Love and Other Impossible Pursuits
by Ayelet Waldman
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 588)
Read in September, 2007
recommends it for:
mothers
It's my fault, really. I put this book on my "to read" list a very, very long time ago, well before I was pregnant. When I saw it in the library, I picked it up without reading the jacket, instead remembering that I had once placed it on my list and therefore it must be something that I can read at any time. Wrong.
Pregnant mothers, especially those who have experienced a previous loss, should not read this while pregnant (or immediately after baby's arrival... not that you h...more
Pregnant mothers, especially those who have experienced a previous loss, should not read this while pregnant (or immediately after baby's arrival... not that you h...more
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Read in October, 2007
I had a tough time reading this book, despite the fact that I couldn't put it down. It covers a lot of emotional issues and though it has been sitting on my bookshelf for months, I could not have picked a more appropriate time in my life to start reading it.
The main character, Emilia, is married to Jack, the man who she stole from the mother of his young son. After losing their infant daughter to SIDS she must learn to re-evaluate her role as part-time parent and her own issues of guilt and ...more
The main character, Emilia, is married to Jack, the man who she stole from the mother of his young son. After losing their infant daughter to SIDS she must learn to re-evaluate her role as part-time parent and her own issues of guilt and ...more
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Read in August, 2008
Finding oneself, finding love, redemption...lofty themes and more daunting when one considers they surround the loss of an infant daughter for the central character. I could not put this book down because I found that character saying things and doing things that were so honest and real and destructive at times that my life was on hold until I learned what happened. A five year old boy, her step son, was beautifully (and accurately) developed, a reminder of divorce's often devastating consequen...more
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Read in February, 2008
I really enjoyed this book. It kept my attention the whole way through - something that hasn't happened with other novels recently. I really liked the relationship between Emilia and William because it is an unusual element not really tackled by authors that much. Stepmothers and stepsons, especially those that are five years old, don't really communicate, but somehow I feel like Emilia and William could do that. That being said, I LOVED the ending. It was a semi-surprise, but I think that I wou...more
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Read in January, 2008
I liked that fact that the author never fully explained the background all at once, but rather piece by piece, leaving me anxious for the next insight.
I really appreciate when an author can take a character that as readers we should obviously loathe, a homewrecker in this instance, and make us sympathetic towards her, even root for her to rise above it all and succeed in life and love.
The character of the stepson was a most vibrant, audacious character that I immediatly fell in love with, ...more
I really appreciate when an author can take a character that as readers we should obviously loathe, a homewrecker in this instance, and make us sympathetic towards her, even root for her to rise above it all and succeed in life and love.
The character of the stepson was a most vibrant, audacious character that I immediatly fell in love with, ...more
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Read in May, 2008
I had written this one off as "chick-lit" even before I started reading it and I was pleasantly surprised at how wrong I was. This was a quick read as expected but more so because of the author's storytelling and characters. Many of the characters are flawed but it's these flaws that have you rooting for them throughout the book. Even though the main character is unforgiving and selfish you can't help but sympathize with her. I'm thankful that I didn't read any reviews before hand that...more
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Read in January, 2008
recommended to Alexis by:
my momrecommends it for: anyone
Emilia is a complex character. Sometimes you want to hate her, others times you pity her, and other times you adore her. She is a home-wrecker, a bad step-mother, and a selfish, spoiled young lawyer living in the Upper West Side with her wealthy lawyer husband.
Emilia also lost her newborn daughter to SIDS and this book is about her evolution as a woman, mother, and wife after her death.
I also enjoyed this book because she grew up in Bergen County and her mother still lives there so there...more
Emilia also lost her newborn daughter to SIDS and this book is about her evolution as a woman, mother, and wife after her death.
I also enjoyed this book because she grew up in Bergen County and her mother still lives there so there...more
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Read in October, 2007
Where to begin... This was a very well written book and a quick, good story that kept me wanting to read. HOWEVER, the mail character was INFURIATING to me. She seemed to have no moral character and was the most selfish person. I kept getting mad while reading it and I can't really say right now whether I loved or hated this book. It was thought provoking though. I would recommend it for book clubs because it will definitely spark some interesting conversation. BTW, I REALLY hope that peo...more
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Read in April, 2008
This is a local author who writes some light weight mysteries that I enjoy reading (the Mommy Track series). This book however had me going back and forth. The characters are painful but then the situation they are in (a baby dies within days of birth) is so painful that maybe you can forgive them....or at least understand where they are coming from....? They do unthinkable things to each other (in their pain or are they just that shallow and selfish?) I'm finding it hard right now to reme...more
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After a long day of working at a job taking care of children and then coming home to take care of my own child and feeling a little, perhaps, sick of children, it definitely helps to read a book about a woman getting over losing her one-day-old child. I swear there were some nights every couple of pages I would have to go into Franny's room and look at her amazing cuteness and give her a little kiss.
