Number of discs: 11

Hours: 13.5  – Unabridged

Read by: Jane Green (Author)

Author: Jane Green

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Year: 2012

Produced by: Laura Wilson

ANOTHER PIECE OF MY HEART is the latest from New York Times bestselling author Jane Green. Jane Green herself with that darling English accent provides the narration.  Thanks to the Audiobook Jukebox I received a copy of this audio book from Macmillan Audio.  If you do not know about their Solid Gold Reviewer program you should stop by: http://www.audiobookjukebox.com/

I am a confirmed fan of Green’s and have enjoyed many of her books. I admire how she captures life and shapes the characters to feel like they could be you or your friends and family.  Her latest was no exception but I do not remember other Green reads being this painful.  I felt that my heart was being pierced over and over again.  I even had to pull to the side of the road as I was sobbing and thought I needed to calm down before continuing to drive.   

The book starts in Andi’s voice but does not continue throughout. Andi fell madly in love with Ethan is just happened when she was into her 30s. Ethan was her prince charming and she was in bliss that even caused her to uproot from her precious East Coast and relocate to California for him.  Ethan had previously been married and had two girls Sophia and Emily whom he shared custody.

Although Andi tried to be the best step-mom to her instant family the girls were divided.  The younger Sophia really took to Andi and the older one Emily never did.  Ethan’s Ex Janice has a substance abuse problem which stirs up the pot as well.

The tension with Emily never seems to calm down.  Andi seeks peace when she is not with them, at work, with her beloved neighbors and girlfriends.  But as the years march on Emily’s trouble making escalates beyond her verbal antics to acting out in all kinds of ways.  Emily is manipulative and is constantly vying for her father’s love and attention in competition with Andi.  Unfortunately Andi sees this but Ethan is blind to it.

Things with Emily continue to escalate until it seems Andi is broken by sadness and frustration and cannot take anymore.  These feelings are manifested in the audiobook so well in Andi’s voice but it occurs so many times and Andi is done with it all so many times it just wore me out. 

Andi desperately wants to have a baby, one of her own but Ethan but as it turns out there are issues. After years and years of trying and unsuccessful procedures Andi and Ethan learn some devastating news. Ethan is fine with it because he has the girls and thinks Andi should be as well. Andi tries but this pain just gnaws at her and her anguish overflows in the narration.

The narrative flips to Ethan for a short bit and then to Emily as well.  In my mind it was too late when it flipped to Emily because by this time there was not going back to caring. I would have preferred it stayed in Andi’s voice since it was so far into the book before it flips. 

Emily continues to act without regard to anyone else and even better if it causes issues between her dad and Andi even better.  Her antics end up with her being arrested and that is when Andi realizes ******* Spoiler Alert******* Emily is pregnant.  This is a devastating blow for everyone.

At the same time, but completely independent Janice, Ethan’s Ex, decides to get sober.  So she tells Ethan she cannot take Emily in as she cannot handle her.  So Andi, is forced to endure Emily and the pregnancy full-time and Emily does not make it easy.  This pain that oozes out of a syllable uttered just rips at your heart. 

This now becomes Andi’s chance to have a baby. She wants her and Ethan to raise it but Ethan wants no part of this. Ethan’s plan is to put the baby up for adoption as Emily will just turn 18 when the baby is born and she has her life ahead of her. Emily true to form is still cruel and thoughtless and one day Andi says she is done and wants some space but she agrees to stay till the baby comes.   There is more anguish to go around and as the pregnancy nears term Emily decides she wants to keep the baby.

Emily is certain it is a girl and has all kinds of fantasies about raising her and what their life will be like.  But when the baby arrives it is a boy and she names him Cal.  But Emily finds she is disappointed it was not her “bean” and never bonds with Cal.  She runs off and Andi and Ethan do raise little Cal and there is momentary peace.

Emily has a new look and a life far away but she reconnects with her first childhood love and friend Michael. He is planning to move back to their hometown and so Emily returns to pick up the pieces.  But it is not that easy. 

Emily and Michael grow close and make plans for their lives without considering all of the implications.  Emily still is not bonding with Cal nor is she sure she wants to. But she is torn but Michael and her feelings for Andi and everything is once again a mess. Things do get sorted out in the end but not before the family goes through more turmoil and piece of hurt would be enough to carry an entire book. 

I do believe Jane Green knows how to write about very real topics in the pages of her books but I like an order of happiness or silly sprinkled with mine.  It was sometimes painful to pick up where I had left off because I was fearing that more pieces of my heart would be shred and they were over and over again.  For this reason not my favorite listen but I will most definitely visit Jane Green again because there are too many positives to keep me away.

Cath, Si, Josh and Portia were best of friends at university, until something happened that caused their friendship to change. Ten years later, Cath, Si and Josh have lost contact with Portia, until she returns unexpectedly, sparking off changes in the lives of the three friends.

This is a gripping story as I wanted to read about what had happened to separate Portia from the group. After that, Green presents the stories of Cath, who is unwilling to find love, Si, who falls in love too easily, and Josh , who is happily married to Lucy. Their stories are fascinating to read, and the return of Portia shakes things up, as Cath and Si are suspicious about Portia. Green writes moments of humour, friendship and love well, as well as creating the right tone for Si’s illness storyline. The dialogue is excellent and bubbly, and Green manages to produce a chemistry between the friends that is believable. A great read. 4 stars.

