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Bookends

3.61 of 5 stars 3.61 · rating details · 18,328 ratings · 610 reviews

On the heels of her national bestsellers Jemima J and Mr. Maybe, British sensation Jane Green delivers a sparkling tale of old friends reunited and old jealousies rekindled.

Catherine Warner and Simon Nelson are best friends: total opposites, always together, and both unlucky in love. Cath is scatterbrained, messy, and–since she had her heart broken a few years back–emotion...more

Paperback, 368 pages

Published May 27th 2003 by Broadway Books (first published January 6th 2000)

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Dec 18, 2009 Nicky rated it 2 of 5 stars

I like this author, but this was a forgettable book. In fact I was halfway through reading it when I realized I had actually read it before and forgotten.
The characters are sterotypes (resolutely single girl with gay best friend and happily married couple), the set up lengthy (lots of back story, some not ever relevant), the description of university days common (we dated, we drank, we went places).
The novel is dated too. This is set back when HIV was a new big thing- and people wouldn't touch t...more

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Feb 13, 2013 Elizabeth (Soluna) rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013-reads, chick-lit, ugh

I can't believe I read the whole thing. Usually, a book this bad, I've abandoned before I reach the half-way point. But somehow I stuck with this until the bitter end.
The first third is awkward and clunky. I'm a big believer in writing that shows the emotions and dynamics of relationships rather than telling the reader, "He felt sad." etc. In this book Jane Green is all about the telling.
The author wants desperately to convey the past history of a group of friends from when they met during the...more

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Jan 14, 2009 Endah rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Sepanjang yang bisa aku ingat, aku cinta buku. Bukan Cuma cinta, tapi tergila-gila. Biasanya aku menghabiskan berjam-jam berkelana ke toko-toko buku, lupa waktu, menenggelamkan diri ke dunia lain.

Sejak dulu aku bermimpi memiliki toko buku. Sebenarnya, sejak dulu aku bermimpi memiliki toko buku yang juga merangkap sebagai kafe. Aku membayangkannya sebagai tempat yang akan memikat pengunjung rutin, orang-orang eksentrik yang menarik, yang mau membuatkan cappuccino jika aku butuh bantuan.

Untuk samp...more Sepanjang yang bisa aku ingat, aku cinta buku. Bukan Cuma cinta, tapi tergila-gila. Biasanya aku menghabiskan berjam-jam berkelana ke toko-toko buku, lupa waktu, menenggelamkan diri ke dunia lain.

Sejak dulu aku bermimpi memiliki toko buku. Sebenarnya, sejak dulu aku bermimpi memiliki toko buku yang juga merangkap sebagai kafe. Aku membayangkannya sebagai tempat yang akan memikat pengunjung rutin, orang-orang eksentrik yang menarik, yang mau membuatkan cappuccino jika aku butuh bantuan.

Untuk sampai pada dua paragraf di atas, saya harus membaca 84 halaman dulu dari novel chiklit Bookends karya Jane Green ini. Mengapa saya kutip? Sebab, kalimat di paragraf tersebut kok rasanya “gue banget”. Kalimat itu diucapkan oleh Catherine atau Cath, cewek lajang berusia 31 tahun, tokoh utama di buku ini. Cath tak suka berdandan, tak suka pakai rok, doyan makan, dan berhenti memikirkan perkawinan sejak umur 29. Nah..nah…rasanya kok semakin mirip dengan diri saya? Bedanya sedikit saja, dengan rambut Afro-nya yang kriwil-kriwil berantakan, Cath pasti lebih cantik dari saya. Oya, dan saya sedikit lebih tua disbanding gadis Inggris ini.

Seperti Cath, saya pun memiliki impian suatu hari nanti bisa punya toko buku sendiri yang menyatu dengan sebuah kafe. Dalam hal ini Cath lebih beruntung karena ia bisa segera mewujudkan mimpinya dalam usia ke-31, sedangkan saya mungkin masih harus bersabar lebih lama lagi. Masalah saya cuma satu : tidak ada dana. Kalian tentu tahu, membuka sebuah toko buku yang juga merangkap kafe tentu butuh modal tidak sedikit. Kalau saja ada jutawan yang bermurah hati memodali saya, saat itu juga saya akan berhenti dari pekerjaan saya yang sekarang dan sepenuhnya mengurusi toko buku impian saya itu.

