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    The Family Tabor
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    The Family Tabor
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    The Family Tabor
    Audiobook13 hours

    The Family Tabor

    Written by Cherise Wolas

    Narrated by Jonathan Davis

    3.5/5

    ()

    Unavailable in your country

    Unavailable in your country

    About this audiobook

    ‘Hypnotic’ Chicago Review of Books
    ‘Rich, complex … vivid’ New York Times Book Review
    ‘Compelling’ Jewish Week

    Everything is fine. Everyone is fine.

    Harry Tabor should be perfectly happy: he’s about to be named Man of the Decade, his wife and children are all distinguished in their own right and they’ve reunited in Palm Springs to celebrate Harry’s achievement.

    But almost immediately, cracks begin to appear. All of them have something to hide, including the long-buried secret that made Harry relocate the family so many years ago – and eventually they have to face the truth… don’t they?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateAug 9, 2018
    ISBN9780008201234
    Unavailable
    The Family Tabor
    Author

    Cherise Wolas

    Cherise Wolas’s acclaimed first novel, The Resurrection of Joan Ashby, was a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice and a semi-finalist for the 2018 PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Fiction. A native of Los Angeles, she lives in New York City with her husband. The Family Tabor is her second novel.

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    Reviews for The Family Tabor

    3.5/5

    28 ratings10 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Atonement for a secret past, love for a family, the dynamics of individuals changing as they face obstacles and mature. You may be a member of a distinguished family, a family with physical beauty and grace as well as Doctorates, but the cracks are there, the problems could be faced by any family. I loved this book, and cried at the end. The story left me with so many things to think about. Put on some Leonard Cohen when you read Family Tabor for he’s also in there.
    • 3/5
      Everyone has two sides, the one the world sees and the real on that lives inside each and every one of us...the Tabors are no exception...the book take a turn toward mystery, but the spiritual side wins out and guide the path the Tabors are on
    • 4/5
      Nobody knows it, but the Tabor family is on shaky ground. The five gathered (plus grandkids) for the weekend ceremony of presenting the Palm Springs Man of the Decade award to Harry Tabor all have their secrets, Harry most of all. Everyone in the family is a star; Harry the great philanthropist; his wife, Roma, a child psychologist; the children are two lawyers and an anthropologist. They gather together in a great pool of everybody-is-happy-ism, each determined to hide their problems from the others. But cracks appear fairly rapidly: Phoebe refuses to divulge any details about her new boyfriend, Camille is hiding the job that truly gives her fulfillment, and Simon’s wife refuses to stay in their marriage if he decides to practice his Judaism. Roma knows they are hiding things, but doesn’t know what. And she has no idea her husband is hiding the biggest secret of them all. Then, on the night of the presentation, Harry disappears into the desert night. Panic ensues. Did he walk into the desert? Was he kidnapped or murdered? The police take the investigation seriously, and their questioning starts turning up surprises. Mysterious bank accounts. Really odd stuff on Harry’s computer. Roma quickly realizes that despite spending her life with him, she really doesn’t know Harry at all. And the kids find themselves forced to look into their own lives and admit the truth. I have to admit that the ending surprised me. I thought I knew where the author was going, and then, in the last few pages, I find out I was wrong. Well, partly wrong. It was going where I thought it was when it derailed. The last part of the book was kind of a let-down to me, but tolerable. We never get to find out if what Harry was experiencing before his disappearance is real or hallucination. Harry is the center of the mystery and the book, but much of the book is not about him. It’s about his children, and what they need to do to feel authentic; as he needs to confront his past, they need to confront their futures. Four stars.
    • 4/5
      Harry Tabor’s family is getting together to celebrate him winning the prestigious “Man Of The Decade” award. Harry is in his sixties and has been happily married to Roma for decades. This award is weighing heavy on Harry because he doesn’t feel deserving. He has been carrying a heavy secret about the funding for his philanthropic projects over the last three decades. He becomes plagued with memories from his past and the mistakes he has made. Feeling unworthy he seeks to make amends. His adult children travel to Palm Springs to celebrate but each has their own hidden issues. One child is in the midst of a broken marriage while another is hiding a failing academic career. Another child pretends to have a boyfriend instead of admitting she has problems with long-term relationships. From afar this family appears to be close-knit but in reality, their interactions remain superficial. They all converge for a weekend which will change the future of their relationships.This is the second novel written by Cherise Wolas. The Family Tabor is told from many voices and each character seems to grow while they gradually come together to address their issues.
