Last night's book review went great. It was short and sweet - but considering this is our first official meeting, we believe it was a good start.
First - we all seemed to like Emily Giffin's writing. This is my 5th book that I have read of hers - along with a few other people in the group and we can easily add her to our recommended authors. We can't wait for her next book to come out.
Below are some highlights to the Book Club questions
1) The rural setting was perfect for the plot - had it been set in downtown NY, it wouldn't have been as believable with the "clique" friendships & the gossip.
2) The striking scene that affected most of the group is when Charlie was hurt, taken to the hospital and the unknown recovery. Also, many parents in the group could relate to Romy - as accidents do happen. However, they all mentioned that they would not have allowed a group of 6 years olds to play around fire unattended.
3) There were no loopholes really - we enjoyed Emily Giffin's dialogue in the book. Very easy read!!!
4) We found that the author did present the conflicts realistically. Emily's books are often about the same theme - relationships and whether or not they are strong enough to last. These are real life issues that people deal with all the time. That being said - we did found that the Valerie gave up a bit to easily and didn't try hard enough to get the man she supposedly loved back. Some women in the group mentioned that if this was real life - she would have tried harder - been a bit more of a villain.
5) The plot was very character-driven - this seems to be the same with all of Emily's books.
6) The theme of this novel is about relationships and whether or not the main characters marriage is strong enough to handle the ups and downs that faced them.
7) We thought it was interesting that Emily went back and forth with Tessa and Valerie to show us, the readers, both views of the women. The beginning was hard to get in to - but once we got used to the characters and got to know them a bit more - the transition of going back and forth became very natural.
8) Characters & Dialogue were both convincing.
9) The major & minor characters were very clear in the book.
10) We had many answers when we discussed who we wanted to meet. Most wanted to meet Nick and ask WHY?, some wanted to meet Charlie - and see how he was doing, and some wanted to meet Romy and find out exactly what did happen.
11) We all agreed that this novel does not need to be made in to a movie. Emily does have a movie coming out in June with one of her first books " Something Blue" , however this book does not seem like a good fit for a movie.
12) We love Emily Giffin and would definitely read more. There was a newcomer to Emily Giffin who said she would read more too!!!