Not sure how I missed the fact that this book wasn’t going to have a happy ending when I started reading it.  Half way through I went back and read the dedication at the beginning and knew it was going to take some tissues to get though to the end.

Loved this book even though it did bring me to tears a few times!

From Amazon:

Callie Perry is a successful family photographer living in upstate New York. She adores her two daughters, has great friends, and actually doesn’t mind that her workaholic husband gets home at 9 p.m. every night-that is, when he’s not traveling six months out of the year.

Callie’s younger sister, Steff, on the other hand, has never grown up. She’s a free spirit, living in downtown Manhattan and bouncing between jobs and boyfriends. Lately, she’s been working as a vegan chef, even though she can’t cook.

Lila Grossman is Callie’s best friend and has finally met the man of her dreams. Eddie has two wonderful children, but also a drama queen ex-wife who hates Lila. And then there are Callie and Steff’s parents, Walter Cutler and Honor Pitman. Divorced for thirty years, they rarely speak to each other.

The lives of these colorful characters intersect when they each receive a shocking note that summons them together for one extraordinary summer in Maine and changes their lives forever. This novel is about the hard choices we have to face, about having to be your parents’ child long after you’ve grown up, and about the enduring nature of love.

Obviously a work of dedication and affection, it suffers from some technical difficulties and the filmmaker’s “inside” view; he’s a member of San Francisco Ballet. It does emphasize Helimets narrating how his dream received its chance to be realized and commenting on his necessary shift in focus from  self- centered artist to leader responsible for the direction and execution of the ensemble’s brief tour.

One of the most obvious problems was the use of white print for explanatory passages; fine when the background was sufficiently dark, but maddening when light or pastel shades tended to wash out the text.  Another was the uneven nature of the musical score when the sound frequently overwhelmed the visuals, instead of underscoring the action.  This is something  a better sound mix can adjust.

Almost before we see Tiit Helimets interviewed about the genesis of the project we are confronted with backstage images which ultimately seem to have nothing to do with the tour. Wharton later mentioned he had been influenced by some catchy commercials.  We listen to Helimets’ describing the genesis of the film and are introduced to the dancers and the four supporting players. Besides Helimets, the San Francisco dancers were Frances Chung, Nicole Cioppini,  Daniel Deivison-Oliveira,  Sasha de Sola, James Sofranko, Sarah Van Patten; Ballet San Jose dancers Jeremy Kovitch and Alexsandra Meijer; from Milwaukee Ballet  Julianne Kepley and Joshua Reynolds.  Val Caniparoli was the choreographer; his ballet Ibsen Suite was part of the repertoire.  Katita Waldo was ballet mistress, Dan McGary company manager, Jane Green stage manager, Michael Leslie physical therapist.  The entire roster was clearly and nicely identified.

From what I glimpsed Balanchine’s Apollo, Tarantella, and Le Corsaire were on the repertory roster in addition to Ibsen Suite; what else was rehearsed or performed was not easily determined, nor did we enjoy strains of the appropriate music. The program sequence, presumably the same in both cities where the ensemble performed, was not clarified, footage shifting forward and back in kaleidoscopic fashion.

It might have been a salient addition to include more of Helimets as Apollo with his three Muses;  if the role switches actually occurred this needed  to be clear.

Pre-performance rituals, makeup, toe shoe lineup, hair arrangement , warm up, along with muscular mishaps helped to create the atmosphere of tension caused by the unexpected. Helimets’ cool under fire was nicely depicted, as well as his incredibly straight back and pointed feet.

The initial rehearsal venue, one of the major studios of Ballet San Jose, could have been identified.   The Amsterdam airport was prominent as the transfer point for the plane to Tallin, Estonia, part of the most engaging footage in the documentary.  Wharton lingered on this transition, catching qualities of the dancers admirably. Understandably, clinking of beer glasses played their role, and one or two clowning sequences of the ensemble on narrow cobblestone streets.

In the Q & A following the showing, presided over by Garen Scribner, Katita Waldo gave observations which could have been touched upon in the film. (She’s a woman for all seasons.) One was the quality of Tallin’s historic center as one of Europe’s  best preserved medieval cities.  The other involved the differing operation of a small ensemble from a large company relating to costume maintenance.

Tiit Helimets provided valuable information when he disclosed using San Francisco Ballet tour organization format as a model: information, tour guide, ticketing, etc. Inclusion of this information would be salient; in one or two instances we got  a glimpse but no explanation.

Wharton mentioned his problem with the cost of music rights with popular songs used in the documentary’s current form.  The music supplied by his friend seemed far more adequate than the distracting tunes several decibels too loud.

Whether or not Wharton decides to revise the current documentary, carved out of seventy hours of videotape, Eastern Odyssey is an admirable first effort. A lot  depends on where he wishes to take his footage. Seeking an outsider’s view and plotting out his editing with the aid or a story board, will advance   Wharton’s  admirable dance doumcentary debut considerably.