    • 4/5
      This is a marvelous book! The writing is lovely, and the end of each chapter seems to almost create a mini ending. It does sometimes feel a bit longer than needed, but I truly enjoyed each page. I look forward to more from Ms. Wolas.The book focuses on some of the flaws of modern life. Things like the drive for monetary success and the willingness to cheat one's own morals to achieve it, expectations for single women to be successful only when they find someone to love them, difficulties in understanding one's roles and needs in marriage, and the ability to keep secrets from those around us, even hiding things from ourselves.It is also a redemptive story. In spite of each of the character's personal confusions, they find peace through finally facing reality and accepting themselves.This novel would make a great book club read, as well as being something that will appeal to any age or gender who appreciates introspective characters and lovely writing.My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title.
    • 4/5
      I loved the author's previous effort and happily dived right into this one. She is a deep-delver into family conflict, and this one begins with a joyous occasion and ends in each character stretching themselves into a new and bruised persona. The 70 year old patriarch, Harry, is about to be honored as Man Of The Decade in his Palm Springs community. As he plays tennis in the morning, with his two daughters and son due to arrive for the celebration, Harry suddenly remembers criminal acts he committed when he worked in banking decades earlier. Another man was put in prison for Harry's malfeasance, and his sudden recall and his guilt throw him completely off the rails. I am skeptical as to whether such a critical juncture in one's life, the one that caused the family to flee Connecticut for California, can be repressed and buried within one's psyche for such a long time. As I found the direct cause of every subsequent event in the novel to be not believable, I found the rest somewhat tedious. There are six characters in all, and each has their own discontent to place at the foot of the gorgeous matriarch Roma, Solver Of All Problems. The most interesting is the depression of anthropologist daughter Camille, who is unable to return to any kind of life after spending years living with and observing a remote tribe in Micronesia. All in all, it's too long, but there is the consolation of a perfect ending. Wolas is a fine writer who could have used a more strict editor here.
    • 2/5
      THE FAMILY TABOR is well written, but for me, that’s all it has going for it. Easy to set down and difficult to pick up, it was deadly dull. The characters didn’t appeal and annoyed, nor did I even remotely buy Harry’s selective memory.THE FAMILY TABOR simply wasn’t my cup of tea.2 stars for the story 3 stars for the writing.Reviewed for Miss Ivy's Book Nook Take II
    • 4/5
      Harry Tabor is about to be honored as Man of the Decade for his charitable works. His family are on their way to his home to join him and his wife, Roma, who is a child psychologist. His son, Simon, is a lawyer and will be bringing with him his wife and two young daughters. His daughter, Camille, is a social anthropologist and his daughter, Phoebe, is a lawyer. They’re all so proud of Harry and each of them have their own reasons for wanting this occasion to be a family-bonding one.But Harry’s mind seems to have been playing tricks with him and hiding some vital memories. Those memories start to resurface, helped along by a voice in Harry’s mind and even a vision or two. As the memories increase, Harry’s jubilation at his upcoming honor starts to crumble. Is he the honorable man he thought he was? His children, whose lives seemed all so perfect, are also struggling with their own demons. Simon can’t sleep at nights and has discovered a desire for Judaism, Camille is having career setbacks and has taken a job at a hospice and Phoebe has an imaginary boyfriend as she can’t face her family with her loveless life. None of them are being truthful with each other or their parents. Poor Roma knows her husband and children are having problems but can’t get them to confide in her.I was completely blown away by this author’s debut book, “The Resurrection of Joan Ashby”. While I can’t say the same about her newest effort, I did enjoy it. It took me awhile to become invested with the characters and the writing was sometimes a bit too ponderous for me. But I grew to care for this family very much. I think Simon’s story touched me the most. He was a good father and husband and his new-found desire to explore his Jewish roots should never have had the outcome it did. I felt so crushed for him. Roma took on the troubles of each of her loved ones and was such a true-to-life character. As for the Man of the Decade, Harry, his journey in this book is definitely a compelling one.I think the book may not be to everyone’s taste and that’s a shame because there are such wonderful literary tidbits throughout. There’s no fast paced plot here and the writing can be a bit heavy at times. But to those who like a book that you can dig into and explore like an archaeological excavation, I do recommend this one.This book was given to me by the publisher in return for an honest review.
