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5th out of 71 books
—
7 voters
Four of a Kind
Besides the fact that their kids all attend the same fashionable Brooklyn Heights private school, Bess, Robin, Carla, and Alicia have little in common. Thrown together on the tony school’s Diversity Committee, the women impulsively turn their awkward first meeting into a boisterous game of poker. Instead of betting with chips or pocket change, however, they play for intima...more
Paperback, 344 pages
Published
February 7th 2012
by Ballantine Books
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I was excited to read this because I like playing poker. But I found that I didn't really like any of the characters in the book. I also found it annoying that all the "poker" terms were in quotes and explained to death, as well as being explained with non-humorous asides in the glossary at the end. Also, the description of Omaha at the end omits an important fact that often trips up new players: the player must use EXACTLY two cards from their hand. So if there's a heart flush on the board but...more
I loved this book. It is the story of four women who all have children attending the same expensive private school. At the beginning of the school year, Bess invites the other three women to become part of the school's "Diversity Committee" and attend a meeting at her house. Bess is a perky blonde housewife of a very successful, driven husband. Carla is a black physician who lives with her husband and sons and is extremely straightlaced and strict with her kids and her own personal behavior. Rob...more
Four of a kind by Valerie Frankel told a story about 4 very different women, all brought together by one thing they had in common. Their kids all attended the same school. The book starts out by each character meeting together for a "diversity committee" meeting. This meeting turns into a poker game, and slowly poker becomes their ritual. Although they all lead very different lives, they become dear and close friends over their many poker meetings. The book is broken into sections which have a t...more
Oct 23, 2012
Marathon County Public Library
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Shelves:
adult-fiction,
mcpl-review
When four unlikely women are put on a private school's parent diversity committee, each mother wonders what they have to offer. It isn't until the women start playing poker instead of creating meeting agendas that they start to reveal their true selves and discover that they might actually like each other. Each woman has their own issue to deal with - surly daughters, affairs, demanding families and overwhelming careers. The book follows each woman through their journeys, but the core of the boo...more
“A man’s growth is seen in the successive choirs of his friends.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
I sat down to write this review in the same manner I write every review. I wanted to diplomatically describe the details of the book (something you can easily find on Amazon or Goodreads and therefore do not need me to repeat here). I was then going to give my impression of the book, where the author excelled, what was interesting about the plot, describe the challenges the four main characters faced in their...more
I sat down to write this review in the same manner I write every review. I wanted to diplomatically describe the details of the book (something you can easily find on Amazon or Goodreads and therefore do not need me to repeat here). I was then going to give my impression of the book, where the author excelled, what was interesting about the plot, describe the challenges the four main characters faced in their...more
This is what happens when you're a mom. Your kids are in school, you end up on the PTA/room parent committee/Diversity committee with a bunch of other moms. You try to be social while getting through the committee agenda and, if you are lucky, you actually like the other moms (b/c its rarely dads). Luckier, they become your friends.
In Four of A Kind, four moms from different corners of the school end up on the Diversity Committee together - three are White, one is Black; one is rich, the others...more
In Four of A Kind, four moms from different corners of the school end up on the Diversity Committee together - three are White, one is Black; one is rich, the others...more
At First Sight: Alicia doesn't know what to expect when she's asked to join the Diversity Committee of her son's prestigious private school in Brooklyn Heights; but she's soon thrown together with Bess, a rich, blond princess; Robin, an abrasive, jewish single mother and Carla, a religious african-american doctor.
No one, not even Bess - the Committee's instigator - is sure what they are supposed to be doing, so they find themselves playing cards and sharing secrets - in a game they call Brooklyn...more
No one, not even Bess - the Committee's instigator - is sure what they are supposed to be doing, so they find themselves playing cards and sharing secrets - in a game they call Brooklyn...more
I came across this book while I was at the library, and was ready for a fluffy read. It was a slow read at first, while it goes into the stories of the four ladies and their backgrounds, but once I got passed that, I found that I didn't want to put it down.
It had me laughing, thinking of my own relationships with friends I have, and forgetting at times that I was reading a book, as it had me all caught up in the stories of the women, that I found myself talking out loud during reading the book....more
It had me laughing, thinking of my own relationships with friends I have, and forgetting at times that I was reading a book, as it had me all caught up in the stories of the women, that I found myself talking out loud during reading the book....more
Valerie Frankel's last book Four of a Kind, is another great book carrying all of her wit and "girly" insight. Most women are familiar with her way of exposing a woman's fear, struggles and insecurities. This book is no exception except it also includes their strengths developed through friendships and the importance of those friends. Another title for the book might have been Friends. This is not a surface friendship. This is the relationship that the woman needs with other women, like Monday n...more
Feb 19, 2012
Nawnee
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Everyone
Recommended to Nawnee by:
Goodreads
Shelves:
freebie-books
I won this book from Goodreads, having never read anything by this author I'm very glad that I won.
