Alan Shapiro

This novel of a mom who always dreamed of stardom is “an endearing, witty, and heart-warming take on family life” (Library Journal). As a little girl in Boston, Miriam Bluestein fantasized about a life lived on stage, specifically in a musical. Get married, have a family—sure, maybe she’d do those things, too, but first and foremost there was her future career as a beloved Broadway star. Now grown and living with a short-tempered husband, a cranky mother, and three demanding children, she finds herself playing a different role than those she dreamed about. But one of her kids, Ethan, shows real talent for the stage. As she pushes him to make the most of his promise, the rest of her life gradually comes undone, with her marriage strained and her other two children—Sam, a mass of quirks and idiosyncrasies, and Julie, hostile and bitter—withdrawing into their own worlds. Still Miriam dreams, praying for that big finale, but when it comes, it won’t be the one she imagined. “This novel has something to say to everyone who has ever had a goal and failed to reach it.” —Booklist “How do you put into words thunderous applause, curtain calls, and a standing ovation? That’s what I send out to Alan Shaprio’s remarkable debut novel . . . a beautifully written, often hilarious, memorably moving account of the one and only Miriam Bluestein’s greatest performance: her life.” —Jill McCorkle, New York Times–bestselling author

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