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Recalculating

by Jennifer Weiner (Goodreads Author)

3.1 of 5 stars 3.10 · rating details · 637 ratings · 84 reviews

After Maureen's husband dies, she imagines that the years of abuse are over, but while looking for the Halloween decorations in the attic, Maureen finds a gift-wrapped GPS with her name on the box: an early birthday present from her late husband. When the voice from the machine starts giving her sinister directions, she learns that sometimes the dead are restless . . . and...more

ebook, 44 pages

Published October 31st 2011 by Atria Books

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Jan 22, 2012 Michelle R. rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: short-story-or-novella, horror, rar

(Review originally appeared at Red Adept Reviews)

Overall: 3 ½ stars

Plot/Storyline: 3 ¼ stars

I'm very ambivalent about this one. I enjoyed aspects of it, perhaps even most of it, but a few moments felt false. If someone asked be about it I'd say, "yeah, it wasn't bad, you might like it." I just find myself without enthusiasm this time around.

Maureen is a woman who secretly lived with spousal abuse for years and now finds herself a widow. While getting down the Halloween ornaments from the attic,...more (Review originally appeared at Red Adept Reviews)

Overall: 3 ½ stars

Plot/Storyline: 3 ¼ stars

I'm very ambivalent about this one. I enjoyed aspects of it, perhaps even most of it, but a few moments felt false. If someone asked be about it I'd say, "yeah, it wasn't bad, you might like it." I just find myself without enthusiasm this time around.

Maureen is a woman who secretly lived with spousal abuse for years and now finds herself a widow. While getting down the Halloween ornaments from the attic, she finds a package left for her by her husband. A Ouija GPS. Yes, really. Her husband still thinks he can tell her where to get off.

I felt compassion for her during the moments recounting her abusive marriage. Those moments felt real, right down to how he manipulated her and isolated her from others, and how she learned to accept it as her lot in life. I just don't think the horror element, at least the execution of it, quite meshed. I get why it's there thematically, but I felt that the author didn't quite know how to execute it. There was an issue that was wrapped up vaguely and in a couple sentences, because I think Ms. Weiner knew the point couldn't stand up to any real scrutiny. It felt like she didn't know what to do with it and hoped no one noticed; in truth, the whole horror element felt that way. I don't know and can't know if this was the case, but this is how it felt.

I did find it to be a little bit scary, and I think that's largely due to the built up empathy for the main character, and wanted her to have a better life. I didn't know where the story was going and had a twinge of anxiety at the slight chance that it wouldn't end well. Plus, most GPS systems are very Uncanny Valley - the point at which tech stuff like computers and robots become so human that, instead of being endearing, it's just creepy.

Characters: 3 ¾ stars

I obviously cared about Maureen, and I found her believable in many ways, but I can't say any of the characterization blew me away, and I'm someone who is a fan of this writer's characters, like the sisters in In Her Shoes, and Cannie in Good in Bed.

What I do appreciate here, and in her previous efforts, is her respect for characters and heroines over the age of forty.

Writing Style: 3 ½ stars

I know Jennifer Weiner can write, but I just don't think all the elements were written cohesively. While there were moments when the language was lovely and evocative, so much of the time I was just a bit underwhelmed. (less)

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Jan 02, 2012 Andrea rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, ghost, murder, comedy

Ehhh.

I was a bit hesitant to read anymore Jennifer weiner, I haven't enjoyed her more recent writings as much as her old stuff, so I went into this with low expectation. I mean, it was a novelette so I didn't expect to get sucked in, but you know what I mean.

Anyways, it was read in about twenty minutes, so it wasnt time consuming, which was nice.

I didn't love Maureen, then again I'm never a fan of a woman that lets herself get abused. And yes, I said lets herself, maureen could have easily wa...more

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Jan 23, 2012 gille rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiftyfiftyme

first of all, i REALLY hated reading this on my phone kindle thing. my eyes were going nuts. maybe i needed to adjust the brightness or something, but i had to hold the phone a mile away and squint to see the words. it was awful. that said, i'm not sure this counts toward my fiftyfifty goal because it was a short story, but as i see myself reading greater than 50 books at my current pace, i will include it anyway.

