Journal Entry 1 by hotflash from Tucson, Arizona USA on Friday, July 02, 2004

This is just a great read: a novel about a group of women who form a book club and how their friendships hold them together through changing times, family stresses, and everything life throws at us.
This book will be available for loan at the end of July '04 (after my bookclub discussion). 

Journal Entry 2 by hotflash from Tucson, Arizona USA on Friday, August 27, 2004

Journal Entry 3 by hotflash from Tucson, Arizona USA on Monday, August 30, 2004

Journal Entry 4 by sweetpea0678 from Saint Petersburg, Florida USA on Wednesday, September 08, 2004

Will get to asap 

Journal Entry 5 by sweetpea0678 at Post Office in St. Pete, Florida -- Controlled Releases on Tuesday, September 21, 2004

Released 7 yrs ago (9/21/2004 UTC) at Post Office in St. Pete, Florida -- Controlled Releases

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

RELEASE NOTES:

Sent to next bookcrosser in bookring. 

Journal Entry 6 by MyPileOfBooks on Sunday, October 24, 2004

What a great book! What a wonderful thing to have friends forever like the women in this book! I can only hope to be so lucky! 

Journal Entry 7 by MyPileOfBooks at Bookring Release in -- Mail or by hand-rings, RABCK, meetings, swap etc, Missouri USA on Tuesday, November 02, 2004

Released on Tuesday, November 02, 2004 at about 11:00:00 AM BX time (GMT-06:00) Central Time (US & Canada) at Bookring Release in Bookring Release, Missouri USA.

RELEASE NOTES:

Sending on to icanfly! 

Journal Entry 8 by icanfly from Grand Blanc, Michigan USA on Thursday, November 11, 2004

Received in the mail yesterday. I'll start it this weekend! 

Journal Entry 9 by icanfly from Grand Blanc, Michigan USA on Friday, December 17, 2004

My puppy took a large bite out of the corner of this book and unfortunately swallowed some text, so I've ordered a replacement copy from Amazon.com that I'll be forwarding on as soon as it arrives. I'm about 2/3 of the way through the book and I'm really enjoying it. That puppy has some shart teeth! 

Journal Entry 10 by icanfly from Grand Blanc, Michigan USA on Tuesday, January 04, 2005

Shipped replacement copy out to Bookharlot 1/3/05 after Guinness the Menace doberman puppy munched up the original a bit. I enjoyed this book. Sort of reminded me of the neighborhood where I grew up. Everyone knew everyone else. I've never lived in a place like that since. 

Journal Entry 11 by bookharlot from Winston Salem, North Carolina USA on Wednesday, January 19, 2005

Finally got to the post office and found this waiting for me!

A friend recommended it, so I'm looking forward to diving in. :-) 

Journal Entry 12 by bookharlot from Winston Salem, North Carolina USA on Friday, February 11, 2005

I LOVED this book. What a great book about the bonds women form and how they enrich our lives. I think I'll have to buy myself a copy because I know I'll want to re-read it. :-)

It will be on it's way to the next person as soon as I get an address! 

Journal Entry 13 by dancing-dog from Cordova, Tennessee USA on Tuesday, March 15, 2005

Was kind of wondering what happened with this but the book has now arrived safe & sound and is settling in nicely in its new temporary home with me. Looking forward to reading it and will start it today! 

Journal Entry 14 by dancing-dog from Cordova, Tennessee USA on Monday, March 28, 2005

Finished this over the weekend - what a fun read! Kind of reminded me of the tv show Desperate Housewives except not sleazy/cheesy like the show - but both have strong female characters who are friends and go thru the rigors of life together with spouse, children and family, all living on the same street. Liked the style of writing where each character has their own voice, speaking at different times throughout the book - I think this really helped develop their personalities well. Thanks for sharing this hotflash - very enjoyable. :)

Will get it out in the mail today or tomorrow to Sp4home! 

