A Literary Feast: A Contemporary Fiction Dinner Party with Author Jennifer Manocherian

Online For Authors Podcast

My guest today on the Online for Authors podcast is Jennifer Manocherian, author of the book Alpha Bette. Alpha Bette is Jennifer’s first novel. She put much of her personal and professional life experience into writing it, having been a family therapist, divorce mediator, Broadway and Off-Broadway producer, musical book writer, screenwriter & producer, and screenwriting teacher. She co-wrote and produced the films Family Blues and Boundary Waters (in production) as well as wrote the book of two musicals that are streaming online: Marry Harry, a full-length musical, and Cockroaches & Cologne, a short musical. She is a proud board member of New York Stage and Film, The Peace Studio, and 18by Vote. She is married with five children and many grandchildren—great source material!

In my book review, I stated Alpha Bette is a contemporary fiction told from the viewpoint of several characters who revolve around the matriarch Bette Gartner. At ninety-five, Bette has lost her husband, most of her friends, and even her granddaughter. She has to rely on help from her housekeeper and night nurse after a fall that left her reliant on her wheelchair.

One morning, after what she is sure is a sign from her dead husband, Bette orchestrates a dinner party. The entire story takes place in one day giving readers a glimpse into the past and present of Bette and those around her: housekeeper, aide, two neighbors, daughter and son-in-law, great-granddaughter, and what Bette hopes to be her eventual great-grandson-in-law. Throw in a cremated parrot, political prisoners, a spoiled puppy, a cancer scare, and a medium who Bette believes can speak to her husband, George, and you have a dinner party you'll never forget.

This book reminds me a bit of My Grandmother Told Me To Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman and The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley. I think it is because we get into the heads of so many characters and see how they touch one another's lives.

​Jennifer states that people either love or hate the ending. I'm in the love category, but that may be because I saw it coming! This is another must-read.

You can follow Author Jennifer Manocherian:

Website: https://jennifermanocherian.net/

FB: @ jmanocherian

IG: @jennifermanocherian

LinkedIn: @jennifer-manocherian-2421855

Teri M Brown, Author and Podcast Host: https://www.terimbrown.com
FB: @TeriMBrownAuthor

IG: @terimbrown_author

X: @terimbrown1

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