Lagi-lagi untuk urusan modal ini, saya harus iri pada Cath yang tidak perlu berpayah-payah mencari modal sebab warisan dari neneknya sudah sangat cukup untuk menjalankan bisnis idamannya tersebut. Adapun untuk masalah kafe, sudah ada sahabatnya yang bersedia berkongsi: Lucy. Lucy adalah istri Josh, sahabat Cath semasa kuliah dulu.

Selain Josh, Cath juga memiliki sahabat yang lain: Si dan Portia. Si seorang gay; sedangkan Portia adalah Miss Perfect yang sukses berkarier sebagai penulis skenario drama sitcom televisi. Lantaran sebuah sebab, Portia sempat dijauhi oleh para sahabatnya itu dan tak pernah berjumpa mereka selama 10 tahun. Mereka baru bertemu lagi saat pembukaan Bookends, nama yang diberikan untuk toko buku Cath itu.

Sudah lama sekali rasanya saya tidak membaca novel-novel chiklit. Bukan apa-apa, hanya malas saja dan lebih memilih novel yang agak serius (uuh, padahal baca chiklit itu asyik juga loh). Alasan utama saya membaca Bookends apalagi kalau bukan karena ceritanya yang sedikit banyak mirip dengan kehidupan saya itu? (ngaku-ngaku deh). Sayangnya, Bookends tak melulu berkicau soal Cath dan toko bukunya, namun justru lebih menekankan kisahnya pada tema persahabatan. Malah ihwal Cath yang disebut sebagai cewek penggila buku nyaris tak pernah diceritakan sedang membaca atau belanja buku. Rada janggal ya?

Tetapi, sebagaimana umumnya chiklit, Bookends cukup menghibur bagi saya. Setidaknya karena karakter Cath yang, seperti saya bilang tadi, agak-agak mirip dengan saya :D. Saya senang membayangkan diri saya adalah Cath yang berkencan dengan James, pria tampan yang bekerja sebagai agen penjualan properti sekaligus pelukis keren. Walaupun saya tak memiliki sahabat dekat seorang gay, namun saya tidak keberatan seandainya ada seorang lelaki homo yang ingin menjalin persahatan dengan saya seperti Si dengan Cath.

Sahabat dekat saya juga tidak seperti Portia yang senang menjadi pusat perhatian. Tapi mungkin saya juga akan berlaku seperti Cath seandainya memiliki sahabat macam Portia yang suka menyakiti orang lain. Apalagi bila orang lain itu adalah sahabat kami sendiri.

Tentu saja menamatkan Bookends tidak memerlukan waktu yang lama. Saya hanya perlu waktu dua hari saja. Sekali lagi, saudara-saudara, dua hari! Pasti karena ditulis dalam rangkaian bahasa yang ringan, ngepop, dan mudah dicerna. Humor-humor segar nan cerdas turut memperlancar saya dengan cepat menamatkannya. Memang menyenangkan membaca chiklit (yang bagus) itu. Tak ubahnya seperti menonton film atau serial komedi romantis ala Friends atau Sex and The City. Karen memang di situlah kekuatan dan daya tarik sebuah karya metropop.

Pada akhirnya, Bookends memang bukan novel yang memuat kisah tentang toko buku. Namun, jika kalian ingin sejenak mereguk kesegaran sebuah cerita cinta dan persahabatan tanpa harus berkerut kening, buku ini bolehlah dijadikan pilihan. Kriuuuuk…..***
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Apr 10, 2007 Asim Rizvi rated it 3 of 5 stars

I jacked this book from my younger sister while vacationing in Seattle. The pink binding on this bad boy bought me some awkward stares, but that didn't stop me from reading Jane Green's tale of a slightly overweight and unattractive woman in her mid thirties who finally finds the perfect romance, and fullfills her lifelong dream of opening a bookshop. Essentially, this is a story about a British Caucasian woman who gets her 'groove' back. Something about Green's conversational writing style and...more

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Aug 16, 2012 Jennifer Conrad rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: chick-lit

This was the first Jane Green book I ever read, so I decided to reread it this summer. I had a hard time recreating my initial reaction because I began to remember what the twists and turns of the story were. Also, it's been almost 10 years since I first read it, so some of the themes feel slightly dated.

