book data
297 ratings,
3.00
average rating, 57 reviews
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published
November 4th 2003
by Ballantine Books
(first published 2002)
details
Paperback, 400 pages
isbn
0345439112
(isbn13: 9780345439116)
description
Lifelong best friends Margaret and Letty are in their mid-30s. Margaret has just quit her teaching job to write a novel in Manhattan; Letty, her husba…more
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 429)
All ratings
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5 stars (29)
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4 stars (73)
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3 stars (97)
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2 stars (64)
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1 star (34)
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avg 3.00
editions: all | this edition
editions: all | this edition
Read in May, 2009
I decided to take a break from historical fiction on my last couple of days on vacation, and I gave this book a try. Reading this one is akin to watching a train wreck—you know what is going to happen, it slightly sickens you, but you can’t really turn away. As the back cover eloquently puts it, “At heart, Schwarz’s novel depicts the narcissistic flair in contemporary society: No one can stand to be average.” The main two characters are best friends from childhood, both of whom exp...more
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At first I found this book amusing, but as the story developed I began to chafe at the self indulgence and self absorption of both Margaret and Letty. Letty's e-mails were entertaining, but the consumerism (is that spelled right) and "keeping up with the Jones" attempts soured me. And as for Margaret, she's lucky she married an understanding and forgiving man... I think the author tried to show us how both characters grew, but it seemed too little, too late.
However, the boo...more
However, the boo...more
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Letty and Margaret are childhood friends from California. Letty is a stay-at-home mom who keeps in touch with her best friend through amusing emails detailing her struggles to keep up with the LA "Joneses." Margaret as moved to NYC and has quit her job to write a novel. The story details the rise and fall of each. Funny, satirical, a bit too long.
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Read in January, 2008
I was certainly on the edge of my seat for most of this book. Schwarz keeps you turning pages.
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Read in March, 2009
Painful to read because the protagonists did everything wrong, but at the same time ripe with irony and humor. When Margaret quits her job as a teacher to write a novel, her dillusions of granduer inevitably lead her down a path of self destruction. At the same time, on the other side of the country, her best friend since elementary school makes failed attempt after failed attempt to fit into the rich and burgeoning life style of L.A. As a writer, I particularly enjoyed this book because of the ...more
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Read in January, 2010
…and so is the book. I din't like or identify with any of the characters, who were vapid for different reasons. I kept putting the book down to do other things, never eager to pick it back up, which is very unusual for a vorracious reader who blows through 1+ books a day on vacation. The only redeeming quality was teh anger that i felt at both characters and how they got what they deserved. If this emotional of a reaction to a book is good and registers some sort of connection, I can only say ...more
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May 05, 2009
Cam
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I don't remember anything about this book! I just wrote in my journal that I had read it, and that it wasn't nearly as good as, "Drowning Ruth" which is a book I really enjoyed by the same author. I read another of her books earlier this year or late last year, and didn't like that one either. I'm not sure I'd read any of her books in the future, although I still recommend, "Drowning Ruth" which was an interesting book.
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Read in May, 2009
Margaret has some of the same procrastination techniques that I do, which is a little bit scary for me! The history between Margaret and Letty was interesting, I think everyone has a friend who has always just been there, whether you are truly compatible or not. It was a little hard to watch things snowball for Letty, especially in these economic times, and watching her personality change accordingly.
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Read in October, 2009
I loved this book. It was a great easy read although for a long time I was scared that the central character was in large part based on me !! It is witty and grounded and a total chick book. Not great literature but a great read.
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This book was an ok read. One where you despise the characters because of their faults. I typically like books that uplift or send an uplifiting message. It is good to step outside of your comfort zone, occasionally
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Read in February, 2009
This book was not so good. It drug on and on. It was so hard to get into. And then it seems that when something actually started to happen, it ended. And it ended kind of dumb in my opinion.
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Read in January, 2005
The first 200 pages of this book could have been done in about 50, in my opinion but I liked the book, overall. Interesting, a little different. Very different from "Drowning Ruth".
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Read in November, 2008
This book was so depressing, two people with no common sense making a mess of not only their own lives but the lives of their families. American culture at it's worst on display.
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Read in November, 2008
I can't say that I loved this book....I found the characters extremely flawed. Though I tried hard to hate them, I found myself getting really tangled up in their messes. In my own way, I started to identify with them --worried about finances, worried about jobs, worried about success. Because of that, I wanted the characters to pull themselves together and make better choices. Obviously, that wasn't going to be the case.
There were heavy-handed parts throughout the book, and some...more
There were heavy-handed parts throughout the book, and some...more
loved these women. read this book after NYC trip so the walking around town scenes were vivid and rang true. funny, interesting depiction of writer at work.
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Read in January, 2008
I love Christina Schwarz. My favorite of her 3 that I've read. The characters are written so funny and the twist at the end is great.
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This is a story about two friends living completely different lives: a stay-at-home mother of four in Los Angeles and an aspiring novelist in New York City. I thought this was going to be a book about women coping with their place in life in their mid-thirties. It is . . . but it is so much more than that. The story takes an unexpected turn and I discovered that it’s really about the pitfalls of consumerism, competitiveness and, you guessed it, vanity. Reading this book was like the proverbial...more
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I gave this book 195 pages of my time until finally I could not take it any longer. There seemed to be very little in the way of a story.
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Read in July, 2009
This was a hard book for me to get into but there's a good lesson buried in it. You just have to keep reading to make it there.
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Mar 02, 2009
Lois
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Read in February, 2009
Read Drowning Ruth a number of years back and loved it. This novel was very enjoyable, as well.
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