Paternity

By: Susan Baruch

Narrated by: Karen Krause

Joel Berger's charmed life is fast slipping away. Determined to father a child before he dies, Joel makes one desperate appeal to the women of his dinner group for help. Soon he is surrounded by a colorful cast of female characters, including his iron-willed yet oddly endearing mother, Sylvia. You'll laugh and cry along with the Bergers as the story of their patchwork family unfolds, taking some deliciously unexpected turns along the way.

©2010 Susan Baruch (P)2013 Susan Baruch

A Story of Love

Really enjoyed this audiobook. Although quite different than any book I have read/listened to, I found it quite pleasantly unique. The themes of love, tolerance, and acceptance are threaded through the story and begs the question "What makes a family?"~in the end religious, ethnic, and cultural differences are not what is important. Great characters (Sylvia being my favorite) and wonderful narration.

Audiobook received for an honest review.

Delightful!

During a small dinner, Joel Bergers has a small gathering where he gives his women friends a note. He does ask that they not open the letter yet, rather wait to read them when they go home or when he's not around. The letter's were Joel's last temp to bring children into the world. This being his last attempt to have his life and name carried on. Joel has a problem, a HUGE one, he's dying. The cancer he has is eating away at his body and he can't be saved. Joel worries that there won't be anyone to carry on his name and keep him alive in spirit. He even worries about his mom and how she with react to his death. He thinks by giving her a grandchild or even grandchildren will help ease her pain. He doesn't care about having sex to make a child, he'll be happy if it happens through unconventional means.

Karen Krause did a wonderful job in her narration. She made this story extremely enjoyable. I must say if there's anyone that read the book but didn't enjoy it then I strongly suggest that you get the audio version. Karen did a perfect job in the variations of all the characters accents and Karen did a superb job bringing Sylvia's character to life. I loved her performance with Sylvia's accent and her style. I hope the author listened to Karen's performance on this audio book. I guarantee if she did then she was one happy author. I loved everything Karen's narration added to this story. I was pulled in to this story from the beginning to the very end. This is such a touching story and you will be drawn in right from the start. Sylvia was my least favorite character but knowing that she's a holocaust survivor touches me. She's all into her Jewish beliefs. Sylvia goes through her own struggles of embracing her family, yet still knowing her heritage. I found her to be a spitfire old woman. I definitely will be looking for more audio books that Karen Krause narrates.

Author Susan Baruch did a wonderful with writing this story. She started the story with Joel but then she added a lot more characters. Each character had a vivid and descriptive backgrounds. Once they interact with one another it's as if you can see inside the story. The story opens up and you can almost feel all the things that each character feels like beliefs, religion, and you get a better picture and different take on sex partners. Susan added so much to this story and I loved every second of it, even all the different religious backgrounds. The story did include a certain amount of sadness that I did want to cry. However, Susan wrote this story in such a way that there wasn't any need for tears. The author did a wonderful job in writing this and it's filled with everything.

I will be honest and let people know that this isn't my normal genre. If it weren't for receiving this audio book as a gift then I would not ever have listened to it and that would've been a huge mistake. I'm happy I was gifted this audio book. It was filled with a significant amount of hidden details thoughts that was carried from place to place. It was a little sad but it was filled with more happiness than anything, it was indeed a very emotional book. I highly recommend this audio book. I guarantee it's the type of audio book that you'll want to listen to again, a few times. This story is like real life, it's capable of being a true story. I really believe it would make a wonderful movie, a believable movie. Both the author and the narrator did an outstanding job, one with the writing, the other with her performance. Thank you for the hours of entertainment I was given.

The people you leave behind ...

What did you love best about Paternity?

I really enjoyed the relationships between Joel and Celeste and then in turn Celeste, Ida and Joel's parents.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Paternity?

When Lucy and Mel were able to be together.

Which scene was your favorite?

The wedding scene when Joel's parents were off to the side sitting at the same table as Sister Margaret and Rabbi Gold. Also the scene where Sammy meets Emily before Ida's Bat Mitzvah.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

The people you leave behind ...

Any additional comments?

I really enjoyed Karen Krause's narration of this book. She was able to get the nuances of the characters and as the characters aged she was able to 'age' the voice with them. I'm not that familiar with the Jewish culture and I didn't understand some of the customs and ceremonies but that in no way took anything away from the story and the performance. I really enjoyed Ms. Krause's narration of Sylvia.

Great reading

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Karen has an excellent, steady reading voice and pulls off different accents and tones quite nicely. You could tell the difference between the characters quite easily by the voice she used. The two Jewish parents were a little hard to tell apart as the accent was the same but the voice was otherwise not too much different. However otherwise I thought the reading was flawless. The story itself I found a bit disappointing. It was an interesting premise for a story but I didn't feel like the characters were all that relate-able, and despite dramatic moments that didn't really go anywhere it was a bit dull and kind of plot-less. Ultimately great work by Karen Krause, and I hope to hear more from her, hopefully with a story more deserving of her talents.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

It didn't seem all that conclusive. I found myself wondering what the overall point to the story was at the end. It seemed to be just kind of quickly and randomly wrapped up.

Which character – as performed by Karen Krause – was your favorite?

I really enjoyed the grandmother Silvia I think and the Jewish accent was beautiful. However I also really enjoyed the voice of Celeste which was a bit cautious and reserved and reflected the character perfectly.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Probably not. :-/

Sweet and unusual romantic tale

Would you listen to Paternity again? Why?

Paternity is sweet, endearing and fun story about a dying childless man who wishes to continue his family line. Although his story is short the remainder of the novel follows the children he bears and the quirky characters in his life.

What did you like best about this story?

I loved the somplicity of the story, simple romance and family life. No complicated story lines to follow.

Which scene was your favorite?

I loved Joel's wedding--the silly and sweet words they spoke with each other.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Karen Krause's performance was good; she has good inflection and clarity. I wasn't a big fan of her voice--a little too high pitched.