Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons: A Novel
by Lorna Landvik
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Read in July, 2008
recommends it for:
anyone who wants a lite, fluffy read.
A friend lent me this book and although the old sang goes, “don’t judge a book by its cover”, I’ve never been a traditionalist and so judged quite harshly. I disliked the cover and the title but decided to read it because I like the person who lent it to me and that seemed to trump all the other small things. But sometimes intuition is the best thing you’ve got and when the book got off to a slow start, I began to regret my decision of reading it. It does get progressively better (for ...more
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Read in September, 2006
Aku suka banget baca bukunya. Tapi kayanya pantang aja ngasih five star buat buku yang sebenarnya berhawa mommylit atau housewiveslit ini. Awal tertarik sebenarnya lihat sampul bukunya yang kayanya relaxing banget, dan judulnya yang eyecatching dan memang aku udah terbayang bakal kaya apa isinya. Apalagi pas baca review di belakangnya. Nggak ada yang heboh dan baru sebenarnya, tapi aku suka penggambaran akan karakterisasi lima ibu-ibu di dalamnya, dan rentang waktu yang cukup panjang membuatku j...more
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Read in July, 2004
This book strives to be a sweeping, great novel, but it falls short. Although short does not describe the story, since it drags on for over 400 pages. The basic premise is good: five housewives and mothers from the same neighborhood meet in the late 1960's and start a book club, and their friendship and the book club stretch into the late 1990's. They meet at a time when things were very different for women, but were changing at a rapid pace.
The five main characters are Faith, a southern gi...more
The five main characters are Faith, a southern gi...more
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The fact that "Angry Housewives" was set in a Minneapolis neighborhood near Minnehaha Park gave me high hopes. That and the fact that it took place from 1968-1998 because this is a timeline that dovetails with my mother's adult life.
But ... it lacked a sense of setting. Minnehaha Park was visited by the composer Dvorak (I think!) and the poet Longfellow. It has a charming stone pavillion, covered with trees, has the best sledding hill in town, has a spooky, stoney, ferny descent t...more
But ... it lacked a sense of setting. Minnehaha Park was visited by the composer Dvorak (I think!) and the poet Longfellow. It has a charming stone pavillion, covered with trees, has the best sledding hill in town, has a spooky, stoney, ferny descent t...more
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Read in December, 2007
recommends it for:
women (especially mothers) ages 30-70
This book is about 5 neighbors who start a book club in the late 1960's... and the reader lives the next 30 years along with them. Thank you, Mary, one of MY oldest friends (in the sense that I've known you 18 years!) who loaned me this book-- I loved it! It made me realize how fast 30 years will fly by and to live in each moment with my family. This is not a book I would have picked up on my own, most likely, yet I can say that it is probably one of my favorite novels I've read in a long ti...more
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Read in July, 2008
recommends it for:
Anyone who loves to read or belongs to a book club
I had read the book-jacket for this one ages ago, back when it was still in hardcover. I knew I would like it and I wasn't disappointed.
How easy it was for me to identify with Faith, Slip, Audrey, Kari, and Merit, and what delightful journey I had through the decades with them.
The book begins in the early 60's, when Faith and her husband Wade move into a home in Minnesota. She's a southerner through and through and is quite unhappy with having to be living in this cold state. However,...more
How easy it was for me to identify with Faith, Slip, Audrey, Kari, and Merit, and what delightful journey I had through the decades with them.
The book begins in the early 60's, when Faith and her husband Wade move into a home in Minnesota. She's a southerner through and through and is quite unhappy with having to be living in this cold state. However,...more
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Read in November, 2007
I didn't exactly have an open mind when I started this book. I really wanted to not like it. The title is obviously cliche, but that is obviously intentional. The title also gave me a feeling that this book represents the epitome of an Oprah's Club book. And let me tell you I really don't like how she can plaster her name on a book and suddenly it's a best seller. I realize that isn't fair, and a lot of those books should be best sellers based on their own merit. What really gets me though i...more
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Read in April, 2008
This book went on and on and on and on:P I had a difficult time reading it. I was unable to relate to any of the characters. Kari was the only likeable personality, because she was simple, kind, and nurturing. The other characters had serious personality defects!
Merit disgusted me with her habit of stuffing used tissue, q-tips, and paper in her hairdo:( That was her way of getting back at her abusive husband, who had no idea she was doing this. I nearly puked when she saved these items and th...more
Merit disgusted me with her habit of stuffing used tissue, q-tips, and paper in her hairdo:( That was her way of getting back at her abusive husband, who had no idea she was doing this. I nearly puked when she saved these items and th...more
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Read in June, 2004
The story revolves around a group of women living in the same cul-de-sac who decide to start a reading group. It lasts several decades through births, deaths, divorces, teenagers, wife beating, etc. It doesn’t get into the books that they read other than to use them in the title of the chapters, and to tell why the person narrating the chapter chose the book.
Kari is the oldest of the members and is a widow who adopts a child of mixed race. Slim is the most energetic (she walks on her hands ...more
Kari is the oldest of the members and is a widow who adopts a child of mixed race. Slim is the most energetic (she walks on her hands ...more
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Read in August, 2007
A complete chick book. There were so many things going on, every drama that could possibly happen did, but you keep reading because it's like any other soap opera we watch on TV (O.C., Laguna Beach, The Hills, One Tree Hill). Yet, the ability to "live" with the characters from their youth to the day they lose one of their friends lets you engage in this soap opera without having to watch it for years and years.
