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Then She Found Me Paperback – April 1, 1991

by Elinor Lipman (Author)
3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 218 ratings
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April Epner teaches high school Latin, wears flannel jumpers, and is used to having her evenings free. Bernice Graverman brandishes designer labels, favors toad-sized earrings, and hosts her own tacky TV talk show: Bernice G!
But behind the glitz and glam, Bernice has followed the life of the daughter she gave up for adoption thirty-six years ago. Now that she's got her act together, she's aiming to be a mom like she always knew she could. And she's hurtling straight for April's quiet little life....
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  1. Print length
    307 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    April 1, 1991
  4. Dimensions
    5.33 x 1.4 x 8.25 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    0671686151
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0671686154
  7. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Meet April Epner, the serious, scholarly, adopted daughter of two equally staid parents. They die, but April finds that she's far from orphaned when her birth mother, Bernice Graverman, comes to claim April's heart and improve her wardrobe and love life, too. April is a Latin teacher, given to wearing flannel jumpers. Bernice is hostess of a third-rate daytime talk show and wears designer labels and toad-sized earrings. She descends upon April's quiet life with the tact of a size-six locust, and the delightful and surprising results of this unlikely reunion will keep you turning pages long after bedtime.

From Publishers Weekly

Quiet and content April Epner, a high school Latin teacher whose adoptive parents are recently deceased, is claimed by her birth mother, an obnoxious TV talk show hostess. "Raising laughter and tears with acutely observed characterizations and dry, affectionate wit, Lipman also keeps dealing out the surprises, leaving readers smiling long after the last page is turned," PW said.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Atria Books; Original ed. edition (April 1, 1991)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 307 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0671686151
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0671686154
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.1 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.33 x 1.4 x 8.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 218 ratings

About the author

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Elinor Lipman

Elinor Lipman

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Elinor Lipman is the award-winning author of 16 books of fiction and nonfiction including "The Inn at Lake Devine," "Isabel's Bed," "On Turpentine Lane," "Good Riddance," "I Can't Complain: (All Too) Personal Essays," “Rachel to the Rescue,” and most recently, "Ms. Demeanor." Her first novel, "Then She Found Me," became a 2008 feature film, directed by and starring Helen Hunt, with Bette Midler, Colin Firth, and Matthew Broderick. She was the 2011-12 Elizabeth Drew professor of creative writing at Smith College, and winner of the New England Bookseller Award and the Paterson Fiction Prize. Her book reviews and essays have appeared in the Washington Post, Boston Globe and New York Times, including two "Modern Love" essays.

Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @elinorlipman

Join my mailing list at www.elinorlipman.com

Photo by Michael Benabib

Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars
3.9 out of 5
218 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

RFW
5.0 out of 5 stars A Different Take
Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2023
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I am so glad I found Elinor Lipman. A modern humorous author.
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4.0 out of 5 stars Family Coming Back To Meet Each Other After Many Years
Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2023
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Although it initially seems strange that a mother who gave her child up for adoption at six months old would try to find and then try to develop a relationship with when she is an adult, the idea grew on this reader. The mother is a celebrity but is also lonely and seeking a relationship with her child. Much later the adoptee meets her birth father and feels drawn to him. The unlikely event that she would be drawn to people who in some sense abandoned her when she was old enough to know they were her mother and father, creates a strange situation when their daughter accepts them and loves them instead of hating them. She also seeks a normal marital relationship between her father and mother. A strange situation all round.
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Delia M. Kal-harp
3.0 out of 5 stars engaging characters and plot twist however not terribly realistic about adoption
Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2015
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Entertaining,engaging characters and plot twist however not terribly realistic about adoption.
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Ruth
5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite Lipman
Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2013
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I'm a huge fan of Eleanor Lipman's books, and this is my favorite. It's *nothing* like the horrible film supposedly based on it, which wasted a great cast of Helen Hunt, Colin Firth and Bette Midler on a plot that has almost nothing in common with the book. The book is witty, poignant and also quite funny. It explores issues of family, adoption, and mature romance in a charming story with a main character you can identify with. April Epner is a thirty something high school Latin teacher whose life is changed in many ways when her biological mother "finds her." The mother is almost a caricature, but it all works.
3 people found this helpful
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Laurel-Rain Snow
4.0 out of 5 stars Unexpected Blessings...
Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2008
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This charming little story reveals how a reunion between a grown woman and her birth mother can totally change the lives of each of them, in unexpected ways.

