In the Unlikely Event
Ratings18
Average rating3.2
15
Ratings18
Average rating3.2
In 1987, Miri Ammerman returns to her hometown of Elizabeth, New Jersey, to attend a commemoration of the worst year of her life. Thirty-five years earlier, when Miri was fifteen, and in love for the first time, a succession of airplanes fell from the sky, leaving a community reeling. Against this backdrop of actual events that Blume experienced in the early 1950s, when airline travel was new and exciting and everyone dreamed of going somewhere, she paints a vivid portrait of a particular time and place -- Nat King Cole singing "Unforgettable," Elizabeth Taylor haircuts, young (and not-so-young) love, explosive friendships, A-bomb hysteria, rumors of Communist threat. And a young journalist who makes his name reporting tragedy. Through it all, one generation reminds another that life goes on.
Reviews with the most likes.
Good book club book; Crazy amount of characters to keep track of, so used a character map; Uses font to set the 1951 scene - very cool. Throwback with dixie cup with wooden spoon. :) Polio is a big issue; Newspaper articles help set scene and time; world has changed so much - for the better? President working in Key West because 3 week courier service; teletype on ship; Truman would walk on beach and swim in ocean - today there would be papparazzi and security.
A well done story that interweaves characters and experiences. Judy Blume has a knack for writing about life in a way that the reader can identify with the emotions her characters feel and grapple with. I like that. Although it's a fictional story, the events that the story is rooted in actually happened.
“Hmmm... I really wanted to enjoy this book. Am I the only one that feels like I grew up but Judy Blume didn't really come along into adulthood with me? Reminds me nostalgically of all my Judy Blume favourites, but I was expecting more maturity from this book written for the adult fan.” — 6 minutes ago
