A review by lizhop
If Not For This by Pete Fromm

3.0

I don't know, I guess I can see why this is a 4-star for so many people, but I just didn't quite buy the relationship between the two main characters. Men writing from the perspective of women so often fail, and in this case, while I think the author intended for Maddie to come off as "strong," she just came off as crabby and unlikeable. Her husband came across as too good to be true, and it was never clear what made their love so supposedly powerful. I liked the book *just* enough to read it all, and I'll be the first to confess that I was very touched first by the kids as they were teenagers, and then by the inevitable sad ending. I was indeed weeping at the end, but more because I am an easy audience as opposed to this being a superbly crafted book. Sorry I'm so crabby about the book - just call me Maddie.