning novel about friendship, class and love.
Review
"The fun comes from quick, withering observations...The Romantics...illustrate[s] why well-wrought cynicism never goes out of style."--The New York Times"Nuanced, piercing ...An involving, tightly woven tale with fascinating characters."--Booklist"Niederhoffer weaves the characters together in an intense, crisp story line."--Library Journal Neil Walsh - Stephen R. Donaldson - Jacqueline Carey - Glen Cook - Elizabeth Haydon - David Drake - Robert Charles Wilson - Cory Doctorow - Bret Easton Ellis - Candace Bushnell - Dominick Dunne - Jay McInerney - Jonathan Demme, filmmaker - A.O. Scott - Martin Arnold - Steve Kroft, 60 Minutes - J. B. Priestley - Charles de Lint - Dallas Observer - Jennifer Weiner, author of In Her Shoes and Little Earthquakes - Jay Leno - Laura Zigman, author of Animal Husbandry, Dating Big Bird, and Her - Liz Smith - Gillian Engberg - Clarissa Cruz - Jay Strafford - Hallie Ephron - Patrick Anderson - Walter Jon Williams - S. M. Stirling - Connie Willis, Hugo Award-winning author of To Say Nothing of the Dog - Morgan Llywelyn - Jacqueline Carey - George R.R. Martin - Frederick Busch - Anthony Quinn - Gahan Wilson - John Fowles - Paul Di Filippo - Publishers Weekly - Kirkus Reviews - Romantic Times Bookclub Magazine - Publishers Weekly - Kirkus Reviews - Kirkus Reviews - Booklist - SciFi.com - Entertainment Weekly - Kirkus - New Scientist - Newsday - Publishers Weekly - Realms of Fantasy - San Francisco Chronicle - The Sunday Times - The Washington Post - Time Out London - Wired - Los Angeles Times - Vanity Fair - New York Times Book Review - Rocky Mountain News - Library Journal - Publishers Weekly - Southern Living - Booklist - Publishers Weekly - Romantic Times - Midwest Book Review - Cincinnati Enquirer - Booklist - Publishers Weekly - Booklist - Romantic Times Bookclub - The New York Times - The Washington Times - Los Angeles Times - West Coast Review of Books - Chicago Tribune - Washington Post - Booklist - Chicago Sun-Times - Rocky Mountain News - Chicago Tribune - New York Sun - Publishers Weekly - Fangoria - Horn Book Magazine - School Library Journal - USA Today - Entertainment Weekly - Boston Globe - Richmond Times-Dispatch - Entertainment Weekly - January Magazine - Booklist - Library Journal - Library Journal Review - New York Post - About.com - New York Observer - The New York Times Book Review - Publishers Weekly - The Knoxville News-Sentinel - The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction - Midwest Book Review - Santa Barbara News-Press - Newsweek - Library Journal - Greenwich Magazine - Time Out New York - New York Times Book Review - San Francisco Chronicle - Booklist (starred review) - Booklist - Kirkus Reviews - Publishers Weekly (starred) - Washington Post Book World - Publishers Weekly, starred review - Kirkus Reviews - Publishers Weekly - School Library Journal - Kirkus Reviews - Publishers Weekly - Altair - TV Week (Australia) - Publishers Weekly (starred review) - SF Site
Review
"The fun comes from quick, withering observations...The Romantics...illustrate[s] why well-wrought cynicism never goes out of style."--The New York Times"Nuanced, piercing ...An involving, tightly woven tale with fascinating characters."--Booklist"Niederhoffer weaves the characters together in an intense, crisp story line."--Library Journal
Review
"A smart, edgy novel that is wickedly insightful about class and privilege, amusingly cynical about love and friendship, and thoroughly entertaining throughout."--Tom Perrotta
"Illustrates why well-wrought cynicism never goes out of style."--The New York Times
Praise for A Taxonomy of Barnacles:
"An engrossing tale of family drama and true love--one that offers the pleasures of a layered, old-fashioned romance."--People
"Droll and sophisticated . . . a winning, screwball comedy."--Entertainment Weekly
"A clever, comic melodrama . . . At its funniest, A Taxonomy of Barnacles reminded me of the classic Hollywood screwball comedies from the thirties."--USA Today
Synopsis
NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING KATIE HOLMES, JOSH DUHAMEL, AND ANNA PAQUIN, IN THEATERS SEPTEMBER 24th, 2010
Laura and Lila were college roommates--one brooding and Jewish, the other the epitome of golden WASP-dom. Now it's ten years later, a day before Lila's wedding to Lauras former boyfriend, and as the guests arrive, Laura finds herself the only one not coupled up. Struggling with the traditionally thankless role of maid of honor, Laura realizes for the first time why she can't stop thinking about her long, tangled relationship with the groom. And it appears that he is not entirely ready for the altar himself. Unfolding over two days off the coast of Maine, The Romantics follows the shifting allegiances among an unforgettable set of characters.