Recalculating is a short story that Jennifer Weiner released only on eBook format,...more

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Nov 03, 2011 Kristin (Kritters Ramblings) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kritter-reviewed-2011, nookbook

A great short story that has some mystery that is perfect for the season. With a little Halloween spin, this short story packs a punch full of creepy.

After seeing an announcement on twitter of a new Jennifer Weiner book, I mad a dash to look for it and even after hearing it was a short story - I immediately purchased the nookbook and read it right then and there.

A story about a woman who has withstood abuse in the most unusual way from her husband for years and years, she finds the strength to...more

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Nov 21, 2011 Alexa rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I love Jennifer Weiner and think it's great that she wrote a short story in a new genre. I also love that it's called "recalculating," because my sister and I always laugh when my GPS says "recalculating." We're just SURE she says it with an attitude.

The story centers around a woman who suffered abuse at the hands of her husband for years. I thought that piece of the story was very well developed, especially considering that it was done so quickly (it being a short story). Maureen's feelings abo...more

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Nov 01, 2011 LiteraryMarie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

On Friday, I saw a tweet from one of my favorite authors, Jennifer Weiner. "Check out the cover for Recalculating. On sale Monday! Links to come." So like the nosy Twitter addict I am, I clicked the link and saw the cover. Consider my interest piqued. So I replied to her tweet saying that I didn't know a new release was coming so soon. She immediately replied with an answer. Amazingly, she got an idea about a possessed GPS. Wrote it on Wednesday. The publisher, Atria Books, had it edited then cr...more

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Nov 07, 2011 Abi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I bought this book after seeing Jennifer talk about it on Twitter and Facebook. I have the Nook app on my iPhone and occasionally use it to read books in bed or while traveling. I coudln't sleep one night and decided to read this short story. I'm not a big fan of scary things and choosing to read this at night alone in bed, but I read it anyway. I wouldn't say the book is scary at all, but it does have some suspense. It is a clever concept about a GPS that is possessed. The abuse part of the sto...more

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Jun 05, 2012 Sandy Cox rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Just read the greatest short story by Jennifer Weiner. Maureen has recently been widowed and finds a present in the attic from her late husband - an off brand GPS to help Maureen find her way now that she’s alone the world.

As she’s driving to see her sister one day, the calm female voice stops telling her which way to turn. Instead, a man tells her to turn around - a man that sounds too much like her dead husband and Maureen realizes this is not the kind gift she thought it was.

This story was...more

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Mar 05, 2012 Kristilyn (Reading In Winter & Winter Distractions) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: on-my-ereader, read-in-2012

First things first, I will admit that this is the first book I have ever read on my iPod. OK, so it’s a short story, but it’s a start, right?

Am I ready for my e-reader yet? We’ll see.

Anyway, I am a huge Jennifer Weiner fan. I know it doesn’t look it since I haven’t reviewed any of her works on my blog, but I plan to reread a bunch of it soon and hope to review it then.

As with any of my favourite authors, I’m always on the move to acquire any and all of their works I can get my hands on. When I s...more First things first, I will admit that this is the first book I have ever read on my iPod. OK, so it’s a short story, but it’s a start, right?

Am I ready for my e-reader yet? We’ll see.

Anyway, I am a huge Jennifer Weiner fan. I know it doesn’t look it since I haven’t reviewed any of her works on my blog, but I plan to reread a bunch of it soon and hope to review it then.

As with any of my favourite authors, I’m always on the move to acquire any and all of their works I can get my hands on. When I saw that Jennifer Weiner had a couple short stories available on iTunes, I snatched them up — despite the fact that I had never read anything on my iPod before, the screen being too small and me not seeing the appeal of reading a book on a computer.

Of course, being a story by Jennifer Weiner, I was immediately drawn into it within the first few pages and felt empathy for the main character, Maureen, who was in an abusive relationship with her husband, Tommy. The story begins with her taking down the Halloween decorations and finding a wrapped gift for her from her husband. He had already passed and she wondered how long it had been sitting there for. When she opens it up, it’s a GPS and, from there, things start to get weird.

I though the characters were very well drawn out for a short story — the reader feels sympathy towards Maureen (and maybe a bit of anger for her not improving her situation while she had the chance), and definite hatred towards Tommy. We learn just a bit about Maureen’s sister, Lauren, and a few other secondary characters as the story goes on.

