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knitter22's review against another edition
2.0
Nancy Pearl can review books, recommend books, and she is a superstar librarian, but sadly, I don't think her talents extend to writing fiction. I downloaded this from the library on a whim last night, not knowing anything about it. Now that I've read it, I know I could only muster two stars for this adult fiction that reads like poorly-written YA. I thought that the chapters might be out of order in my downloaded copy because the story jumps around so much, making any timeline almost incomprehensible. The title character, Lizzie, is self-absorbed, unlikable, and self-pitying, and many of the other characters are introduced and then discarded. In an effort to find something good to say, I did enjoy the many book references that Pearl included, such as [b:The Bean Trees|30868|The Bean Trees (Greer Family, #1)|Barbara Kingsolver|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1443483961l/30868._SY75_.jpg|1095121], [b:Anne of the Island|77392|Anne of the Island (Anne of Green Gables, #3)|L.M. Montgomery|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1435829564l/77392._SY75_.jpg|535245], and [b:Atonement|6867|Atonement|Ian McEwan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320449708l/6867._SY75_.jpg|2307233].
irishlibrarian's review against another edition
2.0
I kept waiting for it to get better, but... Lizzie was just such an annoying character and the football stuff seemed so unnecessary that I couldn't appreciate the larger picture.
nabenn67's review against another edition
1.0
DNF. I really wanted to like this book, but I didn't.
I checked this out from the library, and there was a sticky not on the 1st page that read "This is really a terrible book -- not well written, the characters are not interesting or well developed, the plot and pacing are boring. Don't wast your time. Really." I thought it was funny but didn't think anything of it because I know that everyone has different reading tastes -- and that is okay.
I don't who this person is, but we apparently have the same reading taste. I invoked Nancy Pearl's own "Rule of 50" and stopped reading at page 78. I tried to convince myself it would get better, but I just didn't care. I didn't "hate" the characters -- I just didn't care about them or what happened to them or anything.
If you enjoy this book, I'm so happy for you! This just wasn't for me.
I checked this out from the library, and there was a sticky not on the 1st page that read "This is really a terrible book -- not well written, the characters are not interesting or well developed, the plot and pacing are boring. Don't wast your time. Really." I thought it was funny but didn't think anything of it because I know that everyone has different reading tastes -- and that is okay.
I don't who this person is, but we apparently have the same reading taste. I invoked Nancy Pearl's own "Rule of 50" and stopped reading at page 78. I tried to convince myself it would get better, but I just didn't care. I didn't "hate" the characters -- I just didn't care about them or what happened to them or anything.
If you enjoy this book, I'm so happy for you! This just wasn't for me.
pattydsf's review against another edition
3.0
”There they both were, Lizzie and George, in their separate worlds, surely a clue to what their future relationship would be. George steps towards the line, brings his arm forward and smoothly lets go of his ball and at the same moment Lizzie tries to throw her ball spinning down the alley, but something immediately goes wrong.”
My husband’s paternal grandparents were named George and Lizzie. I never met George, but Lizzie lived into her 90’s and was a force to be reckoned with. I am very glad that I knew her. So we named our daughter Elizabeth after her great grandmother and called her Lizzie. A little over a year ago, our daughter and husband had their first child and his name is George. It is clear that I was predisposed to like this novel.
However, for much of the story, I was not at all fond of Lizzie. She behaves very badly in high school and then seemingly falls in love with the first man she meets in college. And this guy is not even George. Even after reading the whole book, I am not sure what George saw in Lizzie. I mean Pearl tells us and George does appear to be in love, but Lizzie doesn’t seem worthy of George.
Until the end. Everything was redeemed at the end. Thank goodness since I didn’t want to dislike a character with the same name as our daughter.
I am glad that I read Pearl’s first novel. I have followed Pearl’s career like most public librarians, and I have enjoyed hearing Pearl speak. She has done what my mother thinks I should do – taken all the knowledge she has gained from all her reading and turned it into an interesting tale. Maybe my mom will adopt Nancy Pearl since I am never planning to write any books.
Although I did finally like this novel, two of my favorite parts were not written by Pearl. They are the poems at the beginning and end of the book. The first is The Bell are Ringing for Me and Chagall by Terrence Winch. The story ends with Atlas by U. A. Fanthorpe. Pearl has, in my opinion, great taste in poetry.
My husband’s paternal grandparents were named George and Lizzie. I never met George, but Lizzie lived into her 90’s and was a force to be reckoned with. I am very glad that I knew her. So we named our daughter Elizabeth after her great grandmother and called her Lizzie. A little over a year ago, our daughter and husband had their first child and his name is George. It is clear that I was predisposed to like this novel.
