This is my 5th Lipman book, and I plan to read them all. I didn't realize this book was written in 2006, which explains why it is slightly different than her more recent ones. I received an audiobook from Netgalley and assumed it was new.
Told from the point of view of Frederika Hatch, the daughter of David and Aviva, we learn that she has grown up at Dewling University, living in the dorm with her professor parents. Everything is going well until Laura Lee French arrives to be a dorm mother.
I can say that Laura Lee drove me nuts, but following Frederika allowed me to enjoy the book.
There are many secrets revealed, and I don't want to spoil the fun. Suffice it to say, Frederika is the adult among adults even though she is 16.
Lipman's humor and appreciation of the absurd shines through.
I was lucky enough to meet Lipman at a literary luncheon, and she is as funny in person as she is in her books. I have several more on my shelf, and they will now move up higher on my TBR pile.
Thanks to NetGalley for the lovely audiobook. It is quite well done, and the narrator was very good.

This story takes place at Dewing College in Massachusetts back in the 1970s. Frederica Hatch and her two very liberal parents live there. Her parents have been professors and dorm parents there, in fact, for all of Frederica's life. She feels like everything about her life and her parents is boring, until a new dorm parent enters the scene. Laura Lee French is glamorous, worldly, somewhat batty and the former wife of Frederica’s father. Suddenly, things have gotten a lot more interesting around Dewing College.....

This started off as a bit of a slow burn, but once Laura Lee came on the scene, things started getting a lot more interesting. I thought the narrator did a great job making Frederica sound like a sarcastic teenager with a wry sense of humor. In fact, I thought she did an excellent job with all of the voices in her narration. There were several laugh out loud moments, enough that I feel confident recommending this to anyone who could use a good laugh.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Harper Paperbacks, and Dreamscape Media for gifting me an audio ARC of the new book by Elinor Lipman, wonderfully narrated by Piper Goodeve - 3.5 stars rounded up!

Frederica Hatch was born and raised in the dormitory of Dewing College, a small women's East Coast college where both of her parents teach and are dorm parents. They've raised Frederica with benign neglect - she calls them by their first names, they talk about everything and anything, nothing is too adult. Until Frederica learns that her father was married before, to Laura Lee, who eventually becomes a dorm mother at the school.

I enjoyed the time period this book was set in, the mid to late 1970s. I was in high school during that period, just like Frederica, so it was a bit nostalgic, especially remember the Blizzard of 1978. The characters are alternately charming and exasperating, and Lipman's trademark humor comes through.

2.5 ⭐️ I appreciate the humor in this book (snarky and witty), but it didn’t ultimately hold my attention enough to finish it. I listened to the audiobook about 1/4 of the way through and still felt as if there was very minimal plot occurring and I couldn’t connect with the main character because she felt a bit “whiny teenager” to me. It certainly reads as a lighthearted, entertaining book, but just wasn’t what I was looking for.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Paperbacks, and Elinor Lipman for providing me with a free audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"Did you apologize to Laura Lee?"

"For what exactly?"

"...falling in love with your next wife while still married to her!"

Well now! The above is just a snippet of the snarkiness from 16 year old Frederica to her father when she discovers he had a wife before her mother in the often quite witty My Latest Grievance by literary fiction author Elinor Lipman.

Taking place during the 1977- 1978 school year, this coming of age farce has teenage Frederica realizing her parents had a life before her and are more than her parental units. Growing up in a dormitory of a small women's college with her intellectual professor parents, Frederica has the run of the place and though she's treated as somewhat of a celebrity, she wishes she had a more conventional childhood. Her parents never babied her; in fact, they went so far to paint nipples on her dolls so they would be anatomically correct!

Her routine life is turned upside down when the new dorm mother turns out to be Laura Lee, her dad's first wife that she never knew about and who is everything her parents aren't...mostly fun and adventurous. You can bet her parents are not happy about this turn of events.

I laughed quite a bit with the sharp comedic timing of voice actress Piper Goodeve; mostly when performing Laura Lee's quirky antics. But what made this more than just a farce was Frederica's heartfelt reactions to Laura Lee when her unconventional behavior, especially her relationship with the college's married president, has severe consequences for people in Frederica's life.

With a bit of humor and heart, this coming of age story left me with a smile and very few grievances.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from #dreamscapemedia via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

Very quirky family drama! I have no idea why I enjoyed this novel so much, but I did!

Frederica Hatch, is being raised by her incredibly hippy parents in the dormitory of a small women’s college. Frederica, who is wise and sassy beyond her years, is involved in every crisis her parents find themselves in. Her father’s first wife, the ridiculous Laura Lee French, takes a job on campus and befriends Frederica and hijinks ensue. The comedy of the parenting shenanigans and the shocking actions of Laura Lee, create a book that is hard to put down.

Thank you, Net Galley and Dreamscape Media for this Advanced Reader Copy. #NetGalley #MyLatest Grievance @Dreamscape_Media

An absolutely fabulous coming of age story based in a small New England College. I love Elinor Lipman and this book reminded me why!

Elinor Lipman has done it again! I found myself chuckling and falling in love with Fredricka with every page! This book is filled with quirky characters and awkward circumstances. It holds the perfect combination for an incredibly entertaining read. By the way... the narrator aced it and was worthy of reading the delightful story.

