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Written by Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 18 October 2023

Created: 18 October 2023

Last Updated: 19 October 2023

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Author Leigh McMullen Abramson with her novel, A Likely Story.Since author Leigh McMullen Abramson could not reveal the plot of her literary thriller, A Likely Story, at a session at the Scarsdale Library on 9-28, those of us who could not get their hands on the book beforehand had a bit of trouble following the conversation. The book – and the attractive author --both seemed intriguing – but, I wasn’t sure of its genre, or whether or not it was for me. Was it a publishing thriller along the lines of The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz or family saga about some wealthy Upper East Siders? Chick lit or something more profound? When I did get my hands on the book a few weeks later from the “New” shelf at Scarsdale Library, Abramson’s detailed prose and twisting plot had me at Chapter One.

A Likely Story is a tale of a privileged young women with a prominent father, centered in the world of publishing, in which I happened to grow up as well.

At the meeting at the library the author revealed that she had been a serious ballet dancer up to the age of 15, and after college attended law school and worked as an attorney. Ultimately she decided to leave the legal world for the literary world to pursue her love of writing.  Svelte, pretty and young, she didn’t appear old enough to have already had multiple careers,

Abramson explained that she did not get an offer to publish her first book – which mirrors the experience of the main character, Isabelle Manning, in this book. Undaunted, Abramson set out to write her second novel, A Likely Story, which was recently published to much critical acclaim.

Like her main character Isabelle Manning, Abramson is an only child and used that experience in creating her protagonist. But Abramson denied that much more of this book was autobiographical. In fact she says, “My parents are artistic but not like the characters in the book. They are happy I wrote a book and became a writer.”

In her words the story centers on “how ambitions are affected by family roles. … There is a loving mother daughter relationship that is the emotional center of the story… There is love and a bond there, though there is dysfunction too.”

A Likely Story is about an aspiring writer who is saddled with a father who is a famous author and an egomaniac. According to Abramson, the father, Ward Manning, is “a difficult person to like,” and is “lonely, lost and pathetic.” Without giving away too much, the story centers on how Ward manages to undermine Isabelle’s writing career and her life as well.

Along the way we meet some New York types: There’s Isabelle’s on and off again boyfriend, a Midwestern farm boy who works in the US Attorney’s office and is likely drawn from Abramsons own experience. There’s her indulgent godmother, a narcistic author and classmate from Brown, a self-serving and deceptive literary agent and Isabelle’s mother, who is good as gold.

The action moves uptown, downtown, out to Sag Harbor and to the island of Jamaica, all locales with which many local readers are familiar.

The plot features a book within a book and moves back and forth in time. The story is compelling, and you’ll have a hard time putting the book down once you get into it.

Abramson said it took her two and half years to write the book, which ends in 2018, just before COVID. Is she considering a sequel? No way. She says, “I feel like I want to leave these characters as they are. I don’t want to be quarantined with them.”

Order your copy of A Likely Story by Leigh McMullan Abramson or listen to the audiobook.

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Written by Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 23 October 2023

Created: 23 October 2023

Last Updated: 23 October 2023

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Lauren Emily Silberberg and Ethan Hirsch Shapiro were married in Greenwich, CT on October 14, 2023Lauren Emily Silberberg and Ethan Hirsch Shapiro’s story begins in December of 2018 when they matched on a dating app. At the time, Lauren was traveling for her job at Deloitte every week, and in an attempt to catch her attention, Ethan sent Lauren an invitation to partake in an online game of beer pong. The game was a hit and the final score was LOVE!

Always keeping things interesting and unpredictable, they both sported onesies on their first date. Ethan brushed right past the “small talk,” insisting instead that they exchange information via snail mail. Each date they wrote a letter to one another detailing their lives. Right away, Lauren couldn’t stop talking about this cute onesie boy. A few months later, Ethan asked Lauren to go steady with him (he really phrased it that way), and the rest is a crazy blur. They moved in with each other's families during Covid lockdown, lived in Colorado where they skied for a few months, and now live together in the East Village.

