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mementomorel's review against another edition
1.0
I wish I could give it zero stars. I couldn't finish it. The author is confusing and boring about the whole story line. Never have I skipped so many parts of a book because I just didn't care. I got to page 87, and I still couldn't feel connected to any of the characters. Why does she go from using Maggie to Magnolia? Who is Maggie?
I am not an author my self, but an aspiring one. There are suggestions about writing, and if you go against those you better do it well. I think I couldn't connect to anyone because she started the book in the middle of the action. The sub-plot seemed nothing short of a ploy to fill the book with words.
I have Narcolepsy. Yes, it's such a small part of the story, but if you are going to use a disability with a character, get it right. Talk to someone with the disability rather than perpetuate the stereotype. When incidents such as laughing or a fight happen it's not falling asleep, it's called Cataplexy. A loss of muscle control. We don't fall asleep. Thank you for using Deuce Bigalo as your source, thats some awesome research there.
If I bought this book, I would return it and ask for my money back. Luckily I borrowed it from the library.
I am not an author my self, but an aspiring one. There are suggestions about writing, and if you go against those you better do it well. I think I couldn't connect to anyone because she started the book in the middle of the action. The sub-plot seemed nothing short of a ploy to fill the book with words.
I have Narcolepsy. Yes, it's such a small part of the story, but if you are going to use a disability with a character, get it right. Talk to someone with the disability rather than perpetuate the stereotype. When incidents such as laughing or a fight happen it's not falling asleep, it's called Cataplexy. A loss of muscle control. We don't fall asleep. Thank you for using Deuce Bigalo as your source, thats some awesome research there.
If I bought this book, I would return it and ask for my money back. Luckily I borrowed it from the library.
lisagray68's review against another edition
2.0
I feel like I just got a lecture on healthy eating AND depression (and using medication for depression) all in one big fell sweep; but I thought I was just trying to read a book for entertainment on an airplane!! Don't get me wrong, healthy eating and depression are both issues that are actually close to my heart -- but this book is a little too preachy on both topics for my taste. I actually like it when books can weave education and information into fiction in ways that help people understand complicated topics better. But this book didn't do the trick for me.
dollycas's review against another edition
4.0
Eve Adams has worked part-time and taken care of her children while supporting her husband the sculptor. He has had some success in the past but now seems to be in a creative slump. Eve has taken her knowledge of food and written a book and counsels people how to eat healthy and lose weight. Her business is growing, the book goes into a second printing. Her husband, Eric. takes her out to celebrate. She thought the evening went fine until her husband leaves to take home the sitter and disappears.
She has no idea where he went or what is going on but the sitter is missing too. She needs to take care of the kids, the house and the bills and wait to her from her husband. Is he gone forever?
Dollycas's Thoughts
The characters in this story were very interesting. For the most part real and each with their own set of flaws. The one thing that bothered me about this book was passivity of the wife. I understand staying strong for your kids, being scared for the future, and not wanting people to know your husband left you but I felt she needed to put more effort into what was really going on, especially after the husband contacted their daughter. She took on the whole load herself including their quickly emptying checkbook.
I wanted to hate Eric for just running away but he was definitely suffering from a major case of depression. I felt terrible for the kids and Eve had her hands full with a teenager trying to make the most of her father's absence by putting herself into some dangerous situations and a son just trying to understand why his dad left.
This is a story of family dynamics, trying to balance everything, work, kids, family, marriage and life in general. The ending was just too easy for me. This was a major upheaval in this marriage and the reactions of all the characters just seemed off.
The characters may not have acted in the way I wanted but this was still a good story of a very complicated life circumstances. I think that is what the author was going for, unexpected reactions by the characters. Otherwise this book would be like thousands of others. Written this way it creates conflict for the reader which got us involved in the story. You are actually upset with the way things are playing out and the pages keep turning.
Yes, I am a bit conflicted. This is not a story that I am going to scream and shout that you must read but it still a worthy read. It may be a good group read because I think it would prompt healthy discussion. Sometimes we need a story like this to shake up our views a bit.
She has no idea where he went or what is going on but the sitter is missing too. She needs to take care of the kids, the house and the bills and wait to her from her husband. Is he gone forever?
Dollycas's Thoughts
The characters in this story were very interesting. For the most part real and each with their own set of flaws. The one thing that bothered me about this book was passivity of the wife. I understand staying strong for your kids, being scared for the future, and not wanting people to know your husband left you but I felt she needed to put more effort into what was really going on, especially after the husband contacted their daughter. She took on the whole load herself including their quickly emptying checkbook.
