What happens when your Prince Charming turns out not to be so charming after all? In To Have and To Hold, bestselling author Jane Green offe...
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Nov 18, 2011
Booklover
rated it: 
After reading i was like WTF,making mockery of vows and friendship
the wife Alice was blind to all the signs which keeps nagging the wife that something is fishy,she keeps herself busy by socializing and in their country house,the hubby Joe just can't seem to have control on his lust ,seemed to be any woman who walked by he wanted to have sex with her,he is addicted to sex and seemed to me he might have missed out some therapy sessions in teens that is why now at age 38 he needed coun More...
the wife Alice was blind to all the signs which keeps nagging the wife that something is fishy,she keeps herself busy by socializing and in their country house,the hubby Joe just can't seem to have control on his lust ,seemed to be any woman who walked by he wanted to have sex with her,he is addicted to sex and seemed to me he might have missed out some therapy sessions in teens that is why now at age 38 he needed coun More...
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Nov 21, 2011
Rea
rated it: 
I am a huge fan of Jane Green books, with bookends being my favourite. When I was in the library I saw Spellbound which is a book of Jane Green which I have yet to read and obviously I couldn't walk over it.
The main character in Spellbound is Alice who you instantly warm to in Green's clever way of introducing you to her characters. Alice is married to Joe who I instantly disliked he moulds Alice into his ideal trophy wife encouraging her to dye her hair blonde and lose weight More...
The main character in Spellbound is Alice who you instantly warm to in Green's clever way of introducing you to her characters. Alice is married to Joe who I instantly disliked he moulds Alice into his ideal trophy wife encouraging her to dye her hair blonde and lose weight More...
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Jul 29, 2007
Chiquita
rated it: 
Jangan ketawa, saya kadang-kadang suka iseng pengen baca-baca novel ChickLit. Bukannya apa, novel ChickLit biasanya ringan sehingga kita nggak harus mengerenyit buat ngertiin ceritanya.
Salah satu penulis yang saya suka adalah Jane Green, seorang penulis Inggris.
Sayangnya Spellbound menurut saya nggak terlalu menonjolkan ciri khas Jane Green. Nggak terlalu Inggris menurut saya. Mungkin karena setengah buku ini settingnya di New York ? Tapi kayanya nggak juga, si shopaholicnya So More...
Salah satu penulis yang saya suka adalah Jane Green, seorang penulis Inggris.
Sayangnya Spellbound menurut saya nggak terlalu menonjolkan ciri khas Jane Green. Nggak terlalu Inggris menurut saya. Mungkin karena setengah buku ini settingnya di New York ? Tapi kayanya nggak juga, si shopaholicnya So More...
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Mar 24, 2009
Just a bit of light reading for a change. Chic Lit.
Wife of a serial adulterer who has changed her into someone she is not wises up when they move to the USA. She finds a house in the country, finds a mind of her own and dumps him.
Wife of a serial adulterer who has changed her into someone she is not wises up when they move to the USA. She finds a house in the country, finds a mind of her own and dumps him.
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Oct 17, 2007
Keriann
rated it:
Oh the hilarity.
I have been known to love Jane Green. Jemima J is great, and several others have excellent characters and moments.
But this was too much. Wish I could remember the specific horrors right now, but needless to say it was far more caricature-y than usual and everyone in it was stupid and unsympathetic.
I guess I learned don't marry for money and try to be someone you're not? haha.
Reading this back to back with Erica Jong's mid-life acco More...
I have been known to love Jane Green. Jemima J is great, and several others have excellent characters and moments.
But this was too much. Wish I could remember the specific horrors right now, but needless to say it was far more caricature-y than usual and everyone in it was stupid and unsympathetic.
I guess I learned don't marry for money and try to be someone you're not? haha.
Reading this back to back with Erica Jong's mid-life acco More...
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Feb 04, 2012
Nirmala
rated it:
I give 2 stars for it, bahkan saya ga rela untuk ngasih 2 1/2 bintang :P
Cerita novel ini berpusat di Alice yg awalnya adalah seorang cewek yg super cupu, sama sekali ga terkenal (saya membayangkan alice ini mungkin seperti the ugly betty). Hidupnya pun biasa aja sampai dia ketemu lagi dengan Joe-si prince charming di masa sma nya.
Awalnya mungkin novel ini seperti cerita Cinderella yg ditutup dengan " And they life happily ever after " sampai hidup Alice yg keliatannya More...
Cerita novel ini berpusat di Alice yg awalnya adalah seorang cewek yg super cupu, sama sekali ga terkenal (saya membayangkan alice ini mungkin seperti the ugly betty). Hidupnya pun biasa aja sampai dia ketemu lagi dengan Joe-si prince charming di masa sma nya.
Awalnya mungkin novel ini seperti cerita Cinderella yg ditutup dengan " And they life happily ever after " sampai hidup Alice yg keliatannya More...
