Coffee at Luke's: An Unauthorized Gilmore Girls Gabfest by Jennifer Crusie

Coffee at Luke's: An Unauthorized Gilmore Girls Gabfest Reviews

• 
  Keris

  I have mixed feelings about this book since I wanted to have an essay in it and they turned me down - Me! Don't they know who I am? Ahem - but, at the same time, American TV show Gilmore Girls is one of my total obsessions. In fact, I'm watching it in the corner of my screen as I'm writing this ("The Festival of Living Art" from season 4, in case you're interested).
  
  Plus the book is edited by Jennifer Crusie and we do love Ms Crusie here at Trashionista. Like other SmartPop books including This Is Chick Lit, Flirting With Pride & Prejudice and Perfectly Plum (which I do feature in - yay me!), Coffee At Luke's is a collection of essays about Gilmore Girls by a wide range of writers and pop culture experts.
  
  Subjects range from personal relationships (including looks at fabulous secondary characters Kirk and Paris), to parenting (with a spirited defence of
  
  To read the rest of the review, please visit
  
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• 
  Brittany Nelson

  First of all, I was dead set on giving this book only two stars, but the truth is that the essays got better as I got further into it, so I'm giving it three. The problems I had with this book is that several of the essayists referred to themselves about a million times in the essay. IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU. Another problem I had was obviously the fact-checking--not to mention one essayists called Max Medina unattractive (really?)). And some of the essays were just poorly developed, I could write better. There are some essays that are really intriguing though:
  
  My Three Dads by Miellyn Fitzwater
  Happiness Under Glass by Jill Winters*****
  Dining with the Gilmores by Gregory Stevenson
  Reading, Rory and Relationships by Maryelizabeth Hart
  "That's what you get, folks, for making whoppee." by Kristen Kidder
  
  "Happiness Under Glass" is definitely my favorite. As she brings in, is Stars Hollow really stasis? Is Lorelai essentially her mother? And what does Lorelai really want?
  
  It's worth the read if you're obsessive and it makes you look at things on the show that you normally wouldn't look at, like food and books as a way of communication, or what the show has in common with the Golden Age of cinema.
• 
  Chelsea

  I have a lot of issues with this book. A couple of the authors definitely did not watch Gilmore girls.
  I maybe really biased. I have seen it 1000 plus times. Can even recite most of the show.
  If you never seen the show then don't write about it.
• 
  Kaethe

  Coffee at Luke's: An Unauthorized Gilmore Girls Gabfest - Jennifer Crusie  work library has it. Trying to get it downloaded onto a device I can read it on. So much aggravation.
  I have it on my phone, now. W00t! If I can get it on my Kindle I will be a very happy person for about 5 minutes, until something else comes along to annoy me. Fingers crossed. I wanted the Fire specifically to be able to take advantage of the extensive work elibrary.
  Now I've run into problems getting the sundry devices onto the Wifi network. Sigh. It's not a big problem, just a little niggling one that's going to drag this whole thing out for the entire day.
  Not to name names, but the app for reading this on my phone was not convenient.
  But the essays, they are intriguing. But also, collectively a little clueless. So many contrast New England culture against [place where the author is now] which is utterly unlike Star's Hollow, for good and ill. Seriously? I realize that Connecticut is the Land of WASPs, the place where Pilgrims get all the attention, but seriously, the lack of history re the entire rest of the nation was off-puttingly White-minded and just wrong. No one should ever again get a book chapter out of ignoring 1) millennia of First Nations, 2) five hundred years of Norse, and English, and Irish exploration and settlement, mostly for the cod 3) French settlement in Acadia 3) more than two hundred years of Spanish exploration and colonization. Seriously, Plymouth wasn't even the first permanent English colony in what is now the USA during the 17th century: there were already three in Virginia.
  Generally I love a pop culture essay. I enjoy someone taking a tv show seriously, seeing what it says about society, family, religion, adulthood. Of course, there are problems: backstory is incomplete, sometimes contradictory, often open to interpretation, and that's when these essays get really good. Because there is no objective reality, everyone ends up writing not about the show, but about themselves. It's a Rorschach test. Humans are social animals, and it desire to examine the related between us is just as strong when we're talking about imaginary people. In real life a person rarely has to choose between two romantic prospects, but as a mental exercise it makes us consider what is most important: do we prefer similar backgrounds, or shared passions? Charm or loving actions? What do we need to be content?
  So, here I am, nothing like Lorelei, except I do live in a charming old small town, and I like junk food and old movies and coffee, and books examining what this all means.
  Library copy 
• 
  talia ♡

  yes, i miss gilmore girls so much i am willing to read an "unauthorized gilmore girls gabfest"
• 
  Elise

