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If You Lived Here
by
Dana Sachs (Goodreads Author)
At forty-two, Shelley Marino desperately wants a child. Though she and her older husband, Martin, have tried during the course of their marriage, their only hope now is adoption. Martin, who has seen his share of heartbreak, can't reconcile what Shelley wants with what he knows about the world, and as the father of two grown children from a previous marriage, he is not sur...more
Hardcover, 336 pages
Published
February 27th 2007
by William Morrow & Company
(first published 2007)
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Whenever I think about this novel, I think about how after I read it, I gave it to my mom, thinking she would also enjoy it. I was right. Days later my mom called to say, "What a lovely book." While this may not be standard literary criticism vocabulary, it is the one word for me that defines Dana Sachs's writing: lovely. She writes with such quiet authority, in this case about a couple adopting a child from Vietnam. Sachs knows Vietnam well -- she has lived there more than once, written a book...more
If You Lived Here by Dana Sachs starts out as a story about a woman whose desire to have a child ultimately leads her to Vietnam to adopt a baby boy. Her journey tests her marriage but in the process she gains a new friend. The story is two dimensional. The main plot is about Shelley, and what she endures to have a child of her own. The sub-plot deals with a Vietnamese woman named Xuan Mai, whom Shelley befriends when she learns of the little boy who is available for adoption in Hanoi, Vietnam,...more
At first, I found this book difficult to get into. The writing style seemed wordy and it took awhile to get used to the plot being written in present tense. Three chapters in I found myself sucked into Shelley and Xuan Mai's stories.
Shelley is the wife of a mortician. They have been trying to adopt a child from another country.
Xuan Mai is a Vietnamese immigrant who left Vietnam at the end of the 1970s. She fled the country for personal reasons and lives an isolated life.
Though Shelley story is...more
Shelley is the wife of a mortician. They have been trying to adopt a child from another country.
Xuan Mai is a Vietnamese immigrant who left Vietnam at the end of the 1970s. She fled the country for personal reasons and lives an isolated life.
Though Shelley story is...more
This novel alternates between two narrators. Shelley is a 42-year-old woman desperate to have a child who is seeking to adopt a little boy from Vietnam, placing great strain on her relationship with her husband, Martin, who is a Vietnam War veteran. Mai came to the United States from Vietnam as a young woman, fleeing tragedy, and she runs an Asian market in Shelley's hometown in North Carolina. The two women become friends and undertake a trip to Vietnam that ends up being life altering for both...more
Interesting intertwining of characters and their stories, but it didn't keep me riveted. I appreciated the foreign adoption storyline and the complications surrounding it.
I loved this book. A couple wants to adopt. A little boy in Viet nam becomes available. Husband served there and refuses. All attempts at previous adoptions have failed. Wife really wants this little boy. She befriends a local Vietnamese refugee and together they go to Hanoi. This is where the story really takes off. The two women encounter everything from bureaucratic nightmares and long lost relatives to romance, forgiveness, friendship and love. An artful blend of American and Vietnamese cult...more
Never read this author before, and probably won't seek out her other books, though I did generally enjoy this book. The best part of it was the description of life in Vietnam currently, the culture of Vietnam generally and the impact of the war, on both the Vietnamese and the Americans who fought in it. It's basically the story of a friendship between two women, one American and one Vietnamese. The American woman wants to adopt a Vietnamese child and the conflict that causes with her husband. Th...more
This book tells the story of two women who become fast friends. One is red-haired mortician - Shelley - the other is a Vietnamese store owner - Mia. Each is dealing with difficult issues. Shelley wants to adopt but roadblocks keep appearing, including from her husband. Mia, who left Vietnam as a teenager, is filled with guilt and loss from her last day in Vietnam. They become fast friends and travel together to Vietnam to pick up the boy Shelley's is to adopt. As expected, thing do not go as hop...more
I really enjoyed this book and was sorry to see it end. The book follows the stories of two women, Shelly and Mai, and the different circumstances that eventually bring them to Vietnam together. While I initially felt more connected to Shelly, it was Mai's journey that kept me captivated. It may not end up in the list of my favorites, but I found I wanted to keep reading and see where their journeys took them. Enjoyed the imagery and a glimpse into the culture of Vietnam, both during the war and...more
Good story, engaging characters, engaging relationships. Written in alternating voices between Shelly and her new friend, Mai. Shelly and her husband, Martin, are business partners in the funeral business. He has 2 grown sons from a prior marriage. She wants a child and decides to adopt a Vietnamese orphan. He wants no part of it due to post-traumatic stress syndrome from the war in Vietnam. Mai has come to live in the U.S. after the war to escape guilt from a tragic accident that killed her nie...more
From B&N site: At forty-two, Shelley Marino desperately wants a child. Though she and her older husband, Martin, have tried during the course of their marriage, their only hope now is adoption. Martin, who has seen his share of heartbreak, can't reconcile what Shelley wants with what he knows about the world, and as the father of two grown children from a previous marriage, he is not sure he can bear the emotional challenge of fatherhood again. To love is to risk loss and Martin suddenly dec...more
Sep 01, 2009
Dawn Michelle
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
books-read-in-2009
3 1/2 Stars
This was an interesting book with an interesting storyline. One that has been explored before, but never quite like this. It was pretty personal to me and I do not think I would ever read this again (am giving the book away), but I DID enjoy it, even the parts that were tough for me to read and even the parts that made me so angry that I could have screamed!!
