3 member(s) found this review helpful.
A wonderful story which points out that we all have situations in life where we must make amends and put past hurts behind us. An excellent book by Ms Spencer. I miss that she is no longer writing new books.
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
ISBN 051511054X - At first glance, I had issues with certain aspects of this book - a feeling that it didn't quite "fit" the world I know. Going back to school as an adult isn't uncommon, husbands who know how to do their own laundry ARE common... small details. Slowly, through other small details, I realized that the world in the book couldn't reflect life in the world of my adulthood, because it's set in the world of my childhood. Shifting gears a little, I found myself much happier with the story. This is the world, in a sense, of big hair, padded shoulders, George Michael and mallrats; some of those things make it into the story, but mostly they exist in the larger mental picture of Stillwater, setting the story firmly in the 1980s.
Without shame, Lisa Curran decides to use the fact of her pregnancy and the prospect of her upcoming marriage to tug at the heartstrings of her divorced parents, drawing them ever closer together. Bess, her mother, has spent the six years since the divorce successfully running her own business. Her father, Michael, is in the midst of his second divorce - this one from the "other woman" with whom he consoled himself at the end of his first, while Bess was seeking higher education. If ever the stars were aligned...
Divorce and denial aside, shared trials and tribulations, common memories and history help Lisa's plot along. Her younger brother, Randy, who still lives at home, is a typical aimless child of divorce who, despite his legal adult status, has yet to mature or take responsiblity for his own actions or recognize that they have consequences. Strongly against his parents' reunion, certain that Michael is the only one to blame for the failed marriage and Randy's own pain, he fights every step of the way.
Eventually, blame is more fairly distributed and accepted, everyone does a bit of growing up, and the family begins to heal. A nice twist near the end keeps the book from being too romance-novel-ish, leaving the reader with the feeling that there are no happy endings, just happy moments in the ongoing lives of the Curran family. Natalie would be 20 or so, now, and I closed the book almost certain that, if I took the time, I'd find her in the Stillwater phone book.
- AnnaLovesBooks
Without shame, Lisa Curran decides to use the fact of her pregnancy and the prospect of her upcoming marriage to tug at the heartstrings of her divorced parents, drawing them ever closer together. Bess, her mother, has spent the six years since the divorce successfully running her own business. Her father, Michael, is in the midst of his second divorce - this one from the "other woman" with whom he consoled himself at the end of his first, while Bess was seeking higher education. If ever the stars were aligned...
Divorce and denial aside, shared trials and tribulations, common memories and history help Lisa's plot along. Her younger brother, Randy, who still lives at home, is a typical aimless child of divorce who, despite his legal adult status, has yet to mature or take responsiblity for his own actions or recognize that they have consequences. Strongly against his parents' reunion, certain that Michael is the only one to blame for the failed marriage and Randy's own pain, he fights every step of the way.
Eventually, blame is more fairly distributed and accepted, everyone does a bit of growing up, and the family begins to heal. A nice twist near the end keeps the book from being too romance-novel-ish, leaving the reader with the feeling that there are no happy endings, just happy moments in the ongoing lives of the Curran family. Natalie would be 20 or so, now, and I closed the book almost certain that, if I took the time, I'd find her in the Stillwater phone book.
- AnnaLovesBooks
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
LaVyrle Spencer at her best, writing about contemporary lives and all the turmoils families go through.....After a bitter divorce, Bess and Michael Curran have nothing left to say to each other. Their children are their only bond. When their daughter Lisa brings them together unexpectedly at a dinner party, they must face each other again. And when Lisa makes a shocking announcement, they must ammend their past mistakes and make a new beginning...
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Beautifully written book. LaVyrle Spencer is always great to read.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
After a bitter divorce, Bess and Michael Curran have nothing left to say to each other. Their children are their only bond. When their daughter Lisa brings them together unexpectedly at a dinner party, they must face each other again. And when Lisa makes a shocking announcement, they must amend their past mistakes and make a new beginning...
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
LaVyrle Spencer's books get read adn reread, passed on from one friend to another. They touch the heart and are even used by some professionals to help people develop healthier ways to live.
What a delightful romance! This couple went through an awful divorse and it is interesting how their daughter trys to get them back together again. The book keeps you wondering if they will and hoping they will.
After a bitter divorce, their children are their only bond. When their daughter makes a shocking announcement, they must ammend their past mistakes.
Wonderful Book! I have a copy on my keeper shelf and have reread it many times!
A superb story from an excellent writer..
Bess Curran, 40, is a successful interior decorator in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area--in spite of her bitterness that ex- husband Michael, in their married days, had offered no support at all for her career. Michael is sour, too, but he's most hurt by the absolute hatred of their son Randy, who at 19 has left school, lives with Mom, plays drums, and smokes pot. It's daughter Lisa, though, who brings Bess and Michael together at a dinner when she announces that she and Mark Padgett--a clean-cut young man, so athletic his muscular forearms ``appeared unable to comfortably touch his sides''--will marry soon and are expecting. Bess and Michael approve of the new in-laws--friendly and wholesome (Mr. Padgett toasts with iced tea)--and Randy is attracted to Mark's sister, Maryanne, who asks Pa before accepting a ride home and won't stand for cussin'. Meanwhile, proximity works its magic: Michael asks Bess to decorate his condo, and grandmother Stella (a dismally sexy old babe) reminds Bess of her part in the breakup. It all ends with two hospital whammos: Lisa's birthing and Randy's maiden trip on cocaine.
After a bitter divorce, Bess and Michael are almost strangers. But when their daughter makes a shocking announcement, the couple must amend past mistakes-and start anew...
A moving story of a family at a crossroad.
Makes you believe in love again!
A story about a couples mistakes, and how they overcome them and how their love survies
After a bitter divorce, Bess & Michael Curran have nothing left to say to each other. Their children are their only bond. This was a great love story.
I really enjoyed this book.
Bess and Michael use to be married, but have undergone a bitter diorvce. When their daughter get married, they are forced to be togther and be civil to each other and they find themselves wanting to spend time together. They are together when their first grandchild is born and when their son has a bad drug reaction. They want to be together forever-again.
I believe this is one of LaVyrle Spencer's first novels, and it was a very good read.