  Some authors contradict themselves--there's nothing to draw people to Stars Hollow so the Dragonfly would close, but the same author loves the Stars Hollow Museum and dioramas. AKA an attraction. One author called out Jess Marino. Who?? It's Mariano! Someone else mentioned Goober Pyle of Mayberry. I assume she meant Gomer Pyle. What kind of fans are these ladies to miss basic information!
  
  And the "gabfest" in the title. Are Gilmore Girl fans incapable of having a discussion or analysis? In the glossary, the editor asked if Entertainment Weekly would stop calling her novels chick lit. Well, Jenny, if you write something with "gabfest" in the title, where else would the work be classified?
• 
  John (Just bought an Oculus 2 VR, so less time to read these days!)

  If you are a Gilmore Girls fan, you will definitely enjoy this book. I enjoyed the many different topics and authors perspectives on the shows different themes.
• 
  Kelli

  A really nice collection of essays about one of my all-time favorite shows; Gilmore Girls. Entertaining and made me very nostalgic and craving the fast-paced banter of Lorelai and Rory.
• 
  Chelsea

  There are some interesting viewpoints and takes on Gilmore Girls in
  Coffee at Luke's. There are essays considering the mathematical presence of father figures in Rory's life (no, really), the contention that the Girls are really just a latter-day screwball comedy, a guy's perspective on what food means within the Gilmore verse (a lot, naturally), and (my favorite) a passionate defense of Emily Gilmore, the third and oft-ignored Girl. I'm an Emily fan, and I think she was one of the most complex and enjoyable characters on tv for years, and was played to perfection by Kelly Bishop (but I digress), so including that essay was enough to earn this collection a solid 4 stars.
• 
  Beth

  I had high hopes for this book because of the editor and because of the subject matter, but I was disappointed. While some of the essays were thought-provoking (hence the two stars), too many of them felt thrown together, poorly thought out, and had little substance. My sense was the authors were big fans and wanted to contribute to the book but ultimately didn't have anything fresh to say. Several essays (particularly in the first half of the book) seem to simply summarize elements of the show or state the obvious. I was hoping for a little more depth, I guess.
• 
  Julie Ehlers

  It gets one star for the premise, one for being readable, and one for the cover, which I like. But ultimately I think this book did not live up to its promise. Don't expect to find the wit of the Gilmore Girls series in these pages.
• 
  Nicole

  I wanted to love this because I am desperate to read some thoughtful analysis of one of my favourite television shows. Alas, this is not the book for it. Many of the essays are under-developed, and the first half of the book is kind of a slog. My favourite essay creates an imaginary classic screwball comedy of Gilmore Girls and I have to say that Bringing Up Baby Katharine Hepburn is on point Lorelai Gilmore. But then it makes some unnecessary claims, like being unable to find any Asian actors of the period for Lane? How perfect would Pat Suzuki be? I'm harping on this one particular essay, but each makes strange claims like this that make you question the legitimacy of the authors. Additionally, some of the authors appeared to have watched further into the series than others, which made for confusing after the fact reading. I think I would prefer a more academically rigorous examination of the show. It deserves it.
• 
  Bethany

  This was the perfect fix for my post-Gilmore Girls blues! (My mother and I finished watching the seventh and last season last week. We started Season 1 in late May and from then on filled our summer days with Gilmore-goodness.)
  
  All the essays were interesting and brought up points and nuances of Gilmore Girls I had never considered before. I didn't always agree with the different views, but I just read them in the light of devil's advocate.
  
  Actually, while this book did help with my missing of Gilmore Girls, it also increased my desire to have coffee at Luke's again!
• 
  Kristin

  I enjoyed some of these essays more than others. My favorites were the one about Kirk, the one about Rory's three father figures, the list of Stars Hollow businesses and how likely they'd be to survive in the real world, the one about Rory and books, and the one about connections with classic movies. Most of the essays had a definite liberal leaning, which bugged me but didn't surprise me (the show itself is the same way, right?). Anyway, it made me want to pick up where I left off with rewatching the show as soon as possible!
• 
  Erin

  If you are a Gilmore Girls fan, this is a book for you! Some of the essays were great, some were just ok, but overall it was a really fun read. This series has a Buffy book that I'm dying to check out now.
• 
  Preethi

  I love Luke. I love Lorelai. I love Emily. I absolutely love Gilmore Girls. So I obviously loved this book.
  
