JULY 2016 - AudioFile
Orlagh Cassidy delivers Betsy Lerner’s tender memoir with warmth and affection. Lerner lets us in on her early strained relationship with her mother. Once she moves back to New Haven, Connecticut, at age 54, however, her own life experiences open her eyes and heart to her mother, now 83. From her conversations with the regulars of her mother’s Monday afternoon bridge club, we get to know the women Lerner has seen every Monday for years without really knowing them. Cassidy presents the women’s histories—their marriages and careers, their trials and triumphs. As Lerner develops insights into the women, she gains a deeper respect for each as well as an understanding of her mother’s life. Cassidy’s Yiddish pronunciations are off, but, overall, she’s terrific in this touching story. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine
Will Schwalbe
The Bridge Ladies reminded me of Tuesdays with Morrie, except it takes place on Mondays and has five Morries. Exquisitely written, in this book are portraits of five women whose like we won’t see again. I devoured it in one greedy sitting, and started re-reading as soon as I finished.
O: the Oprah Magazine
A searching, funny, warm memoir.
Amy Chua
This is the best book about mothers and daughters I’ve read in decades, maybe ever. It’s about mother-daughter conflict, the desire to love and be loved, aging and loss, discovery and renewal. Betsy Lerner is a beautiful, achingly honest writer, and The Bridge Ladies is at once heartbreaking and hilarious.
Deborah Tannen
Lerner takes us on a journey of understanding: the card game, the women who play it, their lives and relationships. In Lerner’s beautifully observed account, Bridge becomes both a literal and figurative pathway to repairing an even more precious bond: her own relationship to her mother.
George Hodgman
Betsy Lerner’s ladies are our ladies, our mothers, grandmothers, and aunts. Lerner takes us back to their tables, capturing a group of wonderful American women—growing older now and braving new battles—with sweetness, humor and sharp perceptiveness. This is a book with heart and feeling.
Patti Smith
Through the alchemy of a grand game, Betsy Lerner has woven a universal coming-of-age story for both mother and daughter. A poignant, humorous and often painful struggle through the pageantry of playing cards; a woman’s face on every one.
Providence Journal
The Bridge Ladies is an uplifting account of a baby boomer’s attempt to understand her mother’s generation. Lerner never lets herself off the hook, either, and the result is candid, fresh and enlightening.
Dallas Morning News
A book for two generations.
Boston Globe
A deeply affecting memoir...a generous and honest examination, she honors these women’s lives
Maureen Corrigan
A smart and colorful memoir.
Washington Post
A heartfelt and affecting memoir.
New York Times Book Review
Lerner’s memoir makes a case for spending time together under the rules of neutrality imposed by a game, and approach to living that refrains from over-sharing and outward complaining to concentrate on the task at hand. The bridge ladies are there for one another, even as they keep their feelings to themselves and play on.
the Oprah Magazine O
A searching, funny, warm memoir.