Synopsis
NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING KATIE HOLMES, JOSH DUHAMEL, AND ANNA PAQUIN, IN THEATERS SEPTEMBER 24th, 2010
Laura and Lila were college roommates--one brooding and Jewish, the other the epitome of golden WASP-dom. Now it's ten years later, a day before Lila's wedding to Lauras former boyfriend, and as the guests arrive, Laura finds herself the only one not coupled up. Struggling with the traditionally thankless role of maid of honor, Laura realizes for the first time why she can't stop thinking about her long, tangled relationship with the groom. And it appears that he is not entirely ready for the altar himself. Unfolding over two days off the coast of Maine, The Romantics follows the shifting allegiances among an unforgettable set of characters.
Synopsis
Laura and Lila were college roommates--one brooding and Jewish, the other the epitome of golden WASP-dom. Now it's ten years later, a day before Lila's wedding to Lauras former boyfriend, and as the guests arrive, Laura finds herself the only one not coupled up. Struggling with the traditionally thankless role of maid of honor, Laura realizes for the first time why she can't stop thinking about her long, tangled relationship with the groom. And it appears that he is not entirely ready for the altar himself. Unfolding over two days off the coast of Maine,
The Romantics follows the shifting allegiances among an unforgettable set of characters.
About the Author
GALT NIEDERHOFFER is the author of The Romantics and A Taxonomy of Barnacles. She is also a film producer and a partner in the production company Plum Pictures, which was recently listed on Variety's "Indy Power List". Galt has produced over twenty films, seven of which have premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. These films have won Best Director, Best Cinematographer, Best Screenwriter, and twice, the Audience Award. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her family.
Reading Group Guide
Discussion Questions
1. At the start of the book, we learn that "rivalry glued the girls together in a way that regular contact could not." How does their rivalry hold them together? How does competition mix with affection? Do you think rivalry can be a good thing in friendships?
2. The novel can be read as a satire of Wasp culture and the privileged lives of these Ivy League graduates. What are the common traits of Wasp culture in the authors description, and how do they influence the characters and the story?
3. What keeps Laura and Lila together, despite their resentments? What does each of them get from their friendship?
4. The author describes the landscape of the island, and the Northern Gardens property, in great detail. What role does this landscape play in the story, both symbolically and in terms of dictating the characters behavior?
5. "When men and women grow apart, Laura had found, it is for the same reason they are drawn together; because they are finally, inherently too different. Friendships among women, on the other hand, were burdened by familiarity." Do you agree with Lauras assessment? How does this distinction play out in the story? Has it been true in your own relationships?
6. How would you describe the authors method of narration in telling this story? Why do you think she chose this mode? Does the tone and style remind you of any other authors in particular?
7. "With every inch they grew apart," the narrator says of the group of friends, "they held more tightly to each other, as though maintaining the friendships might enable them to keep their grasp on youth itself." How do you think holding on to youth plays into each characters behavior in the story? How has it affected their lives as individuals? Are there some characters that you think are more attached to their youth than others?
8. How did your perception of Lila change when the novels point of view shifted from Lauras to Lilas own? Did Lila become more or less sympathetic?
9. What holds this group of friends together? Is it simply common history, or have their attachments to each other evolved with their adult lives?
10. Look at the game the characters play in Chapter 12. Why do you think they deliberately risk being discovered here? Do they want their transgressions to be found out? If so, why?
11. This is a novel full of unhappy couples, despite the fact that the characters are mostly young, attractive, intelligent, well-educated and wealthy. What does the story say about what it takes to have a happy relationship and a happy life?
12. In the end, do you think Tom makes a good choice? Does Laura?