I wanted to hate Eric for just running away but he was definitely suffering from a major case of depression. I felt terrible for the kids and Eve had her hands full with a teenager trying to make the most of her father's absence by putting herself into some dangerous situations and a son just trying to understand why his dad left.
This is a story of family dynamics, trying to balance everything, work, kids, family, marriage and life in general. The ending was just too easy for me. This was a major upheaval in this marriage and the reactions of all the characters just seemed off.
The characters may not have acted in the way I wanted but this was still a good story of a very complicated life circumstances. I think that is what the author was going for, unexpected reactions by the characters. Otherwise this book would be like thousands of others. Written this way it creates conflict for the reader which got us involved in the story. You are actually upset with the way things are playing out and the pages keep turning.
Yes, I am a bit conflicted. This is not a story that I am going to scream and shout that you must read but it still a worthy read. It may be a good group read because I think it would prompt healthy discussion. Sometimes we need a story like this to shake up our views a bit.
simsarah79's review against another edition
4.0
Hmmm what would I do if my husband just went to drop off the babysitter after a routine night out to dinner and just never came back? Our protagonist, Eve kind of went with it. She didn't panic. She didn't try to get a hold of him and she was completely calm with their two kids about it. "Daddy must need a break," she says. Turns out Eric did need a break. He took the babysitter across the country so she could be with her mother and his own happened to live near by so what the hell?
Eve is coping with it as sanely as possible. She thinks her husband had an affair with the girl and has chosen to leave his family so when he does try to call eventually she ignores him. He texts with his 14 year old daughter, Magnolia so at least Eve knows he's okay.
Eric is not okay though. Eric is a sculptor and hasn't been producing in a long time and the pressure of providing for his family and not being able to do so has gotten to him and so the only thing reasonable to him is to just get away from it all.
Eve has a job as a nutritional advisor to people who want to eat right without "dieting". She has clients and after selling a statue Eric made for $10,000 she's able to keep things afloat for the time Eric stayed away (about 6 weeks).
The book was well written and a quick read. I like Hanauer's style and her pacing. She alternated between Eve's and Eric's viewpoints so we could see what each of the main character's were thinking. The way she wrote it the situation seemed plausible. The ending was just okay as I thought it was kind of abrupt but was content for the two evenings I stayed up late reading this modern marriage tale.
gkj's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars for this quick read about a white upper middle class couple working on their marriage. I enjoyed both the husband and wife’s perspectives and the side stories of the wife’s clients dealing with weight loss issues. Easy and enjoyable, just what I needed.
wynne_ronareads's review against another edition
3.0
Cathi Hanauer is such an interesting writer. The first book I read by her, "My Sister's Bones," is to this day one of my favorites. Since then I've read "Sweet Ruin," and happened upon this one with much pleasure during a routine trip to the bookstore. On one hand, her characters are so real, so vivid, so true to the way life really is that it almost doesn't feel like reading a book. It's as though you're crouching underneath some family's living room window, watching as they live their lives inside, unaware of your presence. In that way I feel that Hanauer is very gifted. I root for her characters, (next time I hope she doesn't choose another annoying name for a daughter: so far we have Hazel and Magnolia,) I am invested in them most of the time, and the stories are very true. But that's also the down side of her work. At least for me. They're so real that nothing happens. There's no big clincher, there's never a surprise, things just unfurl as they would in life. One could argue this a positive, and I would probably agree with you. But that's why I read, I want something to happen in the book that wouldn't happen in a life I could recognize. In "My Sister's Bones," this does occur. Plot points that surprise you, and character development you don't see coming. Not so in "Sweet Ruin" and "Gone." Not to say that they aren't well written, they are. And I would read another novel by Hanauer. They just don't keep you turning the page to find out what happens next. You turn the page because you can already recognize what will happen next, because maybe you've lived it before. You decide if that holds your interest.
pattireadsalot's review against another edition
3.0
This was a book that had languished on my shelves for several years. I've been reading lots of contemporary relationship-based novels lately, so decided to squeeze this one in. For some reason, I wasn't expecting anything original...especially with the premise of a husband running away with a babysitter.
I appreciated how my expectations were exceeded a little. Eve, the wife left behind, is realistically forced to get on with life in order to pay bills and keep the family intact. While Eve is obviously distraught, the novel doesn't get bogged down in this event, even though it's the "crux" of the story. We get to hear about her career, and the impact she makes as a nutritionist. Her clients are fully fleshed out, and not relegated to one dimensional side characters. Eve has an existence and defined purpose outside of wife and motherhood. How nice to see this highlighted in a positive way, even with her emotional struggles.