It doesn't make you laugh REALLY hard, and I didn't cry, but making ...more
It doesn't make you laugh REALLY hard, and I didn't cry, but making ...more
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Read in August, 2005
I had put off reading this book since its release simply because I thought "any book titled 'Angry Housewives' is going to be some sappy womens fiction that I am just NOT interested in reading". WoW! Was I wrong!
I picked up this round robin selection (have I said how glad I am I join these things?!) and thought I'd give it a few pages -- try it, at least... and then I couldn't put it down. I felt an instant affinity with each of these five women (well, Merit did take some time to ...more
I picked up this round robin selection (have I said how glad I am I join these things?!) and thought I'd give it a few pages -- try it, at least... and then I couldn't put it down. I felt an instant affinity with each of these five women (well, Merit did take some time to ...more
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Read in March, 2008
This was my first time reading this author. The title and cover design indicate this might be a light, silly romance but that's a misconception! Once I started this book, I couldn't put it down.
The story begins in 1968 and ends in 1998, the chronicle of the women living on the same street in Minneapolis, MN who form a book club. The characters are written with such depth that I become completely invested in them and shared their highs and lows. I saw myself in these women so many times du...more
The story begins in 1968 and ends in 1998, the chronicle of the women living on the same street in Minneapolis, MN who form a book club. The characters are written with such depth that I become completely invested in them and shared their highs and lows. I saw myself in these women so many times du...more
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Read in August, 2008
recommended to Lindsey by:
Katy Conway
Fun to read... sort of. The story was predictable and I think that the author took the easy way out many times.
My biggest problem with the book, which probably tainted my whole reading of it, was with the voice. Each chapter was told from the perspective of the angry housewife who hosted book club that month. Although each chapter's theme could have been developed much better, it was a fun idea that I thought added some richness to the book. However, I could never figure out why the autho...more
My biggest problem with the book, which probably tainted my whole reading of it, was with the voice. Each chapter was told from the perspective of the angry housewife who hosted book club that month. Although each chapter's theme could have been developed much better, it was a fun idea that I thought added some richness to the book. However, I could never figure out why the autho...more
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Read in July, 2008
Overall, this was a fun book, it had some humorous situations and people, that anyone with girlfriends can relate to. I wish it had just been written from one POV though, only 2 sometimes 3 out of the 5 women's "voices" were distinct enough that I could tell who was talking, the others weren't unique or developed enough to be recognizable, I'd start reading a chapter and then I'd have to go back to the chapter heading to figure out who was talking. The other thing that kind of bugged...more
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Read in July, 2004
I really enjoyed this book! I was drawn to the name and then the cover - loved them both. I was so glad the story was just as good. It was a few years ago but if I recall correctly this story followed a group of women from the same neighborhood who got together regularly (book club, I think). The books covers several years of their lives and how they support each other through the good times and the bad, people moving from their neighborhood and new people moving in. I can't remember specific de...more
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Read in August, 2008
recommended to Sydney by:
Book Club
This was another great summer read. (noticing a theme?) I really enjoyed this book, but it got kind of long. I mean really... nearly 500 pages?
I enjoyed all the characters so much. I found them all fairly believable. The authors writing style was comfortable and I definitely found myself caring about each of these women. I loved that each one was so distinctly different, yet that all got along with each other (with the exception of the one time two women got in a huge fight).
It gave me...more
I enjoyed all the characters so much. I found them all fairly believable. The authors writing style was comfortable and I definitely found myself caring about each of these women. I loved that each one was so distinctly different, yet that all got along with each other (with the exception of the one time two women got in a huge fight).
It gave me...more
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Read in May, 2008
This is the story of five women who live in the same neighborhood in Minneapolis. They start a book club and the book spans the thirty years of their lives from the 60s to the 90s. I was initially feeling a little lost during the prologue by all the character's being introduced....but was not disappointed as I kept reading and got into it. I couldn't put it down. It a story about women and our friendships and how they endure throughout everything. It also made me stop and think how quickly ...more
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Read in August, 2007
recommended to Callee by:
Garage Sale in GRrecommends it for: my mom
I really enjoyed this one! It spans decades of time and dealt with lots of political issues from the female perspective(s). At the time I was reading it, I read while my husband played Play Station so we would still be sitting together. I have these wonderful memories of reading this book while holding hands with him during high speed car races. THEN...I had to buy a second copy because I wanted to finish it so badly and the copy I bought from a garage sale was missing 60 pages in the 300's. I h...more
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Read in February, 2007
The last book I finished reading was Angry Housewives Eating Bons-Bons by Lorna Landvik. This isn't my typical genre of choice, but it was still a good read. It was passed on to me by my sister. It's a good story of a group of women becoming friends and going through life changes together. I wasn't truly into it in the beginning because some of the not-so-happy situations they had to go through. But, eventually I started to enjoy the storylines more and overall was pleased with the book. The pre...more
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Read in April, 2007
I have a huge soft spot for Lorna Landvik, possibly because I'm from Minneapolis. I know and love the neighborhood where this book takes place, and so many of the book's qualities remind me of home. However, even if you have no connection to her settings, it's hard not to relate to her characters, who are intelligent, fierce, multidimensional women. (Yes, feisty women can hail from Minnesota too!) While Landvik's titles and topics imply a fair amount of fluff, their themes are much more comp...more
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