The characters are a bit stereotypical, but Cath and Lucy were completely lovable. I wish Green had spent more time building up Josh, and I wish she had been more consistent in her use of the Po...more

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Sep 08, 2011 Lisa (Harmonybites) rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Chicklit Fans

Recommended to Lisa (Harmonybites) by: The Complte Idiot's Guide to the Ultimate Reading List

Shelves: chick-lit, contemporary, fiction, humor-and-comedy, novels, romance, ultimate-reading-list

I liked the whole idea of a novel centered around opening a bookstore/cafe and going for your dreams, but I didn't feel that aspect was central enough, or full enough of suspense and conflict. The good aspects of the book makes me wish I could rate this a tad higher, but it couldn't hold me to the end. I felt I had read this book dozens of times before. This was better written than most chicklit (which isn't high praise), with a heroine that was relatable--not size 0, not born with a silver spoo...more

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Apr 09, 2009 Danica rated it 2 of 5 stars

I don't know where this book gets off saying "A Novel" on the cover. Bookends is chick lit, pure and simple.

What's the difference? Well, chick lit books are of course novels, in the sense that they're fiction, but novels aren't necessarily chick lit. Chick lit is very specific: it has a female protagonist; the purpose of the story is to hook her up with the guy who the author has, early on, chosen as the obvious perfect guy for her; it's narrated by the protagonist; and the protagonist has almo...more I don't know where this book gets off saying "A Novel" on the cover. Bookends is chick lit, pure and simple.

What's the difference? Well, chick lit books are of course novels, in the sense that they're fiction, but novels aren't necessarily chick lit. Chick lit is very specific: it has a female protagonist; the purpose of the story is to hook her up with the guy who the author has, early on, chosen as the obvious perfect guy for her; it's narrated by the protagonist; and the protagonist has almost no personality, only a collection of fun facts you know about her.

I'll have to write elsewhere about Chick Lit Protagonist Syndrome, but suffice it to say that they're almost universally wildly codependent, with very little self-knowledge, compulsive emotional eating, no idea whether the guy really likes them even if he comes in with "I Really Like You, Protagonist" tattooed on his forehead, and deep shame about themselves and especially their bodies (which are always telegraphed as very very beautiful despite what the protagonist thinks). Oh, and every man in the book is either gay, married to a friend of the protagonist's, or a future love interest. There are no other options.

This one also can't tell a story. Jeeezus. The pacing of this book is rocky; it starts out with several chapters about the characters in their early twenties, then rockets forward to the 31-year-old present with no explanation for the early chapters, then much later on brings back the one character who left the group in those early chapters. It's obvious that she must be coming back, but only because it would be a terrible book if such a pivotal character were introduced and then totally dropped.

The story gets back on track with her return, only to drift off again toward the end as every plot thread has to get wrapped up, often off-camera. I can't tell you how many of the characters' experiences are just summarized for us by the narrator. There are times, in the last few chapters, where days and even weeks of intense character development are retold at a breathless pace. Like, she has the narrator tell us that her friend Si is telling us his friend Eva's life story, and we hear the whole ENTIRE thing third-hand, and then we get this:

"And she really is [fine:]," Si told me, in wonder, in awe, and then he said goodbye and put down the phone, because he had the rest of the night to think about what she'd said.

Come on: how would the narrator even know what he was going to think and do after he hung up? It ends up ringing false because (like any good codependent) the narrator has no boundaries. That is, Green is trying to write the story from the perspective of an omniscient narrator, but puts her in the body of a specific character who couldn't know all this stuff and isn't the right vehicle for it.

The problem here is that Jane Green has too many great characters with fascinating stories for one book - the way that she chose to tell it. Si's story would have made a much better book. Or she could have told different chapters of Bookends from different perspectives, letting the overall story unfold as each character played their own part. That would have made an incredible book. Instead, the story is hamstrung by being forced through one rather passive woman's perspective.

There are also too many stories happening - the opening of this new bookstore, Bookends, which is co-owned by the protagonist and another main character, and even lends the book its name, takes up a lot of time but barely serves to advance the plot at all. It's a major undertaking, and a major success, and yet there's no emotional impact to it: we're told that it makes the other main character's life very busy, which puts stress on her marriage, but it causes so few problems for the protagonist that it seems pointless other than as occasional comic relief.