____________________________________________________

With the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, Sir Georg Solti conducted Bach’s monumental Saint Matthew Passion on four different occasions at Orchestra Hall:

April 9 and 10, 1971
Jesus: Tom Krause
Evangelist: Richard Lewis
Aria soloists: Heather Harper, Helen Watts, Richard Lewis, Donald Gramm
Other vocal soloists: Alfred Reichel, Stephen Swanson, Nancy Clevenger, Ellen Rico, Linda Mabbs, Jack Abraham, Eugene Johnson, Frederic Chrislip, Karen Zajac
Obbligati: Donald Peck, Richard Graef, Ray Still, Richard Kanter, Grover Schiltz, DeVere Moore, Victor Aitay, Sidney Weiss, Eva Heinitz
Continuo: Eloise Niwa, Frank Miller, Joseph Guastafeste
Chicago Symphony Chorus; Margaret Hillis, director
Glen Ellyn Children’s Theatre Chorus; Barbara Born, director
These performances were dedicated to the memory of Igor Stravinsky, who had died on April 6, 1971.

April 12 and 13, 1974
Jesus: Gwynne Howell
Evangelist: Mallory Walker
Aria soloists: Heather Harper, Helen Watts, Jerry Jennings, Philip Booth
Other vocal soloists: Alfred Reichel, Curtis Dickson, Gershon Silins, Stephen Swanson, Donna Gullstrand, Alexis Darden, Sarah Beatty, Richard Livingston, Philip Creech, Isola Jones
Obbligati: Donald Peck, Richard Graef, Louise Dixon, Walfrid Kujala, Ray Still, Richard Kanter, Grover Schiltz, Michael Henoch, Victor Aitay, Samuel Magad, John Hsu
Continuo: Eloise Niwa, Mary Sauer, Frank Miller, Joseph Guastafeste
Chicago Symphony Chorus; Margaret Hillis, director
Glen Ellyn Children’s Chorus; Doreen Rao, director

April 4 and 6, 1985
Jesus: Wolfgang Schoene
Evangelist: Anthony Rolfe Johnson
Aria soloists: Pamela Coburn, Brigitte Fassbaender, Thomas Moser, Siegmund Nimsgern
Other vocal soloists: Bruce Cain, Richard Cohn, Jane Green, Joan Welles, Doris Kirschner, Karen Zajac, Tim O’Connor
Obbligati: Donald Peck, Richard Graef, Louise Dixon, Walfrid Kujala, Ray Still, Richard Kanter, Grover Schiltz, Michael Henoch, Victor Aitay, Samuel Magad, Catharina Meints
Continuo: Mary Sauer, David Schrader, Richard Webster, Leonard Chausow, Joseph Guastafeste
Chicago Symphony Chorus; Margaret Hillis, director
Glen Ellyn Children’s Chorus; Doreen Rao, director

Saint Matthew Passion recording session in Orchestra Hall

March 19 and 21, 1987
Jesus: Olaf Bär
Evangelist: Hans Peter Blochwitz
Aria soloists: Kiri Te Kanawa, Anne Sofie von Otter, Thomas Moser, Tom Krause
Other vocal soloists: Richard Cohn, Patrice Michaels, Debra Austin, William Watson
Obbligati: Donald Peck, Richard Graef, Louise Dixon, Walfrid Kujala, Ray Still, Judith Kulb, Grover Schiltz, Michael Henoch, Samuel Magad, Rubén González, Catharina Meints, Mary Sauer
Continuo: David Schrader, John Sharp, Joseph Guastafeste
Chicago Symphony Chorus; Margaret Hillis, director
Glen Ellyn Children’s Chorus; Lucy Ding, acting director

Following the performances in March 1987, the work was recorded for London Records. Andrew Cornall was the producer, and Simon Eadon and John Pellowe were the engineers.

Solti, members of the Orchestra, and soloists listen to playbacks

I inadvertently neglected to include the 1971 performances in the first version of this post. —FV

But let’s dive in:

When Andi marries Ethan, a successful and handsome divorcee, she knows he’s a package deal — and that that package includes Sophia and Emily, his two young daughters. Though accepted by Sophia, a preteen searching for a maternal figure as her own mother battles demons, teenage Emily doesn’t warm to having Andi steal her father’s attention. Angry at the power shift in the family, Emily rebels against Andi in every way possible — and manipulates Ethan through guilt to get anything she wants. The stress in their home puts Andi on edge, threatening the marriage that once filled her with so much hope and joy.

To everyone’s surprise, then, it’s Andi who becomes Emily’s strongest supporter when the 17-year-old finds herself in a very difficult position. Stuck between trying to please his wife or his bitter daughter, Ethan vacillates between sticking up for Andi and allowing Emily to walk all over everyone. And when everything comes to a head, decisions must be made — ones that will impact their family forever.

Jane Green’s Another Piece Of My Heart was, for the most part, a novel that felt like a cheese grater to the eyeball. I only stuck with it because I’d received an audio copy and was determined to find if these characters would reach some peace, some redemption, but never felt invested in their journeys. Though I thought I was supposed to sympathize with Andi against monstrous Emily only to “get” what Emily was going through later in the story, all I felt was endless frustration at both women and lukewarm Ethan for being so blind.

Lest this dissolve into a rant, I spent most of the book wanting to put Emily in time-out — forever. The way she manipulated her father and did the whole “evil smile while hugging you” bit was so over-the-top, so cliché, that I often couldn’t help but roll my eyes. I haven’t read much fiction about blended families and can only begin to appreciate the difficult position in which many families find themselves while journeying toward becoming a happy family. That’s not easy. And if Emily wasn’t such a stone-cold, all-out, selfish little lunatic I might have felt something for her. I mean, Andi isn’t her mother; her own mom is passed out somewhere after going on another tear about how “fat” Emily has become, etc. and so forth. She’s in the bottom of a wine glass with no hope of climbing out . . . for a while, anyway.