April Epner teaches high school Latin, dresses for comfort, and lives a no-nonsense life. Not much going on socially, but this doesn't seem to bother her.

Her adoptive parents have died, within two years of one another, and April does feel at loose ends. She doesn't think much about her birth mother, so when she is contacted by a friend of the woman, she doesn't really believe it at first. This celebrity talk-show hostess couldn't
possibly be her mother!

They gradually come to know one another---kind of like mixing oil and water---but April finds that her life is changing pleasantly, in subtle ways. She opens herself to a relationship with the school librarian and she even allows herself to make small changes in other aspects of her life. Closed off and detached from relationships as she has been, she finds that, even at the unlikely age of thirty-six, one can find love and family connections.

There are some predictable moments in this tale, like seeing a "talk-show reunion moment" played out, but  Then She Found Me: A Novel  leaves the reader with a warm, tingly glow.
8 people found this helpful
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Jane
2.0 out of 5 stars Not as funny, witty or heartwarming as I expected.
Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2008
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An obnoxious woman enters the life of her biological daughter, now 36 years old, whom she gave up at birth. This is not what I expected. Other reviewers used the words: bright, funny, charming, raising laughter and tears. I was hoping to laugh out loud and to be surprised and delighted, but I wasn't. Bernice was eccentric and interesting only when I would think of Bette Midler playing her in the movie, but she wasn't enjoyable to read about. Bernice exaggerated with lies, was self absorbed, pushy, inconsiderate and needy.

I did like the relationship between Dwight and April. For that reason alone I gave this two stars rather than one. It was heartwarming to see the shy male librarian living with his parents bloom into a sexy, warm, caring man in love. I also enjoyed Freddie, April's brother. He had a small part toward the end of the book.

However, since most of the book was about the mother and daughter, which was not enjoyable, I cannot recommend it. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: one. Setting: 1988 and early 1950s Boston and Quincy, Massachusettes. Copyright: 1990. Genre: human relationships fiction (not a romance novel).
7 people found this helpful
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Bruno
5.0 out of 5 stars Bought it used
Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2022
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Bought used and loved the copy I got. It’s intact and no dents or missing pages. Super well conserved.
Also, the story is very interesting and funny
One person found this helpful
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Beverly T
4.0 out of 5 stars Very good--but unrealistic.
Reviewed in the United States on October 23, 2017
Verified Purchase
It was very good, but the conquest of the very aggressive Birth Mother doesn't happen as much anymore. Today's parents are much less-invasive
with their children. Most of the young adults I know, would tell me to "bug off"--or worse.

So--good book, not realistic in today's world.
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Top reviews from other countries

margret hale
5.0 out of 5 stars Enchanting, funny, warm-hearted and full of wisdom
Reviewed in Germany on July 22, 2008
Verified Purchase
I enjoyed reading this novel. Well, I needed some time to get to know the characters and to get drawn into the story but as soon as this had happened I really enjoyed the well written book. This is not a fairy tale about fantasy people you can classify in white and black. It's a story about real people, who fall in love, make mistakes and how they cope with that.
Whenever I started to hate Bernice Graves because of her egoistical way of life and about her always wanting to be the centre of everything the story took a little turn so that I coulnd't think in white and black any longer. Compelling, lovely written and with such a nice love relationship full of heart and warmth, which everbody should have to be happy.
But I was really dissapointed to find out that the film-adaption doesn't follow the contents of the novel. What a pity!

Deutscher Übersetzungstitel: Als sie mich fand.
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Lucy M
4.0 out of 5 stars i liked it
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 19, 2014
Verified Purchase
i enjoyed reading this story, but felt their may have been something missing at the end. I'm not sure, i watched the film first (Maybe a bad idea) and really enjoyed it, then decided to read the book to see how they compared.
im not really sure which i prefer. an enjoyable read none-the-less and recommended for fans of the movie. (Although the two aren't similar in the slightest.)
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