Because it’s a short story, there’s not a lot of room for lots of descriptions or flowing layers of dialogue. With a short story, we want the story to get to the point and move fast. Weiner does just this, sucking in the reader from the first page, bringing in aspects of the mystery as the story goes on. This isn’t a typical Weiner work: what I’m most used to is more chick-lit types of stories, with a little romance here and there. That isn’t what I got with this one. Instead, it was a little bit mystery, a little bit horror — a perfect read for Halloween.

Sometimes I felt that the story jumped around just a bit too much and I wasn’t sure if I was reading something that happened in the past or in the present, but eventually found out. There were also parts that seemed just a little hokey and not liable to happen, but hey — it’s a story, right? We’re not looking for real events, we’re looking to be scared and drawn in by something that isn’t our every day minutiae.

All in all, it’s not the best work Weiner has done, but it’s still a nice little read. If you’re looking for something quick and just a little spooky, give Recalculating a try.(less)

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Mar 01, 2012 Colleen Turner rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I am a huge fan of Jennifer Weiner and have read all of her books. I find her characters funny, endearing and very easy to relate to. This being said, I was really excited to see she had a short story ebook out. After reading it, however, I have trouble comparing this story to her other work at all.

When Maureen goes searching for Halloween decorations in her attic she finds a wrapped gift from her husband, Tommy, who had died of cancer six months before. Tommy had been an abusive husband, both...more I am a huge fan of Jennifer Weiner and have read all of her books. I find her characters funny, endearing and very easy to relate to. This being said, I was really excited to see she had a short story ebook out. After reading it, however, I have trouble comparing this story to her other work at all.

When Maureen goes searching for Halloween decorations in her attic she finds a wrapped gift from her husband, Tommy, who had died of cancer six months before. Tommy had been an abusive husband, both physically and emotionally, and the idea that he had left her a gift was unusual yet intriguing. When she opens the gift she finds a GPS machine by a company called Quija. The GPS at first makes her contemplate traveling wherever she feels like going, something she never would have thought of doing when her husband kept her painfully tethered to their house, isolated from everything and everyone, other than her kids, that made her happy. But when the GPS begins speaking in a male voice and cursing her as her husband used to do, she knows something is very wrong.

As she tries to convince herself she is imagining the abusive directions from the GPS it begins to reveal a secret that only Maureen and Tommy would know, one centering around her husband's death. Is the ghost of her husband coming through the GPS to continue to wreak havoc on Maureen's life? And will she be able to survive the directions the GPS is sending her in?

It could be that I am not a big fan of the paranormal or it could be that this story is just so far from the very real sorts of stories that Ms. Weiner usually writes, but I just could not enjoy this short story. It was dark and sad and, with the exception of Maureen showing some defiance against her husband after decades of abuse, just didn't have any positive points. Ms. Weiner's writing is good as always, so I can't hate it, but I would say this is the least enjoyable books of hers I have read. If you haven't read anything else by Ms. Weiner, definitely do not start with this story as you probably won't continue.(less)

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Dec 05, 2012 Amy Mueller rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Mar 01, 2012 Angela rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks, 2012-books

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 23, 2012 Melissa rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The worst Jennifer Weiner I have read thus far. I love to read her fluff books and really needed one after the last book I read. The story was about a widow who was abused for thirty years by her husband and then haunted by him through her GPS. It spunds like it would be somewhat comical but wasn't. This was a downer with two sentences of attempted closure at the end. I appreciate that Jennifer tried a different genre and approach style but it didn't work.

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Nov 06, 2011 Shelley rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Nov 03, 2011 Kirstin rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was excited to see Jennifer Weiner wrote this creepy short story just in time for Halloween, but it was a little disappointing. The way the husband abused her was so strange - by pinching?? How cruel and twisted. The GPS being possessed by the husband was creepy, but a little far fetched for my taste. I definitely prefer the chick-lit Jennifer Weiner over this type of story. One thing I did like though, was the Cougar Town reference!

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Sep 23, 2012 Joan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This short story was about a woman whose abusive husband has died and she finds a gift from him after he is gone. She opens it to find a GPS unit. As she begins using it, her husband's voice takes over it as it tries to make her go somewhere other than where she wants to go. He calls her names as she goes in another direction. I fun, quirky story.