Valerie Frankel's writing style lays her characters bare for the world to see flaws and all. These four women not only share their weakness's with us, but also their inner strengths that have developed through their friendships and the importance of those friends. This is not a surface friendship. This is a bonded relationship that is just what these women needed.
This book reveals those inner thou...more
Valerie Frankel's writing style lays her characters bare for the world to see flaws and all. These four women not only share their weakness's with us, but also their inner strengths that have developed through their friendships and the importance of those friends. This is not a surface friendship. This is a bonded relationship that is just what these women needed.
This book reveals those inner thou...more
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I really enjoyed Four of A Kind. The author could not have created a group of more different women. They say opposites attract and that could not be more obvious with these women. I really enjoyed how much the women gained from each other. Whether it be the strength for Carla to stand up to her husband, or Bess to stand up to her mother, each of the women grow as women because of the strength of their friends. As their relationships with each other grew, s...more
I really enjoyed Four of A Kind. The author could not have created a group of more different women. They say opposites attract and that could not be more obvious with these women. I really enjoyed how much the women gained from each other. Whether it be the strength for Carla to stand up to her husband, or Bess to stand up to her mother, each of the women grow as women because of the strength of their friends. As their relationships with each other grew, s...more
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Filled with secrets, hopes and dreams, and lots of metaphors about living your life the way you play poker. I just loved it! All the characters were given such unique voices, and I began to really care for them and wondered how they would work through all their problems. This book was a big surprise for me...I hurriedly picked it at the library with my little son rushing me after story time, and I just hoped it would be decent. It was wonderful! I don't want to say to much and let people discove...more
Blech! Four women brought together by a school committee find that they can share their life problems over Texas Hold 'Em and become friends along the way. The premise of this book (and a positive review somewhere else) were what led me to this book, but I found the interpersonal relationships of these women forced. I kept reading because I was "sure it would get better"...it didn't. Had the author developed the character and story of the character, Robin, - and left the others out - she would h...more
I love contemporary books about women and their friendships. I know nothing about poker, have to say that I still don't understand it at all but I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I found it interesting that the characters grew as their friendship grew. As with all of us, they question themselves and question their friendship with each other. There are things they like about each other and things they learn that they don't like so much....just like me.
I wish Valerie Frankel would write a sequel,...more
I wish Valerie Frankel would write a sequel,...more
Not exceptional chick lit, but perfectly apt for the genre. Four mothers, whose children attend the same school in New York City, get together and strangely bond over poker. Waspy Blond Bess, with a teen daughter who hates her. Driven Dr. Carla, who is black, and feels unsupported by her husband. Single mom Robin, Jewish and wealthy, has issues with weight and men. And Amy who is defensive about her poverty and her anxiety-ridden son, hasn't had sex with her husband in over two years.
It was goo...more
It was goo...more
"Poker, like life itself... ... Is a game of luck and skill, flying blind, flips, flops, unexpected twists and turns. Put on your poker faces. Here we go."
"Carla believed in God and aspired to live by his laws, but she didn't believe he bothered himself with the desires of individual people, or the entire human race. We are ants on a hill, she often thought. God had the universe to worry about."
"This was modern life. Too many people in a too-small space, moving at a crawl toward meaningless shor...more
"Carla believed in God and aspired to live by his laws, but she didn't believe he bothered himself with the desires of individual people, or the entire human race. We are ants on a hill, she often thought. God had the universe to worry about."
"This was modern life. Too many people in a too-small space, moving at a crawl toward meaningless shor...more
This book took me FOREVER. I wanted to like it--Amazon kept telling me I would. I didn't, really. Poker is what brought these "four of a kind" (HA! get it?) women together and served to provide a variety of themes and metaphors throughout the story. Blah. I don't know about poker, I don't really want to know about poker, and there was a LOT of poker in this book. Like pages of descriptions of games and hands. And? I didn't care. Lest you think I'm hating this look for that reason, I will also sa...more
This was an enjoyable book that follows a year in the lives of four women in modern day Brooklyn Heights. They all have different home/life/family issues and I found each plot line interesting. The four of them are brought together to form a diversity committee for their children's school but end up learning how to play Texas Hold Em' poker instead. They form a bond and there is some really funny dialogue and comical situations they get themselves into. I reccomend this book as a light, easy rea...more
I love the cover of this book - I like the shade of blue and the painting on the tea cups. However, nowhere in this book does anyone drink tea. It's more of a boozing it up, poker-playing book, so I think the cover is misleading. I liked the characters and thought the plot was interesting, but there was a rawness to the language that I found a little off-putting. Usually, that kind of thing doesn't bother me at all, but it just seemed a little incongruous with a tale of four women's lives.
