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Don't Forget to Write

A Novel

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Don't Forget to Write

By: Sara Goodman Confino
Narrated by: Helen Laser
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About this listen

An Audible Best Fiction Audiobook of 2023

In 1960, a young woman discovers a freedom she never knew existed in this exhilarating, funny, and emotional novel by the bestselling author of She’s Up to No Good.

When Marilyn Kleinman is caught making out with the rabbi’s son in front of the whole congregation, her parents ship her off to her great-aunt Ada for the summer. If anyone can save their daughter’s reputation, it’s Philadelphia’s strict premier matchmaker. Either that or Marilyn can kiss college goodbye.

To Marilyn’s surprise, Ada’s not the humorless septuagenarian her mother described. Not with that platinum-blonde hair, Hermès scarf, and Cadillac convertible. She’s sharp, straight-talking, takes her job very seriously, and abides by her own rules…mostly. As the summer unfolds, Ada and Marilyn head for the Jersey shore, where Marilyn helps Ada scope out eligible matches—for anyone but Marilyn, that is.

Because if there’s one thing Marilyn’s learned from Ada, it’s that she doesn’t have to settle. With the school year quickly approaching and her father threatening to disinherit her, Marilyn must make her choice for her future: return to the comfortable life she knows or embrace a risky, unknown path on her own.

©2023 Sara Goodman Confino (P)2023 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved. Coming of Age Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literature & Fiction Women's Fiction Summer Funny Comedy

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Critic reviews

“It's fun listening to narrator Helen Laser depict 20-year-old Marilyn's adventures while visiting her Great-Aunt Ada in 1960s Philadelphia.… Laser is pitch-perfect in her characterizations of the formidable but empathetic Ada and the clever but not yet fully formed Marilyn. This listening treat is part coming-of-age story and part romance, with family secrets galore.”—AudioFile Magazine, Earphones Award Winner

“Confino weaves humor into her novel that will delight readers. This is a historical tale that speaks to the choices women were starting to make on the road to greater independence.”—Booklist

“This is a funny but realistic look at the more restricted lives of women in the 1960s. It will instantly transport you to Philadelphia and the Jersey Shore, and to a time when a decade of change for women was just beginning.”—Historical Novels Review
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I wasn't really sure what to expect when I started this story, but it was definitely different from what I had expected. This story is full of feisty characters. Both Marilyn and her great aunt Ada with whom she goes to spend the summer are full of life and far from shy. They made me smile and laugh and I loved how their similarities were also why they clashed at times. It's hard to imagine a world where marriage and image is so important, but this story did a good job of introducing me to this time period and what people cared about then and how girls like Marilyn stood out for all the wrong reasons. Having read this story I could easily picture it all and I think it would make a lovely movie. Sweet, touching, will make you laugh but will also make you mad and in the end it will surprise you.

Moving story with feisty characters, set in 1960

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What feels like a punishment for a naughty young woman, turns out to be the greatest joy.

Excellent Story

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The narration was really good. The characters all believable. Such a lovely story, albeit a little mushy towards the end.

Great listen

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I loved everything about this book. The perfect summer novel to listen to on the beach. Warm likeable characters and a real sense of a time gone by. Superbly performed

Absolutely Adorable

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Started a bit slow, but loved the subtle clues and twists. Enjoyed listening to it.

Very enjoyable

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This has probably been my favourite book of the year so far. Absolutely loved the characters

Enchanting characters

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I loved the descriptions of places and relationships. She captured the atmosphere of every situation perfectly.

Amazing characters and story. I couldn't stop listening

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Sorry Sara Goodman Confino but got to say I really didn't enjoy this. Tried to return after listening to first ten mins and finding the main character irritating and vacuous but Audible blocked the return. I'd been drawn to it due to the positive reviews and wanting to read something uplifting. I am completely flummoxed by the 4.53 rating on Goodreads. Honestly, it's a mystery. I've read far, far superior books that get only 3.60.

Why didn't I like this book? For me, the characters felt a little one-dimensional and not real. The dialogue felt completely unnatural - constant witty one-liners and comebacks that felt like an episode of Friends/Sex and the City/Desperate Housewives or some other white American TV sitcom. it grew deeply tedious. No voice felt unique, characters blended into a homogenous voice (the author, trying hard to be funny) and the plot was also boring - I think because it didn't feel character-led at all - and so often so predictable. The whole thing just felt inauthentic and more like an exercise in plotting some TV script than an interesting, thought-provoking novel. The premise is promising and carries the potential for a deeply interesting book offering insight into the experience of women and how much times have changed. Instead, I felt the author only really scratched the surface of that potential.

I'm undecided about the narration. I found it quite cloying but perhaps that's because Marilyn as a character was so self-absorbed, so in a way perhaps the narration is excellent, because she really nails the wry, insular voice of Marilyn. Or perhaps the narration contributed to what made Marilyn a fairly uninspiring character to be stuck with.

Granted, Ada for the most part is cool, though again, she didn't feel like a fleshed-out, real character to me, but an idea for a character, dreamt up by the author. Sorry, not for me.

Bland, predictable & trying too hard - 2.5*

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