There were a couple problems.While I am a huge exercise advocate, and try my best with healthy foods, I found the "health preaching" a little overdone. There were random tips and bits of what Eve was eating (while not with clients) that felt out of place in the context of what was happening in the current scene. I got a bit tired of hearing from her husband's perspective, even though he needed page time in order to make the novel sensical. I wanted to sympathize with him more, but felt he was mostly a huge baby, when what he needed was more of a swift kick in the nether region. However, anyone in a relationship is familiar with ebbs and flows, and perhaps this highlights my vengeful personality:-P
I did appreciate Hanauer's stance on medication, which is one I share. Prescription drug abuse and needless medicines aside, I do think medication is necessary in many instances. Meditation, prayer, lifestyle changes, and "trying" go a long way, but if God created Doctors, Nurses, and Researchers and gave them the ability to give us a pill a day with minimal side effects, but also the ability to recover joy....why not?
As in any book featuring children, I try to relate to the parent's current dilemma. In this, Eve talks about her eight year old son's changing skin smell when she hugs him. Perhaps this sounds odd, but I love smelling my little girls in the nape of their necks- sweet and fresh smelling, like only youth can have before puberty. "He came over and embraced her, and she breathed in his smell, sweet and familiar, though also tinged, she'd noticed lately, with something new: a touch of pungency, a lessening of the sweetness." (Pg. 165). I can't bear to think about this happening, even though I know it's inevitable.
Did it change my life? No, but I think this is a decent portrait of a troubled marriage...especially years into a union where priorities shift, people change, and things need adjusting in general- because life is STRESSFUL. There are some beautiful phrases thrown in as a bonus to any poetry lovers as well.
I appreciated how my expectations were exceeded a little. Eve, the wife left behind, is realistically forced to get on with life in order to pay bills and keep the family intact. While Eve is obviously distraught, the novel doesn't get bogged down in this event, even though it's the "crux" of the story. We get to hear about her career, and the impact she makes as a nutritionist. Her clients are fully fleshed out, and not relegated to one dimensional side characters. Eve has an existence and defined purpose outside of wife and motherhood. How nice to see this highlighted in a positive way, even with her emotional struggles.
There were a couple problems.While I am a huge exercise advocate, and try my best with healthy foods, I found the "health preaching" a little overdone. There were random tips and bits of what Eve was eating (while not with clients) that felt out of place in the context of what was happening in the current scene. I got a bit tired of hearing from her husband's perspective, even though he needed page time in order to make the novel sensical. I wanted to sympathize with him more, but felt he was mostly a huge baby, when what he needed was more of a swift kick in the nether region. However, anyone in a relationship is familiar with ebbs and flows, and perhaps this highlights my vengeful personality:-P
I did appreciate Hanauer's stance on medication, which is one I share. Prescription drug abuse and needless medicines aside, I do think medication is necessary in many instances. Meditation, prayer, lifestyle changes, and "trying" go a long way, but if God created Doctors, Nurses, and Researchers and gave them the ability to give us a pill a day with minimal side effects, but also the ability to recover joy....why not?
As in any book featuring children, I try to relate to the parent's current dilemma. In this, Eve talks about her eight year old son's changing skin smell when she hugs him. Perhaps this sounds odd, but I love smelling my little girls in the nape of their necks- sweet and fresh smelling, like only youth can have before puberty. "He came over and embraced her, and she breathed in his smell, sweet and familiar, though also tinged, she'd noticed lately, with something new: a touch of pungency, a lessening of the sweetness." (Pg. 165). I can't bear to think about this happening, even though I know it's inevitable.
Did it change my life? No, but I think this is a decent portrait of a troubled marriage...especially years into a union where priorities shift, people change, and things need adjusting in general- because life is STRESSFUL. There are some beautiful phrases thrown in as a bonus to any poetry lovers as well.
lisagray68's review against another edition
2.0
I feel like I just got a lecture on healthy eating AND depression (and using medication for depression) all in one big fell sweep; but I thought I was just trying to read a book for entertainment on an airplane!! Don't get me wrong, healthy eating and depression are both issues that are actually close to my heart -- but this book is a little too preachy on both topics for my taste. I actually like it when books can weave education and information into fiction in ways that help people understand complicated topics better. But this book didn't do the trick for me.