Valerie Frankel puts o whole new spin on diversity...and I like it! Basic story line: four women with very little in common grow their friendships as they learn to play poker. The characters are real.... You can''t help love them all. Some may say the poker details are tedious at times, but they are such a perfect parallel for telling the stories of the women. They discover that the nuances of Poker can get them effectively through the challenges of life!
I really enjoyed this book! It was a fast, enjoyable read. I liked how she brought together four different women who had nothing in common other than their kids went to the same private school. It was fun to see how they became good friends through their personal struggles. This was the first book I read of hers, and I would reccommend it. There was a little language and a couple of sex scenes. I will look for more from her on my next library trip!
Meh. Cute story. Lots of potential for a great story, but I felt bashed over the head with the poker theme. Having poker be the thread that pulls the four main characters together was a clever idea, but it definitely got overworked. In the end, I did like the story - I just didn't enjoy the process of reading it as much as I thought I would. A fun beach read, maybe, but not what I had hoped.
I picked this because I had just finished a heavy book and I was stressed out and wanted something light. What a surprise. While this was funny and entertaining it was also deep in its own way and touched a lot of sensitive subjects for me. As always, Valerie Frankel brings truly likable and lovable characters that you grow to care about and be interested in. I was sad when the book came to an end.
Valerie Frankel's books always me laugh. This one was no exception. I think I liked this one so much because could really identify with each of the four main characters and could see pieces of myself in each of them at one point or another in the book. Who doesn't love that? Throw in the fact that Frankel's characters don't hesitate to "tell it like it is" about marriage and motherhood and it's a fun read.
I enjoyed the premise of the book and the characters. I tend to like stories where strong women pull together and support each other during the craziness of life. I should have loved this. My problem was all the crass and flippant sex references and scenes. You could tell the author was trying to be hip and sassy. Instead it was tasteless and cheap.
1.5 stars.
1.5 stars.
Four women, nothing in common except their children attend the same school, are thrown together on a diversity committee. Over poker, they tell secrets tell stories and make friendships. Entertaining read, my favorite character was Robin, or maybe I just identified with her the most. I liked this book, it was an easy read but definitely in the woman's lit category which I do not read very much.
The story reminds me of Desperate house wifes except they are not house wifes.
Four strangers get together to start a diversity committee. The only thing they have in common is that their children all attend a upper class private school. Each of the four women has their own secrets and insecurities the deal with. They start playing cards and exchange secrets instead of money.
The book is very real and deals with the mundane day to day struggles of four mothers.
A bit predictable and slow at times...more
Four strangers get together to start a diversity committee. The only thing they have in common is that their children all attend a upper class private school. Each of the four women has their own secrets and insecurities the deal with. They start playing cards and exchange secrets instead of money.
The book is very real and deals with the mundane day to day struggles of four mothers.
A bit predictable and slow at times...more
When you want a nicely written predictable chick lit book this will do the trick. I read it before bed each night for a week and it was a nice relaxing read. I did skip a lot of the poker terminology as that got kind of tedious but I liked the idea of 4 extremely different women coming to like and respect each other over a year of playing a poker game once a month.
I really enjoyed this book. It is a story about women friendship. Having each others back. Just listening to each other when the chips are down. Working through the differences and still liking each other after that. I find it interesting how friendships evolve and which friendships survive the test of time. Maybe that is why I enjoyed this book so much.
This book was ok. It was about 4 women who meet through their children's school. I actually picked it out b/c I was spending a "girls night" with 3 of my mom friends who I too had met through my daughter's school. I thought it was fitting! The book had me entertained, but things got wrapped up a little too neatly.
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She's written twenty books (e.g., The Accidental Virgin and The Girlfriend Curse), and contributed to dozens of publications including the New York Times, Self, Allure, Glamour, Parenting and Good Housekeeping. Her memoir, Thin Is the New Happy, about overcoming bad body image after 30 years of dieting and self-loathing, was recently described as "Rueful, zestful and surprisingly funny," by the Ne...more
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May 30, 2012 09:57am