What do readers think of A Dual Inheritance by Joanna Hershon? Write your own review.

I found A Dual Inheritance a slow but rich read. In some ways it reminded me of The Emperor's Children in that it seemed to have a thread of humor and irony running under the surface of the story. I found myself drawn into the times and places of the characters' lives and reflecting on my own life and how choices and circumstances have changed me. At times it felt that there should be more explanation behind the character's motivations, but the way it is written makes it a book that would lend itself to lively book group discussions. Recommended!

Once I finally got the chance to read "A Dual Inheritance" I could not put it down. I really enjoyed reading about two different families and how they were connected, especially when the daughters met up in school. I think it would be a great book club book as there are a number of characters with different personalities to discuss, plus it's a great book with a great story.

I thought the book was very well written, although it was lengthy and took me a while to get to the end. In fact, I read the book a second time just to make sure I hadn't missed something. Hugh Shipley and Ed Cantowitz each thought the other would be the most successful after they graduated from college. But I couldn't make a judgment which one won. I guess my judgment of what success is might not be the same as someone else's.

I enjoyed "A Dual Inheritance" but wished that the main characters had been better developed. I just didn't get some of the motivations, starting with the improbable friendship between Ed Cantowitz and Hugh Shipley and then with Helen's relationship with Ed. And what about the visit to Helen's home where Ed was treated to a big dose of anti-Semitism - surely Hugh and Helen could have predicted that outcome. Ed's eventual legal problems didn't quite resonate with his portrayal as an ambitious but ethical businessman. And Hugh's infidelities were disappointing. However I loved the last part of the book where all of the characters reunite for Vivi's wedding celebration and there is an unpredictable but happy ending. It was funny and sad and very well written. I also enjoyed the different foreign settings. All in all, I liked the book and will recommend it to friends.

Once again, the author wrote what was a potentially good story and spread it out over 400 pages rather than 300. The character development was poor, especially for the secondary storyline. I found myself wanting to know more about some characters and a lot less about the the thought processes of the two main characters. In this instance, shorter would have been better.

Warning - contains plot spoilers....

I found this book a decent, albeit predictable, read. Nothing terribly exciting or surprising happens and the 2 main characters plod along their unoriginal narratives until the book just ends.

It's a story that's been told many, many times, whether it's 2 brothers, or 2 sisters, or in this case, 2 friends. One friend comes from old-money 'haves' & the other from the wrong side of the tracks with the requisite chip on his shoulder 'have-nots'. Hugh, the 'have' character, disdains the family name, money & inherent priviledges. Ed, the 'have-not' friend (as if just being the poor but brilliant and determined 'have-not' isn't sufficient, he is also Jewish in a setting where that's snobbily derided) dedicates his life to working ridiculously hard and amasssing enough of a fortune that his Jewishness is overlooked in favor of his new-found social standing. Fast forward a few decades, after Hugh realizes that he has spent his life trying to rid himself of what he finally realizes ... is his essential self. He performs the requisite charity work in Africa, marries the WASP-y girl of his dreams, has a family and then, ultimately realizes .... that being from a long line of wealth & priviledge isn't inherently a bad thing, that it's (say it with me now) what you do with said life & wealth & priviledge is what ultimately counts. And of course the same with Ed's journey. He predictably realizes that he was fine as he was made, and that having a goal of making more-than-enough money to buy your way into the snobby country-club life, at the end-of-the-day, leaves one hollow and empty. Thus the 'Dual Inheritence' theory (the title refers to the 2 major factors that contribute to a personality: nature/culture/surroundings nurture/genes/family, etc) leaves the reader to decide: all that Hugh did, everywhere he traveled, he ultimately (and predictably) realized that internally he simply IS from the right-side-of-the- tracks & that's OK. And Ed? Same self-discovery: he made the money, bought the clothes, the homes, all of his focus on the exterior, only to realize that no one sees him any differently b/c he's still the same forthright-to-the-point-of-being obnoxious person on the inside & that's OK. Just like this book itself.......just OK.

I found this book too long and too cerebral for my tastes. Although this book was long, it was somehow comforting and nostalgic. The beginning of the book reminded me of "Rich Boy".
I struggled with the author's writing style - dialogue interrupted with long descriptions of what was in each character's head - making for a long read regarding contrasting personalities and generational continuance.
First half of book held my interest, but I pushed through the second half.

I liked this book but did not love it. Will I remember the story in a year? Probably not. I read it on vacation and on planes. It was good reading and kept me interested but it isn't a great book. I, like other readers, felt it could've been cut. I did like learning about the younger generation. I actually think that part of the book was more innovative than certain cliches in the first half of the book--rich friend, aspiring Jewish society seeker, and WASP woman forming the triangle. I liked Rebecca because she seemed real and multi-dimensional. I probably wouldn't recommend this book to my book club because it is overly long and I'm not sure how much discussion would be forthcoming after the first 20 minutes or so. I'm not sorry I read it but I probably wouldn't give it a great recommendation either. It was OK and adequately written.