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alex_in_wonderland25's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
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? Yes
3.75
caribbeangirlreading's review
emotional
reflective
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
Solid women's fiction novel. I loved how the MC learned to love herself AND forgive others.
atjelea's review against another edition
3.0
This is a story of friendship. It is also a story of reflection and growth. Mostly, this is the story of Marissa, who always was a follower when it comes to relationships, never a leader. She is accomplished in her professional life, but doesn't seem able to appreciate her good fortune. She seems unable to project the professionalism and confidence she has gained professionally in her chosen career to her personal life. She looks to her friendship with an outgoing and VERY confident woman to help guide her through life...until a tragic accident creates a divide in this friendship. Now, Marissa must finally learn to take control of her own life instead of living in a past that no longer exists.
renflew's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting story about two women, their friendship past & present and the changes that happen to both of them when one suffers a traumatic brain injury.
bfth23's review against another edition
4.0
Really liked this and the dynamics between the characters. The author sucessfully gives us a view into traumatic brain injury without being incredibly depressing. Found this whole novel to be very uplifting and positive.
chrissymcbooknerd's review against another edition
4.0
When I first saw the cover of THE ART OF FORGETTING, I knew that I needed to add it to my "to be read" list. Sure, it's shallow, but I'll admit -- I do judge a book by its cover. And, just look at this cover! It's spectacular, no?
A few weeks ago, I was leafing through an issue of one of the (ridiculously high) number of magazines I'd bought at the checkout counter, and I found a brief mentioning of THE ART OF FORGETTING, calling it "Chick lit with a brain". I love chick lit, and I love brains, so I was further intrigued. Thus, when I found THE ART OF FORGETTING on NetGalley for advanced reading, I was quite excited and immediately decided to give it a go!
So, starting with the story. THE ART OF FORGETTING centers on your stereotypical chick-lit friendship. We have Julia, the beautiful, perfect blonde-bombshell, always accustomed to getting her way with men, and Marissa, the intelligent, mousy brunette who seems fairy content with lurking in the shadows of her best friend's spotlight. While the dynamic between the girls, on the surface, is pretty much what you'd expect from a chick lit novel, there actually is a bit more going on underneath it all. Despite the fact that the girls live in the perfect chick lit city, holding down the perfect chick lit careers, they are thrust into an (actual) real-life difficult scenario within mere pages of the opening of the book -- one that's a big tougher than the expected "tragic" question of "OMG, which of these two beautiful, rich, fabulous men do I end up with (for the week?)."
Anyways, on her way to meeting her best friend Marissa for lunch, Julia gets hit by a car. It turns out that the rapid blow to the brain left her with what could end up being permanent brain damage, and doctors warn Marissa that Julia may undergo spurts of memory loss as well as drastic changes in personality, demeanor, and interests. Forced to deal with a "new" best friend who seems more impulsive and selfish than ever before, Marissa finds herself questioning the basis of this lasting friendship, simultaneously struggling to find herself and her own inner strength.
One particular incident from the past has been particularly troubling Marissa lately. She remembers a guy, the one she presumed was her "soulmate" if ever a thing existed, and she remembers the way the relationship made her feel happy, excited, and new. She ended that relationship because Julia, finding herself falling for her best friend's boyfriend, demanded that Marissa put her friendships first, discarding any man that could cause trouble between the two of them now. Sure, Marissa has moved on now -- she's in a stable, comfortable relationship with a mature man who, although he doesn't make her necessarily feel excited, seems to be a prime candidate for marriage -- so it's more a matter of principle now -- right?
Of course I'm not going to tell you how it ends, but the process is more important here than the outcome, regardless, I think. The novel does a nice job of pulling the reader into the characters, leaving us sympathetic for Marissa and hopeful for her path of growth and self-discovery. That said, I am a huge sucker for a strong ending, and this one didn't deliver QUITE as much as I hoped. But, I'd still give THE ART OF FORGIVING a strong 4 or 4.5 stars and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone who is a fan of women's fiction. Not only does this one have "brain" -- I think it has "heart" as well.
A few weeks ago, I was leafing through an issue of one of the (ridiculously high) number of magazines I'd bought at the checkout counter, and I found a brief mentioning of THE ART OF FORGETTING, calling it "Chick lit with a brain". I love chick lit, and I love brains, so I was further intrigued. Thus, when I found THE ART OF FORGETTING on NetGalley for advanced reading, I was quite excited and immediately decided to give it a go!
So, starting with the story. THE ART OF FORGETTING centers on your stereotypical chick-lit friendship. We have Julia, the beautiful, perfect blonde-bombshell, always accustomed to getting her way with men, and Marissa, the intelligent, mousy brunette who seems fairy content with lurking in the shadows of her best friend's spotlight. While the dynamic between the girls, on the surface, is pretty much what you'd expect from a chick lit novel, there actually is a bit more going on underneath it all. Despite the fact that the girls live in the perfect chick lit city, holding down the perfect chick lit careers, they are thrust into an (actual) real-life difficult scenario within mere pages of the opening of the book -- one that's a big tougher than the expected "tragic" question of "OMG, which of these two beautiful, rich, fabulous men do I end up with (for the week?)."
Anyways, on her way to meeting her best friend Marissa for lunch, Julia gets hit by a car. It turns out that the rapid blow to the brain left her with what could end up being permanent brain damage, and doctors warn Marissa that Julia may undergo spurts of memory loss as well as drastic changes in personality, demeanor, and interests. Forced to deal with a "new" best friend who seems more impulsive and selfish than ever before, Marissa finds herself questioning the basis of this lasting friendship, simultaneously struggling to find herself and her own inner strength.