Jan 31, 2010
Talia
rated it:
Alice has married her high school crush and lives a life of luxury. She no longer works, gets her hair colored every 6 weeks, lunches with high society, and wears the latest fashions. One small problem: she isn’t herself. Also, her husband, Joe, is a womanizing cad, cheating on Alice every chance he can. When an affair with a co-worker goes awry, Alice and Joe move to the U.S., where Alice buys a cottage in the country. She begins to find herself through a love of gardening, and when her best fr
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Dec 02, 2009
Ashleyberg
rated it: 
althought im still reading the book its deffinately got me interested but maybe that is just my opinion for being a girl in high school. the drama and the guy thinking he is so clever. pshh. in a way i can relate i think almost any teenage girl can relate. thought weve not been married weve all had one guy in our life who we would do anything for. I can relate for the fact that i was head over heels for one guy and ended up getting my heart broken and come to find out he cheated on me more than
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Apr 30, 2009
Wieta
rated it:
Menceritakan hidup pernikahan Alice dengan suaminya Joe yang sering berselingkuh. Pada dasarnya Alice adalah tipikal wanita rumahan yang mangangankan hidup di pedesaan. Tapi tak disangka pertemuannya kembali dengan Joe, cinta pertamanya pada masa2 high school telah mengubah jalan hidupnya.
Alice memasuki kehidupan high class London namun kemudian menyadari tidak menyukainya. Seolah-olah segala sesuatunya hanyalah peran untuk menyenangkan hati Joe suaminya yang sangat dia cintai.
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Alice memasuki kehidupan high class London namun kemudian menyadari tidak menyukainya. Seolah-olah segala sesuatunya hanyalah peran untuk menyenangkan hati Joe suaminya yang sangat dia cintai.
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Aug 12, 2011
Oky
rated it:
Buku yang saya dapat hasil minjem di situs http://pinjambuku.org/ gratis. Gratis ongkos kirim pula saking baiknya para member komunitas pinjam buku. Jujur uda sering liat novel ini nangkring di rak obral, bazar, bahkan rental tapi sama sekali nggak menarik minat untuk beli karena meskipun saya pecinta chicklit saya nggak gitu suka covernya. Yeah, people do judge a book by its cover.
Setelah baca, dari awal halaman sampai akhir saya benci. banget. sama. Joe. si. Tukang. Selingkuh. Arrrg More...
Setelah baca, dari awal halaman sampai akhir saya benci. banget. sama. Joe. si. Tukang. Selingkuh. Arrrg More...
Jul 27, 2011
2004- I tried to like this book. I really did. However, I think it's easier to connect with a book when you identify with one of the characters. And the main characters here were certainly not identifiable for me. There's the main character, Alice, who is married to Joe, who is a serial cheater, who is currently cheating with Josie, one of his co-workers. When Joe and Josie are discovered messing around in the office, Joe gets transferring across the ocean...to New York City. For Joe, a new city
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Nov 04, 2011
Ashwaq
rated it:
What would be the purpose of your life if you just kept behaving as you should be? what role would anyone, for that matter, have if they just remained passive? even when it comes to their own life.
No better than the story of Alice's marriage to get inspiration from. Alice gives up 30 years of her life being the (trophy) wife of Joe Chambers, who is very successful and wealthy yet with a problem, he can't keep control of his pants. While he plays the controlling husband by telling his w More...
No better than the story of Alice's marriage to get inspiration from. Alice gives up 30 years of her life being the (trophy) wife of Joe Chambers, who is very successful and wealthy yet with a problem, he can't keep control of his pants. While he plays the controlling husband by telling his w More...
Oct 17, 2011
Carole
rated it:
For chick lit, it wasn't bad. It kept me entertained when I listened to it on the way to and from work. I enjoyed the fact that the main character lost her identity in her marriage but regained it again when she realized her marriage wasn't working. I appreciated how she grew as a person. There was one bit that bothered me about the book and that was the feeble attempt to tell parts of the story from the husband's point of view. The guy was a major philanderer and if the story were truly to
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Aug 10, 2009
Nielam
rated it:
Jane Green bisa dibilang salah satu dedengkot penulis chick lit. gue suka banget buku pertama dia yang gue baca, yaitu jemima j, then i read bookends which i also love...
waktu mau beli buku ini sebenernya bingung milih,ini atau babyville, but this book got me at the word spell...entah kenapa walo dah baca belakangnya masih tetap berharap bakalan ada something magical in this book.
ceritanya memang bukan cerita manis bersalut gula,but it's well written.di awal cerita gue ga More...
waktu mau beli buku ini sebenernya bingung milih,ini atau babyville, but this book got me at the word spell...entah kenapa walo dah baca belakangnya masih tetap berharap bakalan ada something magical in this book.
ceritanya memang bukan cerita manis bersalut gula,but it's well written.di awal cerita gue ga More...