Journal Entry 15 by sp4home from Valley Center, Kansas USA on Saturday, April 02, 2005

The book arrived this morning. I have one book to finish reading, then I'll read this one. I'll post more after I read the book. :o) 

Journal Entry 16 by sp4home from Valley Center, Kansas USA on Monday, April 25, 2005

I enjoyed this book. I think I will purchase it so that I can re-read it again later. It took me a few chapters to catch-on to the author's style of writing. I enjoyed getting to know the five women. I liked this book, and I would recommend this book to my friends. 

Journal Entry 17 by sp4home at in the mail in Bookring, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases on Monday, April 25, 2005

Released 7 yrs ago (4/25/2005 UTC) at in the mail in Bookring, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

RELEASE NOTES:

This book is being sent to Sunryzze. USPS tracking # 02010521297593455323 delivered at 12:07 pm on April 29, 2005 in SAN DIEGO, CA 92122.
 

Journal Entry 18 by Sunryzze from San Diego, California USA on Wednesday, May 11, 2005

Arrived at the end of April, and am starting to read it. So far so good... I am really excited to be reading this book. I will post again when it is on its way!

Thanks so much! 

Journal Entry 19 by Sunryzze from San Diego, California USA on Thursday, June 02, 2005

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I loved learning about all of the characters, and it made feel as though I was in the group too! I sent it off yesterday, June 1 to Fizzfred, tracking number is 03041560000568030898. I hope you enjoy! Thanks for including me in the bookring! :) 

Journal Entry 20 by fizzfred from Sacramento, California USA on Sunday, June 05, 2005

Thanks Sunryzze. I received this on Friday. I am almost finished with my current read so I will jump into this soon. I can't wait! 

Journal Entry 21 by fizzfred from Sacramento, California USA on Sunday, June 12, 2005

Oh, I really enjoyed spending time with Faith, Audrey, Kari, Slip, and Merit (plus their children, husbands and Grant). This book made me cry a lot though. I identified with Faith but loved Audrey the best and looked forward to Kari's chapters the most. All of these women were great characters. I only wish I had read this with my book club. I guess reading it with my BookCrossing friends is the next best thing. :) I will send it to your-book-fairy as soon as I get an address. Thank you SO MUCH, hotflash, for sharing your book!!! 

Journal Entry 22 by fizzfred from Sacramento, California USA on Monday, June 13, 2005

I sent this to your-book-fairy today. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! 

Journal Entry 23 by your-book-fairy from South Orange, New Jersey USA on Thursday, June 23, 2005

Got this one in the mail today and will be starting it by the weekend -- I can't wait after reading all these reviews! Thank you to hotflash and everyone else who got the book this far! 

Journal Entry 24 by your-book-fairy from South Orange, New Jersey USA on Monday, June 27, 2005

I started this book on Saturday afternoon, right when my one month old daughter began one of her 24 hour growth spurt marathons where she can't decide whether she'd rather eat or sleep so she ends up alternating between the two every ten minutes (or doing both at the same time). As a result, I spent a ton of time this weekend in my rocking chair with her on my lap, and I was so glad to have this book to keep me company -- even if it meant racing through from cover to cover and finishing the book by Sunday morning!

This was a really nice book, as a NYC native it sometimes made me wish I'd grown up in a big house where I could plsy outside in a cul de sac and know the same families for years and years. It also made me wish for a book club like these ladies, I think the author did a good job of showing how they grew over the years and I liked that she didn't try to keep things perfect; the occasional conflict between the women or in their family made it more realistic for me. I agree that the use of the different characters' voices really added to the story, and I liked how the author used the different book club selections to tie that in.

What I didn't find so realistic were Faith's letters to her mother. I think they were important to the story and her character, but they so often seemed to me more like a literary device for filling in information than they did like a letter anyone would actually write.

If you enjoyed this book, I also recommend The Future Homemakers of America (http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/1972520/pjmom8025/book_-The-Future-Homemakers-of-America-Laurie-Graham), which also follows some interesting women over the course of a few decades (and includes some good recipes!).

I have Jessibud's address and will be taking this to the post office tomorrow, assuming these thunderstorms ever let up! 

