Broadway Baby

For his fiction debut, poet and memoirist Shapiro (The Courtesy) has produced an intimate character study that covers the Depression era to the present. After a fateful trip to New York City in the 1930s with her mother, Boston native Miriam Bluestein begins dreaming of Broadway stardom. However, her dreams go unrealized when she becomes a wife and mother. That is, until the birth of her son Ethan, who has the talent but not the enthusiasm to become a star. Determined to see Ethan make it in show biz, Miriam drags him to singing and dancing lessons, neglecting her other children and her husband, Curly. While Ethan achieves some small amount of success, it’s never enough for Miriam, whose relationships with daughter Judy and son Sam are almost nonexistent. Though readers witness Miriam’s family falling apart, it’s difficult to identify with her since she doesn’t demonstrate any substantive self-awareness or capacity for change, nor do any of the other characters. Despite Shapiro’s excellent prose, well-developed setting, and well-rendered cultural tension, the lack of character arc will quickly wear thin. (Jan.)