One particular incident from the past has been particularly troubling Marissa lately. She remembers a guy, the one she presumed was her "soulmate" if ever a thing existed, and she remembers the way the relationship made her feel happy, excited, and new. She ended that relationship because Julia, finding herself falling for her best friend's boyfriend, demanded that Marissa put her friendships first, discarding any man that could cause trouble between the two of them now. Sure, Marissa has moved on now -- she's in a stable, comfortable relationship with a mature man who, although he doesn't make her necessarily feel excited, seems to be a prime candidate for marriage -- so it's more a matter of principle now -- right?
Of course I'm not going to tell you how it ends, but the process is more important here than the outcome, regardless, I think. The novel does a nice job of pulling the reader into the characters, leaving us sympathetic for Marissa and hopeful for her path of growth and self-discovery. That said, I am a huge sucker for a strong ending, and this one didn't deliver QUITE as much as I hoped. But, I'd still give THE ART OF FORGIVING a strong 4 or 4.5 stars and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone who is a fan of women's fiction. Not only does this one have "brain" -- I think it has "heart" as well.
anniebmccarthy's review
3.0
I was lucky enough to win this book as part of Goodreads' Giveways program.
I was pleasantly surprise by this book. It is a quiet one; nuanced. It could be easily grouped into the world of run of the mill "chick lit" if Pagan didn't catch her readers off guard with vital and, thankfully, subtle brushes of real insight. Because of the subtlety these insights steer clear of morals or lessons that are often banged over readers heads as the "take-aways" from the book. Her main character, Marissa, doesn't experience huge epiphanies or make huge over arching changes in her life, but rather grows one small adjustment at a time, in a way I found both refreshing and truthful.
I was pleasantly surprise by this book. It is a quiet one; nuanced. It could be easily grouped into the world of run of the mill "chick lit" if Pagan didn't catch her readers off guard with vital and, thankfully, subtle brushes of real insight. Because of the subtlety these insights steer clear of morals or lessons that are often banged over readers heads as the "take-aways" from the book. Her main character, Marissa, doesn't experience huge epiphanies or make huge over arching changes in her life, but rather grows one small adjustment at a time, in a way I found both refreshing and truthful.
shelleyrae's review against another edition
3.0
The Art of Forgetting is a touching story with an appealing premise that explores the bonds and boundaries of friendship. When Marissa Rogers' best friend is hit by a taxi, Julia's resulting brain injury changes their relationship, and who they are, forever.
It's an interesting plot that examines the consequences of acquired brain injury, not only for the victim but for those close to them. For Marissa, who has always depended upon the strong and vital Julia, the changes to her friend's personality alters the way she see's
herself and her relationships.
Pagan tries to convince us that Marissa's personality has been stunted by the more dominant Julia's charisma. I didn't quite buy it given Marissa's success in her career and strong relationship with a loving partner. Neither would be possible if Marissa always acquiesced to the opinions and demands of others. There is no doubt that Julia could be manipulative as demonstrated in the flashbacks of their youthful friendship, but I didn't feel I learnt enough about their relationship at the time of the accident. I sometimes felt that Marissa's personal growth was at the expense of her ability to empathise with Julia's loss.
At a time when Julia really needs her, Marissa seems to be almost ambivalent about the consequences of her best friends devastating injury, focusing instead on past resentments.
However, Julia's head injury does provide a catalyst for Marissa to move ahead with her life and gain maturity which I could appreciate. She stands up to her hyper critical mother, commits to her relationship with Dave and makes a positive change in career. Her friendship with Julia will never be what it was though, both a positive and negative thing for them both.
The Art of Forgetting is a solid debut from first time author Camille Noe Pagan. While I wasn't particularly drawn to the characters in this novel, I did find the story well crafted and engaging. The aftermath of acquired brain injury is a theme seldom explored in novels and I appreciate Pagan's choice to examine it.
It's an interesting plot that examines the consequences of acquired brain injury, not only for the victim but for those close to them. For Marissa, who has always depended upon the strong and vital Julia, the changes to her friend's personality alters the way she see's
herself and her relationships.
Pagan tries to convince us that Marissa's personality has been stunted by the more dominant Julia's charisma. I didn't quite buy it given Marissa's success in her career and strong relationship with a loving partner. Neither would be possible if Marissa always acquiesced to the opinions and demands of others. There is no doubt that Julia could be manipulative as demonstrated in the flashbacks of their youthful friendship, but I didn't feel I learnt enough about their relationship at the time of the accident. I sometimes felt that Marissa's personal growth was at the expense of her ability to empathise with Julia's loss.
At a time when Julia really needs her, Marissa seems to be almost ambivalent about the consequences of her best friends devastating injury, focusing instead on past resentments.
However, Julia's head injury does provide a catalyst for Marissa to move ahead with her life and gain maturity which I could appreciate. She stands up to her hyper critical mother, commits to her relationship with Dave and makes a positive change in career. Her friendship with Julia will never be what it was though, both a positive and negative thing for them both.
The Art of Forgetting is a solid debut from first time author Camille Noe Pagan. While I wasn't particularly drawn to the characters in this novel, I did find the story well crafted and engaging. The aftermath of acquired brain injury is a theme seldom explored in novels and I appreciate Pagan's choice to examine it.
meaganchurch's review against another edition
4.0
This book was an intriguing story of friendship and memory. While the brain trauma added an interesting twist to a tale of friendship, it wasn't the main focus of the book. Instead, the focus was the growth of the main character and her emergence into an individual. While not the most masterfully written book I've read, it was still a thoughtful, quick and enjoyable read.