7.23.2010

love the one you're with.


Meh. This book was alright. I am smack dab in the middle of another book, but my friend gave this to me on audio, and I have just been listening to it in my car. I didn't appreciate the language. Call me naive and sheltered, but it said the F word a couple times and that word gives me the creepy crawlies and makes me uncomfortable. And since it was on audio, I couldn't skip over the naughty words. Other than that, it was pretty clean.

Here is a synopsis:
Shortly after marrying Andy, a wealthy successful attorney (who is also her best friend's brother) Ellen runs into Leo, her intense first love. Leo has secretly preoccupied Ellen ever since he broke her heart, so after seeing him again, Ellen wonders if her perfect life is really what she wants or simply what she was expected to want. This scenario is complicated by Ellen's past: the early death of her mother and subsequent disintegration of her family have left Ellen insecure and saddled with unresolved feelings of guilt. These feelings intensify when Andy's career takes the newlyweds from Ellen's beloved New York City to suburban Atlanta. As Ellen's feelings of inadequacy and resentment grow, her marriage begins to crumble.
Most of that was taken from Amazon, with a few of my own tweaks.

The storyline is weak, though it is narrated well. What I do like is that the message of the book is a good one. Your choices have consequences - good and bad. It is never a good idea to dwell on what might have been, because you begin to lose appreciation for the wonderful things you do have in your life. It was super fast (only took about 4 hours to listen to), so I don't feel like it was a complete waste of my time. By the end of the book I was feeling like Ellen didn't really deserve her kind husband. Does that make me a jerk?
I almost always really enjoy books that are written in first person for some reason. I like being inside someone else's head (even if they are a fictional character), but I just couldn't relate to this woman. Maybe it's just because I have a hard time understanding infidelity and dishonesty with your spouse. I don't know.

Not one that will make a permanent home on my bookshelf (or in my ipod), but not a complete waste of time.
How's THAT for a wishy washy opinion?


POST-EDIT:
I have been thinking about this badly written review ever since I posted (I get obsessive sometimes). Then I talked to my husband about it. And the more I think about this book, the more I dislike it. I think it gives bad ideas about entertaining thoughts of the past and old boyfriends. Which I don't think is healthy. Kind of like how the Twilight series often gives teenage girls and unwed twenty-somethings unrealistic expectations of men...ya know?

I hope it's okay that I just changed my opinion. I feel like I can put it to bed now :)

3 comments:

ariel said...

that is pretty wishy washy :)

i also struggle with books that deal with infidelity and dishonesty in marriage. it frustrates me. so this is probably not the book for me!

stephani said...

so i posted this five days ago, and the more I think about this book, the more I realize how much I really didnt like it. For some reason, it keeps eating at me.
perhaps i should start giving myself a week to stew over my thoughts on a book before I post about it? :)

ariel said...

i do the same. i think often about my review of eat,pray,love and realize that i just flat out hated that book. can i go back and edit??

:)