THE INN AT LAKE DEVINE

Piper Goodeve is excellent as Natalie Marx, the young Jewish girl who narrates this upbeat, humorous audiobook. Hoping to book a stay at the Inn at Lake Devine, the Marxes are rebuffed by proprietor Ingrid Berry, who tells them that all their guests are Gentiles. Natalie snags an invitation from a non-Jewish friend, Robin Fife, and spends the summer of 1960 at the inn with the Fifes. Ten years later, Robin invites Natalie to her wedding to Ingrid's eldest son. Goodeve is tender as Jewish-Gentile romances bloom, and she credibly captures Ingrid's hidden resentments and overt animosity. Throughout this thoughtful, well-written novel, prejudice abounds, yet Lipman writes with such care that no group should be offended. Goodeve never sounds preachy or biased. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2024]