Helpful Score: 6
I don't buy a book just to cry, really. The title of this book seemed really odd and I looked at the summary. Then I had to read it. It was such a good book, I don't even know what to say about it. I'm sure you can guess, dealing with issues of death, abandonment, loss, grief, shattered families, there's several moments that can make you cry. Interestingly, not necessarily the ones you expect. The deathbed scene was not nearly as moving and sad as a scene in which two of the characters, as adults, find that their childhood memories were preserved in a way and by a person they didn't expect. I hate when people put spoilers in book reviews, so I'm trying to be vague, but I'm dying to tell you about this book! My review isn't going to do it justice. This has great character development, you really understand and care about the characters, and you'll wonder what happens to them after the story is over. In fact one of the constant themes in the book is that they are relating themselves to characters from another book, and comparing how similiar their roles are to each other. It's full of moments like that, lots of conversations that you can really imagine a family having. The way they have been apart for years, yet they instantly fall back into the same patterns that they always had with each other, from the time they were children. The leader, the weirdo, the bossy one, the dreamer. I liked this book a lot, I think even if you don't have similar experiences to relate to, you'll still find the story worth your time.
Helpful Score: 1
I had a hard time getting into this book at first, but after a little bit, I couldn't put it down. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Helpful Score: 1
This is the story of Grace Hawkes, a woman who has spent the majority of her life running from painful situations. Her father left her and her siblings when they were young, her mother died when she was 30, and now her father is dying and her 3 siblings need her to become part of the family again. This is a fluffy bit of chick-lit, a genre I don't normally read but this book was funny and sad and kept me turning the pages. There are a lot of characters in this story: the 4 siblings and their significant others, nursing staff, and a step-family from Hell. Ordinarily, I dislike reading books that have a lot of characters to keep straight, but the author was able to introduce them all without getting confusing. There were a couple of tear-jerker scenes and a few surprises, but overall I really liked this book and would recommend it to anyone!
Helpful Score: 1
I love Liza Palmer- she is one of my favorite contemporary authors. Most of her books are a bit lighter and this one deals with death in a touching, meaningful way. Liza has a gift and shouldn't be written off as just another chick lit fluff author.