So: chick lit. Because of the boundary problems, the Chick Lit Protagonist Syndrome, and the slapdash writing. I'm not saying that chick lit can't be well-written, but this particular kind of slapdash fast-paced gallop through a storyline, with little pause for real emotional depth, is characteristic of the genre. I enjoyed Bookends anyway, but I don't think I would read it again.(less)

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

Shelves: chicklit, punya, available-for-swap

Cath adalah seorang wanita yang hidupnya sudah mapan, meskipun dia masih single. Dia toh tidak pernah lagi meributkan kencan, sebab bagi Cath, sahabat-sahabat yang ia miliki, (Josh dan Si) sudah cukup membahagiakan hidupnya. Karirnya di periklanan juga berkembang, sampai Lucy, istri Josh, mengusulkan ide yang sebenarnya sudah lama juga direncanakan Cath. Mereka akan membuat sebuah toko buku plus kafe di dalamnya. Sebuah ide brilian, mengingat kota tempat mereka tinggal belum memiliki padanan kes...more Cath adalah seorang wanita yang hidupnya sudah mapan, meskipun dia masih single. Dia toh tidak pernah lagi meributkan kencan, sebab bagi Cath, sahabat-sahabat yang ia miliki, (Josh dan Si) sudah cukup membahagiakan hidupnya. Karirnya di periklanan juga berkembang, sampai Lucy, istri Josh, mengusulkan ide yang sebenarnya sudah lama juga direncanakan Cath. Mereka akan membuat sebuah toko buku plus kafe di dalamnya. Sebuah ide brilian, mengingat kota tempat mereka tinggal belum memiliki padanan kesempurnaan toko seperti itu.

Tapi itu berarti Cath harus berhenti dari kemapanan di pekerjaannya sekarang. Dan, sekalipun harus diakui bahwa masakan Lucy selalu enak, berbisnis dengan seorang sahabat tentu saja beresiko tinggi. Tapi memiliki toko buku sendiri sudah menjadi keinginan terpendam Cath dari dulu. Jadi tentu saja ia mau melakukannya!

Sayangnya, pada pesta pembukaan toko buku plus kafe tersebut, seorang sahabat lama yang sudah sepuluh tahun tidak bertemu, Portia, datang memberikan selamat. Itu adalah kehadiran pertama Portia yang ternyata mulai masuk lagi ke kehidupan persahabatan mereka. Portia pernah memiliki kenangan yang tidak mengenakkan dengan Josh, yang membuat Cath dan Si khawatir apakah peristiwa tidak mengenakkan itu akan terjadi lagi kali ini. Portia memang cantik, kaya, dan menarik, tapi ia bisa terlihat dingin, kaku dan superior di antara orang-orang. Padahal Cath bisa dibilang hampir memuja Portia sebagai sahabat wanita terbaiknya.

“Dia seperti saudara perempuan yang tidak pernah kumiliki.”, Hal. 129

Saya selalu menyukai kisah-kisah persahabatan. Seperti mengenang teman-teman terbaik saya yang selalu bisa saya hubungi kapanpun, dimanapun dan dalam keadaan apapun. Dan anehnya saya seperti merasa cerita dalam buku ini mungkin bisa saja terjadi pada banyak orang di sekitar saya. Tapi ijinkan saya mengkritik sedikit buku ini, sebelum saya mengemukakan apa yang saya suka dari buku ini berikutnya.
Di ringkasan cerita yang ditulis di cover belakang, ada kalimat yang menurut saya mengganjal, “ Bersama Lucy, istri sahabatnya dekatnya Josh…”. Lalu di halaman 195, “Josh menjejalkan beberapa potong cokelat lagi ke wajah Max..”, emm apa maksudnya mungkin menjejalkan ke mulut ya, bukan wajah?

Nah itu sedikit krtitik saya buat editorial, dan pada alur cerita, saya kurang puas tentang sisi Cath yang katanya suka pada buku. Sebab tidak banyak hal yang diutarakan tentang Cath yang katanya punya impian memiliki toko buku sendiri. Dan konflik yang terjadi pada tokoh utama, Cath, tidak sedrastis atau semengejutkan konflik yang terjadi pada sahabat-sahabatnya. Ini membuat saya kemudian berpikir, jangan-jangan Cath itu sebenarnya hanya sebagai pencerita, bukan bermain sebagai bintang utama buku ini? Karakter Cath sepertinya masih didominasi oleh kehadiran tokoh lain dalam cerita. Dan endingnya membuat saya tidak puas setelah menutup lembar terakhirnya. Kurang nggreget. Meski memang tidak bisa saya tebak.