  Many of the essays can be easily skipped, but this is a good feel-good book for Gilmore Girls fans.
• 
  Kara of BookishBytes

  These essays are not well written. This book is skippable, even for a devoted Gilmore Girls fan.
• 
  Rory G.

  I like that this book exists, but the essays vary widely in quality. Here’s a categorization:
  
  Best essays:
  • My Three Dads
  • Happiness Under Glass
  • Dining with the Gilmores
  • Reading, Rory, and Relationships
  • That’s What you get, Folks, For Makin’ Whoopee
  
  OK essays:
  • Whimsy Goes with Everything
  • Boys Not Allowed
  • Your Guide to the Real Stars Hollow Business World
  • Golden Age Gilmore Girls
  • Mama Don’t Preach
  • Mothers, Daughters, and Gilmore Girls
  
  Godawful essays.
  • When Paris Met Rory
  • In Defense of Emily Gilmore
  • The Best-Friend Mom
  • It’s Not Luke’s Stubble
  
  
  The commentary on the “Coffee at Luke-isms” was lol-level funny, but it’s hardly an essay, so I haven’t categorized it.
  
  The number of OK and godawful essays far outnumber the number of good essays. I read all of them, but, even of the good essays, few were intellectually rigorous (evidence! Outside sources, people!) and almost all of them (over)emphasized a personal element. I’m glad this book exists, and reading it felt like reading a really long series of reddit theory posts: enjoyable, a little guilty, and an overall pleasurable waste of time. Though I think “Happiness Under Glass” and “That’s What You Get” are more exempt from my caustic criticism; definitely worth a read.
• 
  Sanja_Sanjalica

  Reading this book was like chatting with Gilmore fans all over the world. I agreed with some, some were over-complicating things, some were mere funny and relatable...I'm really happy I got to read this, but it made me crave for more...Hope I come across similar books, since Gilmore fandom in my surrounding is scarce, I need to continue at least my fictional conversation.
• 
  Mind the Book

  Av vaga anledningar fastnade den här antologin i tbr:en ett par år. Bra novemberläsning, om än av skiftande kvalitet. Fyller det ständiga GG-tomrummet i våra själar med kaffe, pannkakor, wit, popkultur och böcker.
  
  "Just turn on the opening credits and I get filled with that warm and fuzzy I-want-to-be-part-of-this-picture feeling [...] Stars Hollow here I come."
• 
  Kejsi

  "Oy with the poodles already!"
  
  An eseyistic analysis of the charming life of Stars Hollow and it's residents. It may not be everyones cup of coffee (too bad it's at Luke's) and not everyone will agree with it's particular opinion. The part I personally did not enjoy was the 'off the show and characters part' where the authors felt the liberty and went on and on about the personal sh**, i mean stuff as a comparison.
  Nevertheless, a fun ride for a Gilmore sucker.
• 
  Melanie

  This book was perfect for my nerdy Gilmore Girl-obsessed self. Full of one-liners and trivia, I loved how each essay dove into the characters and how they developed over the first six seasons (let's be honest - the only seasons of the show that anyone really counts).
• 
  Ami

  The essay about Gilmore Girl food gets a solid 5 stars, as does the essay on sex. Those two essays had me thinking and rethinking about this show (seriously- Paris, Rory, AND Lane all had somewhat disastrous consequences after having sex for the first time. No way that wasn't a deliberate point.) And both of those essays had me rewatching several episodes- especially the food essay, breakfast at Luke's Diner will never hit me the same way again.
  Many of the other essays were a solid 3-4 stars, but there were a couple that came in pretty low at 2 stars.
  If you're a serious fan of the Gilmore Girl show then this book would be interesting. Otherwise skip it.
• 
  Sarah Fournier

  A must read for any Gilmore Girls fan! Read my full review on my blog
  Caffeine and Conquer
• 
  Samantha

  Often more insightful than I was expecting, Coffee at Luke's is the perfect cup of comfort for Gilmore Girls fans who miss those weekly Tuesday night trips to Stars Hollow.
  
