Terrie Robinson (short break)'s Reviews > My Latest Grievance

My Latest Grievance by Elinor Lipman is a Family Drama and Coming of Age Story Sprinkled with Humor!

This is my first Elinor Lipman novel and right after reading it, I wasn't quite sure how I felt about it, in a kinda-sorta good way...

My Latest Grievance begins with a solid, yet odd, backstory about professors Aviva and David Hatch and their precocious 16-year-old daughter Frederica, who is also our protagonist.

Frederica feels smothered by the nontraditional lifestyle her parents have raised her in. They live in a dorm at Dewing College, a women's college where Aviva and David teach and where their daughter was born. Frederica is craving a change. Something different from what she's come to expect from her predictable parent-team.

In walks Laura Lee French, a new dorm mother, who also happens to be David's ex-wife...

There wasn't a moment when I didn't think this story was going off the rails but the flawed characters, the mixture of topics, and wonky, wacky humor grew on me. It was Frederica's bright, bold narrative that kept me listening, with the deep love and frustration she felt for her parents and the desire and longing for something new and different to enter her life. "Be careful what you wish for" comes to mind here.

The audiobook is narrated by Piper Goodeve whose narrative and voicing adds another layer of believability to the character of Frederica.

My Latest Grievance is quirky, over-the-top, eye-rolling, and thought-provoking entertainment. Will I read another Elinor Lipman story? You betcha!

3.75⭐

Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Elinor Lipman for an ALC of this book. It has been a pleasure to give my honest and voluntary review.