Jan 22, 2012
Alvi
rated it:
This's another book of Jane Green that I read. This book told us about Alice who has always dreamed of happily ever afters and white picket fences. As a teenager Alice loved Joe Chambers from afar, but he never noticed her. Fast forward and she is now a 28 year old owner of her own catering business. In a strange quirk of fate, she is poised to marry the fabulous, wealthy and successful Joe, who has always been the man of her dreams. As Alice marries Joe and settles into married life she begins
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May 27, 2011
Rebecca
rated it:
What is someone's idea of perfection and an ideal life? To Joe, husband of Alice, it involves looking the part all the time, designer outfits, smart appearances..and for the longest time, his wife is accepting. But with rumours of infidelity rife in their neighbourhood and a new life being made in New York, she soon discovers that said life is not for her. Instead, after revelations, rediscoveries and with the help of true friends, Alice finds the girl inside herself that she always dreamt of be
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Sep 28, 2010
Rhiannon
rated it:
I was pleasantly surprised at this novel. I really liked it!
I had been wanting to try a Jane Green book for quite some time now, after seeing that she was rated the #1 author of chick-lit, and I wasn't let down by "Spellbound" (the American title.)
It's the story of a woman (Alice), who marries the man (Joe) she's loved ever since she was young and in school. He was the popular guy, and quite known to be a womanizer. He didn't even know she existed before, b More...
I had been wanting to try a Jane Green book for quite some time now, after seeing that she was rated the #1 author of chick-lit, and I wasn't let down by "Spellbound" (the American title.)
It's the story of a woman (Alice), who marries the man (Joe) she's loved ever since she was young and in school. He was the popular guy, and quite known to be a womanizer. He didn't even know she existed before, b More...
Dec 21, 2010
Belinda
rated it:
Definately my favorite Jane Green Novel, and chick-lit read.
It's an enchanting story about a woman who marries a man she knew from her childhood, who's obnoxious, cheats and dictates the lifestyle she lives.
It's her personality that draws me in: a woman with naturally curly-hair who is refined to the lifestyle her husband accustoms her to, and the lifestye she wants: A house in the country. If I wasn't 18 I would swear she's me. Although her best-friend Emily also echoes me as More...
It's an enchanting story about a woman who marries a man she knew from her childhood, who's obnoxious, cheats and dictates the lifestyle she lives.
It's her personality that draws me in: a woman with naturally curly-hair who is refined to the lifestyle her husband accustoms her to, and the lifestye she wants: A house in the country. If I wasn't 18 I would swear she's me. Although her best-friend Emily also echoes me as More...
Sep 08, 2009
Elmedina
rated it: 
I thought that this book was a very weird because at first everything was normal; everybody was with their boyfriend/girlfriend or husband/wife and then at the end of the book everybody was with the wrong person. What I mean by that is that there was friend’s boyfriend with the best friend; it was just all weird at the end but almost everybody was happy.
This book was about a high class married couple (Alice and Joe) who lived in London and live a pretty good life. The only thing is that Jo More...
This book was about a high class married couple (Alice and Joe) who lived in London and live a pretty good life. The only thing is that Jo More...
Dec 22, 2011
Rhoda
rated it:
I have read one other of Jane Green's books and for chick lit, didn't mind it. This one however, is majorly cringe-worthy. Any cliched and hideous behaviour is included in this story.....philandering husbands, trophy wives, cheating on your best friend and the absolute worst is at the end, which I won't give away. Basically, everything I don't want to read in a book. The only redeeming feature was to see Alice find who she is and stop being bullied into being something she isn't by her total bas
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Dec 20, 2009
Marisa
rated it:
Read this book for our first library radio show. The theme was beach reading and I thought I would take a stab at trying some chick-lit out. I have wanted to be more into this genre, I can admit. Its just fun fluff reading, and there's nothing wrong with that. I just don't think I found the right one. This book included all the stereotypes of chick-lit: a horrible cheating husband, the quirky best friend, England, and of course the "finding-yourself and a better man" ending. Even the c
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Jun 23, 2010
Loricious
rated it:
Very curious way of writing a book. Never seen it before. Completely in present tense. "Alice wakes up. She is tired, and after thinking a moment, walks downstairs and begins to make a pot of coffee."
Not that that is actual text from the book, but you get my gist.
The goodness of the book comes from this narrative style, this unique way of telling a story. It isn't original in plot nor character, but good.
Read by my favorite audiobook lady, Ms. K More...
Not that that is actual text from the book, but you get my gist.
The goodness of the book comes from this narrative style, this unique way of telling a story. It isn't original in plot nor character, but good.
Read by my favorite audiobook lady, Ms. K More...
