Reviews

Surrender, Dorothy by Meg Wolitzer

dawnmdavison's review against another edition

2.0

Four old friends take a month every summer to escape NYC and hang out at the beach. Who are these people who can take a month of vacation every summer? Conveniently, one is a public school teacher, one is a playwright, one is a perpetual student, and the other is an attorney on maternity leave (don't ask me how she managed other summers).
The first night one of them dies in a car accident. They stay on for the rest of the month and start the grieving process. The dead girl's mother joins the and she also begins the grieving process.

Up until the last two chapters, I thought the book was fine. The dead girl wasn't perfect, but she was missed. Then in the second to last chapter, the author inexplicably engineers a group meltdown which exposes all of the dead girl's secrets. Then she fixes it all in the last chapter. I don't know what Wolitzer's experiences of grieving have been, but mine have not resembled that in the least.

It was a mediocre book.

neufangledmark's review against another edition

4.0

A day off due to (ear) surgery in the morning allowed me pretty much to start and finish another Wolitzer gem all in one day. Really good book. A great look at loss and how we all deal with the sudden, shattering aftermath of losing someone we love deeply. I really enjoyed it. I run hot and cold on Wolitzer's books... I wasn't a fan of "The Interestings", but "The Wife" was excellent, and this story was tightly-constructed and expertly crafted as well.

meadams's review against another edition

1.0

I'm surprised I even finished this. A novel about grief and how we all go thru it differently. Also about who is more important, friends or family. Too much junk

emdebell's review against another edition

2.0

This was a book that was easy to keep reading and had a lot to say about family, friendship, death, and life. At the same time, however, it felt shallow and annoying. I didn't connect with any of the characters and thus found their struggles (which seemed to mostly be related to their sex lives) boring.

tlcesq's review against another edition

4.0

Just started back to work full-time and needed a book for my hour commutes. This fit the bill. Enjoyed the story, despite the tragedy of it, and thought the characters were well developed, although a little self-centered. But surviving the first real death of a close friend takes its measure in many forms, and they are well illuminated in this story.

edenvanwyk's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Death

Moderate: Homophobia and Toxic relationship

beetdirt's review

dark emotional funny reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

colorfulleo92's review against another edition

1.0

I just didn't get on with it, the story was weak with not much interesting happening and didn't feel the characters grew much

dcmr's review against another edition

2.0

I'm on a Meg Wolitzer binge. After loving her latest -- "The Interestings" -- I'm reaching back to her earlier works. This novel's plot felt a bit forced, but her work is still consistently well crafted. She's a master at capturing everyday nuance, making each character vivid and real.

lola425's review against another edition

3.0

I love Wolitzer's writing, but this left me flat. Felt like it really fizzled at the end.