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book_concierge's review against another edition
4.0
Maura Corrigan is walking her children to school when her phone vibrates, signaling a new text message. In the instant she spends smiling secretly to herself and beginning to formulate a witty reply, her attention diverted from her children, the unthinkable happens. How Maura, husband Pete, and parents Margaret and Roger deal with this tragedy forms the central theme of this debut novel.
A passage from the book seems to sum it up nicely: Please kept secrets. People built walls. It didn’t mean they couldn’t and didn’t love with all their hearts. … Maybe silence was a price we sometimes paid for loving so completely, the price we sometimes paid to protect those we loved most.
This is not a plot-driven novel, it is character-driven, and all these characters are flawed. Margaret is maddeningly controlled and controlling. Charismatic Roger cannot bring himself to face his diminishing skills and takes a mistress to keep himself feeling young. Pete has never outgrown his college-boy drinking. Maura bears the burden of a guilty secret, and cannot bring herself to forgive anyone else, let alone herself.
But flaws notwithstanding, they are an extended family and they love each other. The novel covers just over a year in their lives; as they try to recover from the tragedy, they alternately turn to or reject each other in their grief and distress. The reader can only watch them stumble along, hurting one another, understanding one another, forgiving one another.
A passage from the book seems to sum it up nicely: Please kept secrets. People built walls. It didn’t mean they couldn’t and didn’t love with all their hearts. … Maybe silence was a price we sometimes paid for loving so completely, the price we sometimes paid to protect those we loved most.
This is not a plot-driven novel, it is character-driven, and all these characters are flawed. Margaret is maddeningly controlled and controlling. Charismatic Roger cannot bring himself to face his diminishing skills and takes a mistress to keep himself feeling young. Pete has never outgrown his college-boy drinking. Maura bears the burden of a guilty secret, and cannot bring herself to forgive anyone else, let alone herself.
But flaws notwithstanding, they are an extended family and they love each other. The novel covers just over a year in their lives; as they try to recover from the tragedy, they alternately turn to or reject each other in their grief and distress. The reader can only watch them stumble along, hurting one another, understanding one another, forgiving one another.
judithdcollins's review against another edition
3.0
This was my first book by Lee Woodruff and I enjoyed it. It was a little depressing at times; however, shows how families get through challenges and obstacles without walking away.
The story goes back and forth from the mom and dad and at the same time the daughter and her family. "Those We Love Most" chronicles how these unforgettable characters confront their choices, examine their mistakes, fight for their most valuable relationships, and ultimately find their way back to each other. It takes us deep into the heart of what makes families and marriages tick and explores a fundamental question: when the ties that bind us to those we love are strained or broken, how do we pick up the pieces? I look forward to reading more from this author!
The story goes back and forth from the mom and dad and at the same time the daughter and her family. "Those We Love Most" chronicles how these unforgettable characters confront their choices, examine their mistakes, fight for their most valuable relationships, and ultimately find their way back to each other. It takes us deep into the heart of what makes families and marriages tick and explores a fundamental question: when the ties that bind us to those we love are strained or broken, how do we pick up the pieces? I look forward to reading more from this author!
sunshine608's review against another edition
2.0
I really wanted to like this book but the characters didn't really interest me and everything was predictable. About halfway through I started wishing it would just end and then I skimmed through it until it did.
bethtmorris's review against another edition
4.0
Enthralled by the beginning, then the plot took over and I really enjoyed this despite the heavy subject. Lee's first fiction piece was touching, real, darker than expected and well-paced. I loved that story was set in Chicago and that I could picture many of the places she described. Recommend for a quick yet thoughtful read.
dsbressette's review against another edition
4.0
While slow in parts, this was a good book that was very true-to-life. The initial tragedy at the beginning of the book is only the tip of the iceberg. Woodruff does a great job showing how the death of a child affects the whole family.
notinjersey's review against another edition
2.0
Married to her college sweetheart, Pete, raising three young kids with her parents nearby in her peaceful Chicago suburb, her world is secure. Then one day, in a single turn of fate, that entire world comes crashing down and everything that she thought she knew changes. Maura must learn to move forward with the weight of grief and the crushing guilt of an unforgivable secret. Pete senses a gap growing between him and his wife but finds it easier to escape to the bar with his friends than face the flaws in his marriage. Meanwhile, Maura's parents are dealing with the fault lines in their own marriage. Charismatic Roger, who at sixty-five, is still chasing the next business deal and Margaret, a pragmatic and proud homemaker, have been married for four decades, seemingly happily. But the truth is more complicated. Like Maura, Roger has secrets of his own and when his deceptions and weaknesses are exposed, Margaret's love and loyalty face the ultimate test. Those We Love Most chronicles how these unforgettable characters confront their choices, examine their mistakes, fight for their most valuable relationships, and ultimately find their way back to each other. It takes us deep into the heart of what makes families and marriages tick and explores a fundamental question: when the ties that bind us to those we love are strained or broken, how do we pick up the pieces?” This plot line had a lot of potential, but I felt like the author failed to reach it. There wasn’t a lot of relatable emotion in the characters. There were a few relationships that I found interesting, but overall the book was lacking for me in a lot of ways.
kdurham2's review against another edition
3.0
Check out the full review at Kritters Ramblings
A book about family and all the ups and downs that can happen over the years. The Corrigan family experiences an extreme loss and it affects the mother of the child and her parents and in this book each of them get the chance to tell their side of the story.