However, for much of the story, I was not at all fond of Lizzie. She behaves very badly in high school and then seemingly falls in love with the first man she meets in college. And this guy is not even George. Even after reading the whole book, I am not sure what George saw in Lizzie. I mean Pearl tells us and George does appear to be in love, but Lizzie doesn’t seem worthy of George.
Until the end. Everything was redeemed at the end. Thank goodness since I didn’t want to dislike a character with the same name as our daughter.
I am glad that I read Pearl’s first novel. I have followed Pearl’s career like most public librarians, and I have enjoyed hearing Pearl speak. She has done what my mother thinks I should do – taken all the knowledge she has gained from all her reading and turned it into an interesting tale. Maybe my mom will adopt Nancy Pearl since I am never planning to write any books.
Although I did finally like this novel, two of my favorite parts were not written by Pearl. They are the poems at the beginning and end of the book. The first is The Bell are Ringing for Me and Chagall by Terrence Winch. The story ends with Atlas by U. A. Fanthorpe. Pearl has, in my opinion, great taste in poetry.
marbooks88's review against another edition
4.0
This is the story of the love story between never happy Lizzie and always positive George. Switching between the past and present and alternating between Lizzie and George readers are treated to a glimpse of the episodes that formed them and made them the Lizzie and George that find each other. A story of insecurity, friendship, and believing in love this was an enjoyable read that has you rooting for George and begging for Lizzie to get over it and allow herself to be happy.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for my fair and honest review.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for my fair and honest review.
misscandice's review against another edition
4.0
This book started slow for me but then I got interested and really enjoyed it.
gilmoreguide's review against another edition
2.0
George and Lizzie of Nancy Pearl’s debut novel, George & Lizzie are one of those couples that can only be attributed to opposites attract. George is open, gregarious, and endlessly upbeat. Lizzie is quiet, self-absorbed, and largely aimless in what she wants to do with her life. George comes from loving parents and a nurturing environment while Lizzie has grown up as the only child of parents who are behavioral psychologists and only show love for each other and their work. Not surprisingly, this leaves Lizzie alone and on the outside. When the novel opens, she has tired of what she sees as the good girl façade she’s always worn for her parents.
She wanted them to be curious about her, to want to know what went on below her polished surface.
Out of this desire comes her decision, in her senior year of high school, to have sex with all the starters on the football team. She calls it the Great Game and despite finding it tedious and unpleasant after the first couple of encounters, she continues it until the final touchdown (as it were). She goes on to college, meets Jack, dates him for a semester and though he doesn’t come back in the fall, decides he’s her one true love—even after agreeing to marry George. The crux of the novel is her inability to let go of or reconcile her past—not to mention keeping it all a secret from George.
It may have been awhile since I was a teenager, but I remember enough to know that acting out against parents is a rite of passage. Where Lizzie’s actions rub the wrong way, is that what began as a lark and a way to make her parents notice her, very quickly became a burden. It’s not a case of exploring her sexuality, because she didn’t enjoy any of it and she didn’t tell her parents until later, which was supposedly her goal. So, why continue with something she really doesn’t want to do?
The rest of this review is at The Gilmore Guide to Books: http://wp.me/p2B7gG-2rS
She wanted them to be curious about her, to want to know what went on below her polished surface.
Out of this desire comes her decision, in her senior year of high school, to have sex with all the starters on the football team. She calls it the Great Game and despite finding it tedious and unpleasant after the first couple of encounters, she continues it until the final touchdown (as it were). She goes on to college, meets Jack, dates him for a semester and though he doesn’t come back in the fall, decides he’s her one true love—even after agreeing to marry George. The crux of the novel is her inability to let go of or reconcile her past—not to mention keeping it all a secret from George.
It may have been awhile since I was a teenager, but I remember enough to know that acting out against parents is a rite of passage. Where Lizzie’s actions rub the wrong way, is that what began as a lark and a way to make her parents notice her, very quickly became a burden. It’s not a case of exploring her sexuality, because she didn’t enjoy any of it and she didn’t tell her parents until later, which was supposedly her goal. So, why continue with something she really doesn’t want to do?
The rest of this review is at The Gilmore Guide to Books: http://wp.me/p2B7gG-2rS
robynryle's review against another edition
5.0
You know, there are so few books that are about real love, the "boring" kind of married love. The kind of love that instead of making you crazy keeps you sane. This is a book about that kind of love and how hard sometimes it is to really embrace it.
debi_g's review against another edition
3.0
"What she hadn't realized was that once you got through high school, nobody but you gave a damn--or even remembered--what happened to you there" (77).
3.5
3.5
mhoffrob's review against another edition
4.0
Delightful read about love, family, and happiness - and football, sort of. I was wholy invested in the well developed characters and relationships. Truly enjoyable!