Rating: 
Summary: A nice story, but not much happened
Review: I think that Kaaterskill Falls could have been a phemomenal book. Each character was well developed and interesting, and there was potential for a fascinating story. I couldn't help but feel as though every storyline and subplot fell short - nothing really ended up happening. As I read the story, I was wishing that Chaim Potok, or a different author had gotten ahold of the characters and storyline - with more action this could have been a wonderful book.
Rating: 
Summary: Kaaterskill Falls Rocks!
Review: As someone with largely Catholic heritage (the expression "recovering Catholic" applies neatly here), I worried that I would find no point of entry into Goodman's book for one who knows little about Judaism and especially Orthodox Judaism. How wrong I was. In her careful chronicle of a relationship, a community, a family of people with faith, Kaaterskill Falls eludes cliche' or severity. That overweening, heavy sense of Faith that so often invades novels involving religion, so that my fellow 20-somethings and I cower and read High Fidelity instead -- that is nowhere to be found here. Instead, against the backdrop of tangibly beautiful, almost edible countrysides, men and women shed their city personas and relax. You taste the cherry rugelach they eat, you feel the heat of an argument based on faith -- you must have had one at some point in your life -- and this book reflects such everyday experience with subtlety and wit.The love story is so true; so full of angles and points, and tiny discussions about daily life. Goodman leaves in the tangible and leaves out "summer vacation" schmaltz, the absence of which one reviewer bemoans. A beautiful, respectful, unintimidating novel.
Rating:
Summary: insite into orthodox judaism
Review: As a Jewish girl that grew up in a mostly Christian environment, I have never been exceptionally observant. But I have always been interested in the many traditions of the religion. This book is able to make orthodoxy seem more relatable than a book like The Chosen. The characters in the book are relatable on a human level and not just a religious level. It really helped me see how orthodox Jews are able to live lives in the modern world. I can't wait to read more like it.
Rating: 
Summary: Strong, Human(e) Female Characters
Review: I loved this book! As a secular Jew, I have often wondered how Orthodox women have been able to reconcile their intellectual, spiritual, familial, and cultural worlds in an atmosphere that seems to deny them voice. Allegra Goodman has done an outstanding job of developing strong characters whose struggles to define themselves and their world often puts them at odds with all they have been taught to believe. I admired Elizabeth even as I became impatient with her; likewise I anxiously awaited Nina's growth that would allow her to assume status within her husband's family. I've recommended this book to many people; I was literally transported into the world of Katerskill Falls, and didn't want to leave.
Rating: 
Summary: Just couldn't see the point
Review: I rarely leave a book unfinished, but that is exactly what I did with Kaaterskill Falls. I got fed up one night, and tossed it into the recycle bin! I usually like "slice of life" stories, I can handle chararcters that maybe aren't entirely fleshed out and I don't necessarily need books to have a strong storyline, but man oh man, this book was painful. Maybe it's because I am not Jewish and some of the author's references went over my head. I'm sure there are others who will love this book, but don't feel bad if you aren't one of them.
Rating: 
Summary: nice but remote
Review: As a non-Jew, I bought this book in the hope of gaining a bit of insight into the world of Orthodox Judaism. Unfortunately, Goodman does not show what I am sure is the richness of this culture and community. A great book would have shown the reader how the surface routine and repetition of ritual is, for many people, a method of expressing and acting on devotion. Instead, Goodman maintains a distance from her characters that keeps the reader from entering their world. I never felt like I knew these people; I just observed them and was oddly privy to some of their thoughts. While many of the characters seemed like nice people, most of them lacked depth. Only Elizabeth and Andras really came to life at all--and the two daughters (of what, seven?) seemed like tokens. I guess they were supposed to represent how the modern world made it harder for communities like the Kirschners to maintain their faith and traditions, but they were no more than ciphers and therefore added nothing. Still, it was an easy and pleasant read.
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Summary: A lovely, soft, thoughful story.
Review: When I started reading Kaaterskill Falls a few of my friends said they found it difficult to finish and would be surprised if I liked it. Like some of the previous customer reviews they said they waited for something to happen and it never did. I loved this book. It represented a slice of life that most of us never get to experience. A group of people, brought together by their religion and their customs, struggle with their day to day existence, much like the rest of us but on a more insular level. Many of the characters saddened me while others made me angry with their petty, prissy attitudes and their mean spirit. I would have liked the story to go on to see if Elizabeth's daughter fulfilled her wish to go to Israel or if Elizabeth ever succeeded in becoming a retailer, but imagination allows us to create our own endings. A lovely read - I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Six characters in Search of a Plot
Review: This is probably the longest short story you'll ever read, but a novel it is not. There is no plot, no climax, no resolution, no dramatic tension. It has a few interesting characters, just not the ones who hang around long enough to move the story along. About 100 pages from the end I ran into a member of my book club who had finished the book and asked her if anything was going to be resolved by the end. I promise not to spoil the ending for anyone ...if only there were one to spoil. I can't for the life of me understand how this slight work could have been shortlisted for anything except reworking in a creative writing class for beginners. There is no dearth of excellent fiction about Jewish life. Why this one is being touted is a mystery to me. Francine Prose and Rebecca Goldstein are at the top of their form. Maybe Goodman will get there but she is not there yet.
Rating:
Summary: kaaterskill falls
Review: after all the raves i heard about this book, i daresay i was abjectly disappointed. nobody had any real character; it was mainly as if everybody was described but not explored. i sincerely kept waiting for the action to erupt but everything just dribbled. a big yawn.
Rating:
Summary: An interesting journey into a different world
Review: This books succeeds on a number of levels. It vividly portrays life in a very conservative Jewish sect. The many characters in this novel deal with the restrictions imposed by the religious leaders in their own individual ways - some challenging, some subversive, some submissive. Within this context the reader will find the classic themes of parent/child conflicts, marital problems, the joys and constrictions of community life. The author wisely does not give us tidy endings, leaving some loose ends, just as life does. But what I went away with was an idea of the direction in which the characters were going and how they had changed and (most of them) grown in the two years covered by the book. This is a good and satisfying read.
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