Another Piece Of My Heart held few surprises and was painful to follow on audio. Aside from the strangeness of having the author herself narrate a story about an American family with her British accent, complete with British slang that would never fall from an American’s lips, I couldn’t stand the portions featuring Emily’s ranting and screaming. The story was so repetitive: Andi pretends to be nice to Emily, assuaging her guilt that she isn’t treating her right; Emily rebels against Andi’s attempts at said niceness, rightfully calling her out for being “fake” with her, “Emily, honey?” nonsense; the two get in a battle royale; Ethan admonishes the women to “talk it out” or some such, completely ignoring the fact that he’s part of the problem.

Oh, the angst. The angst.

After following Andi’s point of view in the book’s first part, we flip to Emily’s first-person accounts of everything going down — and if possible, I hated this even more than Andi’s portion. Emily comes across as so awful and annoying that my only reaction to anything she said or did was revulsion. She acts like such a petulant child that it was impossible to take her seriously, even when she finds herself in a very serious situation. Getting “her side,” if you will, did nothing but frustrate me. And bouncing around to other narrative voices in these sort of awkward monologues didn’t work for me.

I won’t go on. Suffice it to say I was not a fan. While other reviewers have proclaimed the story “truly realistic,” it was far too overblown for me to enjoy. I don’t welcome drama this epic in my own life, and it wasn’t entertaining or enlightening for me. I felt nothing for the characters and basically just wanted it to be over.

But two stars for Janice, the alcoholic mother who undergoes a transformation throughout the narrative. She’s the only one I liked.

2 out of 5!

ISBN: 0312591829 ♥ Goodreads ♥ LibraryThing ♥ Amazon ♥ Author Website
Audio copy provided by Amazon Vine in exchange for my honest review

In other words, “popular fiction,” “chick-lit,” “beach books.” Oh, please. I understand that many writers and publishers and critics care very much about the distinctions, which are handy labels for booksellers and librarians, but most readers don’t. They’re looking for good books of all kinds, and, yes, covers can signal  appealing subject matter, but so what?  The contents are what counts, and a great many readers happily turn the pages of Anne Tyler, Anne Rivers Siddons and Anne of Green Gables. (Also Anonymous, but that’s another story for another day.)

I’ve been thinking of this because I just read three very different novels that are being marketed as “women’s fiction.”

In the appropriately dishy Gossip (Morrow; hardcover review copy), Beth Gutcheon follows three friends through the years, with a twist. Although Lovie has been good friends with both Dinah and Avis since boarding school days in the early 1960s, the other two have little in common except Lovie and her tony dress shop. That changes when Dinah’s favorite son, who is also Lovie’s godson, falls in love with Avis’ only daughter.

Lovie is a likable, sometimes catty and possibly unreliable narrator as she recounts Dinah’s short career as a newspaper columnist, Avis’ marriage to a wealthy drunk, and her own long-running affair with an older, married man. As in The New Girls (my favorite of Gutcheon’s many novels), the characters’ lives typify the times. “Dinah said it was as if we’d all gone to sleep one night in the world of Edith Wharton and awakened the next morning at Woodstock.”

Love that Janis Joplin inspires the title of Jane Green’s latest, Another Piece of My Heart (St. Martin’s Press; hardcover library copy), but that’s about it when it comes to this grating tale of a war between stepmom Andi and teenage Emily. Green gives both about equal time to tell their side of things and how Emily’s pregnancy rips the fabric of family, but they’re equally unpleasant characters. Andi whines, Emily bitches, they’re both selfish. I wanted to tell them both to shut up, but I shut the book instead.

By contrast, I was sorry to come to the end of Susan Mallery’s winning Barefoot Season (Mira, digital galley via NetGalley), which is a lot more than the beach book its cover indicates. Michelle Sanderson and Carly Williams were best friends growing up until Michelle’s betrayal severed their bond. Now, 10 years later, Michelle, an Army vet with a bum hip and PTSD, returns to her family’s small inn on Puget Sound after the death of her difficult mother.  She finds the business struggling against heavy debt and is quick to  blame single mom Carly, who has been managing the inn in hopes of becoming part-owner. Forced to work together by a loan officer with her own agenda, Michelle and Carly have to confront the past and weather the present if either is going to have a future on Blackberry Island.

Mallery is best-known for her numerous contemporary romances, and while both Michelle and Carly are looking for new loves, their friendship and the relationship between mothers-and-daughters is center-stage. It’s often heavy-duty stuff, but Mallery’s not heavy-handed as she mixes trust and betrayal, heartbreak and humor. I’m looking forward to the next entry in the promised series.

“The problem with heartbreakers, she thinks, is that they break hearts.” (page 358)

Jane Green became a favorite author of mine well over a decade again when I hungrily wolfed down her early chick-lit, including favorites Mr. Maybe and Jemima J.

Her latest, Another Piece of My Heart, was released on Tuesday, March 20th. It’s being described as “Green’s most emotional and powerful novel yet: a story that explores the complications of a woman marrying into a ready-made family, and the true meaning of motherhood.”

I picked it up only hours of finishing 50 Shades of Grey. Reading Green’s prose is super easy for me. It speaks to me like an old friend. I immediately became engrossed in Andi’s story. I will admit though that after reading a few chapters, I was itching for something more drastic or exciting to occur. Finally around 100 pages in, my wish was granted.

