Of all the books in this series, this one seemed to have the most apparent overarching plot for the book and I really enjoyed that. This is a sweet and thoughtful coming of age story. The only thing I am sad about is that we don't have some kind of epilogue to see the rest of the family; as is, the ending feels a bit abrupt and unsatisfactory for all but Ella. ( )

The All-of-a-Kind Family books were some of my mother's favorites growing up so of course I read them as a child. I recently re-read them and still enjoyed them as an adult. There are some parts of them that are rather problematic from a religious tolerance perspective but in general they stand the test of time and are sweet well written books. ( )

This was a fine way to finish the series with my grandchild. It gave us much to speak about, especially regarding the role of women. At that time, Ella took an appropriate turn, being very aware of her desires. ( )

I have very fond memories of the All-of-a-Kind family books, I don't know how many times I read them as a kid. The final book, written many years later, was not as strong. I think my biggest complaint is that it felt like it took place when it was written (1978) and not in 1918. Yes, there was a night boat to get to Albany and vaudeville theatres but the feel of a past era that was so interesting in the earlier books was lost. The story mostly focuses on Ella and her perhaps singing career and her feelings for Jules but it felt rather hackneyed. The other sisters get very little time and the plot line with Charlie was both terrifying and banal in equal parts. Perhaps revisiting childhood favorites is not always the best choice.

As the title would indicate, author Sydney Taylor focuses on the eponymous Ella in this, her fifth and final novel devoted to the doings of a loving, close-knit Jewish family living in New York City in the early years of the twentieth century. The book opens some six months after the conclusion of All-of-a-Kind Family Uptown, which ended with Jules and the other American soldiers coming home from World War I. Although there are occasional chapters devoted to the doings of some of her siblings - Henny running for office in her school's elections, Charlie playing a dangerous street game with some older boys - the main narrative focus here is on Ella, who is torn between her desire for a career in singing, and her love for Jules, and longing to make a home with him. As she takes a job with a vaudeville act, she must struggle with this choice...

Apparently many readers dislike this final entry in Taylor's series, which was written some time after the others (all penned in the 1950s), and first published in 1978. For my part, although I do not love it quite as much as its predecessors, I do find it an engaging tale, and have always enjoyed it. I have fond memories, moreover, of discovering it in the window of one of the New York Public Library's branch locations as a girl, when my mother brought me into the city on one of those "take your child to work" days. Although I understand that many readers have found Taylor's resolution of the main narrative question - Ella decides to give up her career on the stage, because she misses Jules so much, and wants to be with him - unsatisfying, or even sexist, I think that it reflects an issue that women continue to grapple with, to this day, and depicts it in a sensitive, nuanced way. Taylor never makes it an easy choice, depicting the pros and cons of both options. Nor does she present the necessity of the choice itself as desirable, acknowledging that there is a selfishness behind it all, a way in which women are expected to put others first in ways that men are not.

All in all, an enjoyable conclusion to the series, and to my recent rereading project. My only regret is that Taylor never got to the subsequent volumes she had planned, devoted to each of the other sisters. Sadly, she died before she had a chance to write them. Highly recommended, to anyone who has read and enjoyed the other All-of-a-Kind Family books. ( )