Ethan’s proposal was an elaborate scavenger hunt that embodied their relationship with stops around NYC and concluded on the steps of the New York City Public Library.

They were married on October 14, 2023 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Greenwich, Connecticut where the bride’s parents were married 30 years ago.

Bruce Shapiro, a hazzan (cantor) and the groom’s uncle, officiated the Jewish wedding ceremony.

The bride, 28, is the Head of Operations at Lemonade, Inc., a digital insurance company. She graduated from University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Science with a degree in Networks and System Engineering, and she is also a 2013 graduate of Scarsdale
High School. Lauren is the daughter of Michele B. Silberberg and Stuart E. Silberberg of Scarsdale. The bride’s father is the Managing Partner at Ajax Partners, a New York real estate investment and advisory firm. The bride’s mother is an attorney and the Vice President of Sales at CB Title Group, LLC, a title insurance company based in New Jersey.

The groom, 30, is a founding member and Head of Business Development and Operations at Athena Intelligence, a start-up technology company utilizing cutting edge artificial intelligence. He is a 2016 dual-graduate of Columbia University and The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS), and earned a Bachelor of Arts in History and Business Management as well as Modern Jewish Studies. Ethan is the son of Miriam G. Shapiro and Ronald M. Shapiro of Cooper City, Florida. The groom’s father and mother own and operate a property management company, The Shapiro Group, which specializes in residential real estate in the South Florida market.

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Written by Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 05 October 2023

Created: 05 October 2023

Last Updated: 05 October 2023

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The undefeated girls tennis team wore pink on October 4 to highlight breast cancer awareness.We stopped by the SHS Tennis Courts on Wednesday October 4 to check in on the unstoppable Scarsdale High School Girls Varsity Tennis Team.

Katie Kendall plays first singles.While the girls awaited their opponents, the Mamaroneck tennis team, who were late due to a shortage of bus drivers, we spoke with Coach Jennifer Roane who shared some amazing news. The team has been undefeated for 4 years, that’s 68 matches! For the last two years they won the state championship at Billie Jean King Stadium in Flushing Queens and hope to be back there this year.

Roane explained that the weather cut the season short. The heat wave in September and the severe rains have caused the cancellation of non-league matches and the regular season draws to a close this week.

This year, for the first time ever, the team also has an assistant coach, math teacher Michael Kumaresan who was busy observing the matches, coaching the girls and clearly happy to be on board with this winning team.

We spoke to the players and were surprised to find that first and second singles were being played by high school sophomores and that the team included many underclassmen among the returning players who took the team to the championship last year.

Katie Kendall was on the court playing first singles and Charlene Dong, who is new to the team, played second singles. We watched Dong win point after point, and leave the court without dropping a game. Returning this year, Giana Marx plays third singles and was off the court in a flash, winning her pro-set 8-0.Newcomer Charlene Dong plays second singles.

Playing first doubles on Wednesday were juniors Kay Cotrell and Emily Hyman, both returning players who helped score the victory in Queens last year.

Second doubles was another young team with sophomore Jalyn Ryu and freshman Isabel Lin.

In third doubles two juniors are fast partners, Sophia Wu and Carly Alin. As Lu is a lefty, the team says both can use their forehands to hit the angles from both sides of the court.

The fourth doubles team featured two returning players who are the team captains: Maya Vora and Yelena Sahakyan, and experienced pair who also played in the finals last year.

Since the match had a late start and the courts needed to be vacated by 6 pm the girls played only one 8 game pro -set with no ad scoring.

Giana Marx used the pre-match wait to do her homework.For the 69th time they won! This time sweeping Mamaroneck on all seven courts, several winning 8-0.

The team plays their last league match on Thursday October 5 at Byram Hills and then will be onto their first post season match at Harrison High School on Sunday October 8, 2023. Roane will bring three singles players and three doubles teams there on Sunday.

Emily Hyman and Kay Cotrell play first doubles.Freshman Isable Lin and Sophomore Jalyn RyuJuniors Carly Alin and Sophia WuTeam Captains Yelena Sahakyan and Maya Vora