"Lucky Us" is a very slow, careful exploration of a relationship that, by all accounts, shouldn't succeed. To start, this is a vast difference in age between Gabe and Elisa and ultimately, there is the decidely immature way in which Elisa behaves after she discovers that she has a serious disease.

Pairing these two individuals, Joan Silber skillfully constructs a story that acknowledges the gaps, but emphasizes the shaky platforms that bridge the differences. This is a love story that contains some hard truths; I appreciate how Silber conveys how people can act hurtfully even when they love someone dearly.

Elisa's behavior is often sour; Gabe is the character who imbues the novel with its sweetness. His maturity is stronger and steadier than Elisa's foolishness, and will anchor them through the deepest waters.

My hesitation with the book, however, is that Gabe is so unwavering that he almost seems like one of those perfect Ayn Rand characters! I realize novels are not held up to any literary requirements as far as truthfulness, but I think Silber would have delivered a stronger story had Gabe wrestled with some doubts before he embraced Elisa and her complicated demands on his love.

Elisa is such a interesting character that i read this cover to cover. Gabe could have used a little excitement however, but reading his point really evolved Elisa in my mind. She handles her disease a little too lightly, maybe making it less scary that it really is. I really did enjoy this book, constantly waiting to see what Elisa would do next.

"Lucky Us" is a great contemporary love story. I randomly selected this novel from the library, and I found myself unable to put it
down. The story was intriguing and exceptionally touching. Gabe and Elisa are an incrediably mismatched couple that face the pressures and problems of modern day relationships. You'll find yourself curious to know the outcome of Elisa's attitude towards life after being infected with HIV. Along with how this issue will affect their future as a couple. Also, will their past burdens affect their personalities, decisions, and roles in life? Joan Silber's lively characters and lovely prose make every page of this book a pleasure to read.

The most amazing thing about this book is that within the first few sentences of each story, you find yourself completely immersed in these peoples lives. Some of the characters are familiar, perhaps people you used to know but you've lost touch with over the years. Others are people you know you would have never spent time with, but are fascinated by their experiences. Silber is skilled at describing ordinary experiences in eloquent and sometimes very funny ways. I highly recommend this book of short stories to anyone who has stopped to relect about how their lives could have been if....

In My Other Life gets at the truth of people's lives. The stories are trying to do something new and wonderful. They don't have the cliches associated with so much fiction, instead they resemble the way we all come to understand how our lives have become what they are. No great dramatic events...just quiet realizations about what we really are. Silber is really truthful in her writing, and reveals how characters are thinking and feeling so that they seem really alive. A reader can learn a lot about living from this book.

In her collection of short stories, Joan Silber probes the complexities of emotion that are trigerred by relationships as they change with time. A central theme of each of the stories is the changes in peoples lives as they grow older: The different people that we become despite remaining the same person with, perhaps, the same issues. In one story, a woman artist struggles with her passivity in having allowed herself to fall into a relationship turned marriage of immigration convenience. Years later, unable to extricate herself from a unsatisfying marriage to a besotted Englsihman, she resigns herself to a life she could have avoided had she marshalled the courage an uncle of hers evinced many years earlier when he finally unloaded his inveterately obnoxious wife. In another story, a hipster restauranteaur in Manhattan's trendy Lower East Side struggles with the tragic death of a mentaly fragile family member and, in yet another, a now Yuppie realtor on Manhattan's Upper West Side recounts his hippie days working in a downtown restaurant. This is a book for the reader who wants to delve into psychodynamics and enjoys the downtowmn Manhattan life. Ms. Silber may strike a chord in your own life, as she did with me. I highly recommend this book.

Set in New Jersey the 50's and 60's, Household Words is a very heartbreaking novel about a young Jewish woman with two small daughters whose life changes when her husband suddenly dies. The author's prose style is spare without being dry. She is able to present a moving portrait of a very strong and appealing woman with a great sense of humor. I first read this book ten years ago and I've never been able to forget it.

Penquin should reprint this book immediately.

A young Jewish woman leaves her New Jersey home in search of love and adventure in 1920's Greenwich Village. She meets a lot of interesting people, has love affairs and forms lasting friendships. She also catches pnemonia(which seems to be a great way to relax and make new friends back then). She also attends a political rally in Union Square which is vividly told.

This is Joan Silber's second novel, and like Household Words, it is out of print. This is unfortunate. I see Gwyneth Paltrow in the movie version.