Read Time:2 Minute, 7 Second
These days, in a time when many people have moved out to the suburbs, we just don’t have the same bond with our neighbors. We might wave as we pull into our garage; we might greet each other at the neighborhood park. But in Cobble Hill by Cecily von Ziegesar, the residents of one Brooklyn neighborhood find their lives strangely intertwined.
The story explores the lives of four families in a quirky Brooklyn neighborhood. Celebrated British novelist Roy is struggling to come up with ideas for his next novel while his wife, Wendy, keeps a secret about her job at a top magazine. Former rock star Stuart connects with flirty school nurse Peaches in an attempt to find new ways to care for his wife, Mandy, who’s suffering from an illness that doesn’t really exist. And Tupper, a designer and inventor, attempts to get through to his elusive artist wife, Elizabeth.
The backgrounds and eccentricities of the people living in this hip neighborhood seem to promise a read full of wacky urban adventures—and maybe some important lessons to be learned in the end. Unfortunately, though, there are so many characters here—and so many different lives and personalities—that it’s impossible to get to know them very well at all. In fact, it’s often hard to remember which is which.
It seems that each one could be interesting in his or her own way—but, instead, they generally come off as selfish and shallow and surprisingly dull. Elizabeth, Mandy, and Peaches are so caught up in their own wants and feelings that they don’t seem to care about—or even consider—the needs of anyone else. Roy is so caught up in his terrible Martian romance that he barely notices the changes going on all around him. And Stuart is surprisingly bland for a former rocker.
Throughout their story, these characters cross paths in random ways. They hang out at the same bar that isn’t really a bar. They share a drug dealer. They’re invited to a karaoke night that ends up being a live art installation. It’s bizarre but rather pretentious. And, in the end, it all seems to amount to not much of anything.
Somewhere lurking in these Brooklyn brownstones, there must be a fascinating story. But the characters in Cobble Hill seem to think that they’re a whole lot more interesting than they really are. And that makes for a long, surprisingly tedious read.
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Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
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Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
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