Scan barcode
theavidreaderandbibliophile's review
1.0
Days of Awe by Lauren Fox is the story of Isabel Applebaum Moore. Her best friend, Josie Abrams, just passed away, and Isabel has to go on with her life. Isabel and her husband, Christopher Moore are separated (though they sometimes have quickie sex). Their daughter, Hannah is not getting along with Isabel. She has hit the temperamental tween years (eleven going on twelve). Isabel has to find a way to get over her grief from losing her best friend and the dissolution of her fifteen year marriage.
Mark Abrams, Josie’s husband, grew up with Isabel (and were best friends for many years). Isabel actually introduced Mark and Josie. Isabel tries to stay in contact, but it is hard when Mark quickly moves on with his life. When he gets a new girlfriend that Isabel cannot stand, they see even less of each other. Her ex-husband, Chris also moves on with his life (with their therapist) and does not understand why Isabel is having such a hard time.
Days of Awe tells the story of Isabel coping with life in the year after her friend’s death. She also reminisces about her life (childhood, college, her marriage, etc.). The book just rambles on and on until the end of the book (I did not ever think I would get to the end). I am sorry, but I really did not like this book. It is told in the first person point-of-view with Isabel spewing verbal vomit. I give Days of Awe 1 out of 5 stars. I did not even like any of the characters in this book (especially Isabel). I do not like giving books low ratings, but Days of Awe deserved it.
I received a complimentary copy of Days of Awe from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The review and opinions expressed are my own.
http://bibliophileandavidreader.blogspot.com/2015/08/days-of-awe.html
Mark Abrams, Josie’s husband, grew up with Isabel (and were best friends for many years). Isabel actually introduced Mark and Josie. Isabel tries to stay in contact, but it is hard when Mark quickly moves on with his life. When he gets a new girlfriend that Isabel cannot stand, they see even less of each other. Her ex-husband, Chris also moves on with his life (with their therapist) and does not understand why Isabel is having such a hard time.
Days of Awe tells the story of Isabel coping with life in the year after her friend’s death. She also reminisces about her life (childhood, college, her marriage, etc.). The book just rambles on and on until the end of the book (I did not ever think I would get to the end). I am sorry, but I really did not like this book. It is told in the first person point-of-view with Isabel spewing verbal vomit. I give Days of Awe 1 out of 5 stars. I did not even like any of the characters in this book (especially Isabel). I do not like giving books low ratings, but Days of Awe deserved it.
I received a complimentary copy of Days of Awe from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The review and opinions expressed are my own.
http://bibliophileandavidreader.blogspot.com/2015/08/days-of-awe.html
jedore's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
"As I get older, my life simultaneously shrinks and grows, shedding delusions as it picks up complications."
Set against the backdrop of suburban life, "Days of Awe" is a poignant exploration of love, loss, and the resilience of the human spirit. It follows Isabel Moore, a woman grappling with grief and self-discovery following the sudden death of her best friend. As Isabel navigates the complexities of loss, friendship, and the search for meaning, she finds herself confronting her past and reevaluating her relationships with those closest to her.
I'm not sure how it ended up on my shelf...my best guess is that I picked it up while thrifting because I'd heard of Lauren Fox before. My expectations were on the low side, probably because I peeked at the 3.26 rating before I started reading it.
With one exception, the writing was very good. It's a little baffling that such a talented writer would drop one of the most annoying clichés ~ if you're in any online book groups, you're likely familiar with the "I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding" one. I wonder...do authors do this on purpose or are they really that unaware?
I'm always a fan when characters are well developed ~ and that was definitely the case with this book. Isabel was the perfectly imperfect main character and narrator of the book. And, luckily I loved, and completely related, to her.
If you are or were a suburban mom or a middle school teacher and don't require much action to love a book, it's very likely enjoy this one!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Car accident
Minor: Genocide, Miscarriage, and Suicide
book_concierge's review
4.0
Book on CD read by Luci Christian
Isabel Moore’s life has been upended in this last year. Her husband moved out, her daughter has become a sullen pre-teen, and her best friend died in a tragic auto accident. Now she has to figure out who she is and what she wants in life.
This is the kind of character-driven novel I really enjoy. As Isabel reflects on past events and her relationships with best friend Josie, daughter Hannah, and ex-husband Chris, the reader comes to know her. I felt her confusion, pain, loss, loneliness, but also her joy and hope for the future. This is a woman I would love to be friends with, to laugh with, share inside jokes with, commiserate with about bad work days or a husband’s or child’s idiosyncrasies.
This is the first book by Fox that I’ve read; I’ll definitely read another.
Luci Christian does a fine job performing the audiobook. She has good pacing and really brought Isabel to life.
Isabel Moore’s life has been upended in this last year. Her husband moved out, her daughter has become a sullen pre-teen, and her best friend died in a tragic auto accident. Now she has to figure out who she is and what she wants in life.
This is the kind of character-driven novel I really enjoy. As Isabel reflects on past events and her relationships with best friend Josie, daughter Hannah, and ex-husband Chris, the reader comes to know her. I felt her confusion, pain, loss, loneliness, but also her joy and hope for the future. This is a woman I would love to be friends with, to laugh with, share inside jokes with, commiserate with about bad work days or a husband’s or child’s idiosyncrasies.
This is the first book by Fox that I’ve read; I’ll definitely read another.
Luci Christian does a fine job performing the audiobook. She has good pacing and really brought Isabel to life.
moi_stephanie's review
3.0
My first ever audiobook (only version available in my library) and it got a bit confusing at times, as the narration changed spatial time without much warning; but other than that, an average read.
notdanya's review
funny
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
krobart's review
4.0
See my review here:
http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2017/05/18/day-1081-days-of-awe/
http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2017/05/18/day-1081-days-of-awe/
tabbiecat's review
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicide and Miscarriage
chlslnbd10's review
4.0
Really liked this book. A fascinating tale of a terrible year of a woman's life and moving on from tragedies. Really wanted to get to know Josie more, but I think Isabel knew just about as much about her best friend as we did.