Tapi saya akan memberikan tiga bintang untuk buku ini. Sebab saya menemukan kata-kata motivasi dan pencerahan di sela-sela ceritanya. Dan karena ini tentang tokobuku dan kafe, dua tempat yang selalu saya suka. Siapa sih pencinta buku yang nggak mau punya Toko Buku dan Kafenya sendiri?
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Mar 12, 2013 Yasmin rated it 3 of 5 stars

"Its about a group of friends, as told by the narrator, Cath. Her and her amazing gay friend Simon, who goes by Si, go through love and sickness together, as Si gets diagnosed, and Cath tries to find true love. An old friend comes back to shake things up in their lives. Cath and her dear old friend's wife, who she grows closer to, take it upon their dream to open a book/cafe called "Bookends"."
I really liked this book. I thought more about chasing dreams, finding the one, helping a friend, Londo...more

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Jan 20, 2013 Kayla rated it 2 of 5 stars

Cath and Portia used to be best friends at Uni, when Portia makes a huge mistake that tears their group of friends apart, they don't see each other for 10 years. However, this book is more about Cath's relationship with her friends that did stick around like Si her best male gay friend, Lucy (a mother-hen type) and Josh (who may or may not be having an affair). Throw in a potential relationship with a real estate agent and Cath's ambition to run a small bookshop and you have all the lines of plo...more

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May 10, 2010 Stacey rated it 2 of 5 stars

Um, rating 2 stars. I know, they've all been getting 2's lately but, I think, for entirely different reasons. I was pretty excited with this one. Thought I found a new author to read, being the author of many best sellers. To me the story and writing were just a bit off, for lack of a better word. The writing bounced around too much. One minute the story is in the present, then the past, then the main character (Cath, short for Catherine) is talking to the reader. Very inconsistent. Too sitcom-y...more

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Feb 06, 2012 Valerie Jaafari rated it 5 of 5 stars

It’s the story of a couple of young adults who met at the univ who were closed to each other. There are Cath , Portia , Josh, SI (the gay man of the group )and few others .They all do everything together .Cath and Portia are closed to each other even if they come from a different social back group .
One day all went wrong for the group when Portia went on a one night sex with Josh (who was truly in love with her) . And the day after she broke with him .Until then the group slip .oh I should say t...more It’s the story of a couple of young adults who met at the univ who were closed to each other. There are Cath , Portia , Josh, SI (the gay man of the group )and few others .They all do everything together .Cath and Portia are closed to each other even if they come from a different social back group .
One day all went wrong for the group when Portia went on a one night sex with Josh (who was truly in love with her) . And the day after she broke with him .Until then the group slip .oh I should say they slip from Portia .
About 10 years after while they are all settle in live, with great jobs, some are still in contact : Josh is now married to the wonderful Lucy, Cath is still single and Si tries to find the perfect Man .They are all inseparable.
Cath is still thinking of Portia and discovered while reading the newspapers that she has succeed In life. She wants to get in touch with her again as they split their friendship without explanation.
Lucy one day decide that it was time for her to change of job and to open a new business but she doesn’t want to do it on her own and thinks Cath would be a perfect person to do it with .So after lots of decisions they decided to open bookends a bookshop and coffee shop .. there they met James the state agent for the sales .
By a coincidence, Cath found Portia’s phone number and drop her a message . And Portia reenter in their life ..
Of course so much will happen in their life until they reunified . But I won’t tell you all about the book …
Will Portia would bring the mess as usual ? has she changed ?
Will Si found the love of his life ? How will it turn with his friends as he doesn’t want to lost his friends too ?
Will bookends be successful ?
Will Cath finally find love too ?
Will all of them will stick together despite all the problems they will meet ?

I loved this book .It is lively and things move fast .The story is the one that everyone could dream with love hate illness happiness work ..it’s easy to read and I was sticked to the book to see what was going to happen to this group of people ..the end is a little sad but finished on a good point ..
I love that book
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Aug 05, 2011 Lane rated it 2 of 5 stars

For more reviews check out my blog, Thoughts of a Fashionista!

Catherine Warner has left behind her safe office job to open up the bookshop she always dreamed about. She has everything she could ask for--great friends, a budding relationship with a cute real estate agent, and a job she loves. But her world starts to fall apart when Portia, her friend from college reappears.

This book was okay. It wasn't horrible but it wasn't great. I felt that rather than one cohesive story, Green mashed togeth...more For more reviews check out my blog, Thoughts of a Fashionista!

Catherine Warner has left behind her safe office job to open up the bookshop she always dreamed about. She has everything she could ask for--great friends, a budding relationship with a cute real estate agent, and a job she loves. But her world starts to fall apart when Portia, her friend from college reappears.

