Goldberg variations : a novel /

Gloria Garrison, née Goldberg, is the sort of matriarch who takes the passive out of passive-aggressive. (When her movie-business granddaughter goes on about her love for film, Gloria shuts her down with, "Personally, I read in my spare time.") It comes as little surprise, then, that when this pushing-80 termagant summons her three adult grandkids to offer them each a shot at inheriting her thriving beauty and fashion business in Santa Fe, they respond with something less than exhilaration. Privately, however, each one nurses second thoughts. Isaacs shrewdly appeals to our gaming impulses as the siblings position themselves for the succession. The contest, along with the family baggage that surfaces in the process, suggests a reality TV series that might have been cooked up by Wendy Wasserstein. Isaacs tends to overdo the career orientation of the grandchildren's observations (the Mets publicist grandson habitually makes reference to athletes, the Paramount script-editor granddaughter wantonly sprays movie analogies), but she resists the temptation to make them gratuitously theatrical. One might wish she had also resisted the sentimental pull of redemption. "Goldberg Variations" is always at its most engaging when its off-putting central character is at her least.

As mortality grips Gloria Goldberg Garrison in its greedy little claws, the octogenarian self-made entrepreneur behind Glory Inc. must decide who among her grandchildren will inherit the reins of her multimillion-dollar beauty-makeover empire. Imperially summoning the three twentysomethings away from their rich lives and rewarding careers in Manhattan to her palatial home and corporate headquarters in Santa Fe, Gloria plans a grueling get-to-know-you weekend, at the end of which one candidate will emerge victorious. And although this may be the plot of every reality-TV show on the air, Gloria is the one who ends up being surprised: neither Matt, his sister, Daisy, nor their cousin Raquel has any interest in anything to do with the shrewish, selfish grandmother, who rejected them and their parents years earlier. Isaacs' whip-smart, shrewdly scathing, and spirited portrait of a malevolent matriarch worthy of the Brothers Grimm and her Disneyesque coterie of too-good-to-be-true grandchildren is both a saucy satire and a redemptive study of the indelible bonds of families. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: All the publicity machinery is in motion to support best-selling Isaacs' latest twist on family malfunction.--Haggas, Carol Copyright 2010 Booklist

Imperious Gloria Garrison, spurned by her best friend and heir to a multimillion-dollar beauty makeover business, summons the three grandchildren she barely knows to the Santa Fe, N.Mex., headquarters of Glory Inc. to pick her successor among them. But neither feisty Legal Aid lawyer Raquel-daughter of Gloria's favorite son and his Puerto Rican social worker wife, nor Raquel's cousins-irresistible PR man Matt and big sister Daisy, a Paramount Studios mogul-want anything to do with their mean grandma's enterprise. The King Lear implications are not lost on the crusty 79-year-old CEO, who broods that Lear's "two bad daughters, at least, want the kingdom," calling her own unruly progeny "my thankless flesh and blood." Prolific veteran Isaacs (Any Place I Hang My Hat) creates a deliciously wicked tale of family dysfunction-as interpreted in alternating chapters by the salty Gloria and her angry grandkids as they endure a long weekend of bitter recriminations that turns abruptly civil after a tour of Glory Inc. and a good makeover. Despite the sluggish pace and improbable reconciliation, time spent with this cheeky and unruly crew is anything but wasted. Agent: Richard Pine, Inkwell Management. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Gloria Garrison, 79, has a plan for the future of her booming Santa Fe-based beauty business, Glory, Inc. Having alienated her former partner and successor, she decides to invite her twentysomething grandchildren to tour the business and learn the ropes. Since Gloria wrote them all out of her will, Daisy, Matthew, and Raquel Goldberg are shocked when they realize the motives behind Gloria's invitation: one of them will inherit Glory, while the rest will receive nothing. What Gloria does not anticipate is a collective answer of "not interested." VERDICT Told from the varying viewpoints of every member of the family, Isaacs's latest is full of sharp observations on its relationships. Fans of her previous novels (e.g., Close Relations; As Husbands Go) and of comparable authors such as Nancy Thayer will enjoy the comic wit of Isaacs's latest.-Mara Dabrishus, Ursuline Coll., Pepper Pike, OH (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

An aging entrepreneur invites her three grandchildren, whom she barely knows, for a weekend visit so she can choose which one will take over her company. None of the droll comedic touches Isaacs (As Husbands Go, 2010, etc.) is known for show up in her portrayal of Gloria Goldberg Garrison, who is founder and CEO of Glory, Inc., which sends trucks to smallish cities and towns to do mobile makeovers (a conceit that seems old hat given the rising tide of reality TV makeover shows). She started Glory years earlier after leaving her husband, Joe, in New York and moving to New Mexico with her sons, Travis, whom she adored, and Bradley, whom she barely tolerated. Both boys ended up back in New York. Travis has died, leaving behind a Puerto Rican Catholic widow and daughter. Despite Gloria's continuing disdain, Bradley has become a successful businessman and happily married father of two. Gloria has had almost no contact with Bradley or her grandchildren, now all in their late 20s, for years. But at 79, having permanently alienated her heir apparent and former best friend by refusing to visit his dying partner, Gloria is looking for someone to whom she can pass on the reins. So she plans her weekend competition for the grandkids. But to Gloria's consternation, all three decline her offer. Bradley's daughter, Daisy, loves her career as a story editor, while his son, Matt, whose passion is sports, is in a committed relationship in Manhattan. Raquel is less satisfied with either her job as a Legal Aid lawyer or her love life. But initially, she turns down Gloria, too. Who wouldn't? Gloria is not only unlikable, but unbearably boring. Her endless conversation is pretentious without one twinkle of wit. The grandkids are more likable, but equally dull. Few readers will follow them to the contrived, anticlimactic resolution. A painfully long yawn.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.