Oct 25, 2011
Tiana
rated it:
Ok, so I randomly picked this book from the library. I was excited that the Chicago public library had ebook rentals online!! So i went online looking for a book to check out and most of them were not available. This was the first book that was available so I just checked it out and hoped it was good.
The book was ok. Just ok. It moved along good enough where I wasn't bored. However the book was Annoying! How long would Alice go on as a naive wife? Gosh! And the fact that she was a c More...
The book was ok. Just ok. It moved along good enough where I wasn't bored. However the book was Annoying! How long would Alice go on as a naive wife? Gosh! And the fact that she was a c More...
Jun 27, 2011
Danielle
rated it:
What can I say, I love Jane Green!!! She touches on real situations that women go through and I admire her for that. Yes, most things are immoral but many people can relate to them.
I felt for Alice, you finally get the man you have dreamed of all your life and bamn, he's an A-hole! I hated that he cheated sooo many times, heartless man. I did however, like the way the story was written. For any women who likes Chick-Lit, read this book, not as light as most but true to Jane Gree More...
I felt for Alice, you finally get the man you have dreamed of all your life and bamn, he's an A-hole! I hated that he cheated sooo many times, heartless man. I did however, like the way the story was written. For any women who likes Chick-Lit, read this book, not as light as most but true to Jane Gree More...
Feb 28, 2011
Patti
rated it:
First, I should comment on the style, since I read this immediately after Babyville, which I didn't love stylistically. For some reason, the changes in perspective were slightly less jarring this time around. I don't know if some of my issue with that first 1/3 of Babyville had to do with disliking Julia - because I thought the last 1/3 was better - or if it had to do with how she changed the way she wrote. Either way, the flow was improved in this book, despite the fact that the technique was p
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May 05, 2011
Mirella Grace
rated it:
Ceritanya... khas chicklit lah... Intinya, hidup Alice berubah drastis semenjak merit sama Joe. Yah, lebiha ke arah bahwa Joe ngatur hidup Alice abis. Alice berubah total. Padahal, perubahan hidup Alice yg jadi penurut itu, gak ngerubah hidup Joe yang tetep aja selingkuh, affair dan one night stand di sana sini.
Mendadak, Joe, dipindahkan kerja ke kantor cabang New York dan Alice pun kudu ikut ke sana... Di sana, mereka selain beli apartemen di New York, juga beli rumah di daerah pede More...
Mendadak, Joe, dipindahkan kerja ke kantor cabang New York dan Alice pun kudu ikut ke sana... Di sana, mereka selain beli apartemen di New York, juga beli rumah di daerah pede More...
Mar 19, 2011
Amanda
rated it:
Another fluff book... maybe these aren't fluff books, maybe since I haven't wrote anything about any other kinds of books, they're actually all I read, eh?
Anyway, this one was about a woman who pretty much totally remade herself to please her husband. She goes from being mousy brown, curly haired and in love with her career (which is catering) to being blond, sleekly groomed, stylishly attired and in love with her husband (who guides all of these changes).
They get married and More...
Anyway, this one was about a woman who pretty much totally remade herself to please her husband. She goes from being mousy brown, curly haired and in love with her career (which is catering) to being blond, sleekly groomed, stylishly attired and in love with her husband (who guides all of these changes).
They get married and More...
Jun 28, 2008
Colleen
rated it:
My absolute favorite of Jane Green's books. The plot isn't so much what makes me love this book, but the scenery is so descriptive, so lovely...this is a book that you read just to luxuriate in the setting. You can almost smell the cool country air, and become immersed in the small town buzz. It made me want to paint, to draw, to lock myself away in the country, and bake homemade pastries, while enjoying a women's group book club, followed by antiquing and a great cup of coffee!
Jo More...
Jo More...
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Mar 30, 2010
Hanny
rated it:
Sometimes, I just need to read or hear a story that is light and fluffy with a happy ending and that is generally what these type of books are all about (chick lit, I believe they're called).
This audio book was an entertaining, pleasantly read, romantic story about a mismatched couple and the struggles they go through to discover the unavoidable truth about their relationship.
If you're looking for this type of book and you don't analyze it too much, I think you'd enjoy
This audio book was an entertaining, pleasantly read, romantic story about a mismatched couple and the struggles they go through to discover the unavoidable truth about their relationship.
If you're looking for this type of book and you don't analyze it too much, I think you'd enjoy
Jul 06, 2009
C.L.
rated it:
I've been a Jane Green fan for a long time,but To Have and To Hold just fell short for me. It was VERY slow moving, there was a ridiculous amount of backstory I didn't really care about and it was very repetitive. I read this over three days, and by page 250 was when I found myself finally interested. The plot was very linear and simple, and normally, I like a bit more meat to my books. Chick lit or not, it's no excuse to have such a simple storyline.
She's done better. Jemima J, for instan
She's done better. Jemima J, for instan