This was my first read of 2021. I picked it because I want to intentionally read books that I have owned for awhile that I also need to review on netgalley. Need to get that netgalley review percentage up!
What isn't shared in the synopsis is the extreme amount of infidelity in the book and that wasn't a great way to start the year of reading for me. I often avoid books with infidelity as that just isn't what I want in my reading life, so while I am thankful that I am getting a physical book out of my library, read and completed and getting a review on netgalley, the reading experience was just ok.
A book about family and all the ups and downs that can happen over the years. The Corrigan family experiences an extreme loss and it affects the mother of the child and her parents and in this book each of them get the chance to tell their side of the story.
This was my first read of 2021. I picked it because I want to intentionally read books that I have owned for awhile that I also need to review on netgalley. Need to get that netgalley review percentage up!
What isn't shared in the synopsis is the extreme amount of infidelity in the book and that wasn't a great way to start the year of reading for me. I often avoid books with infidelity as that just isn't what I want in my reading life, so while I am thankful that I am getting a physical book out of my library, read and completed and getting a review on netgalley, the reading experience was just ok.
bmg20's review against another edition
Those We Love Most was kindly provided to me by Netgalley for Hyperion.
Expected publication: September 11th 2012 by Hyperion
Interested in more of my reviews? Visit my blog!
I was able to see very early on in this story that this was not the book for me, thus no rating.
Those We Love Most tells the tale of Maura Corrigan who was walking her son to school one day, wasn't paying attention for an apparently selfish reason, when her son James is hit by a car and dies a few days later. Told from the point of view of several different family members including Maura's mother Margaret and her father Roger. Roger is also dealing with grief of his ongoing affair... ongoing for five years. The death of James results in stirring up all the problems that have been kept buried within the family.
So, my issues and reason for not finishing.
This isn't being classified as Christian Fiction but had some huge religious undertones which was a big turn off for me. The comments from Roger regarding Maura's husband really rubbed me the wrong way.
'On paper, he was great son-in-law material:...Pete had an even temperament and no funny earrings or designer facial hair.'
Okay, pause. Seriously? Just because you have earrings or crazy facial hair does not make you any less of a good person. Continuing on.
'Moreover, he was a practicing Catholic, something that had appealed to Roger after the string of Jewish and Protestant boys Maura had dated in high school and college.'
Ugh. I hate this simple-minded way of regarding people in terms of their religious beliefs and defining them based solely on that. Having ANY other religious beliefs than your own is not a terrible thing. Also, just because you're Catholic does not automatically make you a better person. Look at you Mr. Roger, Catholic and yet having a five-year long affair on your wife of FOUR DECADES.
So bottom line, I couldn't get past page 50 based on the huge religious undertones and the cheating - something I could have done without. Two things that I really have no desire to read about.
Before anyone decides to comment on the fact that I didn't give this book a chance, these are just my opinions based on the 50 pages that I felt needed to be stated and that is why I have opted to not rate this book. I knew early on that this was not the book for me and figured it would be best to chuck it rather than force myself to read it in its entirety and then give it a horrible rating.
Expected publication: September 11th 2012 by Hyperion
Interested in more of my reviews? Visit my blog!
I was able to see very early on in this story that this was not the book for me, thus no rating.
Those We Love Most tells the tale of Maura Corrigan who was walking her son to school one day, wasn't paying attention for an apparently selfish reason, when her son James is hit by a car and dies a few days later. Told from the point of view of several different family members including Maura's mother Margaret and her father Roger. Roger is also dealing with grief of his ongoing affair... ongoing for five years. The death of James results in stirring up all the problems that have been kept buried within the family.
So, my issues and reason for not finishing.
This isn't being classified as Christian Fiction but had some huge religious undertones which was a big turn off for me. The comments from Roger regarding Maura's husband really rubbed me the wrong way.
'On paper, he was great son-in-law material:...Pete had an even temperament and no funny earrings or designer facial hair.'
Okay, pause. Seriously? Just because you have earrings or crazy facial hair does not make you any less of a good person. Continuing on.
'Moreover, he was a practicing Catholic, something that had appealed to Roger after the string of Jewish and Protestant boys Maura had dated in high school and college.'
Ugh. I hate this simple-minded way of regarding people in terms of their religious beliefs and defining them based solely on that. Having ANY other religious beliefs than your own is not a terrible thing. Also, just because you're Catholic does not automatically make you a better person. Look at you Mr. Roger, Catholic and yet having a five-year long affair on your wife of FOUR DECADES.
So bottom line, I couldn't get past page 50 based on the huge religious undertones and the cheating - something I could have done without. Two things that I really have no desire to read about.
