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Title: The Book Club by Mary Alice Monroe ISBN: 1-55166-721-5 Publisher: Mira Books Pub. Date: 01 May, 2003 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.13 (38 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: A nice introduction to a good author...
Comment: In this novel, five women are part of a book club that meets monthly to discuss their last read. The five women are all going through major life crises - Eve's husband just died suddenly, Doris is beginning to realize that her marriage is dead, Gabriella's husband has just lost his job, Annie is having difficulty becoming pregnant for the first time and Midge is realizing how lonely she is.
I enjoyed the novel, but felt that some of the characters were extraneous. Gabriella's character is not fleshed out at all and Midge's is just barely. The story focuses mainly on Eve with Doris and Annie's stories as the supporting plots. The author could have left out Gabriella and Midge completely and made the book a bit shorter (but not much).
The book club seems to read classics only, which makes sense because Ms. Monroe uses quotes from that month's book to introduce her chapters and the quote winds up applying to the chapter. I think this device wouldn't have been as striking if the books hadn't been ones that most people have at least heard of.
I read this for an online book club I'm in. Not a book that I would normally pick up on my own, but it was a great introduction to a good author. I have added more Mary Alice Monroe books to my wish list at Amazon!
Rating: 5
Summary: Memorable
Comment: I HATED TO SEE IT END! I wanted to go on reading about Doris, Anne, Eve, Midge & their self discoveries. I would think you would identify with one of the women or know someone like them (the devoted wife "blind" to her husband's philandering, the "pleaser" like Gabriella). I got to know and love them and miss them already!
Especially inspirational was Doris' realization that her husband wasn't worth her time. He basically uses her as an excellent "hostess" but gradually she realizes she is worth much more. You can feel the lady growing by leaps and bounds and changing into someone to admire.
Excellent use of classic books to parrallel the lessons the women are learning in real life.
Rating: 4
Summary: Five women meet crises
Comment: Mary Alice Monroe has created five different women who come together out of a love for reading and for one another. Each one faces a crisis for which she is unprepared, during the course of the book. Eve is the central character, and her world is rocked when her "perfect marriage" comes to an end as the result of the death of her husband. At first she retreats into herself, but eventually she forges a new life for herself and her children. Annie is an independent, self-starter who is used to achieving anything she sets out to do. However, her obsessive desire to have a child, although she is 43-years-old, drives her husband to despair. Although she is used to being in control, she discovers that her body is one thing she cannot control. Doris is a wealthy woman who is used to being the perfect wife, mother, and hostess, at least to the outside world. She finally realizes that much of her life is a lie and she has to come to terms with who she really is and what she wants out of life. Midge is a single woman who longs for love and belonging, but doesn't seem to know how to go about it. She has an uneasy relationship with her mother, and she is not pleased when her mother moves from Florida to the Chicago area to be closer to her. Gabriella is not as fully developed as the other characters, but she faces the problem of having a husband who is out of work which forces her to get a job and keep expanding her hours. Each woman's story is interesting and the interactions between the characters are delightful. My main criticism would be that too many of the women's problems are solved too easily and the bad attitudes and wrong thinking that they display seems to "magically" disappear in order to give the book a happy and tidy ending.
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Title: Four Seasons by Mary Alice Monroe ISBN: 1551667894 Publisher: Mira Books Pub. Date: 01 February, 2001 List Price(USD): $6.50 |
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Title: Girl In The Mirror by Mary Monroe ISBN: 1551664518 Publisher: Mira Books Pub. Date: 01 August, 1998 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
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Title: The Beach House by Mary Alice Monroe ISBN: 1551668998 Publisher: Mira Books Pub. Date: May, 2002 List Price(USD): $6.50 |
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Title: Skyward by Mary Alice Monroe, Mary Alice Monroe ISBN: 1551667002 Publisher: Mira Books Pub. Date: 01 July, 2003 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: The Beach House by Georgia Bockoven ISBN: 0061084409 Publisher: HarperTorch Pub. Date: 01 August, 1997 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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