Domestic Life Books

Revolutionary Road

Richard Yates

List Price: $15.00 By: Vintage Amazon Marketplace: 15 new & used starting at $4.81

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 98 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Ozzie & Harriet did NOT live on Revolutionary Road! 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

'Revolutionary Road' is a fascinating yet rather depressing look at suburban American life in the 1950s. A young couple, a precursor to yuppies, with a pair of kids have the car, the home, good looks - the works. However in their eyes everything seems distorted, confused. They discover that although they might be living the American dream it wasn't THEIR dream. And the couple also find it hard to remember what they ever saw in each other. To keep up appearances and perhaps hold up their marriage they come up with lofty ideas and endeavors which fail from the get go. Unsurprisingly, unlike in Grimm's fairy tales they don't live happily ever after.

'Revolutionary Road' works beautifully on many levels. The characterizations are drawn flawlessly. The prose captures the suffocating existence of the main characters as well as the generally dysfunctional supporting characters. The overall tone is subdued and understated.


Bottom line: the false promises of the American dream surface prominently in this deceptively clever novel. Strongly recommended.

Editorial Review:

Yates' first novel that became an instant classic upon its release in 1961. It remains the definitive portrayal of the lost promises and break-up of the American dream.

Run

Ann Patchett

Amazon Price: $17.13 List Price: $25.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Harper Amazon Marketplace: 137 new & used starting at $4.23

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 192 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Since their mother's death, Tip and Teddy Doyle have been raised by their loving, possessive, and ambitious father. As the former mayor of Boston, Bernard Doyle wants to see his sons in politics, a dream the boys have never shared. But when an argument in a blinding New England snowstorm inadvertently causes an accident that involves a stranger and her child, all Bernard Doyle cares about is his ability to keep his children—all his children—safe.

Set over a period of twenty-four hours, Run takes us from the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard to a home for retired Catholic priests in downtown Boston. It shows us how worlds of privilege and poverty can coexist only blocks apart from each other, and how family can include people you've never even met. As in her bestselling novel Bel Canto, Ann Patchett illustrates the humanity that connects disparate lives, weaving several stories into one surprising and endlessly moving narrative. Suspenseful and stunningly executed, Run is ultimately a novel about secrets, duty, responsibility, and the lengths we will go to protect our children.

The Time Traveler's Wife

Audrey Niffenegger

Amazon Price: $29.95 List Price: $29.95 Usually ships in 7 to 11 days By: Wheeler Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 12 new & used starting at $12.95

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1666 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

One of my favorites. 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This is the type of book that makes images of cold windy days, the color of fall leaves, and big cups of coffee pop into your brain.

It's just beautiful. It's hard to put into words how lovely it truly is.
I actually couldn't really process it once I finished, and I know that opinions are very different in regards to this book. One of my friends even told me not to waste my time with it. Still, I think it was completely gorgeous, lush, breathtaking, and...just wonderful. I know I'm going on and on but it's that type of book that just hits you in the face and makes you feel like running out and finding a man/woman to experience a life changing romance with.

Editorial Review:

A New York Times Bestseller
A Today Show Book Club Selection

This is the story of Clare, a beautiful art student, and Henry, an adventuresome librarian. They met when Clare was six and Henry was thirty-six, and married when Clare was twenty-three and Henry thirty-one. Impossible but true: Henry is one of the first people diagnosed with Chrono-Displacement Disorder. Periodically his genetic clock resets and he finds himself misplaced in time, disappearing spontaneously for experiences alternately harrowing and amusing.

Available only in Wheeler Hardcover 7.

The Poisonwood Bible

Barbara Kingsolver

Amazon Price: $17.16 List Price: $26.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: HarperCollins Amazon Marketplace: 226 new & used starting at $0.01

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1418 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The Poisonwood Bible is a story told by the wife and four daughters of Nathan Price, a fierce, evangelical Baptist who takes his family and mission to the Belgian Congo in 1959. They carry with them everything they believe they will need from home, but soon find that all of it—from garden seeds to Scripture—is calamitously transformed on African soil. What follows is a suspenseful epic of one family's tragic undoing and remarkable reconstruction over the course of three decades in postcolonial Africa.

