So far this year I have read only four 5-star books. Florence Gordon by Brian Morton is one of them. I was lucky enough to read this book in one sitting and I devoured it.
What makes Florence Gordon so enjoyable is the character of Florence herself. To me she was a mix of my aunt, Elaine Stritch and a bit of Margaret Atwood. Not bad. She is strong, opinionated, quirky and fiercely independent. And perhaps a little outrageous, but that’s what makes her great.
The book explores her relationship with her family, who have suddenly descended on New York and her attempts to write her memoirs. In the course of the book she is catapulted to fame and it is interesting to see what fame does to someone of her age and standing.
Who would like this book? Florence Gordon (the character) is most well-known as a feminist, so the book will obviously appeal to those with a feminist inclination. But Florence Gordon is much more than that, it is a chronicle of the past 75 years and would likely appeal to people who lived through those times. It is also a wonderful portrayal of New York City.
52 books or bust 
I think I remember that Shannon at River City Reading also loved the character of Florence – it’s nice to have it seconded by you! Sounds good! And, I’m glad you found yourself another 5-star read!
I got the recommendation from Shannon!
I think I’m hovering around the same low number of 5 star books (maybe less!), so I’m glad to see this one worked out so well for you. It definitely stuck with me and made me wish we saw more characters like Florence in fiction.
It seems like all books for me lately are either 5 star or totally meh. Nothing in between.
I neeeeed to read this!
Yes you do. I can’t believe you haven’t read it because I know you will love it.
Totally agree with you. I called Florence Gordon as a combination of two of my favorite literary characters, Olive Kitteridge and the poet Ruth from Louise Penny’s Three Pines. An excellent look at an early feminist through the eyes of a male writer.
People keep bringing up Olive Kitteridge, which I haven’t read, but think i need to. And yes, I also found it interesting that it was penned by a man.
I’ve heard such great things about this, I need to read it!!
Agree, excellent novel. I’ve loved everything I’ve read by Brian Morton and am attempting to introduce his work to friends by giving them copies of The Dylanist..
Good to know. I’ve been prompted into checking out his backlist and now I know where to start.
Recently read Etta and Otto and Russell and James which also has older woman catapulted suddenly to celebrity and loved the strength of the main character. This sounds good – am intrigued that while you make reference to Florence as feminist, it’s written by a man so now can’t make up my mind if I’d like this or not!
Florence is a feminist and it is written by a man, but for me that made it extra interesting. Morton really captures the female voice naturally.
Sounds like a good read. I’m always on the lookout for strong female protagonists where the book isn’t all about their dating life. Surprisingly hard to find, so thank you for the suggestion 🙂 -Tania
She sounds like an awesome character! And that cover is just beautiful.
A lot of folks seem to be saying good things about this one. I’ll check it out, thanks!
I enjoyed this book but it was lacking a little something for me to give it a full five stars. Nonetheless, it was a great read! Florence was a hoot!!
I gave it a full 5 stars, but it might be that it was the right book at the right time.