    • 4/5
      Harry Tabor is an emperor in his world. He has everything he could have ever imagined. The novel begins the day before Harry Tabor's recognition dinner as Man of the Year. In earlier times Harry would have been "running for his life" from pogroms, as did his grandparents, instead of living in Palm Springs with a lovely family gathering to see him honored. He thinks, "I have been a very lucky man," but as the authorial voice warns, "luck is a rescindable gift."Harry hears a voice that resurrects memories buried so deep that he had lost sight of them completely. At seventy years old, Harry realizes he is unworthy of high honors and must face the truth and atone for his sins.Harry's children also each struggle with secrets they can't reveal, a search for love or meaningful work, a need for spiritual or emotional rebirth, the need for mystery or the magic of ritual.There came a time when I could not put this novel aside and found myself furiously reading and watching the battery life on my iPad counting down...20%...11%... I finished it just before the battery gave out, my husband very grateful that I was finally going to make him dinner. (Yes, he can cook, but has a bum knee right now.)The happy family gathering is revealed to be a gathering of troubled souls, and by the grace of God, are bound together, each healed and made stronger. The novel's focus on the spiritual life of the characters may not appeal to some readers, but I loved it. I loved Cherise Wolas's first novel The Resurrection of Joan Ashby, although I felt the ending dragged. For me, The Family Tabor began slow and gathered strength about halfway. I received a free ebook through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
    • 4/5
      The Tabors are converging on the family home in Palm Springs to celebrate patriarch Harry's Man of the Decade award. There's much introspection going on by each family member. Harry, who is of a mind to think of his life in titan and lionized terms. All three Tabor children bring secrets with them and matriarch Roma, intends to get some of her questions answered. But much like real life, the biggest secret and turn of events is the one no one saw coming and all are unprepared for. Harry Tabor has a secret too.I was very interested in Roma's patient, Noelani as it gave insight often to how Roma's mind worked in times of calm and crisis. This is also true of Roma's recollections of her grandmother Tatiana that were so strong in adding to the patina of who Roma was and how she rooted herself in the world. There was sadness, sageness and strength tied together with love in those parts and I loved that. I dare say, I found Roma more interesting than Harry. Sorry Harry.I very much enjoyed Phoebe and Camille. I felt for Phoebe and the loneliness she felt the need to lie about to cover up. Her unspoken dissatisfaction with her life was a bit heartbreaking and made me think about those who are single but not because they want to be. Camille's struggle with finding her next steps in her career and personal life were very well done, including the depression she fell into and the hospice work that wound up helping her. I can't dislike a woman who hearkens back to Malinowski during her daily thought processes. Also, one of my favorite passages in the book is an observation she makes of a group of women at the gala honoring her father (The Fluttering Women). It leads her to a research topic that was compelling and given the end of the story, I felt that it'd be even more important to her. I found Simon's story the least compelling of all the Tabors and the most cliche, which is unfortunate because it seemed to be rendered as more important and deeply sincere. I was disappointed that there's no detailed recounting of what Harry did all those years ago for which atonement was being sought. There are some cursory explanations but no real answer to the central transgression that propelled this whole thing along, felt like a cheat. I could have used an Epilogue after Simon and Max have that beautiful moment at the very end. Like seriously, can I get Owen Kauffman's article or the details from Max?There's very good and evocative prose here and I found myself highlighting some of those I wish most to remember (alas, I read an ARC, I can't quote them here). The Tabors were a relatable family and I was glad to have got to know them a bit. I must admit that a fair bit of the sibling angst in the beginning played as tedious to me but I am an only so I take that as a lack of what I'm bringing to my reading and not a failing in the work. Later on, that abates and what really shone through is that all the Tabors love each other and will go to decent length to spare one another knowledge that will be painful. That of course, has good and bad consequences. Themes of ideas of success, elements of luck, redemption, atonement and more all play out here. This was a quick read for me and I'd definitely recommend it. I think it'll make a great book club pick.At the end of there's a mention of a Book Club Guide and I was even interested in that (I didn't find it on the website mentioned but we are several months out from publication). I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.