“This is the mothering that no one told her about, no one had warned her about. She thought it would all be hearts and flowers, she and a darling child, laughing and loving, and sharing moments of bliss…No one warned her of the exhaustion…”

I promise not to give anything away. In fact, I was hesitant to read other write-ups and reviews until I finished reading the novel for fear of any plot spoilers. This line adequately sums it up without revealing much: “life, children, domesticity have gotten in the way.” (page 173)

There’s always two sides to every story….and then there’s the truth. I commend Green for providing both Andi and Emily’s perspectives.

Another Piece of My Heart, which is currently #16 on the New York Times Best Sellers List, explores family dynamics, jealousy, addiction, destruction, drama, transformation, adoption, step-families, selfishness, being selfless, growing up and the fine line between love and hate.

I recommend finding some “ME” time to curl up and read this book. It might make you appreciate your own life more and remind you that nothing remains the same and you never know what life has in store for you.

“I limit myself to those fantasies twice a week. Weekends only. A forbidden, but delicious treat.” (page 341) “Fantasies aren’t reality.” (page 364)

Andi has always dreamed of becoming a wife and mother.   At age 37, Andi finds Ethan and quickly finds herself being both a wife and the stepmother of two daughters.   Teenaged Emily, the apple of Ethan’s eye, decides to reject Andi from the start.   In her eyes, Andi is the other woman; no replacement for her “real” mother, and – most critically – a gigantic obstacle between her and her father’s affection.   The tension from Emily’s issues begin to infiltrate Andi and Ethan’s marriage until dramatic events threaten to destroy everything that the members of the family have come to rely on.

Library Journal called Another Piece of My Heart:  “Green at her best…  (a novel that delivers a) clear-eyed look at our idealized notions of love, family and motherhood.”   Adriana Trigiani, author of Lucia, Lucia and the Valentine series says about Another Piece:  “You will laugh and cry as you read…  and you’ll be inspired to pick up the phone and call your best friend.   It’s that good.”

You can begin reading Another Piece of My Heart now by clicking on this link:

http://us.macmillan.com/BookCustomPage_New.aspx?isbn=9780312591823

Jane Green will do a reading from her new book and will sign copies for guests and fans.  The New York Palace will provide complimentary wine, hors d’oeuvres and a specialty Jane Green-inspired cocktail.

*Five lucky attendees will also get the opportunity to return to The Palace for a special round-table discussion with Jane Green where she can speak about her inspirations for her novels!

Each month, The Palace will offer guests an intimate experience with different authors. Next month’s event will feature the new book by Beth Gutcheon (www.bethgutcheon.com), Gossip, about a group of women living on the Upper East Side in Manhattan and their intertwining lives.

Who: New York Times bestselling author Jane Green

What: The New York Palace is hosting an intimate event for author Jane Green where she will do a reading from her new book and sign copies for guests and fans.

Where: The New York Palace, The Library Room

When: Wednesday, March 21st, 6:30pm-8:30pm

Guests can purchase Another Piece of My Heart at the door for admission into The New York Palace’s Author Series.

Jane Green released her new novel, Another Piece of My Heart, on March 13. The anticipation had been building up for months, with her hinting at book covers and chapter excerpts on her Facebook page. And now it’s finally out! I’ve recommended Green’s books many times (see here and here) and I can’t wait to dive in to her new novel.

Here’s the synopsis from Amazon:

“From the New York Times bestselling author of JEMIMA J, and THE BEACH HOUSE, comes Jane Green’s most emotional and powerful novel yet:  a story that explores the complications of a woman marrying into a ready-made family, and the true meaning of motherhood.
Andi has spent much of her adult life looking for the perfect man, and at thirty-seven, she’s finally found him.  Ethan–divorced with two daughters, Emily and Sophia–is a devoted father and even better husband. Always hoping one day she would be a mother, Andi embraces the girls like they were her own. But in Emily’s eyes, Andi is an obstacle to her father’s love, and Emily will do whatever it takes to break her down. When the dynamics between the two escalate, they threaten everything Andi believes about love, family, and motherhood—leaving both women standing at a crossroad in their lives…and in their hearts. ANOTHER PIECE OF MY HEART is a novel that illuminates the nuances and truths about relationships and is Jane Green at her absolute best.”

Despite being an avid reader, I’m the first to admit that what is predominantly a hobby, can, at times, turn into something of a chore. Not all books are particularly easy to read; there have been numerous occasions during which I find myself re-reading page after page in order to fully digest a text that is lexically dense. Indeed, when beginning my blog in January I was quite unaware of how much spare time my blog would eat into, and there have been many times where the temptation to sleep for an extra hour rather than read has been somewhat overwhelming.

For those of you who follow my blog, you will know that this month my challenge is to read a Jane Austen book; a feat I have not yet managed. Alas we are now almost mid-way through March, and a copy of Pride and Prejudice remains unopened on my bedside table. Instead, thus far this month I have read Emylia Hall’s wonderful The Book of Summers, and, having seen some fabulous reviews of Jane Green’s most recent book, The Patchwork Marriage, I decided to indulge in an author whose work I know and love, before succumbing to my challenge.

When it comes to chick lit, Jane Green’s books really are the creme de la creme. From her earlier books Jemima J, Straight Talking and Bookends, through to her more recent offerings of The Beach House and the heartbreaking The Love Verb, each of her novels deliver exactly what they should; a warm, engaging read that guarantees to absorb its readers.