The novel is set against one of the most dramatic political chronicles of the twentieth century: the Congo's fight for independence from Belgium, the murder of its first elected prime minister, the CIA coup to install his replacement, and the insidious progress of a world economic order that robs the fledgling African nation of its autonomy. Against this backdrop, Orleanna Price reconstructs the story of her evangelist husband's part in the Western assault on Africa, a tale indelibly darkened by her own losses and unanswerable questions about her own culpability. Also narrating the story, by turns, are her four daughters—the self-centered, teenaged Rachel; shrewd adolescent twins Leah and Adah; and Ruth May, a prescient five-year-old. These sharply observant girls, who arrive in the Congo with racial preconceptions forged in 1950s Georgia, will be marked in surprisingly different ways by their father's intractable mission, and by Africa itself. Ultimately each must strike her own separate path to salvation. Their passionately intertwined stories become a compelling exploration of moral risk and personal responsibility.

Dancing between the dark comedy of human failings and the breathtaking possibilities of human hope, The Poisonwood Bible possesses all that has distinguished Barbara Kingsolver's previous work, and extends this beloved writer's vision to an entirely new level. Taking its place alongside the classic works of postcolonial literature, this ambitious novel establishes Kingsolver as one of the most thoughtful and daring of modern writers.

At First Sight

Nicholas Sparks

Amazon Price: $16.47 List Price: $24.95 Usually ships in 6 to 12 days By: Grand Central Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 384 new & used starting at $0.01

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 160 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Okay but Not Near His Best 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This book is a romance between Jeremy, a successful New York
magazine columnist, who falls in love with Lexie, a country girl, and moves to her neck of the woods away from the city. The author delves into the dynamics of friendship, commitment, marriage, pregnancy and fatherhood. It gave insights into the adjustments involved in entering and maintaining a serious relationship by centering on Jeremy's and Lexie's feelings as their relationship progressed. The ending surprised me so I'd say it is a good book and recommend it to anyone who likes romance.

Editorial Review:

Nicholas Sparks brings back two characters from his beloved bestseller, True Believer, in this continuing saga of extraordinary love.

There are few things Jeremy Marsh was sure he'd never do: he'd never leave New York City; never give his heart away again after barely surviving one failed marriage; and most of all, never become a parent. Now, Jeremy is living in the tiny town of Boone Creek, North Carolina, married to Lexie Darnell, the love of his life, and anticipating the birth of their daughter. But just as his life seems to be settling into a blissful pattern, an unsettling and mysterious message re-opens old wounds and sets off a chain of events that will forever change the course of this young couple's marriage.

Case Histories: A Novel

Kate Atkinson

List Price: $23.95 By: Little, Brown and Company Amazon Marketplace: 92 new & used starting at $0.46

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 142 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

A triumphant new novel from award-winner Kate Atkinson: a breathtaking story of families divided, love lost and found, and the mysteries of fate.

Case One: Olivia Land, youngest and most beloved of the Land girls, goes missing in the night and is never seen again. Thirty years later, two of her surviving sisters unearth a shocking clue to Olivias disappearance among the clutter of their childhood home. . .

Case Two: Theo delights in his daughter Lauras wit, effortless beauty, and selfless love. But her first day as an associate in his law firm is also the day when Theos world turns upside down. . .

Case Three: Michelle looks around one day and finds herself trapped in a hell of her own making. A very needy baby and a very demanding husband make her every waking moment a reminder that somewhere, somehow, shed made a grave mistake and would spend the rest of her life paying for it--until a fit of rage creates a grisly, bloody escape.

As Private Detective Jackson Brodie investigates all three cases, startling connections and discoveries emerge. Inextricably caught up in his clients grief, joy, and desire, Jackson finds their unshakable need for resolution very much like his own.

Kate Atkinsons celebrated talent makes for a novel that positively sparkles with surprise, comedy, tragedy, and constant, page-turning delight.

Mercy

Jodi Picoult

List Price: $24.95 By: Putnam Adult Amazon Marketplace: 12 new & used starting at $14.97

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 77 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Have Mercy 2 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Just let me say that is very very rare that I put down a book but this one and I quote Dorothy Parker "Should be thrown with great force" Ugh I got halfway through this book hoping against hope that it would grab hold and I would start to like at least one of the characters but none of them from start to finish have any redeeming qualities... That was not the only problem... Why was there so much detail on mundane things that were completely unnecessary to the story... Don't bother!!! This is truly one of the worst books I have ever read...

Disappointed 1 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This book was a total disappointment. There were two story lines that could have easily been separate books but together they did not work. The first being a story about Mercy Killing which is a topic that we too may one day struggle with. The other story line was about a weak man who attempts to save his marriage, when his affair is over and he just wants consistency back in his life.