Before anyone decides to comment on the fact that I didn't give this book a chance, these are just my opinions based on the 50 pages that I felt needed to be stated and that is why I have opted to not rate this book. I knew early on that this was not the book for me and figured it would be best to chuck it rather than force myself to read it in its entirety and then give it a horrible rating.
blodeuedd's review against another edition
3.0
When I want to read something with a good story, or good writing, I do try to go for fiction. Not that other genres do not have this, of course they do, but lit fic is just different from the other books I read.
And here it was sad, and made you think...
Maura is walking her kids to school when she looks away for a sec and her son dies in a traffic accident. She blames her self, and she is drifting away from her husband. Her husband Pete who drinks too much, and later drinks even more to drown his own sorrow. Can they ever find their way back to each other.
Then we have her parents, Margaret who is happy at home, and her husband Roger who works a lot and is seeing someone on the side. Margaret was old school who held her tongue and wanted things to look perfect. I could not have done that if I was her. Sure they still loved each other but still..
There are different ways to deal with sorrow, different ways to moving on. The book is not all SAD. Sure it was sad when it happens, but the book is not about death, but about coping with it. And about love, and forgiveness.
I enjoyed it.
And here it was sad, and made you think...
Maura is walking her kids to school when she looks away for a sec and her son dies in a traffic accident. She blames her self, and she is drifting away from her husband. Her husband Pete who drinks too much, and later drinks even more to drown his own sorrow. Can they ever find their way back to each other.
Then we have her parents, Margaret who is happy at home, and her husband Roger who works a lot and is seeing someone on the side. Margaret was old school who held her tongue and wanted things to look perfect. I could not have done that if I was her. Sure they still loved each other but still..
There are different ways to deal with sorrow, different ways to moving on. The book is not all SAD. Sure it was sad when it happens, but the book is not about death, but about coping with it. And about love, and forgiveness.
I enjoyed it.
karenleagermain's review against another edition
4.0
Reading Lee Woodruff's novel Those We Love Most was very apt timing. I've just started a writing class through UCLA Extension that is focused on writing through grief and trauma. The characters in Woodruff's novel are all caught in the middle of grief and trauma, when a child in the family is struck by a car and killed. The stories and perspectives in this novel could have been directly from some of the writings produced by my classmates.
When their young son is killed, Maura and Pete must not only face the loss of their child, but they're also confronted with guilt over their own personal failings that were happening prior to the accident. Maura has been having an affair with the local veterinary and Pete is a raging alcoholic. The story also follows Maura's parents, Margaret and Roger, who are also experiencing marital discord as Roger has been having an affair with a younger woman in Florida. The death in the family shakes them into examining what is really important.
As much as this is a story about managing grief, this is a story about making mistakes and owning up to them. The characters are all imperfect and flawed, but in a realistic way. You want to root for them to make the right decisions.
I love the theme of the story of when a person dies it makes you reflect on your own life. I've had this experience with every family death and although the death part of it is horrible and you miss your loved one, death has a great effect of making you reflect on what's important. It prompted me to make a bigger effort with family and friends. I became more spontaneous and traveled more. This is a story of people who have that epiphany.
I really liked the way that Woodruff wrote the storyline of Maura confronting the teenager that was driving the car that hit her son. The teen has had his life do a 180 and he is a mess. Although Maura is in immense pain and harbors plenty of anger towards him, she is also able to empathize and see how his life has been affected. She sees glimpses of her dead son in the teen.
Sometimes gritty, sometimes a bit sappy, but over all this book is a decent story that packs an emotional punch. It's a worthy read, especially if you're experiencing grief.
Like my review? Check out my blog!
When their young son is killed, Maura and Pete must not only face the loss of their child, but they're also confronted with guilt over their own personal failings that were happening prior to the accident. Maura has been having an affair with the local veterinary and Pete is a raging alcoholic. The story also follows Maura's parents, Margaret and Roger, who are also experiencing marital discord as Roger has been having an affair with a younger woman in Florida. The death in the family shakes them into examining what is really important.
As much as this is a story about managing grief, this is a story about making mistakes and owning up to them. The characters are all imperfect and flawed, but in a realistic way. You want to root for them to make the right decisions.
I love the theme of the story of when a person dies it makes you reflect on your own life. I've had this experience with every family death and although the death part of it is horrible and you miss your loved one, death has a great effect of making you reflect on what's important. It prompted me to make a bigger effort with family and friends. I became more spontaneous and traveled more. This is a story of people who have that epiphany.
I really liked the way that Woodruff wrote the storyline of Maura confronting the teenager that was driving the car that hit her son. The teen has had his life do a 180 and he is a mess. Although Maura is in immense pain and harbors plenty of anger towards him, she is also able to empathize and see how his life has been affected. She sees glimpses of her dead son in the teen.
Sometimes gritty, sometimes a bit sappy, but over all this book is a decent story that packs an emotional punch. It's a worthy read, especially if you're experiencing grief.
Like my review? Check out my blog!