24. Potatoes Are Cheaper

by Max Shulman

I borrowed this book through interlibrary loan for Breathless. He remembered reading it when it first came out in the early 70s and though it was hilarious. I agree.

Set in the midst of the Great Depression in Minneapolis/St. Paul, the main character, Jewish 20-year-old Morris Katz, is trying to marry rich Jewish Celeste Zimmerman, when he falls in love with raised-by-nuns poetry-loving Bridget O'Flynn. The ending is pretty predictable, but the book is great fun.

ETA: The book's title comes from a lyric in the Eddie Cantor signature song that was popular during the Depression, "Now's the Time to Fall in Love."