I've always wanted to read Elinor Lipman, since her books often come up on my recommended lists. I can say that after reading , Good Riddance, I could read her again. This book is quite simply a good vacation read. It's just light with a fun premise.
Daphne's mom has died. She was one of the most popular teachers in their small town in NH. Daphne has moved to NYC and in the process of decluttering , pitches her mom's prized yearbook from her first year of teaching. The yearbook reappears when a neighbor/filmaker finds it and wants to make a documentary based on the notes her mom has written in the yearbook after attending the reunions from the class of 1968s. Well , needless to say havoc follows and secrets unfold.

This book almost feels like a modern Jane Austen with the various social and family misfortunes. I would recommend this to someone who likes light, beach reads or just needs a break from the heavy stuff.

When Daphne’s mother passes away she leaves her a book that will lead her on an incredible journey. Her mother’s much beloved high school yearbook is a chronicle of her students, who got married, divorced, stayed single. Daphne has no idea of who exactly her mother was but she is on path to finding out. On the way she finds herself, and her father falls in love again. I love Elinor Limpan stories because the characters have such relatable reactions. I loved that Daphne was growing into an adult relationship with her father. It’s something that gives such insight into a character. Messy, insightful, and interesting.

I liked this book, however it was a bit repetitive at times. It did have a pretty good twist with her mother's beau at the reunion. Great women's fiction. I'm sure a lot of book clubs will be picking this one up!

This book was wonderful at first and then just lost its momentum. It became hard to read because nothing seemed to be happening. Normally enjoy this author but this one fell flat.

Meh. I didn't think it was nearly as amusing as other reviewers. The main character is pretty unlikeable (she is so rude for the majority of the story) but the book is compulsively readable. You could find a lot worse, but you could also find a hell of a lot better.

I may be in the minority with this book, but I did not like any of the characters. The initial premise was interesting, but it fell flat for me. Lipman's writing style is very engaging, and I may try reading other books by her in the future.

This was a great book to read .
I was hooked from cover to cover so to speak.
It was a whirlwind and before you catch a breath.....something else happens and it was just amazing to see everything unfold.... even how it ended.
Don't be surprised if you move in and out of liking the "heroine" of the story.
Each of the characters has depth and meaning,and without giving anything away I believe that it was almost like having a friend tell you about something that happened them and you can see the story unfolding as they're telling you what happened.
This is a good book club or summary but it's just a good book period.

While the premise of the book (the narrator's mother leaving her an annotated yearbook in her will) is so promising, I just could not get into the book. I think that the main character is not that likable, and I just couldn't get on board with her and why she did what she did/ said what she said.
It was also quite difficult to read this as a galley copy-- the lack of formatting made it hard to determine who was talking when it was a lot of dialog. Overall, I can't say I would recommend this personally.

I have read all of Elinor Lipman's books, and I found this one delightful, both poignant and hilarious. No one does satirical commentary as well as this author. Her characterizations are pitch perfect and the plot, though absurd, is a really fun read.

It's been a while since I have read Elinor Lipman, and she still has it. This biting and funny character driven novel starts with a discarded high school yearbook, and takes us through family relationships, revenge, and love. Highly recommended.

Delightful and witty, Eleanor Lipman gifts us with another humorous novel. Good Riddance provides us with a comic look at unintended consequences and the errors assumptions of other peoples' characters lead us to make.

The author has done it again, with humor and heart, as Daphne’s story will have you laughing out loud. After Daphne’s mom dies and leaves her the yearbook that honored her Mom with her first teaching class in 1968, Daphne decides to de clutter and dump it. The yearbook is salvaged from the dumpster by her neighbor who decides to turn it into a documentary, causing all kinds of havoc. A perfect vacation read, I really enjoyed it.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Very good novel about accepting the sins of a parent and coming to terms with life. I really enjoyed the book.

I have to start by saying I'm a devoted reader of Elinor Lipman's books. I liked Good Riddance as much as all her other titles. As always, I instantly connected with all of her characters, both main and secondary. I'm not sure how she does it, but in just a few sentences, you "get" these people and get attached early in the story, which of course keeps you turning the pages. This is at heart a fun, engaging love story with characters who are quirky, but not so much that they are off-putting. I enjoyed it so much that I willingly forgave a few things (she conveniently dispatches a few characters and situations toward the end that I would have loved to hear more about), but it ultimately didn't matter. Great read -- light reading, beautifully written, wonderful characters.

The book seems to think that the main character's mother is more interesting than she is. Daphne gets her mother's yearbook after she dies. When I read the description, I thought there would be a maze to find out the true meaning of her mother making notes in her old yearbook. The answer come early that her mother just likes taking notes. The big surprise is a cliche, her mother cheated on her husband and had a child from the affair.

The part that really puzzled me was how everyone thought that this was an interesting story to tell to the world. It's really not. But her neighbor wants to do a podcast, her sister wants to write a memoir, and her boyfriend wants to do (spoiler).

At least her relationship with her non-biological father is nice.

I’m in the minority if the people who have reviewed this book so far, but I didn’t find it humorous or engaging. I didn’t enjoy any of the characters and was quite annoyed by some of them. I do like the bold cover though.

Good Riddance was a very quick read, almost feeling like a screenplay itself, loaded with dialogue, light on the descriptions and transitions. Elinor Lipman has a perfect ear for a certain neurotic New Yorkness that this comedy/family drama wears well.

When Daphne’s mother died, she left Daphne her yearbook. Her mom was the cool, hot teacher and yearbook advisor whom all the boys adored. In fact, the yearbook was dedicated to her. She never missed a reunion and made sure everyone signed her yearbook. She then made notes in the pictures. Her take on the person, some nice some not- and some codes Daphne couldn’t decipher.
Daphne throws away the yearbook and is surprised to discover that her neighbor, a filmmaker found it and wants to make a documentary about it. What follows is years of secrets that change Daphne and her father’s life. A fun book that at times will have you laughing out loud.

In 1991 I picked up a book by an author I had never read before, Elinor Lipman, it was THEN SHE FOUND ME, and I have been her most devoted fan ever since. GOOD RIDDANCE is right up there with my favorite Lipman books. It does harken back to the parental confusion and loyalty issues that occurred in her first novel.

Again, she creates a delightful, ditzy, totally sympathetic heroine in Daphne Matrich. I quite literally could not put down the book. I cared about Daphne and her family. Lipman skillfully creates a whacky romance after a whackier marriage for Daphne.

Then she stirs in a villain, only one who is not very villainous. I laughed out loud at some of the funny moments. The plot is totally original and the characters are so perfectly drawn that I could count all of as potential friends.

Without a doubt, Lipman is our Jane Austen and this is another delightful novel about modern mores. For full disclosure, I have written her fan letters, and despite a lack of agreement with critics, I even loved the film made of THEN. SHE FOUND ME. Don’t miss this novel, enjoy!