This book was okay. It wasn't horrible but it wasn't great. I felt that rather than one cohesive story, Green mashed together three disconnected stories into one book. There was the romance story about a plain-looking woman taking a chance and opening up a bookshop. Then there was the drama starring a sick friend. And finally, the story about a girl whose glamorous friend reappears and causes havoc in the main character's life.

It didn't feel cohesive. I think that on their own each story could've been strong and interesting but Green tried to shove them all into one. Portia doesn't seem to play a part in this novel at all. It could've easily happened without her presence at all and I'm still confused why her reappearance into Cath's life was such a big deal. I also wish that Simon or "Si" would've had a bigger role before the second part of the book. Even though he's present, it still feels like he is more of a secondary character that steals the show in the end.

Cath isn't very interesting and, at times, very frustrating. The entire "drama" in the second half could've easily been avoided if she'd just talked to the person rather than jump to conclusions. And although Green was looking to shock her audience by the big revelation at the end, Portia's "secret" wasn't a big secret at all. I knew from the moment Cath and Portia had lunch during the late middle of the book. It was a nice thought but not very well executed.

Then Cath's romantic interest in James, the real estate agent wasn't very engaging. I was hoping for more--especially from a chick-lit. Isn't the romance supposed to be one of the main components? I was left wanting more interaction between the two. Most of their storyline was missed dates or miscommunication. So much unnecessary drama.

But in the end, it was what I expected--sort of. There was the happy ending that I predicted from the beginning and fun way to spend a few hours. It wasn't a life changing book. But, like I said at the beginning, it was okay. Worth a checkout from the library but don't rush out and buy it. (less)

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Feb 09, 2013 Jamee Crosby rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-bought-from-that-second-han

Okay. I stayed up to finish this book because towards the middle I reaaaaaallly fell in love with it. I loved it! I became so emotionally attached to Si and Cath, and it is truly a well written story. It starts off slow and it's one of those books that can be easily forgotten, but when given a chance you realize there is a great story being told.

I would recommend this book to anyone. It is a tear jerker, I definitely shed a few tears in the end. The ending is absolutely perfect. Not at all pred...more

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Dec 28, 2010 Ashley (Bookaholic Does Blogging) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010-reads, december-2010, bookclub

Bookends
Author: Jane Green
Characters: 4 out of 5
Plot: 4 out of 5
Overall: 4 out of 5

Description: (Author Website) Catherine Warner and Simon Nelson are best friends: total opposites, always together, and both unlucky in love. Cath is scatterbrained, messy, and — since she had her heart broken a few years back — emotionally closed off. Si is impossibly tidy, bitchy, and desperate for a man of his own. They live in London’s West Hampstead along with their lifelong friends, Josh and Lucy, who are ha...more Bookends
Author: Jane Green
Characters: 4 out of 5
Plot: 4 out of 5
Overall: 4 out of 5

Description: (Author Website) Catherine Warner and Simon Nelson are best friends: total opposites, always together, and both unlucky in love. Cath is scatterbrained, messy, and — since she had her heart broken a few years back — emotionally closed off. Si is impossibly tidy, bitchy, and desperate for a man of his own. They live in London’s West Hampstead along with their lifelong friends, Josh and Lucy, who are happily married with a devil-spawn child and a terrifying Swedish nanny, Ingrid.

All’s well (sort of) until the sudden arrival of a college friend — the stunningly beautiful Portia, who’s known for breaking hearts. Though they’ve grown up and grown apart from Portia, the four friends welcome her back into the fold. But does Portia have a hidden agenda or is she merely looking to reconnect with old friends? Her reappearance soon unleashes a rollicking series of events that tests the foursome’s friendships to the limit and leaves them wondering if a happy ending is in store.

Fortunately, Cath has plenty to take her mind off Portia’s schemes — like her gutsy decision to leave her job in advertising to fulfill her dream of opening a bookstore. And then there’s James, the sexy real-estate agent who keeps dropping by even after the bookstore deal is done. With his irresistible smile and boyish charm could he be the one to melt Cath’s heart?

From My Point of View: This book was a pleasant surprise for me. I'm not the biggest Jane Green fan, so when I found I was actually enjoying this book, it was kind of shocking to me. I adored how real this book was. I felt like I was watching someone's life unfold.

My absolute favorite part was when Lucy and Cath were setting up Bookends. I am so JEALOUS! I have alwaysssss wanted my own bookshop and they were going for it! I was so happy to see this was a successful endevour for them. With so much going on in this novel, it would have been devistating if the results had turned out otherwise.

