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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
This book was literally "all you could ask for". The women are identifiable, likeable and so interesting. I loved this book, couldn't put it down. And the fact that it was written by a man while he observed his wife's relationships make it that much sweeter.
I adore Mike Greenberg but not this book. It was a super easy superficial enjoyable beachy kind of read but it was super annoying on many levels and somewhat offensive. I don't want to spoil it for anyone so I won't get into details but I hated the ending. At least all of the profits go to a good cause.
I have to be honest, I did not finish this book. I kept picking it up and hoping it would get better and it did not. I can't even say it was because it's three women being written by a man. That was part of it, but a lot of it was just the style. Every three or four pages the story switched points of view. I couldn't keep track of who was who. And part of that was because nothing was happening. I was about 40% into the book and it was not moving. At all. I felt like the entire book was taking place in each of the women's thoughts. I also could not put out of my mind that the author was male. The three main characters read like a guy's idea of them. They were like caricatures and not even good ones. I just could not find anything good in this book. I think if Mike Greenberg had written about the real story of his wife and her friends as they watched one of them lose the battle with cancer it would have been a better read.
Ok. This one blind sided me a bit.
I picked this up intrigued by the concept of three women whose lives intercept in unexpected ways. Their initial situations were interesting, and the first few pages had me interested enough to continue. Keep in mind, I picked this up at random while wandering through my local library's shelves. I had no previous knowledge of this book or what it was about.
About a quarter of the way through, I was entertained but not really impressed. The story structure was enjoyable. The three protagonists live completely separate lives, and narration jumps between them in short(ish) snippets using hinge-style lines and events. (I.e. Character A's snippet ends with someone saying a phrase, and Character B's snippet begins with someone saying the exact same phrase.) That said, the characters seemed flat and one dimensional, their stories quite predictable and nothing new. Some of my own biases came out, as it felt very much like this was a man trying to write three generic female stories with not enough insight into a woman's experience to give them any kind of realistic depth. (Again, I note my bias here and that this may not be a fair statement.)
But it was a quick and easy read, not even 300 pages, so I kept at it and told myself to just get it done.
Halfway through the book everything changes.
The characters' common thread is revealed, as all three suddenly experience similar life-changing events (Specifically,) Here a new story takes shape, one of female friendship and women supporting each other through shared experiences and challenges. Not knowing what was coming (though after reading the back of the book jacket around page 100, I had a sneaking suspicion) made the shift so sudden and poignant, and I give the author credit for giving the reader a literary experience that mirrors the effects of such life events. Everything changes very quickly, very seriously, and all of a sudden the character's lives are entirely centered around their new circumstances.
In the end this was a quick read, mostly feel-good in the end, but with some real life poignancy to make it feel worth reading. I really can't help but think that if an unknown, first time author with no connections tried to submit this book for publication, its flat characterization would have kept it from being pulled from the slush pile. But if you're willing to get past that it's worth the time. After reading several heavier, more literarily complex novels, this was a nice change of pace and I didn't too much mind fairly linear character development.
I picked this up intrigued by the concept of three women whose lives intercept in unexpected ways. Their initial situations were interesting, and the first few pages had me interested enough to continue. Keep in mind, I picked this up at random while wandering through my local library's shelves. I had no previous knowledge of this book or what it was about.
About a quarter of the way through, I was entertained but not really impressed. The story structure was enjoyable. The three protagonists live completely separate lives, and narration jumps between them in short(ish) snippets using hinge-style lines and events. (I.e. Character A's snippet ends with someone saying a phrase, and Character B's snippet begins with someone saying the exact same phrase.) That said, the characters seemed flat and one dimensional, their stories quite predictable and nothing new. Some of my own biases came out, as it felt very much like this was a man trying to write three generic female stories with not enough insight into a woman's experience to give them any kind of realistic depth. (Again, I note my bias here and that this may not be a fair statement.)
But it was a quick and easy read, not even 300 pages, so I kept at it and told myself to just get it done.
Halfway through the book everything changes.
The characters' common thread is revealed, as all three suddenly experience similar life-changing events (Specifically,
Spoiler
all three are diagnosed with breast cancer of varying stages, complexities, and prognoses.In the end this was a quick read, mostly feel-good in the end, but with some real life poignancy to make it feel worth reading. I really can't help but think that if an unknown, first time author with no connections tried to submit this book for publication, its flat characterization would have kept it from being pulled from the slush pile. But if you're willing to get past that it's worth the time. After reading several heavier, more literarily complex novels, this was a nice change of pace and I didn't too much mind fairly linear character development.
This was an enjoyable read that didn't totally change my life but that I'd recommend to others. There were a few leaps you have to take as a reader, but overall, just fine. Does focus mostly on wealthy white women, though...not that every book needs diversity, just this book had a lot of premise that could only be kept up through the concept that all the characters had no money concerns and a lot of privilege.
The first half of this book was your typical can't-pass-the-Bechdel-test chick lit. It was three impressive women talking about boys, and although I had specifically chosen this book as a "light read", I almost quit. Ugh.
However, the second half of the book got real quick, and suddenly the subject changed (although not entirely). These women were now in a life-altering situation, making huge decisions and relying on one another for support. And suddenly, I loved this story. And by the end I was tearing up a bit and just wanted to hug my best friend.
Would I recommend it? Meh.
But did I end up enjoying it in the end? Actually, yes.
However, the second half of the book got real quick, and suddenly the subject changed (although not entirely). These women were now in a life-altering situation, making huge decisions and relying on one another for support. And suddenly, I loved this story. And by the end I was tearing up a bit and just wanted to hug my best friend.
Would I recommend it? Meh.
But did I end up enjoying it in the end? Actually, yes.
So,Part I was nice, and I bulldozed through that, but then everything took a definite nosedive in interestingness around Part II. Except for Samantha's incredibly creepy messages. Those were cringeworthily entertaining.
I enjoyed it enough to read it quickly, I guess, but I had two issues with the book. The first was that it was a little too introspective, by which I mean way too great a percentage of the narration was spent inside various characters' heads, contemplating their navels, instead of Actual Things Happening.
The second thing was that I couldn't help but notice that each character not only existed in her own life as defined by men (fathers, lovers, etc.) but when asked by others to describe herself, also chose to do so in terms of said men. This kind of disturbed me, but I'm wondering if I would even have noticed this dynamic if not for the fact that I was very aware during reading that it was basically chick lit written by a man.
Also, I've got to say, it was kind of saccharine. And the writing style was fairly nondescript. There wasn't really any personality in the narration.
I enjoyed it enough to read it quickly, I guess, but I had two issues with the book. The first was that it was a little too introspective, by which I mean way too great a percentage of the narration was spent inside various characters' heads, contemplating their navels, instead of Actual Things Happening.
The second thing was that I couldn't help but notice that each character not only existed in her own life as defined by men (fathers, lovers, etc.) but when asked by others to describe herself, also chose to do so in terms of said men. This kind of disturbed me, but I'm wondering if I would even have noticed this dynamic if not for the fact that I was very aware during reading that it was basically chick lit written by a man.
Also, I've got to say, it was kind of saccharine. And the writing style was fairly nondescript. There wasn't really any personality in the narration.
emotional
sad
medium-paced