The Patchwork Marriage, in keeping with Green’s previous novels, addresses a number of issues that are relevant to her readers worldwide. It tells the story of Andi, who having married Ethan in her late thirties becomes step-mother to his two daughters, mild-mannered Sophia and nightmare teen Emily, who does everything in her power to cause a rift in their marriage. The tale follows Andi and Ethan as they reach breaking point with Emily and it’s impossible not to sympathise with Andi as she struggles to please a wayward, selfish teenager, nor Ethan when faced with the choice of siding with either his wife or daughter.

With sympathetically portrayed characters and gritty realism throughout the novel, The Patchwork Marriage offers a refreshing take on step-families, and the issues all parties need to overcome in order to live in harmony. The San Francisco setting offers a serene backdrop against the intricacies of family life and the frank take on motherhood that dominates the book. Both enjoyable and thought-provoking, The Patchwork Marriage was certainly a welcome reprieve before I begin the next step of my challenge.

]]> http://me2ublog.wordpress.com/2012/03/11/learning-curves/ Sun, 11 Mar 2012 19:06:56 +0000 Kyle http://me2ublog.wordpress.com/2012/03/11/learning-curves/ by Gemma Townley.  Another cute book, easy to read, fun and no brainer.  I find all these authors;

Emily Giffin
Jane Green
Lauren Weisberger
Madeleine Wickham/Sophie Kinsella
Marian Keyes
Meg Cabot
Lindsey Kelk
Jennifer Weiner
Hester Browne
Jenny Colgan
Carole Matthews
Jill Mansell
Trisha Ashley
Paige Toon

(now, please don’t get me wrong I love and NEED these kinds of books in my life and enjoy them very much) simple, silly, lay by the pool, hot bubble bath kind of books.  Anyone can enjoy these sweet characters and simple plot lines.  I love the fact that they are just that, fun, simple and easy.  I enjoy the humor in them all too.  Just something about the british humor that gets me every time.   I refuse to pay any kind of money at all for these types of books as I feel I don’t respect them as I should.  I drop them in the bathtub, I leave them on airplanes or some sandy beach, even pass them along like the common cold.  I also, can’t get enough of them and must always have these kind of books on hand to get me through a tuff week or night.  I call them “take me away” books. 

So, “Learning Curves” is just one of the many.  It took me awhile to finish this one as I left it at a friend’s house and then took me awhile to get it back. oops.  Jennifer is the main character whose parents are divorced and both are CEO’s of competitive business companies.  Her mother asks her to join and spy on her estranged father’s company.  The things she learns and gets mixed up in are not at all what she seems to think or believes is true anymore.  It is all rolled up in a happy ending so not to worry.  Don’t read the back of this novel as it really has nothing to do with the book.  I was really confused about that, they should have made it a better summary.

I give this book a 2.5 star.  It’s an average story. 

Jan Hannah of Hannah’s Farm Alpacas hand knit and felted this little Alpaca, and bought him the hand knit ear-flap hat with Alpaca-sized ear holes!

Jane Green knit several of this little mice for Christmas presents – I think I heard right when she said they were done on size quadruple zero needles… but I may have been hallucinating! His tail is the tiniest I-cord ever.

Jane leads the Knitting Circle, Wednesdays at 6pm, at the Langworthy Library in Hope Valley RI.

It was called “Promises To Keep” and without giving away the story, it is one that will make you think and truly appreciate your loved ones and how truly precious and short life is.

When I picked it up I didn’t realize the true subject of the book as it is deep in the story where you find out a main and loved character is very ill.

I have several friends who are ill right now and I couldn’t help but think about them and shed a few tears as I was reading the end of the book.  As I closed the book, I said prayers for my friends and asked for the Lord to pour out His love and mercy to them.  And, I prayed for their families as well.

Isn’t it something how much a work of fiction can affect us?  In either a good way or a bad way. We can lose ourselves in another world and truly come to love the characters we are reading about.

Then when you finish the book, you want to read more and not let those characters go.  You want to continue to go on their journey. That is how I have felt today with that book I finished.  I didn’t want it to end yet I knew that it would.

That to me is the sign of a great story.  There are many kinds that I like — chick lit, mysteries, stories about Amish people, police stories, romances, and many others.

Another book by Jane Green that I really liked is “Jemima J.” I have read this book three times. The book is about ugly ducklings and swans and the main character trying to lose weight (something I can truly relate to).  Jemima is a great girl who you can’t help rooting for and hoping that she will succeed. I imagine I will be reading about her once again.

I also like several other authors a lot and have read many of their books — Carol Higgins Clark writes wonderful mysteries as does her mother, Mary Higgins Clark.  And, I also really have enjoyed Danielle Steel for several years and recently discovered Michael Connelly.

I still remember one of my favorite books when I was a girl, “The Secret Garden.” This is the first book that I really remember enjoying and getting totally swept into. I want to re-read it and see if it holds any of the magic that it used to.

My favorite book series growing up were the “Little House on the Prairie” series by Laura Ingalls Wilder and “The Chronicles of Narnia” by C. S. Lewis.  These were two very distinctive and very different worlds that I was transported into.  I imagined the lives of the characters and wanted to be there with them.

Most of my family loves to read and we like a wide variety.  I am glad of that and enjoy talking to them about a story that was one that they couldn’t put down. Reading books is something to celebrate, in my opinion.