As much as I loved the Cath/Si relationship, I often felt irritated by how much it interferred with the Cath/James relationship. Undoubtably at the end, I would have NEVER had Cath behave any other way than to blow off James, but prior to that moment (and if you read the book, you will certainly know which moment I am referring to), I still felt Si was a bit in the way. And I HATED all the obstacles Cath and James had to overcome. I'm sure it essentially made the relationship that much stronger when they finally had time to form that relationship, but I kept waiting and waiting for it to happen! It seemed to take FOREVER!!

I was especially surprised to find myself crying at Si's revelation. I truly wasn't expecting to be so emotionally involved at that point.

Finally, I loved how everything worked out with Portia! I hated her and was dying for her to GO AWAY, but I think Green did a great job of including her in the book.

Overall, this was a good read. I wouldn't say it's the best book I've ever read, but it was heartfelt and an excellent reminder of the meaning of true friendship.(less)

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Oct 30, 2009 Ririn Miu rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, chicklit-and-metropop

Cath's dream is to have her own bookstore + cafe (please ignore the fact that she doesn't read any book as far as I read - but don't worry because she eats and eats and eats, hence the cafe); while she's a success career woman she doesn't have the courage to reach her dream until her friend Lucy persuades her to start that business together and fulfill their dreams. Another problem occurs when an old friend, Portia, a heart breaker, comes back into her life.

The characters are stereotypical, and...more

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May 18, 2012 gille rated it 4 of 5 stars

I read Jemima J last year, so I thought it would be cool to give Jane Green another shot. I enjoyed Bookends.. it was a little slow at first, but as I read, I got more and more into it. I like that Ms. Green creates characters that come off as real - they aren't little stick figure girls who live a life you can't imagine living.. they are sometimes insecure, they have bad hair, and they are regular sized women.

I had a couple of issues with the book, first of all the language.. like when Lucy ta...more

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Jul 15, 2010 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars

I enjoy Jane Green’s brand of British Chick Lit. I’ve read previous Green books in the past, and picked up Bookends while I was laid up with super bad morning sickness last April.

Bookends is a story of friendship. Catherine Warner has great friends in Simon and the happily married Josh and Lucy. While Simon and Cath are both on the lookout for the perfect man, Josh and Lucy seem to have the perfect marriage until a long lost college friend, the beautiful Portia arrives back in their lives. Soon...more

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May 27, 2013 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars

I do think Jane Green might be my favorite of the chick-lit books my mother gives me. But she's got at least one habit that makes me crazy, and it was particularly pronounced in this book. Her characters never seem to use their full names, they just use the first syllable of names. In this entire book, I don't think anyone ever called the main character by her actual name, they only called her "Cath" and her best friend was always "Si" except for one time, which stood out. Now, I'm all for nickn...more

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Dec 17, 2012 Mel rated it 3 of 5 stars

A quick, adequate read but nothing very memorable. Like another reviewer commented, there wasn't enough in this to make me want to read more of Green's writing.

A redeeming quality of this novel was that despite it being chick-lit, it's protagonist was not completely loathsome. Sure, she was a bit irritating with her selfish ways (there were too many instances where it was more about her than her friends that were going through crises) and she had the typical chick-lit experience of idolising a...more

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Dec 12, 2011 Speakercoret rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

udah lama pengen baca buku ini, tp ga mau beli kalo ga diskon :p eh malah dapet pas acara swap #irf2011
bukan dr meja swap tapi hasil ngelongok isi tumpukan di pelukan azia pas dia menuju meja swap :))
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ini bukan buku jane green pertama yg gw baca.. gw pernah baca Jemima.. tp bookends ini lebih menarik ceritanya buat gw.. ada yg lebih disini daripada cuma sekedar urusan berat badan cinta dan seks (ga bakal ada yg ampe kipas2 kayaknya xix...more

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Oct 25, 2010 Veronica Widya rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: chick-lit

The story itself wasnt really special, but how Jane tell the story is genius! she tell it as it real. if its based on fact, so its just call good enough to send the message, but ordinary.
But,, if its totally fiction i really say thats its brilliant!
because she make the story so real, the character re so life! she even make the reader believe if theres something happen with Josh. But when i read, i just trust that Josh won't do that with his lovely wife.
Portia's character is intersting. she's can...more

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Mar 24, 2009 Christina rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009

