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`Jane Austen in Boca'
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"THE PIANIST' TAKES GRASP OF YOUR SENSES
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A veteran writer's set-in-Florida first novel follows
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A ROMAN
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Special to the Jewish News
POLANSKI FILM
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Music was his passion.
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Prejudice and still enjoyed my book."
Steering away from elderly Jewish
stereotypes sometimes depicted in
films, Cohen has made a point to por-
tray these aging characters as sensitive,
realistic individuals.
While May and her senior citizen
companions are in their 70s, they all
maintain an active social life, which,
Cohen says, is a good thing.
"It's fun and affirmative that people
at that age can still have a vital,
romantic, interesting life," says Cohen,
who has incorporated Yiddish sayings
and words in the book.
hen Paula Marantz
Cohen was visiting her
in-laws in their predom-
inately Jewish retire-
ment complex in Boca Raton, Fla., she
told her husband the colorful lives of
the residents would make a great
book.
But it was eight years before Cohen
put her idea on paper. Just a couple of
months ago, the already-published
nonfiction author saw her first novel,
Jane Austen in Boca (St. Martin's
Press, $23.95), released.
"I remember telling my husband
on the plane on the way home that
the community down there is like a
Jane Austen novel," recalls Cohen,
who is a tremendous fan of the
18th-century author.
"It was a closed world with so
much texture and so much going
on."
Jane Austen in Boca starts off with
New Jersey-ite Carol Newman, a
meddling, well-meaning daughter-
in-law, obsessively trying to set up
her Boca-based husband's mother,
May, with wealthy and recently
widowed Norman Grafstein, a
wealthy man being pursued by a
pack of widows. May, also widowed,
is a kind, gentle woman, who catch-
:tt*&
es Norman's eye when he first
makes her acquaintance.
Author Paula Marantz Cohen:
May's closest friends, also wid-
"In Austen's stories, the heroine gets
owed, include clever, sarcastic retired the man of her dreams, and that is
librarian Flo Kliman and pragmatic,
very satisfying.
flamboyant, husband-hunting Lila
Katz.
As the three women get involved in
"Even though the novel is satirical,
relationships and find romance, their
it's still affectionate and gives a posi-
stories are made public when Flo's
tive view of these people. I think it
great-niece, Amy, a New York
makes Jews seem very appealing — as
University film student, captures their
opposed to some books and films,"
exploits on videotape.
she says.
Although the characters are loosely
based on the Bennett daughters in
Writing, Teaching
Pride and Prejudice, Cohen says you
don't have to be familiar with Austen's
Although this is Cohen's debut as a
classic novel to enjoy Boca.
novelist, she has been writing for
"Of course, if you have read Pride
years, publishing five works of nonfic-
and Prejudice you can trace the paral-
tion, including the Triumph of the
lels, but it's not necessary," Cohen
American Myth and Silent Film.
points out. "I have talked to many
Cohen's interest in Jane Austen can
people who haven't read Pride and .
be traced back to high school.