Looking Back... In an effort to transfer my book journal entries over to this blog, I'm going to attempt to post (in chronological order) an entry every Friday. I may or may not add extra commentary to what I jotted down in these journals.
Fiction
2000 Random House
Read in August 2000
Rating: 5/5 (Excellent)
Publisher's Blurb:
In this superb novel by the beloved author of Talk Before Sleep, The Pull of the Moon, and Until the Real Thing Comes Along, a woman re-creates her life after divorce by opening up her house and her heart.
Samantha's husband has left her, and after a spree of overcharging at Tiffany's, she settles down to reconstruct a life for herself and her eleven-year-old son. Her eccentric mother tries to help by fixing her up with dates, but a more pressing problem is money. To meet her mortgage payments, Sam decides to take in boarders. The first is an older woman who offers sage advice and sorely needed comfort; the second, a maladjusted student, is not quite so helpful. A new friend, King, an untraditional man, suggests that Samantha get out, get going, get work. But her real work is this: In order to emerge from grief and the past, she has to learn how to make her own happiness. In order to really see people, she has to look within her heart. And in order to know who she is, she has to remember--and reclaim--the person she used to be, long before she became someone else in an effort to save her marriage. Open House is a love story about what can blossom between a man and a woman, and within a woman herself.
My Original Thoughts (2000):
Excellent! Read it in one day. Perfect book to read on an airplane. Berg continues to write books that touch your heart, mind and soul. Definitely one of my favorite authors.
Woman dealing with divorce and single parenting. Rings true. Very realistic emotions.
My Current Thoughts:
I still have a copy of this book and might give it another read since I enjoyed it so well the first time around. If I read it one day, gave it a 5-star rating and kept a copy, it must have been really good. It's odd that I only have a vague memory of the story.
I found Elizabeth Berg long ago, and once I read one of her books, I couldn't stop reading all her backlist. Then I read one that was a complete dud for me, almost as if it had been written by someone else, and then I read a second dud, and I never read her again. I wonder what happened. Did I just shift my preferences? Not sure.
ReplyDeleteDeb, I had the similar experience as you and wondered the same about the authorship of one particular book by Berg. Her recent trilogy (which include The Story of Arthur Truluv and Night Miracles), however, earned back my respect.
DeleteWhen I look back on previous ratings, I am often surprised by books that I didn't give 5 stars and those that I did. It's interesting to see what sticks with us years later.
ReplyDeleteHelen, I know I'm now much more stingy with my 5-star ratings than I once was.
DeleteSometimes our tastes change or you aren't in the mood for that theme/genre at the time but I have revisited books and found I liked them more than previously. The Shell Seekers is a reread for me, love that one. We will see how I feel when I hit the next book that follows. Planning on that for September bevause it's titled, September!
ReplyDeleteTina, I've had that experience as well. I keep meaning to reread The Shell Seekers, which I loved back in the late 80s. I'm not sure what's holding me back. I know I read September, but don't remember much about it. I still have Coming Home on my shelves to read. Maybe this will be the year!
DeleteOpen House is one of my all-time favorite Elizabeth Berg novels. In fact, it may be one of my all-time favorite novels. I've read it three times over the past 20 years (where did the time go?!!) and I still love it. And I would read it again, for the delightful and imperfect characters and for the moments of pure, unexpected joy.
ReplyDeleteOh, now you've made me wish I had picked this up for a re-read rather than start in on a new mystery, Laurel! I don't know of many books I've read three times, so you must have really loved it. I will put it on the stack on my nightstand and read it again SOON!
DeleteI havent read Elizabeth Berg .... but it seems like you should do a reread to find out if you still like it. How is life in the Cove going? Anymore trips or company planned? all the best.
ReplyDeleteOh, she has written some wonderful books, Susan. I'm not sure how well they will do as rereads, but I must have well over a dozen of her early books in my bookcase.
DeleteLife in the Cove is going ok, but our numbers are getting pretty high with new Covid cases, so we're laying low. We may take another trip down to CA sometime in October, but other than that, we don't have anything on the calendar. We cancelled our long trip to TN. Just too risky to travel through so many states with very little concern (by their governors) for public safety. Sigh. But the sun is shining and I spotted 4 whales and eagle on my walk, so life is good. Take care.
Great wildlife there! I totally understand laying low. I heard that Covid was bad now in Oregon. Actually my brother in Pasadena just got Covid although he was vaccinated & wearing a mask, but went out to a gathering, ugh. He's taking it easy & should be all right. But we all have to keep vigilant. We plan to just do a couple local isolated trips, and wont travel back to Calif. till U.S. Thanksgiving. Stay safe.
DeleteSusan, we fortunate to see a lot of whales, eagles, pelicans, seals, etc. Yep, OR is having a rough time with covid. Hospitalizations in August are double what they were at their worst in 2020. I'm sorry to hear that your brother got it, in spite of being vaccinated and wearing a mask. Hope he continues to improve without any serious issues. I hope you're able to keep your Thanksgiving plans. We have my three brothers and families planning to come here, but they may decide to cancel if things get worse (since they'd have to fly or take the train).
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