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4.13 AVERAGE
4.13 AVERAGE
This was great! There might be a weeee bit of unbelievably in some of the timelines/timing, but overall a great story. Laurie Frankel might be my new Jodi P: good stories with some thoughtful/reflective topics. In this case, she tackles adoption, a woman’s right to choose, and all of those people who misunderstand what it means to have a baby, adopt a baby, or place a baby for adoption.
(My one beef on the timelines: I have a hard time believing that a character could graduate high school, travel the world, get married, have 5 kids, and get divorced all by age like 32. I know it’s possible, but seems like a bit of a stretch)
(My one beef on the timelines: I have a hard time believing that a character could graduate high school, travel the world, get married, have 5 kids, and get divorced all by age like 32. I know it’s possible, but seems like a bit of a stretch)
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you so much to Henry Holt & Co. and Library Journal for the ARC and the opportunity to review this title!
Frankel (One Two Three) has written a funny, heart-wrenching, deeply personal story about the meaning of family and holding fast to one’s beliefs. India Allwood has been a talented, determined actress from a young age. She works her way from stage plays in college to Broadway and finally to a TV role in Hollywood. After starring in a melodramatic movie about adoption, India tells a reporter that she believes the film misrepresents adoption; as an adoptive mother herself, India knows firsthand that not every such story is tragic. The media feedback to India’s interview is ruthless, and soon secrets from her past come to light. Suddenly her career is at risk, and India must decide if she wants to save face or continue defending her choices. India is the star of Frankel’s novel, but the supporting characters are warm and vibrant, each getting their own opportunity to shine. VERDICT Highly recommended for fans of Frankel and those who enjoy literary fiction featuring witty dialogue and thought-provoking topics. Reviewed by Carmen Clark , Nov 01, 2023
Frankel (One Two Three) has written a funny, heart-wrenching, deeply personal story about the meaning of family and holding fast to one’s beliefs. India Allwood has been a talented, determined actress from a young age. She works her way from stage plays in college to Broadway and finally to a TV role in Hollywood. After starring in a melodramatic movie about adoption, India tells a reporter that she believes the film misrepresents adoption; as an adoptive mother herself, India knows firsthand that not every such story is tragic. The media feedback to India’s interview is ruthless, and soon secrets from her past come to light. Suddenly her career is at risk, and India must decide if she wants to save face or continue defending her choices. India is the star of Frankel’s novel, but the supporting characters are warm and vibrant, each getting their own opportunity to shine. VERDICT Highly recommended for fans of Frankel and those who enjoy literary fiction featuring witty dialogue and thought-provoking topics. Reviewed by Carmen Clark , Nov 01, 2023
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I didn't love this book as much as the other two books I've read by Laurie Frankel, but it is very well written and a story worth telling. I loved how the book put a positive story out there involving adoption, because it does seem like most adoption stories out there are really sad. It's good for everyone to know that adoption is a viable and positive choice. The author is also right in expressing that all families are complicated, regardless of how that family is formed. I loved how the women were all portrayed as smart, independent, and driven while still able to have loving relationships with a partner. I also loved how the male characters were shown as supportive to India without seeming less of themselves or ”manly”. Although, Davis did bother me with his blame game of ”How did you not learn after the first mistake, and did you forget on purpose?”. It just goes to show you the pervasive and accepted inequity regarding birth control, because it is almost always the woman's job, which is so very, very wrong.
4.5 stars rounded up. Another wonderful story from Laurie Frankel, touching beautifully on the topic of adoption. I adored the protagonist India.
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
India has spent her entire life chasing the goal of becoming an actor. When she was just a teenager, her meticulously laid out plans of going to college are very nearly sidelined when she becomes pregnant. Realizing that she has a choice in front of her, India places her daughter Rebecca up for adoption, allowing her to continue to go after her dream and help another woman realize her own dream of becoming a mother. After 4 years at college, on the eve of graduating, she again finds herself pregnant, and after much thought, she places her son Lewis, with a loving couple, Andy and Drew, who dreamed of starting their own family. India can now start the hard work of establishing her career on stage.
As she matures and starts to find success on Broadway, she realizes she is now ready to have children herself. She changes her career goals, leaves New York to head to Los Angeles for steadier and more stable work, and she adopts twins Fig and Jack, children that have already seen more than their share of trauma at a young age. While it might not be the stage stardom she dreamed of, the TV superhero role she takes makes her very rich and very famous, allowing her to make a movie, one very close to her heart, about adoption. But when it hits theaters, she admits during an interview that the film puts the tragic aspects of adoption on full display, basically saying it isn't very good. India is immediately attacked from all sides, with journalists digging up her past, and making all of her children (and their birth fathers) the center of speculation, rumors, and attention. But what makes a family? Is it blood, love, or simply the ties that bind us together?
I loved every character in this book! I felt like I not only had a wonderful reading experience, but that I learned so much about the world of adoption, through the eyes of the birth parents, adoptive parents and the children. By giving the reader multiple timelines as well as allowing us to understand each character, Laurie Frankel really knocks this novel out of the park! Family is truly the center of this story.
As she matures and starts to find success on Broadway, she realizes she is now ready to have children herself. She changes her career goals, leaves New York to head to Los Angeles for steadier and more stable work, and she adopts twins Fig and Jack, children that have already seen more than their share of trauma at a young age. While it might not be the stage stardom she dreamed of, the TV superhero role she takes makes her very rich and very famous, allowing her to make a movie, one very close to her heart, about adoption. But when it hits theaters, she admits during an interview that the film puts the tragic aspects of adoption on full display, basically saying it isn't very good. India is immediately attacked from all sides, with journalists digging up her past, and making all of her children (and their birth fathers) the center of speculation, rumors, and attention. But what makes a family? Is it blood, love, or simply the ties that bind us together?
I loved every character in this book! I felt like I not only had a wonderful reading experience, but that I learned so much about the world of adoption, through the eyes of the birth parents, adoptive parents and the children. By giving the reader multiple timelines as well as allowing us to understand each character, Laurie Frankel really knocks this novel out of the park! Family is truly the center of this story.