On the heels of her national bestsellers Jemima J and Mr. Maybe, British sensation Jane Green delivers a sparkling tale of old fri...
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Jan 14, 2009
Endah
rated it: 
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 bantua More...
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 bantua More...
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Dec 16, 2009
Asim
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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 a
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Sep 08, 2011
Harmonybites
rated it: 
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
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Apr 09, 2009
Danica
rated it:
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 th More...
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 th More...
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May 10, 2010
Stacey
rated it:
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
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Feb 06, 2012
Valerie
rated it: 
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 More...
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 More...
Aug 05, 2011
Lane
rated it:
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 cohe More...
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 cohe More...
Dec 28, 2010
Ashley
rated it: 
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 frie More...
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 frie More...
Oct 30, 2009
Ririn
rated it:
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 stereo More...
The characters are stereo More...
Jul 15, 2010
Laura
rated it:
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 t More...
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 t More...
Dec 29, 2011
Speakercoret
rated it:
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 More...
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 More...
Oct 25, 2010
Nica^^
rated it:
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 int More...
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 int More...
Mar 24, 2009
Christina
rated it:
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 -
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Apr 03, 2009
Lennie
rated it:
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 ha
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Aug 09, 2011
Jen
rated it:
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 independen More...
"Bookends"'s main character is likable because her independen More...
Aug 29, 2009
Alethea
rated it:
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
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Dec 18, 2009
Nicky
rated it:
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 happliy 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 w More...
The characters are sterotypes (resolutely single girl with gay best friend and happliy 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 w More...
Jun 19, 2009
Nelly
rated it:
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!
M More...
M More...
Aug 03, 2007
Randy
rated it:
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.
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Oct 06, 2011
Alysa
rated it:
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!
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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 More...
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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 More...
Sep 07, 2010
Lindsey
rated it:
I so wanted to like this. I mean, it's my (unrealistic) dream to open a book store/wine store/flower shop, I often fancy myself like a British gal, Cath is my age-ish (among other similarities) and I think that any occasion is ripe for bubbly.
Unfortunately, though, I found it to be too predictable and without the details that I need for classification as feel-good and/or learn-something chick-lit. If there were more about the relationship with James, more about the store, or less abo More...
Unfortunately, though, I found it to be too predictable and without the details that I need for classification as feel-good and/or learn-something chick-lit. If there were more about the relationship with James, more about the store, or less abo More...
Jul 31, 2010
Sari
rated it:
mmhh, saya menyelesaikan membaca buku ini karena itulah hal yang harus saya lakukan ketika meninggalkan uang di kasir gramedia. well, cukup membosankan karena alurnya yang lambat dan ceritanya terlalu bertele-tele. satu hal yang membuat saya sedikit terhibur adalah fakta bahwa tokoh protagonisnya meninggalkan pekerjaan mapannya untuk mewujudkan cita-citanya membuka toko buka yang dilengkapi oleh cafe yang super nyaman dengan desain yang juga tak kalah menarik. it's like see my dream come true .
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Dec 27, 2008
Leslie
rated it:
This book started off stronger than it finished in my opinion. At first I was drawn into the fun crew of very likable characters. After awhile though, some of the characters became pretty one dimensional and I was able to predict one of the "twists" about 70 pages before we're told. In addition, the AIDS element (while well-researched)seemed to try to put a meaningful side to it since it had been lacking before. Overall, it was a fun vacation read and I am still interested in check
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Apr 20, 2011
Chiara (Oscuro y Seductor Romance)
rated it:
Habla con total naturalidad de una chica, Cath, que ha decidido no volver a salir con tíos, piensa que asi no sufrirá. Pero James le hará cambiar de opinión.
También conocemos al grupo de amigos de Cath y como una buena amistad que terminó hace 10 años vuelve a aparecer en sus vidas y con los resultados, al principio más catastróficos, y finalmente, esclarecedores.
Nos habla asimismo, de como se siente un amigo al ser seropositivo y la actitud que debe tomar ante la vida.
Le reco More...
También conocemos al grupo de amigos de Cath y como una buena amistad que terminó hace 10 años vuelve a aparecer en sus vidas y con los resultados, al principio más catastróficos, y finalmente, esclarecedores.
Nos habla asimismo, de como se siente un amigo al ser seropositivo y la actitud que debe tomar ante la vida.
Le reco More...
Mar 30, 2009
Ari
rated it:
aku menemukan banyak persahabatan dan cita-cita, bagaimana mewujudkan mimpi, berani menjalani relationship. Makna pertemanan yang sebenarnya. Bagaimana memberi dukungan sepenuhnya ketika salah seorang sahabat tervonis HIV positif, bagaimana bersikap saat mengetahui seorang sahabat, suami sahabat mempunyai affair (yang ternyata tak pernah terjadi). Bikin nangis di akhirnya, soalnya tiba2 aku bayangin klo punya temen yang punya sakit parah (well i already have sih) walaupun cuman bacaan ringan tap
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Jan 03, 2012
Aviva
rated it:
I'm not impressed with this author's writing at all. The switching of tenses, the awkward writing "voice," and the lack or arc were disappointing. That being said, I enjoyed the Britain setting and the characters OCCASIONALLY, but overall the I'm-a-single-girl-I-need-a-man thing was so unnecessary. I wanted an easy read. It couldn't have been any easier.
Is this standard chick lit, which I never go for? I don't know, but there a so many better female writers who write female More...
Is this standard chick lit, which I never go for? I don't know, but there a so many better female writers who write female More...
Aug 28, 2011
Melissa
rated it:
I wasn't really a big fan of this book. It was nice in a homey sort of way, but there just wasn't a whole lot too it aside from ramblings.
A group of friends who have been together since their University days (minus one who reappears later) have gotten along with their lives, working, finding love, one of them marrying, one of them searching for his perfect man, another not searching at all. Cath, who I would consider the main character of this book is the one not searching. But when More...
A group of friends who have been together since their University days (minus one who reappears later) have gotten along with their lives, working, finding love, one of them marrying, one of them searching for his perfect man, another not searching at all. Cath, who I would consider the main character of this book is the one not searching. But when More...
May 25, 2010
Reese
rated it:
I loved Jemima J by Jane Green so much, I immediately wanted to read one of her other books. I saw Bookends at the used bookstore for hella cheap so I picked it up. I liked it and although it was a little slow for me in the beginning, once I got passed 1/4 of the book, it got really interesting, exciting and suspenseful. It wasn't a laugh-out-loud book like Jemima J but it definitely makes you think about friendships, whether it be new, old and lost.
It's about a group of close coll More...
It's about a group of close coll More...
Jun 13, 2007
Sotoleon
rated it: 
I just finished the most annoying book in the world:Jane Green's "BookEnds." Sure, I knew it was a mass market book and its plot is like many others I've encountered before. But its british setting made it novel (and it is a novel . . . I crack myself up sometimes). And it unabashadely sells itself as brit-chick lit book. Having nothing against either chick lit or brit-chick lit (Melissa Banks's "Guide to Hunting and Fishing," the so-called 'mother' of chick-lit, is really go
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Mar 20, 2011
Anna
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I've been putting a lot of thought into why we read chick lit. The truth is that even though this book is quite good for chick lit, it's still awfully formulaic. My best guess is that it's similar to the reason some of Mark's black friends swear by some truly awful movies (that I can't remember the names of) that revolve around black protagonists. Sure, the books and movies are pretty terrible, but you just get sick, after a while, of reading books where the main character is completely Other
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