Shelley is a 42 year old married woman who cannot have a baby. Something she has always wanted and dreamed about. So, she deci...more
Loved the writing of the two characters and how their lives intertwined to form a bonding friendship. Great writing to have the two characters, Shelley and Mai, overcome obstacles in their lives and to work out forgiveness of current and past happenings. Love the way the little boy, who was being adopted, seemed to draw them altogether, sort of softening their hearts, and bringing the true meaning of life and love back to all the
characters.
I Throughly enjoyed reading this novel.
characters.
I Throughly enjoyed reading this novel.
This is the story of Shelley Marino whose deep desire for a child has led her to Vietnam in hopes of adopting a little boy, and Xuan Mai who ran away from Vietnam decades ago. Shelley's husband, Martin, a Vietnam veteran, refuses to support her in this quest which leads to Mai going with Shelley and confronting ghosts from her past.
The author is obviously very knowledgable about past and present Vietnam which adds immensely to the impact of this book.
The author is obviously very knowledgable about past and present Vietnam which adds immensely to the impact of this book.
I’ve never read anything by this author but I did like this book. It did start out sort of slow. At times seemed to even ramble on off of the subject but when you finally understood where the author was going it became interesting to read. An almost predictable story at times. A woman named Shelly, an undertaker, could not get pregnant. She makes a connection with a most unlikely of friends, Mai who is a quiet Vietnamese woman owner of a neighborhood store near Shelly’s funeral home. They find t...more
The begining of this book almost detured me from reading it. Something about the way they discribed the main charaters job set me on edge. The friend who lent me the book said she felt the same way and to keep reading. Once I got into the book it flowed nicely. I enjoyed the stories of Shelley and Xuan Mai. The things both women gave up showed you how strong they really were. Great book.
A wonderful book about the struggles parents face when considering adoption - but the book is about so much more. It's about the struggles we all face in marriage, and about our ability to forgive ourselves for past mistakes.
I really enjoyed the author's skill at storytelling, making the characters come alive. I also enjoyed the descriptions of life in Vietnam during the Vietnam war and today. I love learning about other cultures, and that's one reason I really liked this book.
I also liked how t...more
I really enjoyed the author's skill at storytelling, making the characters come alive. I also enjoyed the descriptions of life in Vietnam during the Vietnam war and today. I love learning about other cultures, and that's one reason I really liked this book.
I also liked how t...more
Another quick read for summer. I enjoyed the two narrators, the differences in life bridged by a vietnemese adoption, the healing of wounds for two with a past in vietnam, etc. . .
I enjoyed being introduced more to the Vietnemese culture and another aspect of international adoption.
Great story!
I enjoyed being introduced more to the Vietnemese culture and another aspect of international adoption.
Great story!
I wasn't sure that I'd enjoy this book, but once I started reading it, I was hooked. It's different from any other novel I've read, in a good way. The ending leaves you wanting just a little bit more, unfortunately, on a whole, this is a book I would definitely recommend.
This book is fabulous! I love the dual point of view, and the interweaving of the issues of these two women who become friends. It's a great read, and a great way to see situations from more than one perspective.
Awesome writing! Novel about a Vietnamese American woman and an American woman adopting a Vietnamese child. AWESOME!
Awesome writing! Novel about a Vietnamese American woman and an American woman adopting a Vietnamese child. AWESOME!
I was very taken with Shelley's story. I can understand her desire to have a child- I hope I wouldn't make choices as she did. A thoughtful read although I did a fair amount of skimming- more interested in the overall story than the little details.
Not bad, but the story really didn't draw me in as much as I would have liked. The idea of getting a divorce just to adopt a child didn't make sense to me. Not a waste of time to read it, but I'm not going to highly recommend it either.
I really liked this book alot. I loved all of the chacters in book for different reasons. It was interesting to read about a culture that I do not know alot about in Vietnam and grew to appreciate all that they had to endure during the Vietnam war. I loved the story line of international adoption. He had a great message of hope, never giving up, understanding and forgivness.
Sep 18, 2007
Karen
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone interested in adoption or vietnam or just a good story
Shelves:
recentreads
What an unexpected gem this book was! An older couple is trying to adopt a baby in the US, but are disappointed time and again. A chance comes up to adopt a baby boy in Vietnam, but the husband does not want to--he is a Vietnam vet and has bad memories associated with that country. The adoption may be a deal breaker for the marriage. In the meantime, the wife befriends a local store owner, a Vietnamese woman, in order to learn more about the country and customs of her future son's country. Toget...more
While I fully enjoyed this book, I often found myself confused about who was speaking. it changed "voices" often and maybe it's just me, but it was distracting. The story was beautifully written.
Absolutely loved this story. Very different from anything else I have read in recent years. Well written, great characters who are well developed, each with their own unique story.
I bought this off the discount rack for a beach read, but cheated and started it early. I can't put it down...amazing story about a woman's journey to meet her child through adoption...
I so loved this book. I could barely put it down to go to sleep, or fix dinner, or really do anything. It is a slow sweet book about love and friendship, second chances and forgiveness.
I really enjoyed this book. It is a story of 2 women and their friendship but also how they are living 2 separate lives at the same time.... so 2 stories in one. VERY enjoyable.
I thought this was a good book about marriage, infertility, adoption and asian culture. I picked it up off the stacks and really enjoyed it.
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