I can't tell if this book was good. I think maybe it was. I couldn't stop reading it. I jus...more
I can't tell if this book was good. I think maybe it was. I couldn't stop reading it. I jus...more
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I couldn't remember the name of this book for the longest time, so I couldn't add it to my "read" list. Out of the blue I remembered characters names Emelia and William so I googled it and, thank god for the Internet, my mystery was solved.
The characters are memorable, as evidenced above. Emelia's pain and selfishness isn't as bad as you think it is until she makes so many stupid little mistakes that you kind of start to wonder what the hell she's doing.
William, the little boy, ...more
The characters are memorable, as evidenced above. Emelia's pain and selfishness isn't as bad as you think it is until she makes so many stupid little mistakes that you kind of start to wonder what the hell she's doing.
William, the little boy, ...more
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Read in January, 2006
recommends it for:
nobody pregnant!
Despite the unlikeable protagonist -- and who among us can say that our inner narrative isn't just a wee bit embarrassing, whiny, or self-absorbed? -- I truly enjoyed this one. I agree with some of the other reviewers that it was somewhat chick-litty, but there was thinking and change and redemption that didn't ride in, muscles rippling, on a white horse. I don't live in NYC, but I would like to read about a Manhattanite who doesn't see a therapist.
If anyone in your life has experienced ...more
If anyone in your life has experienced ...more
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I found this book while searching for a selections for the book club I belong to. While it was taken out of contention I still took it home and put it next to my reading chair. I was in the midst of reading another book when I opened this one just to get an idea of the writing style. I read it from cover to cover right then. I will not say that it was an AMAZING book, but the subject matter kept you wanting to turn the page. It was written in a very user friendly way not over embelished. I...more
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Read in August, 2007
It is very honest. Sometimes too much so. I found myself disturbed at times with Emilia. Her feelings for William (her step-son) left me aching to hold him. Yet, I know that those feelings of resentment and frustration often happen with step relationships. I really admire those men and women who push through those tendencies and love the children. It was insightful and Emilias growth was touching. I can't imagine lossing a child. The loss would be to much to bear, I think.
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Read in April, 2008
recommended to Heidi by:
readinggroupguides.com
So I saw this at the library and remembered that it was on my to read list. I checked it out and read it in two days. It's probably not for anyone who is pregnant or recently experienced loss but having experienced that kind of loss I could totally relate with the main character. Although I hope I am not as selfish! :)
There is language and sexual reference that may sway you from reading this as well. I really liked it and thought it was very well written.
There is language and sexual reference that may sway you from reading this as well. I really liked it and thought it was very well written.
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Read in March, 2007
This was one of those books where, even though I felt for the main character and wanted to know what happened in her life, I found her to be unsympathetic and upsetting. Her decision to staunchly remain in the depths of misery after the death of her newborn daughter, while understandable, becomes self-indulgent and irritating (which is kind of the point of the book, really). It's chick lit, reasonably decent chick lit, just not really my cup of tea.
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Read in January, 2008
This book (by Ayelet Waldman, wife of Michael Chabon who wrote Kavalier & Klay) was a page turner, however, I cant remember despising a main character so much in a long time. What a selfish woman! I did enjoy the new york-centric storytelling, esp. about intricacies of Central Park. I just disliked the character so much it ruined it for me in the end.
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Read in January, 2007
I read this while on vacation to NYC, which added to the experience since the book takes place there (a lot of it in Central Park). It's about a woman who deals with the un-imaginable, the death of a child, and the affects it has on her relationship with her husband. A great testament to the ups and downs up marriage and the importance of having a realistic view on love and relationships. You need more than fairytale love to survive some tragedies.
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Read in February, 2008
recommended to Mollie by:
Gwen
A quick read, well written that brings you through the roller coaster of someone else's emotions without forcing YOU to have them as the reader. Written in the protagonist's voice, you don't necessarily like her even though you're privy to every thought--which might be the point, you know too much. I got tired of her 3/4 of the way through, so by the time we got to the climax I was more relieved that titillated. But decent nonetheless.
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Well written but the main character is a self-centered histrionic drama queen. She lost her baby to SIDS on its second day of life, so of course one feels for her. But this pregnancy is a result of seducing a man married to someone else. The relationships do grow and change in a positive direction, but it was hard for me to like any of the characters much. Otherwise, it's a good book.
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