Charming, thought-provoking ... Niven humorously and perceptively exploits the juxtaposition of a TV family who have lost the distinction between their on-air personas and their real lives. Niven wisely does not go for the quick fix or the sitcom ending. She instead leaves readers with a realistic picture of a loving family reconstituting itself as growing individuals after a tectonic shift.
The perfect 1950s family—they play themselves on television—crash-lands into the modern era one fateful day in March 1964. ... Dedicated to delivering its liberatory messages, this purpose-built homage to 1960s television lacks humor and veracity.
A slice of mid-20th-century American life turns Technicolor in the uneven latest from Niven ... Niven effectively develops the characters, especially Dinah, who at first appears to be a restless housewife lusting after a neighbor before she starts to break out of her prescribed gender role. But as the plot plods to its inevitable happy ending, the story grows tedious. It’s a mixed bag.