My first introduction to Jodi Picoult was when I read her book "Nineteen Minutes" I recommended that book to all of my friends and family. She is a gifted writer but Mercy is not one of them.

Editorial Review:

Two cousins are driven to extremes by the power of love, as one helps his terminally ill wife commit suicide at her request, and the other becomes involved in a passionate affair with his wife's new assistant. 17,500 first printing.

Harvesting the Heart: A Novel

Jodi Picoult

List Price: $23.00 By: Viking Adult Amazon Marketplace: 13 new & used starting at $24.91

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 96 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Harvesting the Heart 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Picoult takes you into the hearts and minds of her caracters and you feel their pain. Her research and depth of knowlege of the issues she deals with never ceases to amaze me.

Well written but.... 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Well-written and it definitely kept me interested...yet...halfway through the book I found myself really despising the characters. Paige is a wimpy non-too-bright mother who let's herself be treated very poorly. Nicholas, her husband, is a horror. He's pompous and conceited and selfish and downright nasty...and we're supposed to be happy this marriage works?? Neither one of them seemed to care for their child, and honestly I felt it would have been better for both of them if they just gave him up for adoption. I guess the whole thing is pretty realistic though, and that I think, is what's really sad.

Editorial Review:

Now with a child of her own, Paige is still haunted by memories of her own mother, who left when she was five, and plagued by constant self-doubt. By the author of Songs of the Humpback Whale. 15,000 first printing.

Baby Proof

Emily Giffin

Amazon Price: $13.94 List Price: $23.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: St. Martin's Press Amazon Marketplace: 139 new & used starting at $1.10

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 252 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

From the author of the smash hits Something Borrowed and Something Blue comes a novel that explores the question: is there ever a deal-breaker when it comes to true love?

First comes love. Then comes marriage. Then comes . . . a baby carriage? Isn’t that what all women want?
 
Not so for Claudia Parr. And just as she gives up on finding a man who feels the same way, she meets warm, wonderful Ben. Things seem too good to be true when they fall in love and agree to buck tradition with a satisfying, child-free marriage. Then the unexpected occurs: one of them has a change of heart. One of them wants children after all.
 
This is the witty, heartfelt story about what happens to the perfect couple when they suddenly want different things. It’s about feeling that your life is set and then realizing that nothing is as you thought it was--and that there is no possible compromise. It’s about deciding what is most important in life, and taking chances to get it. But most of all, it’s about the things we will do--and won’t do--for love.

50 Harbor Street (Cedar Cove, Book 5)

Debbie Macomber

List Price: $31.95 By: Thorndike Press Amazon Marketplace: 8 new & used starting at $11.09

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 33 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

50 Harbor Street 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

All of the Cedar Cove books are great!! You really get wraped up in the characters. I can't wait for #8 to come out.

Debbie Macomber's 50 Harbor Street, (Cedar Grove Series, #5 5 out of 5 stars.
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I loved this book... When I order one of Debbie Macomber's book and it is in a series, I like to order the entire series as I know that once I finish one of her books, I immediately want to start on the next one. You feel as though you know the folds in her books. I highly recommend every book that I have read of Debbie Macomber's.
Happy Reading,
Edie~

Great book! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I truly enjoyed this book and love the way the author writes her novels in sharing the lives of different characters.

So sit back and enjoy the gossip 5 out of 5 stars.
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Another Deb Macomber novel another five stars for the queen of contemporary romance. Strange deliveries plague the couple residing at 50 Harbor Street. But this mystery is only the beginning for the virus free McAfees ( a little humor ) as the background of Roy is brought forth in the town of Cedar Cove. But what would a Cedar Cove book be without the juicy gossip and elicit affairs? Enter Linette who is in hot pursuit of a young physician who ignores her in favor of her friend. Sizzling. As usual, Deb Macomber sets the scene well for the 6th installment of this desperate housewives must read. So sit back and enjoy the gossip in this wonderful little town.

Editor of the highly recommended novel: Fates by Georgiou Tino: Best of 2008

Editorial Review:

A New York Times Bestselling Author

In the fifth title of her New York Times bestselling series, Debbie Macomber returns to Cedar Cove, Washington, and the stories of its residents - including private investigator Roy McAfee and his wife, Corrie, who've been receiving puzzling anonymous messages in the mail.

Simultaneous Publication With Harlequin's Standard Version