My son Ian has loved books for a while and is now in the early stages of reading.  We regularly go to our city’s library and check out 15 to 20 books at a time for him.  He grins and enjoys each story. I truly love seeing him light up when we read him a story and he later goes back and reads it to himself.

Recently, he has discovered Dr. Seuss.  We have “The Foot Book” and the ABC book as well.  He really likes both of those and recently quoted from The Foot Book.

I hope to write a few books one of these days.  I really want to write a children’s book or book series and will chat with Ian and my nieces and nephews about some ideas.

One idea is in the back of my mind, however, and has been for years.  My grandfather told us stories for many years about a few characters.  I want to compile these into stories for my family. Maybe this year I can work on that. I just need to see what they remember so we can get them recorded on paper before we all forget them.

I am also toying with the idea of writing either a short story or a novel.  I have a story already started and will see where it takes me. I will keep you posted on the progress of this endeavor.

I would love to hear about the books that you enjoy reading.  Please share with us the ones that really spoke to you.

I wonder if I can write as interesting a book as I enjoy reading.  I am going to try, that’s for sure.  Happy reading!!

All Andi has ever wanted is to be a mother, so it seems like a dream come true when she falls in love with Ethan, a man with two daughters.  Andi and the youngest daughter, Sophia, hit it off instantly  The older daughter, Emily, is a whole different story.  She sees Andi as a threat and does everything she can to chase her away.  She acts out, pitches tantrums, and forces her dad to choose between her and her stepmother.  As Emily ramps up her act, things seem to be spiraling out of control and Andi begins to wonder how much longer she can stand it.

Another Piece of My Heart, by Jane Green, is a great family drama that explores the problems faced by many blended families.  Andi was excited to have a ready made family and Emily put up obstacles every chance she got.  Andi tried everything she could think of but Emily never gave her a chance. I’ve never lived in a blended family, but I felt like Green got things right and I appreciated that she didn’t sugarcoat the relationships.

I really liked Andi and could relate to her desire to have a family and a peaceful life.  I felt her frustrations when everything she tried backfired and Ethan didn’t understand.  He tried to be the peacemaker by giving into Emily’s demands.  In some ways, I could understand him, too, because he felt guilty about his divorce.  I became invested in the story very early because I wanted things to work out for this family.

I thoroughly enjoyed Another Piece of My Heart and appreciate the fact that Green wrote a realistic portrayal of motherhood and family life.  There were a couple characters who were kind of dropped halfway through the book but that didn’t bother me at all since they weren’t essential to the story.  I found Green’s writing very appealing and read this book quickly.  This book would work well for a book club because there’s plenty to discuss – check out St. Martin’s reading guide.   I think readers of women’s fiction will enjoy this book as much as I did.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press, I have 2 copies of this wonderful book to giveaway.   To enter to win a copy of ANOTHER PIECE OF MY HEART, by Jane Green, simply fill out the entry form.  Contest is open to those with a US address only – one entry per person, please.  I will use random.org to determine the winners. Contest ends at midnight EST Thursday, March 22, 2012.   Winners will be announced on Friday, March 23, 2012.  Comments are welcome (and appreciated) but will not get you an entry in the contest.

Review copy provided by Big Honcho Media.  I am an Indiebound Affiliate.

Enjoy!

What inspires you as a writer and motivates you to write?

Every time I think I’m out of stories, I find myself drawn to something; a situation, a person, an event, that I find so compelling, it starts to take over my life, and I know then that’s my next book.

How do you maintain objectivity when writing about a character that’s not very likable from another characters perspective but then find that hidden quality that a reader can empathize with when writing from that very characters own point of view?  For example, there are moments Emily and Janice aren’t likable but it changes for me as a reader when I read from their point of view?  

I’m not objective in the slightest! I didn’t like Emily either, but the minute I started writing as her, at my editor’s suggestion, I completely understood her, and it gave me tremendous empathy.

As a therapist, I liked how the whole family system was described and how everyone is impacted by alcohol and drugs. What type of research did you do for that and how did it change the course of your writing as the book progressed, if any? 

I am very familiar with addictive behaviors, which do have a habit of cropping up in my books. Whatever the story, I’m always looking towards the resolution – that none of us is perfect; that we are all doing the best we can, and that ultimately acceptance of where we are and what we have is the only way to find peace.

Click for details on the giveaway provided by Big Honcho Media!

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One (1) winner will receive:

• $50 Williams-Sonoma Gift Card

·         A copy of Another Piece of My Heart

About the Book

From the New York Times bestselling author of JEMIMA J, and THE BEACH HOUSE, comes Jane Green’s most emotional and powerful novel yet: a story that explores the complications of a woman marrying into a ready-made family, and the true meaning of motherhood.

Andi has spent much of her adult life looking for the perfect man, and at thirty-seven, she’s finally found him.  Ethan–divorced with two daughters, Emily and Sophia–is a devoted father and even better husband.  Always hoping one day she would be a mother, Andi embraces the girls like they were her own. But in Emily’s eyes, Andi is an obstacle to her father’s love, and Emily will do whatever it takes to break her down. When the dynamics between the two escalate, they threaten everything Andi believes about love, family, and motherhood—leaving both women standing at a crossroad in their lives…and in their hearts.

ANOTHER PIECE OF MY HEART is a novel that illuminates the nuances and truths about relationships and is Jane Green at her absolute best.

