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kathleenguthriewoods's review against another edition
5.0
This has been on my shelf of "Favorites" for years, and I've been looking forward to revisiting it. It does not disappoint. While the subject is difficult to read, the author's ability to communicate the emotional roller-coaster of grieving is sublime. Should be required reading for all aspiring novelists.
emmelly's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
hopie_duncs's review against another edition
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
pilesoflaundry113's review against another edition
4.0
I couldn't put it down. It was pretty good. The end left a few loose ends and I hate loose ends but overall it was good.
d52s's review against another edition
3.0
This book was okay - it held my interest, but seemed a bit amateur. There were problems: I didn't understand why, since the pilot didn't seem to attempt to hide his life in London, it wasn't broadcast by the press after the accident. Why did his wife have to travel to London to find out? Seems like the media would have done that favor for her. I also thought the author tossed in the political angle too late, at that point I didn't buy it. I couldn't stomach the hint of a romantic relationship with the wife and the grief counselor - too weird. Also, I didn't understand why the teenage daughter suddenly decided to spill the beans about her sexual exploits in the midst of this tragedy. Didn't really have anything to do with anything.
Not what I'd expect from an Oprah selection.
Not what I'd expect from an Oprah selection.
noella_t's review against another edition
1.0
When Kathryn Lyon receives the dreaded late-night knock on her door, she realizes the "worst" has happened - the plane piloted by her husband, Jack, has exploded near the coast of Ireland.
As reporters gather outside her home and the airlines sends their investigators to question her about her husband's life, she begins to realize there is much she really never knew about him. This is the most exciting thing you will read within the first 150 pages.
Around page 150 Kathryn decides to call a number found in one of Jack's pockets, and at page 200, she decides to fly with Robert (the lead investigator) to London to find the person who answered the phone. While Robert seems overly interested in Kathryn while she's in the midst of her grief, he does not go with her to confront the person on the other end of the phone. Instead, after she's run from the apartment into the pouring rain without an umbrella and walked the streets for hours, he tries to rescue her. The final answers come the next morning at breakfast when she and Robert are joined by the woman she visited the day before (around page 253).
The story is sad, boring and unrealistic. This is the slowest book I've ever read and I have no idea how it ended up as an Oprah's Book Club book. I would give this book one star just for having a lot of words.
As reporters gather outside her home and the airlines sends their investigators to question her about her husband's life, she begins to realize there is much she really never knew about him. This is the most exciting thing you will read within the first 150 pages.
Around page 150 Kathryn decides to call a number found in one of Jack's pockets, and at page 200, she decides to fly with Robert (the lead investigator) to London to find the person who answered the phone. While Robert seems overly interested in Kathryn while she's in the midst of her grief, he does not go with her to confront the person on the other end of the phone. Instead, after she's run from the apartment into the pouring rain without an umbrella and walked the streets for hours, he tries to rescue her. The final answers come the next morning at breakfast when she and Robert are joined by the woman she visited the day before (around page 253).
The story is sad, boring and unrealistic. This is the slowest book I've ever read and I have no idea how it ended up as an Oprah's Book Club book. I would give this book one star just for having a lot of words.
kellyannoconnor's review against another edition
4.0
The beginning of the book dragged a bit, but towards the end there were so many twists and turns that I was not expecting AT ALL! Overall, it was well written and I would recommend it.
theseventhl's review against another edition
4.0
This book was gorgeously written, emotionally gripping, and overall a hauntingly beautiful novel on loss and love and rediscovering people we think we once knew. I don't know what the hell everyone else read because this novel was wonderful and the twists about the pilot's life did not seem contrived at all. Oh well. Still loved it.
somanybookstoread's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book! I won't give anything away but I will say that this was an absolute page turner. Usually when I pick up a pageturner I'm disappointed by the prose but I go along for the page-turning ride. This book surprised me in that not only did it have a plot that kept me reading 'just one more chapter', it was also gorgeously written. Although the events in the book seem shocking, the characters are just so human and real. Kathryn, our narrator and protagonist, is so likable in her strength, her struggles, and her pain. I recommend this book to just about anyone who likes a good read!
jgintrovertedreader's review against another edition
3.0
The Pilot's Wife in a nutshell: Jack Lyons, a commercial pilot, is flying a plane when it explodes. The book follows the grieving process of his widow, as she tries to figure out what happened in that plane. The overriding question in the book is "How well can we ever really know someone else?"
There wasn't anything really wrong with the book, it was just overly gray for my taste. I don't think the sun shines in the entire book. It was solidly written though, and it did keep me turning pages. I did have a vague idea where the whole thing was going from about a third of the way through. I wasn't exactly right, but I was close.
This really was not my kind of book. I have a feeling it would appeal to fans of Nicholas Sparks. In fact, my mom is a huge fan of his and I sent her this book to read today.
There wasn't anything really wrong with the book, it was just overly gray for my taste. I don't think the sun shines in the entire book. It was solidly written though, and it did keep me turning pages. I did have a vague idea where the whole thing was going from about a third of the way through. I wasn't exactly right, but I was close.
This really was not my kind of book. I have a feeling it would appeal to fans of Nicholas Sparks. In fact, my mom is a huge fan of his and I sent her this book to read today.