Fin & Lady: A Novel

What a pleasure my last few days of reading this book have been! It is full of joy, sorrow, love, and all of the emotions in between. Reading of Fin and Lady is time spent well!

What a wonderful, delicious read! This novel is a treat you don't want to stop enjoying. It is the story of a young boy, Fin, orphaned and sent to live with his wildly unpredictable older sister, Lady. The relationship between the two is the spine of the story, and since both characters are so interesting, the reader us drawn deeply into their lives. (Fin reminded me of a modern-day Pip.) Set mainly in New York inthe 1960's, the book explores the meanings of "family" through the eyes and heart of its protagonist.The ending is a surprise but deeply satisfying.

The moment you start reading Fin & Lady, you will be drawn in. The characters are immediately developed and the story moves at a smooth pace. They are actually brother and sister with a large age difference. Their parents have passed away and now Fin is left with only Lady in his young life. He is a sensitive, bright young man who is quite observant. Lady is a beauty trying to dismiss her family wealth, but could not survive her lifestyle without it. Fin and Lady are actually co-dependent, but Lady's magnetism is not just saved for Fin. We understand as the story continues with many of her admirers playing significant roles in their daily lives. Each is as interesting as the next. Fin has his favorite and it is truly a special relationship. The plot changes when Lady flees and truly finds she is able to love. No spoiler alert, but it is an unexpected ending. I loved it.

Is it possible to like a book without particularly liking one of the two main characters? I suppose it is, which is why I've given Cathleen Schine's new novel, "Fin & Lady" four stars. Fin Hadley is an eleven year old orphan in 1964. His father has died a bit earlier from heart failure and his mother dies at the beginning of the book from cancer. An only child, Fin has also recently lost his grandparents. The only one around to take custody of young Fin is his half-sister, Lady. Lady is the daughter of his father by his first marriage. Father and daughter had had a difficult relationship, but Lady knew her duty and she swept in and took Fin back to New York City and prepared to raise him. Lady Hadley is one of those irritating people we've all come across in our lives. That young, free-spirit, going from place to place, person to person. Never settling down and never bearing the responsibility for another. But along with custody of Fin comes responsibility that is difficult for Lady to take. But, somehow, she manages to do so, albeit in her own flighty way. Even with Fin to take care of, Lady is not going to live the conventional life of her wealthy WASP cohorts. No living on the Upper East Side for Lady and Fin; they have a town house in the Village and live among the artsy and the druggy. Lady is SO charming that she has three beaus who want her and they each vie for her attention. (I pictured Shirley MacClaine in "Terms of Endearment", sitting at the dinner table, with three beaus hanging on her every word!). But as Fin ages in the Village and makes his own friends and connections, he stays with Lady, though she does one unconventional thing after another, finally ending up on Capri and there the story comes to a climax. When I read the epilog to Schine's book, I was reminded of the epilog to another comedy-of-manners, Elinor Lipman's "My Latest Grievance". In that book, there was also a flighty, charming character, Laura Lee French. And the ending was very similar to Schine's book. But my reaction to both characters was polar opposite; I gritted my teeth reading about Lady Hadley when I had been fascinated by Laura Lee French. But I can still recommend Cathleen Schine's new novel. The other characters, Fin and everyone else, had a realness to them that the caricature Lady Hadley did not. But that's okay. ADDENDUM to the review: Not that it probably matters, because the book has received 133 reviews at this time, but I went back to the review and changed it from my original 4 to 3 stars about a year after writing the original review. I REALLY disliked "Lady"!!

I loved this book! It is difficult for me to pinpoint the reason, but it captivated me from the first page until the last. The characters were wonderfully developed and so likable. My emotions ran the full gamut from laughing out loud to becoming misty-eyed because I felt so connected to Fin, Lady, Mabel, the suitors, and even the dog. And the unknown narrator had me guessing almost until the identity was revealed. I lived in Manhattan during the sixties, and Ms. Schine perfectly portrayed the era. Like many of my friends, I became wrapped up in the anti-war marches, anti-segregation protests and hardcore rock 'n' roll at the Fillmore East. Parts of Lady's character reminded me of myself - children of the well-off playing the role of faux hippies. In the final analysis, though, this is a love story, albeit somewhat unconventional. Two orphaned half-siblings, one much older than the other, taking care of each other, despite the age difference. I was sorry when I reached the epilogue, but the story could not have ended any other way.

Intelligent and eccentric characters. Wit and believable situations. A narrator who is a participant. Human and sensitive interactions. A find that was gratifying. Fun read.

Charming. Great characters. Interesting writing style. The Especially fun for anyone with an Italian connection. I loved reading this book.

For much of this book, the narrator is unnamed and unidentified. In fact it is a bit before we know the narrator exists. Fin is the informant, and it is primarily his life we follow. At eleven, he is orphaned and taken from all he knows to Manhattan by his half sister Lady. He knew her sketchily of course. Once he had traveled with his enraged father to retrieve her from Capri after she had left her fiancé at the alter. Now it is an open question, who is raising whom? Fin is an intriguing character who rejects the role of victimized, neglected child in favor of his own interests. There is a crush, Phoebe. And he has been entrusted with finding his sister a husband within the year. There are in fact the somewhat familiar number of suitors, three. He has a favorite, Biffi, and is struggling to promote his choice. But even in this passage, i was haunted by another book, The Odyssey, when he is left for a time with the cranky suitors who remain and eat and sleep at his home with Lady. He has Mabel, the maid, who is frankly cranky about children and dogs, but predictably comes to nurture him. He develops long walks and creates scenarios. He is altogether a sprightly, witty child. Schine is able to escape the wise child cliche, and I enjoyed his many facets. I am sad to say however, Lady is very familiar. She may have been Auntie Mame once upon a generation. Now she is the ghostly incarnation of the band follower in Almost Famous whose real name is lady. One enchanting phrase calls her jerky jerky. Otherwise she is a familiar flower child with a bit of money. In fact The Odyssey appears again with its siren call of Capri. She has her moments, as when she reminds Fin that the shelter of his childhood is not really there. They have in fact been raised to a point by the same rigid father. She is a free spirit, but she often annoys me. Schine is one of my favorite writers, and this book did disappoint on several fronts. Still, her less skilled work is still very sprightly and observant. I enjoyed the book, and I found several insights intriguing. Therefore, even short a star, I would advise you to take this book somewhere lazy and enjoy the afternoon.

Si tratta di una scrittura elegante e misurata, una storia carina di due fratelli, uno di undici anni e una di venti, che imparano a conoscersi e a convivere, quando mai lo avevano fatto prima, sullo sfondo della New York degli anni '60. Però alla lunga è un po' noioso, e Lady più che un personaggio di anni rivoluzionari, d'impegno civile e di grandi cambiamenti, sembra un po' la Daisy de Il Grande Gatsby, fuori tempo come dice anche lei di se stessa.

A beautifully written and heartwarming tale from Cathleen Schine.

A beautifully crafted story of the true meaning of what family can represent. Told over three generations, it challenges our fixed idea of what family is. Great characters, funny and realistic. Highly recommended

I enjoyed this story. It really a bit like a popcorn movie; doesn't require a lot of deep thought and attention but you leave the theatre feeling like your been entertained. That might be a bit unfair because, unlike a popcorn movie Fin & Lady has much richer characters. I guess I just wanted a bit more action.

A boy and his sister. She, a little older than him and due to a tragedy, is the one to take in and look after the boy -but she's not parent material! I really enjoyed this little read, by a new to me author. A little like Auntie Mame, she has a style of her own, and you wonder if he will survive the roller coaster.