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Things Remembered: A Novel
To face the future, a woman must let go of the past. . . .
Returning to her childhood home in the golden hills of Northern California means regret and pain for Karla Esterbrook. Yet she can’t refuse when her ailing grandmother, Anna, asks her to help settle her affairs. After all, Anna raised Karla and her younger sisters after their parents’ death twenty years before. But...more
Returning to her childhood home in the golden hills of Northern California means regret and pain for Karla Esterbrook. Yet she can’t refuse when her ailing grandmother, Anna, asks her to help settle her affairs. After all, Anna raised Karla and her younger sisters after their parents’ death twenty years before. But...more
Paperback, 384 pages
Published
October 16th 2012
by William Morrow Paperbacks
(first published October 1998)
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Every family has one person who can be depended upon to take care of things, no matter the personal cost. Karla Esterbrook is getting tired of being that person. Nevertheless, she arranges to have someone run her coffee shop for a month and makes the drive to northern California to help Grandma Anna get her estate in order.
Anna knows she does not have much time left to make things right with her eldest granddaughter. Anna loves Karla’s younger sisters, Heather and Grace, but the impact of the de...more
Anna knows she does not have much time left to make things right with her eldest granddaughter. Anna loves Karla’s younger sisters, Heather and Grace, but the impact of the de...more
Raising three granddaughters and learning that they never changed as adults was what Anna found out when she needed her granddaughters to take care of her.
Karla was the granddaughter who always made sure things were settled and in order, and Karla was the most unlikely to help but the one who did come to help Anna. Returning to her home town and sleeping in her childhood bed brought good and bad memories back for Karla. The bad ones included not really getting along with her grandmother, but th...more
Karla was the granddaughter who always made sure things were settled and in order, and Karla was the most unlikely to help but the one who did come to help Anna. Returning to her home town and sleeping in her childhood bed brought good and bad memories back for Karla. The bad ones included not really getting along with her grandmother, but th...more
This book started out extremely slow for me. It was extremely repetitive and overly sappy. Anna and Karla appeared to have the same, heavy conversation every other paragraph. I didn’t particularly care for Karla, I thought she was such a pushover concerning her sister Grace.
By the way, I wanted to punch that girl in the face. And no, I don’t think she redeemed herself in the end.
Honestly, I would have been much more interested in reading Bill and Heather’s story. They seemed like a loving couple...more
By the way, I wanted to punch that girl in the face. And no, I don’t think she redeemed herself in the end.
Honestly, I would have been much more interested in reading Bill and Heather’s story. They seemed like a loving couple...more
I enjoyed this sentimental read that reminded me of a Hallmark Christmas movie. It is the story of Karla returning to her grandmother Anna's house to help put her affairs in order. Karla and her sisters were raised by Anna after the death of their parents. Anna is 85 and suffering from congential heart failure. Both she and Anna try to make amends from the many misunderstandings and hurts from Karla's childhood. The story is more of a reawakening for Karla as she learns the meaning of family and...more
Have you ever finished a book and thought whatever I read next will never be as good? That is what when I finished Things Remembered.
Things Remembered sucked me in from page one and I could not put it down. Karla's grandmother, Anna, raised Karla and her sisters after their parents death. Karla goes back home to help Anna get her affairs in order because she is dying. Returning home brought back good and bad memories for Karla. Karla and Anna re-discover themselves and find love that they never...more
Things Remembered sucked me in from page one and I could not put it down. Karla's grandmother, Anna, raised Karla and her sisters after their parents death. Karla goes back home to help Anna get her affairs in order because she is dying. Returning home brought back good and bad memories for Karla. Karla and Anna re-discover themselves and find love that they never...more
Three sisters are raised by the grandmother after their parents die. Years later Karla returns home to help settle her grandmother’s affairs as she is dying. But there are problems not only with her grandmother but with her sister. This is a story of forgiving and forgetting the past and the imporatnace of family.
If you enjoy sappy Lifetime or Hallmark movies, then this is the story for you. Beautifully written; but easily forgettable. The characters are okay, but sometimes irritating and one-di...more
If you enjoy sappy Lifetime or Hallmark movies, then this is the story for you. Beautifully written; but easily forgettable. The characters are okay, but sometimes irritating and one-di...more
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Karla Esterbrook is dreading the return to her childhood home. She's not going because she wants to, she's going because she has to. Her grandmother Anna is dying of congestive heart failure. Karla isn't going home to profess her love for her grandmother. She's going to help Anna get her will in order. There's no time to deal with feelings, this visit is purely for practical reasons. But this visit will be more than they bargained for.