  Although some of the essayists' conclusions feel a bit of a stretch, many of the chapters illuminate story patterns and symbols that add resonance to the show's portrayals of many subjects, including teen romance and single parenthood. My favorite chapters analyzed the symbolism of food and books in the lives of the titular Girls. I also generally enjoyed a chapter that could essentially be called an ode to New England, as this is the region where my roots remain. While this chapter mostly gave me the warm fuzzies, I often questioned whether the writer's glorification of both good and bad aspects of life in the Northeast was meant to be heartfelt or ironic; this left me feeling that the author still can't determine how she feels about her time growing up in Connecticut.
  
  I do wish that the contributors and editor of this book had waited just a bit longer--perhaps a year--before releasing this title. The book seems to have been written in the midst of Gilmore Girls' seventh (and final) season, and so none of the essays are able to look back on the completed series or comment on how things wrapped. I would have been interested in a post-Gilmore Girls perspective.
  
  I did catch a couple of factual errors--nothing major, but details that would be irksome to the ardent fan. (In one such example, an essayist mentions Rory's four years at Chilton, when of course any true Gilmore Girls fan knows that Rory transferred to the private school in her sophomore year.) I also noted a few grammatical errors, though I'm unsure of whether they were present in the original hard copy text or if they occurred in the process of rendering the book to Kindle format.
  
  While it's not quite a scholarly examination of Gilmore Girls, Coffee at Luke's is an unexpectedly perspicacious collection of essays that should satisfy a Gilmore Girls fan's longing for one more function in the town square, one more Friday night dinner, one more ... well ... cup of coffee at Luke's.
• 
  Inês

  "Oy with the poodles already!"
  
  Okay, first of all I'm obsessed with Gilmore Girls. I discovered the show way way after the 7th season ended, but in a week I watched the entire 7 seasons. By that you can imagine how much I love this show.
  I love Lorelai. I adore Rory. Luke is such a great guy! Emily is, well, Emily! Jess is every girl dream of a bad-boy/geek boyfriend (geek because of the books..). And Logan, how I love him! (Yes! I'm on team Logan, and sometimes team Jess) Oh and Kirk! And Miss Patty! And Lane! You get the point, right?! I have an obsession over this TV show, the little town and it's characters.
  This book was pretty much what I was expecting. A gathering of essays about everything concerning the show. Some I really liked. Others, I could live without them. And some where just information about movies and movie stars that are now dead or really old.
  It's not like watching the show or anything like that, and it talked so little about coffee that it's kind of weird the name of the book is "Coffee at Luke's". A more appropriate title would be "Gilmore: The Ups and Downs".
  So, now I'll leave you and I'm going to be at Luke's drinking some coffee coffee coffee and a cherry Danish, even though today it's not Danish Day ;)
• 
  Marnie (Enchanted Bibliophile)

  I most probably only gave this book a 5 star sating because I LOVED the Gilmore Girls and reliving the peculiar sayings only made me wish the show could go no…
  
  I love how this book take a look at real live and state how half of Stars Hollow will go bankrupt in the first day! Because let’s face it, we all grew up wishing we could be on or other character and have their success! My fictional role model was Lorelai, I even went on and studied tourism... Biggest mistake ever – but where not talking about me here are we?
  
  I must say the best part of the book is what made The Grilmore Girls a great TV series as well! Can we have that special “Best friends first, mother and daughter second relationship?” Stepanie Lehmann gives her opinion on this relationship, while Charlotte Fullerton defends Emily and here way.
  
  Yes it was a fun read!
  If you’re a Gilmore Girl fan this is something you really must read!
  
  GG fan forever!
• 
  Amy

  This was a collection of essays on Gilmore Girls, varying a lot in the degree of scholarliness and entertainment value. I mostly enjoyed getting reminded of older episodes that I haven't seen for a lot time. I really did not like Stephanie Lehmann's essay on the mother-daughter relationship between Lorelai and Rory. She got Rory's ages throughout the series wrong, and if she can't be bothered to get a detail like that right, why trust any of her other assertions. Plus, she bases her whole argument on a Lorelai telling Emily that she and Rory are "Best friends first, mother-daughter second," without ever really bothering to examine whether Lorelai really believed the statement was true (I think she was probably exaggerating for Emily's benefit).