The narrator of this book, Frederica is a teenager living with her somewhat liberal, pro-union parents on the campus of a small all-female college where they teach and serve as house parents. Her parents treat her more as an adult equal than a child and openly discuss all issues with her. When her father’s ex-wife, Laura Lee arrives to work as a house mother, Freddie latches onto her as a more interesting third parent. However, Laura Lee’s erratic and controversial behaviors soon upset the entire faculty staff and student body..
I listened to the audio version of this book and felt like the narrator did a good job with the voices of the characters. Laura Lee’s voice was true to her character but I still found it annoying. The characters in the book were well developed and the story was funny at times and entertaining. It definitely leans more towards literary fiction so there is more drama than an actual plot but was enjoyable to listen to.

Audiobook review - found the narrators voice grating and nasal.

Plot review - sort of middle of the road. Plot was nothing challenging or overly engaging. Characters a bit predictable.

Thank you Elinor Lipman and Netgalley for this ALC!

This book is pretty special in that I live in Berkshires, specifically Adams, MA. I did not expect all the references to the Berkshires as the excerpt just mentioned a Massachusetts college. Frederica and her parents kept me giggling and Laura lee made me want to scream but throughout I was engaged and enchanted by this very functional, dysfunctional family! The Hatch family may be eccentric but they certainly know how to love in their own odd way!

Not sure what I was expecting, but it was not this!
But, all in all, it was a good read.

The story is about the Hatch Family. Both parents are professors, and they live on the campus of the small, all women college, in a dorm. ??!!??

The story takes place in the 1970’s…so, tumultuous times, indeed.
Love. Hippies. Freedom… just very different times…and it does shine thru in this book.

Aviva and David are very even-tempered, and seem to never raise their voices or reprimand their daughter. (Not like me at all! 😮)
But, their daughter Frederica grows up in the dorms of the college, with all the girls, and the dorm mothers, and seems to do very well!

Until one day a new woman comes to be a dorm Mom, and life at the small college changes forever…and so does Frederica’s life!

Very slow moving. Somewhat far fetched. But, enjoyable all the same.

3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #DreamscapeMedia for an ARC of the audiobook which releases in a month, on February 20 (although the actual book was released many years ago…)

#MyLatestGrievance by #ElinorLipman.

Be sure to keep up with all my upcoming reviews and PRE-views on Goodreads, or IG @ #BookReviews_with_emsr or my Facebook Book Club @ #BookReviewsWithElaine.

As always, Happy Reading! 📚📖

Thank you to Net Galley and Dreamscape for an audio version of My Latest Grievance by Elinor Lipman

My Latest Grievance by Elinor Lipman was a book I was looking forward to enjoying as I am familiar with Lipman's work.. I have to admit that other than a slight regard for teenage narrator, Frederica Hatch, there was not a character or plot point that I cared about. As a matter of fact, I found the character of ex-wife Lorelei to lack any kind of moral compass and desperately in need of counseling.

The setting and the premise of the story should have lent itself to an entertaining and interesting narrative with a 16-year-old ahead of her years and more engaging than either of her professor parents. I would have expected a college president showing signs of leadership and equity even in the 1970s instead of the vindictive person he was. I also found the portrayal of his wife with mental health issues totally lacking in empathy.

I am unlikely to read another Elinor Lipman endeavor and will leave her writing to those who enjoy cruel, narcissistic and shallow characters.

This is a book I read when I was just getting back into reading after a particularly stressful period of my life. It was PERFECT. Light, reflective, easy to listen to and fun. There was no part of this novel that I didn't enjoy! All of Elinor Lipman's books are great for when you just need to decompress and this one is no exception!

I read this one years back and loved it, and so I was thrilled to see it become available on audio. I equally enjoyed the listening experience and highly recommend it. Well done.

This book is written from the perspective of a teenager and it sure felt that way. While it kept me mildly entertained while reading it was also not a compelling read nor one I would read again.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for my advance copy of this audiobook

This was a fun, chaotic, family satire. Meet the Hatch family. The parents are professors and dorm monitors at a women's college. They have raised their daughter Frederica in the dorms. She is now sixteen, and things become very interesting, and messy when her dad's first wife takes a job at the college. This was rounded up to 3.5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the advanced listener copy. Piper Goodeve does a superb job narrating the audiobook.

This was an enjoyable, somewhat absurdist, story about the Hatch family. David & Aviva are professors and house parents at an all-girls college. Their 16 year old daughter has been raised as the “Eloise” of the school. Her parents are love her but are benignly neglectful. The plot takes a turn when Frederica discovers Aviva (she calls her parents by their names) is David’s second wife. Enter Laura Lee.

I loved Frederica. Smart, precocious, sarcastic. She is hard on her parents but we see her develop much compassion over the course of the book.

3.5 ⭐️ Rounding up to 4 because I enjoyed the audiobook.

Thanks to NetGalley for my copy.

In "My Latest Grievance," we meet the Hatch family, professors Aviva and David, and their 16-year-old daughter Frederica. Frederica was born and raised in a dormitory on the campus of the all-girls college, Dewing College. She's feeling a bit stagnant with her life and then enters the new houseparent, Laura lee who is also her Dad's ex-wife. She is instantly curious about her and actively seeks her out. She begins to spend time with her and enjoys Laura's carefree style. That is until she sees the consequences of Laura Lee's ways.

When I started this book, I did not realize it was a re-release of a 2007 novel. I found it to be a bit slow in some parts and overly dramatic in others. Frederica was a likeable character but I thought all the adults were a bit much. I did not enjoy the way the book ended too easily. Overall, I thought it was a good coming of age story with enjoyable Lipman humor.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the complimentary copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. I appreciate the opportunity.

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This was a pleasant enough book but I'm afraid I can't agree with the effusive 5 star reviews of it. There were parts that were mildly funny but there were also very slow parts. I found the constant repeating of "I said" tedious.

Overall, the book is a decent read - just not one that knocked my socks off.