|
| 
 enlarge | Author: Emily Giffin
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $13.44
You Save: $11.51 (46%)
New (48) Used (28) Collectible (2) from $12.45
Rating:  219 reviews
Sales Rank: 217
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 352
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9.2 x 6.2 x 1
ISBN: 0312348673
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9780312348670
ASIN: 0312348673
Publication Date: May 13, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Absolutely Brand New & In Stock. 100% 30-Day Money Back. Direct from our warehouse. Ships by USPS. 1+ million customers served-In business since 1986. Happy Customers is Our #1 Goal. Toll Free Support
|
| Customer Reviews:
 Last Giffin novel for me August 18, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Before picking up this book, I'd only read Emily Giffin's "Something Blue" and spent the entire novel disliking intensely the main character. Still, I thought maybe that one novel was a fluke, so I gave this one a try. Nope, Emily Giffin really does write ugly, unlikeable, morally offensive protagonists, so I've read my last book by her.
I'm not sure why I didn't stop reading early on, but I guess I kept thinking that she really wasn't going to go THERE, was she? So I spent the first 338 or so pages of the 342 page book following along as the main character ran pell mell toward adultery before deciding in the last three or four pages that she'd stay with her husband and just love him. But, she didn't come to this conclusion before crossing a line -- maybe not the BIG line -- but a line nonetheless.
So I finish this book wondering what the author expected me to be thinking afterward? Was I supposed to sigh at how romantic their reunion was, despite the fact that the poor sap she's married to, a perfectly great guy in every way who adores her, has no clue just how far over the line she went? Was I supposed to think her so self-sacrificing and loyal because she FINALLY remembered those pesky marriage vows?
'Cause, it didn't work out that way for me. Thank you, Miss Emily Giffin, but you can keep your chick-lit and you're two for two in creating a protagonist I'd like to see fall off her stilettos.
 to commit or not to commit? August 17, 2008
i don't think this is so much a love story as it is a story about what it takes to commit your life to someone else. since over half the marriages in this country end in divorce, it is obviously a lesson that is really hard to learn. that is what i thought this book was about, about whether ellen could learn what it means to commit to her husband and whether she thought she could actually do it once her feelings for leo resurfaced. i like how this book doesn't play out like some unrealistic fairy tale, where all of your troubles disappear once you say "i do." i mean, it is not realistic to think that you are not going to ever be tempted throughout the course of your marriage or that you won't possibly think or even have feelings for someone else. that's just how life works sometimes, whether we like it or not. yes, ellen makes some really stupid decisions throughout this book, but i couldn't blame her for doing the things she did. she thought she was following her heart. she was confused. she didn't want to live a lie if she was truly in love with someone else. or, more importantly, if she realized that maybe she didn't love her husband and had made a mistake. i thought her reasoning for making her final decision was pretty right on: that commitment means you have to make the choice every day, over and over again, to be with a person in order to make it work. but is she willing to do it? i guess it's not ideal or perfect or overly romantic, but it's honest. commitment is hard work, there is no doubt about it. and this book makes you understand that.
and im surprised at the reviewers who thought leo was such a jerk. okay, he was kind of a jerk when he was younger but i thought he was incredibly charming when ellen runs into him again. i could certainly see why ellen was so into him. i thought he and suzanne were the most interesting characters in the story, actually.
 What we will pay money for! August 17, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Reading is really important to me - fiction and nonfiction. I read a lot - the range is wide. Bet I have read many a fiction book short on content - but this one will always stand out in that category.
I stayed with the book because like the reviewer before me, I too wondered what would happen when the "husband" put it all together (other reviewer: "I was hoping through most of the book that the husband would catch on and divorce her so she would have to start dealing in reality.")
When reading I consciously think: "what will young women just starting out in the world of relationships gain from this book?" I am horrified if a young woman thinks this is typical - especially if she is not from the USA and thinks this is accurate of a young woman in today's society.
Written many years ago in a different time period, Laura Ingalls Wilder books have more character depth and create more empathy for the characters!
"Love the One Your With" could have made a memorable statement about relationships, commitment, fidelity and still have had all the passion and lusting. Instead the character came across as always accessing her wins and losses.
My only hope is that the characters undergo a great deal of character development if there is a sequel to this book. I would not enjoy reading about the character's inner struggle over which preschool will give her children the advantage for attending Harvard - or should it be Princeton?
Hmm... the tediouosness of it all.
Recommended August 16, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
First time reading this author and I was pleasantly surprised. While this is not an overly ambitious story, what it does explore it explores quite well. I enjoyed being inside the narrator's head as she faced down her dilemma and found her confusion and guilt very real and convincing. In fact, I found myself pausing often while reading to think about what I would do in her situation. Which tells me that I was very much invested in the story...always the sign of a good book. The author has a very clean and effortless writing style, which is perfect for this type of book. All in all, just a very enjoyable read.
don't waste your time August 16, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
This book was just painful to read. Thankfully it was short. If you enjoy being in the head of a spoiled, self indulgent, vapid female, while she can't decide between her former jerk of a boyfriend and her devoted husband, then by all means go ahead and waste your money. I was hoping through most of the book that the husband would catch on and divorce her so she would have to start dealing in reality.
|
|
|
Powered by Associate-O-Matic
| |
