Cooperative Village

By Frances Madeson

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Perfect Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0979277205
• ISBN13: 9780979277207
• Release Date: May 2007
• Publisher: Carol MRP Co.
• Length: 248 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 0.8" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

Laughing Out Loud in Cooperative Village

This book had me laughing out loud in public places and it will you, too. A quick read with a breakneck pace, Cooperative Village will tickle your ribs on the way to your heart, whoever you are, wherever you are. As an ex-pat New Yorker, it feels like a magic carpet ride over old stomping grounds. As a man of a certain age, it feels like a postcard from a fellow traveler on the mystery tour of the human condition. Anarchically funny, acutely observed, and in love with the world, the book is a gift: a blast of light in a dark time, a random act of kindness in a jaded world. It's an impressive debut. I eagerly await the next edition of the Frances Chronicles.

So Funny, I Could Plotz

When Frances found Mrs. Plotsky dead on the laundry room floor all I could do was scream (silently of course):"Call 911. What -- are you crazy?" Then I read a few more paragraphs and figured it out. This is fiction of the absurd -- based on real-life Lower East Side New Yorkers who live in the Grand Street co-ops. Ms. Madeson captures the peculiar blend of native cultures with over-the-top comic details. I had a smile on my face the whole time I was reading Cooperative Village.

Kooky and smart

This novel is a mixture of uninhibited comedy and vehement politics. The author makes you laugh and wince at the same time: she is a rapier observer of our all-too-human absurdities and foibles, which she embraces with tenderness, mockery, empathy, and wit. In all truth, this reader never wished for a second that she lived among the denizens of Cooperative Village (although Frances and her husband would be inspiring neighbors, especially at times of depression: laughter is always available in this book through them) but it sure was fun to enter their lives for a few jaw-dropping hours!

A delight

Cooperative Village is a delightful romp through the slowly gentrifying Lower East Side of Manhattan. The novel is Crossing Delancey meets Desperate Houswives. It features yentas, girdles,and pickles as well as a dead body found in the laundry room. In between the laughs the story touches on public education, the Patriot Act, religion and marriage. As Mrs. Plotsky would say, "Try it, you'll like it."

A Great Debut from a New Comic Voice

This is one of the funniest books I've ever read -- and also one of the most insightful about contemporary American life. If you're expecting a lighthearted comedy about a bunch of wacky characters in Manhattan, well, that's there, but you'll also find so much more: There is something droll, shocking, weirdly true or just plain hilarious on nearly every page. Frances, the protagonist, unwittingly gets herself into a bizarre mess that involves (in no particular order) her neighbors, a nurse, Jewish ritual, squirrels, Latino cuisine, a noble librarian, adult diapers, the public school system, a therapist, a vintage girdle, her "saint-in-waiting" husband Joseph, and a reporter from the NY Times. Throughout, Madeson is able to weave together absurdity, pathos, and social commentary and somehow make it all completely believable. The dialogue is great; you can practically hear the characters talking. As the insanity mounts you'll find yourself rooting for Frances to triumph. It's an intriguing read packed with laughs -- and plenty to think about when you're finished. It really does take a village to stay sane in the U.S.A. Heartily recommended!