Oh, I'm such a sucker for family dramas. I was instantly draw...more
Oh, I'm such a sucker for family dramas. I was instantly draw...more
Have you ever finished a book and thought whatever I read next will never be as good as this one? That is what I thought when I finished Things Remembered by Georgia Brockhaven. Things Remembered had me from the first page and I could not put it down! This is a story of family and healing and the real meaning of finding your way back home. Buy it -- and read it right away, and cry and laugh and have your heart broken and healed again
I could not finish this book. It has been over 6 months and I STILL can't bring myself to finish it. If a book even has a wiff of romance in it I am usually all over it. This I just didn't get into. I think it was because I didn't like the main character or her spoiled sister. Anyhoo this book was not for me. got to page 237 and couldn't do it any more.
A fast and engaging read and I could easily relate to the family dynamics of the sisters and the concerns of having an aging parent or grandparent. It is a sweet story and a perfect fall/winter read as it is set over late October and flows into Christmas and beyond. Things Remembered is good pick for anyone who enjoys books about family and relationships.
You can see my full review and a recipe inspired by the book here:
http://kahakaikitchen.blogspot.com/20...
You can see my full review and a recipe inspired by the book here:
http://kahakaikitchen.blogspot.com/20...
I received this book through a first-reads giveaway.
Things Remembered reads like a sappy made for tv movie. The characters in this book are one dimensional, and I couldn't relate to any of them or their experiences. Karla seems to be a multitude of contradictions: she's bitter and filled with anger yet bears no hard feelings toward the ex-husband who cheated on her and she's a seriously devoted business woman who spends no time actually working. The author includes a few recipes at the end of t...more
Things Remembered reads like a sappy made for tv movie. The characters in this book are one dimensional, and I couldn't relate to any of them or their experiences. Karla seems to be a multitude of contradictions: she's bitter and filled with anger yet bears no hard feelings toward the ex-husband who cheated on her and she's a seriously devoted business woman who spends no time actually working. The author includes a few recipes at the end of t...more
I loved this book! I cried, laughed, got mad, and wished there was more when I reached the end. It did start a little slow but once it picked up I really enjoyed it and could relate to some of the relationships.
Great book. Made me wish I could go back in time and have long talks with my mother to understand her better.
***I RECEIVED THIS BOOK FROM FIRSTREADS
Was this book sappy, similar to a lifetime movie? Yes. Do I happen to love lifetime movies? Yes. Was this book extremely predictable? For sure.
Although the book is beyond formulaic, cheesy and completely predictable, I enjoyed it. I think the best way to describe this book as 'guilty pleasure'. It's a sweet, heartwarming story, a quick read (especially since I have no power since Sandy). The characters leave a bit to be desired, but the story had its mome...more
This was a nice, light, love story and a "making-up" story between like-minded grandmother and granddaughter.
I got this book in a First Reads Giveaway. It took me a little while to read this book because sometimes in was rather repetitive and predictable. But it was also overall lovely. I've lost many loved ones in my life starting at a very young age. I learned first hand the different ways people grieve and attempt to understand their loss. The characters in this book were amiable but sometimes contradictory. The recipes at the end of the book were a great surprise! Thank you!
Not the type of book I like to read. It was an easy read.
Check out the full review at Kritters Ramblings
Three sisters lose their parents at a young age and after being shuttled around they end up at their maternal grandmother's house to be raised. Each react to this trying time in different ways and it was so interesting to read how one moment can affect each of the three sisters.
Three sisters lose their parents at a young age and after being shuttled around they end up at their maternal grandmother's house to be raised. Each react to this trying time in different ways and it was so interesting to read how one moment can affect each of the three sisters.
I really enjoyed this book. The family dynamics are fascinating, the characters are personable and real, and the storyline moves along fast and captures your attention from the very beginning.
Jun 12, 2013
Susan Doyle
marked it as to-read
May 28, 2013
Patti Stahl
marked it as to-read
May 28, 2013
Bonnie Matoren
marked it as to-read
May 25, 2013
Roz
marked it as to-read
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