Friday, April 3, 2020

Review: The Floating Feldmans

The Floating Feldmans
Elyssa Friedland
Published July 23, 2019
Sink or swim. Or at least that's what Annette Feldman tells herself when she books a cruise for her entire family. It's been over a decade since the Feldman clan has spent more than twenty-four hours under the same roof, but Annette is determined to celebrate her seventieth birthday the right way. Just this once, they are going to behave like an actual family.

Too bad her kids didn't get the memo.

Between the troublesome family secrets, old sibling rivalries, and her two teenage grandkids, Annette's birthday vacation is looking more and more like the perfect storm. Adrift together on the open seas, the Feldmans will each face the truths they've been ignoring--and learn that the people they once thought most likely to sink them are actually the ones who help them stay afloat. - from Goodreads

In honor of Annette’s 70th birthday, she gathers her entire family for a Caribbean cruise. However, it’s not the relaxing trip she expected, as long-held grudges and new secrets threaten to derail the vacation. I love stories about families, so this book really appealed to me; its mix of tough topics and humor, as well as the cruise ship setting, made for an enjoyable read.


Three generations of Feldmans come together for the trip. Annette and her husband David; their daughter Elise with her husband Mitch and children Rachel and Darius; and their son Freddy, with his much-younger girlfriend, Natasha. The family is not particularly close and actually haven’t all been together in the same room for years, so immediately things are awkward, plus there’s the fact that almost everyone is keeping a secret. Mitch and Elise are heading towards becoming empty-nesters, but they’re approaching that in very different ways. Rachel has gotten into some trouble and hasn’t told her parents. Freddy is hiding what he does for a living. David has perhaps the saddest secret of all, and I wished he would just tell everyone.


For most of the story, I really didn’t like any of the characters. Annette was too blunt and harsh, and both Elise and Freddy are still holding onto childhood hurts, despite being middle-aged. The grandchildren were just kind of middle-of-the-road. However, as the story progressed, I at least began to relate a little to the characters, even as I wanted to scream at them to just communicate with each other.


I enjoyed Friedland’s writing; it was very readable. Her commentary on cruise ship vacations (the multitude of activities, the never-ending buffets) was a bit exaggerated but still fun to read. The ship, although huge, forced the family to spend time together and heightened emotions. The pacing of the story was good, despite mostly taking place over the 4-day trip. In addition to the Feldmans, the author also introduces the cruise director, Julian; these were the only parts that I felt the story slowed a bit. Although he interacts with the family, his story still felt so separate. There were so many other characters and things going on that I don’t think it was necessary to add so much of his story in.

3.5 stars

19 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great review! This one is a bit of a mixed bag though, isn't it? I mean the idea of this family dealing with their issues sounds brilliant, but I guess the pacing gives me pause.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Verushka! I actually thought the pacing was pretty good, considering the short time frame.

      Delete
  3. I really tend to dislike it too when characters just won't communicate. It's so frustrating, right? Great review though!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Stephanie! Yes, it is, but then I guess there wouldn't be any story!

      Delete
  4. I am here for the fun to read right now. Sounds like I would enjoy taking this trip with the Feldmans

    ReplyDelete
  5. The cover and the synopsis don't seem to match up to me. The cover looks super cutesy and light, but the synopsis reads like a more serious women's fiction kind of thing. Hm. Lack of communication is one of my biggest bookish pet peeves so that alone would probably annoy me. LOL

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha, yeah, it annoys me, too, when the characters can't just see that so much could be cleared up if they just spoke to each other!

      Delete
  6. It's hard for me to read books where I don't like any of the characters. It takes away a lot of the fun and being involved with somebody.

    Like Tanya already said: I also feel that the cover doesn't seem to match the blurb, kinda weird!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree, it can!

      I think the blurb is a little more serious-sounding than the book actually was!

      Delete
  7. This sounds kinda fun. I like the idea of a cruise bringing a family together but maybe not always in a good way haha!

    ReplyDelete
  8. This sounds fun but not liking any of the characters would make it a challenging read.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, it's hard when there's no one to root for!

      Delete
  9. I don't think I would like this one, but the concept sounds fun! I went on a cruise when I was 16 (actually had my birthday on the ship) and loved that you could always find food not matter what time it was. ;) The all-chocolate buffet was my FAVORITE.

    Lindsi @ Do You Dog-ear? 💬

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I remember all the food on a cruise my sister and I went on - at first it was nice, but after awhile, I kind of got sick of it!

      Delete
  10. I love stories about families and I wish I could go on a cruise right now... I plan to read My Family and Other Animals this year because it's unlikely we'll be able to go on a holiday this year :( At least we can travel with the help of books.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, we've already decided to postpone the trip we were hoping to do this summer! But yes, it is nice to be able to travel through books!

      Delete

I'm so glad you stopped by, and I would love to hear your thoughts! Comments are always greatly appreciated!