[.ca] A Departure from the Script (ISBN 0964365014)

heartwarming and sensitive:
A Jewish "Joy Luck Club" - heartwarming, sensitive & funny. Rochelle Hollander Schwab weaves an intricate story of the bond between husband & wife, parent & daughter, and our relationship with society. This story tugs at your heart, is a refreshing look at love and commitment.

Touching and Funny:
What's a Jewish mother to do when the dream wedding she's always envisioned for her daughter turns out--lesbian? This book is wickedly funny and oh-so-poignant. Buy it. (And eat a little while you read it--what, you want to wither away from malnutrition? :*)

Timely and Fascinating Story with No Easy Answers:
Using amusing, often unexpected humor, Rochelle Hollander Schwab's latest is a delightful novel about family, marriage, and the process of growing comfortable with all shades of the rainbow. Jewish mother/wife/amateur actress Sheila Katz, married for over thirty years, is stunned from complacency when she learns her daughter Jenny is getting married to a woman named Tamara. Dan, her husband, doesn't take the news well and thinks that given time, Jenny will pass through the phase. He's already suffered enough criticism because his son married a Catholic girl-and converted!-and he refuses to acknowledge his daughter's sexual orientation. This pushes Sheila and Dan's marriage to the edge and contributes to the uproar over Jenny's lifestyle. Sheila is a survivor, though, and she definitely does not want to lose her daughter, so she chooses the "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" tactic. She starts attending PFLAG meetings, works at readjusting her thinking, and helps to plan the Jewish wedding ceremony behind Dan's back. Little does she know that meeting an attractive lesbian artist will have such an affect her. If her life wasn't turned upside down before, it truly is now. The story of how Sheila and the Katz family deals with this very topical issue is engrossing, endearing, and entertaining, while also sometimes sobering. Schwab uses a smooth and highly readable style to write a novel for the new millennium. With the legalization of marriage in Canada in 2003 and the ongoing social arguments about fair treatment of gays and lesbians, including marriage, this book is timely and fascinating. It's a book all parents-and non-parents-should read. In Schwab's skillful and sensitive hands, A DEPARTURE FROM THE SCRIPT is funny and true to life, but poses no easy answers. Highly recommended. ~Lori L. Lake, book reviewer for Midwest Book Review, The Independent Gay Writer, Just About Write, and TheGayRead.com.

A love story:
. In many ways I AM Sheila Katz (especially on the weight) and I know everyone else (same people, different names and faces.) Some of the remarks Dan made at the beginning were so like my husband's that I would have thought you were quoting him. I am also active in PFLAG. Your explanation of Jewish customs are great. It was a very enjoyable book.

A Fabulous Must-Read:
This book has it all- it's funny, touching, realistic, and truly entertaining. A must read for every Jewish lesbian!