Journal Entry 25 by jessibud from Toronto, Ontario Canada on Thursday, July 07, 2005

It's here! This book arrived in my mailbox today and it will be the next one I begin! I have only a few more pages left in the book I am currently reading and that one should be finished before today is done.


I am now officially on vacation and this looks like the perfect summer read, arriving at the perfect time. Thanks for letting me move down on this list from where I was originally, Hotflash! I promise I won't take forever with it! ;-) 

Journal Entry 26 by jessibud from Toronto, Ontario Canada on Friday, July 22, 2005

Just jumping in here to say how much I am enjoying this book! I also agree that the author's style of having each character narrate her own chapters in the first person, is an excellent device and I also like that the book takes place over a passage of time, not just in one place, in one time. I feel that the combination of these devices really allows the characters to grow and develop, and lets us see them as real people.

I'm just over halfway through now but will PM the next person so I can be ready to send it off as soon as I'm done, hopefully in a few days.

Thanks, Hotflash. Once again, our taste in books jives...! 

Journal Entry 27 by jessibud from Toronto, Ontario Canada on Tuesday, August 02, 2005

Oops! I was away when I finished and mailed this book and forgot to journal it. I mailed it on to Kiwiwonder on July 27.

I have to say how much I enjoyed this book. Landvik's way with words and her style of allowing the characters to grow, develop and reveal themselves to us, is a wonder.

Here is one of my favourite passages, so visual, so sensuous:

"She loved watching the seasons, which reminded her of people: spring with its softness and tender green buds was a baby, and as the flowers burst forth and the leaves unfurled, a toddler. Brash summer was a child, all blue lakes and blue water and yellow sunshine -- full of possibility -- until around mid-August it became a teenager, sulky and stormy, a little dangerous. Autumn, beautiful rusty gold and maroon autumn, was a matron in tweeds and sensible shoes who begged you to come outside and take a walk with her while listening to her recite Shakespeare and Byron and Shelley. In very late October, when the crispness of the air was turning cold and the billowing blue sky was now a gray canopy, Kari thought of her grandmother, who had lived with Kari's family after her stroke. The air and the earth at this time of fall was kind and wistful, just like her grandmother, who always seemed happy to see you, but you knew you wouldn't be together long."


 

Journal Entry 28 by KiwiWonder from Auckland, Auckland Province New Zealand on Monday, October 10, 2005

Finally arrived! Must have taken the row boat over here :) On the bottom of the short list for now as I have a couple other rings already here. 

Journal Entry 29 by Piiku from Parainen, Varsinais-Suomi Finland on Thursday, December 08, 2005

The book is safely in Finland. I will start reading it this weekend.
 

Journal Entry 30 by Piiku from Parainen, Varsinais-Suomi Finland on Saturday, January 21, 2006

The book wasn't really what I expected, so I gave up after about 50 pages. Kelwood wanted to skip also, so I'm waiting for instructions from hotflash.

*** Edit Feb 6th: now I have the address, will send the book back to hotflash. 

Journal Entry 31 by hotflash from Tucson, Arizona USA on Saturday, February 25, 2006

Journal Entry 32 by hotflash from Tucson, Arizona USA on Tuesday, May 02, 2006

This was was scooped up by my mother today and taken back to Phoenix with her....will retrieve at some point and make available again.

Edited to add: She thoroughly enjoyed it. Took her ages to read it, but she loves it. Made a comment about how she can't understand anyone staying with an abusive husband. I was quite impressed that she remembered details of the story line (she has dementia).
 

Journal Entry 33 by hotflash from Tucson, Arizona USA on Monday, December 04, 2006

Finally found this book in my mother's closet, stashed with a sweater. Oh well, she is 80 after all. Will add to my PCs for now but might send out if someone wants to read it badly enough. 

Journal Entry 34 by hotflash from Tucson, Arizona USA on Saturday, May 12, 2007

Decided to pass this book along to a new BookCrosser in Tucson.
Just can't let it languish on my shelf - this one is too much fun to not be enjoyed by someone else.