My Review:

I was immediately pulled into the storyline.  Today, it is very common for children to belong to blended families. Providing a glimpse into the story of one familly that is dealing with the effects of alcohol, drugs, teen issues, infertility, adoption, and trying to stay together.  Told through the perspective of the step-mother, biological mother, teenager, and author, the reader is able to get a better understanding behind each character’s thoughts, behaviors, and motivations.

Jane Green does a remarkable job at keeping the storyline authentic, as she covers real life issues, in a fast paced story.  The story doesn’t seem bogged down or too water downed.  There were times where it was difficult to understand and like some of the characters.  However, Jane Green then shows the individual perspective of that particular character, and the reader soon can empathize with her, too.

Reading from Andi’s perspective, the reader is able to truly understand her desire to have children, feel her pain each month that she finds out she isn’t pregnant, and feel her struggles as she tries to make peace with the oldest teen, Emily.  However, Emily appears as this rebellious teen.  As a reader, I could sense the anger and understand her frustration as she tries to keep the family together, be a wife and mother to her husband’s children, and struggles with her own issues of fertility.  However, Emily often argues with her, is dismissive towards her and the family, appears to be a manipulator, and just an overall rebellious teen. Reading from Emily’s perspective gave the reader an opportunity to understand her motives, the struggle she has of dealing with an alcoholic mother, trying to fit in at school, feeling her father doesn’t listen to her, and seeing Andi as fake and wanting her father and younger sister without her being a part of the family.

The family dynamics are truly realistic and it’s a story that gives a well rounded view of a blended family and it’s issues.

I highly suggest this book to those who love contemporary fiction, reading about families, enjoy books told through multiple point of views, and deal with complex issues that aren’t always so black and white.

*This book was provided for free by Big Honcho Media.

No monetary or forms of compensation were given.  The opinions are solely my own.

About the Author

Jane Green is the author of twelve bestselling novels, dealing with real women, real life, and all the things in-between, with her trademark wisdom, wit and warmth. She contributes to various publications, both online and print, including Huffington Post, The Sunday Times, and assorted Anthologies.  Passionate about both food and the home, most weekends see her cooking up a storm in her home in Westport, Connecticut, where she lives by the beach with her husband and their many children.

Link Up!
www.JaneGreen.com

https://twitter.com/janegreen

http://www.facebook.com/authorJaneGreen

Enter the Giveaway:

Begins March 5, ends March 13, 2012.

Simply post a comment with your name and email.  A winner will be chosen randomly and will be notified. 

One (1) winner will receive:

• $50 Williams-Sonoma Gift Card

·         A copy of Another Piece of My Heart

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The Paris Wife

Since I just reviewed this awesome book, I’ll spare you, except to say read it! But not before bed. I saw the sun rise thanks to this little gem.

Unbroken

Again, recently reviewed. This one comes with a serious Do Not Start Before Bed warning. Or, if you do, stop once Loius gets to Hawaii. After that there’s no turning back until the war’s over.

The Night Circus

Oh! I so called it! I picked up this book shortly after it came out (that was pre-Bigger in Real Life, and I’ve been meaning to write the review for a while) and as soon as I was done I said to A, “I bet they’re going to make this into a movie. It would make a really good one.” And I was right! (I’d put money on Unbroken being made into a movie too, by the way.) I totally see this visually taking on a Baz Luhrmann à la Moulin Rouge feel. Here’s hoping! Check out Cinema Blend for the full story. Anyhow, self-congratulations aside, this book is lovely. Luminous yet dark with pulsating, palpable descriptions, The Night Circus is a haunting novel that feeds into my love of gothic-esque fiction. It’s a longer read, so didn’t read all of it in one night, but I definitely stayed up way past the point of comfort because I couldn’t ever fathom what would come next.

Another Piece of My Heart

Jane Green’s been a favorite of mine for years. Yes, she writes what would be classified as “chick lit,” but I like to think that it’s the thinking girl’s chick lit. I snagged this book as a pre-publication promo, and it’s another book I’ve been meaning to review. Jane Green still needs to get an American to proof-read her books for accuracy sake, but I think this is her most raw, moving book to date. She takes an already hard situation–making a blended family work when the mom is an alcoholic, the dad is raising his two girls, the oldest of which becomes unmanageable when he marries another woman, around whom most of the story is based–and ups the ante by throwing in infertility issues and a prodigal daughter. All this has the potential to stray across the line of believability in the hands of a less talented writer, but Jane Green always writes incredibly believable characters that have you feeling every hurt and triumph right along with them. Though a longer novel for a girly-book, it’s still a fast, yet satisfying read. I read this in one night mostly because I thought I could. And I did.

Garden Spells

I own every book Sarah Addison Allen has written, thanks to how utterly and completely I fell in love with Garden Spells. Her other books are wonderful, but nothing compares to this first one. I picked it up before a long weekend in a mountain cabin, not knowing what to expect. After reading for a half-hour next to an increasingly sleep-deprived A, I got up and padded into the living room because I knew I was in it for the long haul. I fell head-over heels into the world of Claire and Sydney Waverly, their lives, their loves, their tenuous trip towards accepting each other as sisters and making a life together. One part Practical Magic, one part Like Water for Chocolate, this book made me hungry for new experiences and for home-grown, handcrafted food. I’ve read it at least four times since its publication, and it never disappoints. It’s one of my best books on my shelf.