How awful is it that I didn't remember if I'd read this book previously or not, even when I was midway through it? The character names seemed familiar to me, but I wasn't sure if it was because I'd read the book or just the back of the book. (I'm still not actually sure!) I'm torn between giving it 2 and 3 stars -- 2 because I didn't like it as much as Second Chance, the other Jane Green book I just read and gave 3 stars to, and 3 because I did manage to scarf this book down in a single day -- a...more

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Apr 03, 2009 Lennie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Cath fullfills a life-long dream of owning a bookstore when she opens up, Bookends, along with a friend who becomes her business partner. Even though the store keeps her busy, she still manages to make time for her friends who seem to have one emotional crisis after another all the while trying to start a romance with James, which never seems to get off the ground. I quickly became engrossed with this novel in the beginning when Cath was in the midst of opening up her bookstore (something I have...more

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Aug 09, 2011 Jen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Once upon a time, Jane Austen was considered mere frothy chicklit, but Austen's work was so smart that it withstood the test of time. Jane Green is the new Jane Austen! Sure, this is chicklit. But it is true enough to make me laugh out loud and smart enough to keep me glued to the page. That said, "Bookends" is not Green's finest work. It's good, but it doesn't have "Jemima J"'s intense gravitational pull.

"Bookends"'s main character is likable because her independence makes her respectable, and...more

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Aug 29, 2009 Alethea rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: chick-lit

Just finished this latest one in the pile of "chick lit" I purchased as an indulgence this summer. I hadn't ever heard of Jane Green until I saw this and Jemima J on the shelf at our local used bookstore - and having read Jemima first, have to say that I liked this much more. The characters feel quite genuine, not the contrived stereotypes that appear in other books in this genre, and their foibles and trials drew me in (so much so that I've now spent an entire Saturday morning in my pj's eating...more

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Jan 17, 2013 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I love her book well all but Jemima j that wasn't my favorite. Anyways, its about these college students who have this close friendship. Portia is their queen of all, she is indeed their world! She lets them adore her & she loves it.

Then she gets jealous when a girl who's prettier then her gets interested in a guy who adores her but she's always thrown yo the side. Then because she is no longer the main attraction she decides to give the time of day & sleeps with him but never wants any...more

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Jun 19, 2009 Nelly rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: pop-novel

Hmmm, walau sempat agak bosan karena kebanyakan deskripsi, jadi kesannya terlalu bertele-tele. Selain itu, konflik yang ada juga terlalu banyak, ada saja konflik baru yang muncul. Mulai pertengahan saya baru mulai mengerti apa yang ingin dipermasalahkan oleh penulisnya, sehingga baru mulai menikmatinya. Akhir cerita yang dibuat menggantung juga cukup menyisakan ruang buat pembaca memilih sendiri akhir yang diinginkan. Hanya saja buat pencinta happy ending, pasti bakalan kecewa, deh!

Meskipun demi...more

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Aug 03, 2007 Randy rated it 5 of 5 stars

i'm not ashamed to give top rating to a chicklit book. it's really well done. over-the-top plot point toward the end, but the characters are so good i barely cared.

1 like · like · see review

Oct 06, 2011 Alysa rated it 2 of 5 stars

I accidentally picked this up at the library in my holds pile. Sorry to whomever I stole it from. But now that I have it I feel I have to read it on principal. Wish me luck!
___

Finished it in one night. Fun read. I wish yet again that goodreads had half stars because I reserve 5 stars for best ever (Jane Austen) 4 stars for everything else I loved, 3 stars for stuff I really really liked and 2 for stuff that was fun. It suffered from me reading The Woman in Black before it which was a beautifully...more

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About Jane Green

Jane Green (born in 1968 in London, England) is an U.S.-based British author. She lives in Connecticut with her husband, four children under the age of 5 - including a set of twins - and dog Palmer. She attended the University of Wales, Aberystwyth from 1987-88, although she left without completing her degree and worked as a journalist throughout her twenties. At the age of 27 she was inspired to...more

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Jemima J: A Novel About Ugly Ducklings and Swans

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“... you don't have to wait for someone to treat you bad repeatedly. All it takes is once, and if they get away with it that once, if they know they can treat you like that, then it sets the pattern for the future.” — 283 people liked it

“I cannot believe that I am actually excited at the sight of him. It has been long since anyone has made me feel THIS...and even though I know I've avoided THIS for fear of getting hurt, there's something about him that makes me want to trust him.” — 3 people liked it

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