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Apr 18, 2012 Karen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Very quick read and perfect for a night when sleep wouldn't come (could read it on my phone without waking J). The conceit of the GPS device definitely reminded me of Stephen King's "Big Driver" (_Full Dark, No Stars_), although there are significant differences between the stories. First time I've read Weiner, and it was a satisfyingly creepy little tale.

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Jan 15, 2013 Beth rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Different than any other Jennifer Weiner work that I have read. That said, there is the requisite main character who is a little chubby, a loner save for one close friend or sibling, and a heavy dose of victimization. I did enjoy yhe story, with a little horror twinge, but found the main character could be any of Ms. Weiners other heroines.

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Nov 01, 2011 Jennifer Downing rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this in one sitting; I absolutely couldn't put it down. Creepy, suspenseful, and yet in true Jennifer Weiner style it hits right to the core with a wonderfully developed characters that you just cant help connect with.
A wonderful short story, and an absolute must read for any Jennifer Weiner fan.

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Jun 05, 2012 Alison rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

While I'm waiting for her next book to come out, I've had fun discovering Jennifer Weiner's short stories. Everyone has been just as addicting as her novels...building great characters that you care about and root for through their journey that unfortunately doesn't last as long as the ones in her novels!

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Apr 09, 2012 Kaijsa rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've liked Jennifer Weiner's novels for the most part, but this short story didn't do it for me. It's supposed to be scary, but it fell flat for me. Maureen's passivity annoyed me, but I might have understood her more if there was some indication of her motivations. This story seemed unfinished to me.

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Sep 15, 2012 Sandi rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012

Pinched and berated!?!? Horrible! I hated this short story. If it didn't list her other books before the story, I would have argued that it was not the same Jennifer Weiner whose books I have adored. If this was her attempt at a new genre, I'd say she failed miserably. Disappointing!

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Mar 30, 2012 Catherine Sumner rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was entertaining but went in a supernatural/horror direction that is not what I usually expect from Jennifer Weiner. However, I thought the combination of genre with a serious story about a woman dealing with the after-effects of abuse worked. Slight but enjoyable.

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Jul 04, 2012 Sheri Tegeler crandall rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The worst Jennifer Weiner I have read thus far. I love to read her fluff books but this was a waste of time. At least it was short and only took 20 minutes or so to read, but totally unbelievable. The worst thing I've read in a long time.

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Aug 25, 2012 Andi rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I downloaded this and a Stephen King ebook short story at the same time and thought I got them confused, LOVED IT! Not what you normally think of with a Jen Weiner book but she's got a future in the macabre if she wants it, good stuff.

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Mar 16, 2013 Emily rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: pop-lit

A bit darker (and stranger) than Weiner's typical short stories and novels, 'Recalculating' tells the story of an abused wife and how she seeks revenge on her husband--with the added twist of a, erm, possessed GPS system.

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Aug 29, 2012 Tami rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Jennifer Weiner-awesome short story!!! It is a must read short story-husband dies......wife finds a bday present from him after he is gone-What is it? read this short story and you will find it-a good quick short story read

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Jun 09, 2012 Melanie Cannon rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was such a departure for Jennifer. I have to say it was a little Steven King-ish, but I'm so hungry for her next book ... that I would read a cereal box she wrote at this point. Can't wait for the next one to come out.

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Aug 04, 2012 Melissa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Good for a $0.99 short story. Very different than Jennifer Weiner's usual love and friendship stories. She takes a serious topic and creates a ghost story! Odd but entertaining for a quick read.

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Jan 09, 2012 Lee rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Not a good book at all. It only deserves 1 star but I only give books that I cant get myself to finish one star. I have read 2 other books by Jennifer and really enjoyed them. That's why I purchased this book

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About Jennifer Weiner

Jennifer Weiner was born in 1970 on an army base in Louisiana. She grew up in Connecticut and graduated from Princeton University. She worked as a newspaper reporter in Central Pennsylvania, Lexington, Kentucky, and Philadelphia, before the publication of her first novel, GOOD IN BED, in 2001. She is the author of the novels IN HER SHOES (2002), which was turned into a major motion picture; LITTLE...more

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