"Summer in the Hamptons means crowded beaches during the day and lavish parties in the evening, but Angela Graves, a retired English professor, prefers the company of Gabriel García Márquez and Charlotte Brontë. Angela's only steady social contacts are the women in the reading groups she leads, among them Lissy Snyder, a beautiful newlywed who hosts the twice-monthly meetings of the Page Turners and hides a painful personal secret. Meanwhile, Hamptons local Michelle Cutty, Lissy's housecleaner, eavesdrops on the group's book discussions - and gossip - when she's not snooping through Lissy's closets. All three women struggle with issues - abandonment, commitment, and intimacy - that threaten the tenuous balance of their lives. As Angela encourages the Page Turners to identify with the literary heroines of Trollope and Flaubert, the books - in fact, the act of reading itself - will influence the tough choices the women must makes."

I thought this would be more like chick-lit than it actually was, which was a pleasant surprise :) It wasn't as engaging as it could have been though, but I'm not sure why. Maybe the characters weren't identifiable enough for me to really care about what happens to them. I also thought that the book club was actually a bit unnecessary for the story as it didn't really provide a common bond between the three main characters and, on the other hand, the novels read and discussed in the club were only briefly talked about in the book itself. Having said all that, the book was an enjoyable enough read - and what makes it more special to me is that I bought it at a bookstore in Las Vegas when we were there to get married in July 2008 :D

Next off to Chania as per request :)

Thanks so much, I'll look forward reading this. And how nice to know the romantic background of this book too :)

Oh my, it took so long for me to start this book. I did like it, and just like Annimanni, I thought this would be pure chick-lit, but it wasn't and I was glad. Not much about books really, but nice story anyway.

Sending this to the winner of You've got mail-sweepstakes!

The book arrived today with many nice things. Thanks!