The New York Times bestselling author delivers another winning novelthis time its a tale of friendship and fate
Jane Green... read full description
Jane Green... read full description
reviews
Aug 09, 2008
Alan
rated it: 
This book starts out as a British version of "The Big Chill" but goes downhill pretty fast.
We are introduced to all the main characters in the opening scene. They were school friends who went their separates ways and reunited when another friend dies in a terrorist attack.
So we have Holly, trapped in an unhappy marriage to Marcus, a vain, snobbish, selfish lawyer. The author devotes many pages throughout the book to demonstrating how vain, snobbish and selfish M More...
We are introduced to all the main characters in the opening scene. They were school friends who went their separates ways and reunited when another friend dies in a terrorist attack.
So we have Holly, trapped in an unhappy marriage to Marcus, a vain, snobbish, selfish lawyer. The author devotes many pages throughout the book to demonstrating how vain, snobbish and selfish M More...
Mar 01, 2008
CB
rated it: 
I'm not sure what happened to Jane Green's writing craft in this book; the POV jumps wildly in and out of various character's heads, sometimes in the same sentence. The tense shifts from present to past and back. I suppose the effect is supposed to be one of sitting over a cup of tea with a good friend and having a gossip about other good friends. Only problem is, the book doesn't come with tea.
The story is Green's version of The Big Chill - a man dies (and why Green chose to make More...
The story is Green's version of The Big Chill - a man dies (and why Green chose to make More...
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Apr 13, 2008
Jen
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4 friends (Paul, Holly, Olivia & Saffron) are reunited after their friend Tom dies in a terrorist attack. These friends have not seen each other in 20 years, yet when they come back together they are able to bond and share their life stories.
Each of the 4 characters is likable and the reader can stay interested in the story lines of the characters.
Holly is a mother of 2; she adores her children, but is married to a man who she really doesn't love. Will she stay married More...
Each of the 4 characters is likable and the reader can stay interested in the story lines of the characters.
Holly is a mother of 2; she adores her children, but is married to a man who she really doesn't love. Will she stay married More...
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Jul 06, 2008
Lindsey
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I'm about halfway through and just totally love it. I am not usually into "chick lit," but then again this book doesn't seem to fit in this category.
I've had a couple of issues with the editing of the book (found one paragraph that looks like it should have been taken out - there wsa basically the same paragraph down the page, just worded differently. Weird), but the story is really good. It's basically the Big Chill, but for some reason, I identify with these characters a More...
I've had a couple of issues with the editing of the book (found one paragraph that looks like it should have been taken out - there wsa basically the same paragraph down the page, just worded differently. Weird), but the story is really good. It's basically the Big Chill, but for some reason, I identify with these characters a More...
Jul 28, 2011
Books-treasureortrash
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Book Review: 2 Treasure Boxes
Four friends are reunited after 20 years following the death of a good friend who connects them all. Holly, Olivia, Paul, and Saffron are all close to 40 and they soon realize that they need each other. They are forced to examine their loves and lives while dealing with tragic grief from their loss.
Jane Green has written 12 best selling novels all dealing with women and falling under the chick-lit genre. Second Chance was on the New York Times Be More...
Four friends are reunited after 20 years following the death of a good friend who connects them all. Holly, Olivia, Paul, and Saffron are all close to 40 and they soon realize that they need each other. They are forced to examine their loves and lives while dealing with tragic grief from their loss.
Jane Green has written 12 best selling novels all dealing with women and falling under the chick-lit genre. Second Chance was on the New York Times Be More...
Dec 02, 2010
Iyah
rated it:
***If you love the book, do not read this review.
You can, if you would try not to post rude comments.
There are some spoilers in this review so if you haven't read this book yet, please don't proceed reading this review.****
*****
****
***
**
*
This book is probably the worst piece of Literature I have ever read.
In fact, I am very much surprise that I was even able to finish it. I'm not narrow minded, More...
You can, if you would try not to post rude comments.
There are some spoilers in this review so if you haven't read this book yet, please don't proceed reading this review.****
*****
****
***
**
*
This book is probably the worst piece of Literature I have ever read.
In fact, I am very much surprise that I was even able to finish it. I'm not narrow minded, More...
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Sep 20, 2010
Laura
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‘Second Chance’ follows the lives of four old school friends who are reunited after twenty years, when their friend Tom dies in an accident. They’ve all drifted apart and built separate lives for themselves; only when they’ve reconnected through their shared grief do they realise how much they’ve missed out on through not staying in touch.
Holly is really the main character in the book. She’s a married mother of two who’s discovered that she’s lost her true self sometime during the ye More...
Holly is really the main character in the book. She’s a married mother of two who’s discovered that she’s lost her true self sometime during the ye More...
Aug 23, 2010
Talia
rated it: 
Tom, Holly, Paul, Olivia, and Saffron compose a friendship circle from back in high school that has fallen out of touch, and when Tom is killed in a terrorist attack, the group of friends is brought back together, 20 years later.
Wow. This book…was pretty awful. I guess my major gripe with the book is that all of the characters were just such clichés: Holly, the woman with the “perfect marriage” whose husband is really a jerk, Paul, who can’t get pregnant with his wife, Olivia, the d More...
Wow. This book…was pretty awful. I guess my major gripe with the book is that all of the characters were just such clichés: Holly, the woman with the “perfect marriage” whose husband is really a jerk, Paul, who can’t get pregnant with his wife, Olivia, the d More...
Jul 26, 2010
Anita
rated it:
This is a book about about a group of friend who are still finding out who they are. I found Jane Green's writing very interesting. She would change who was narrating the book quite suddenly, and at first I found it a little annoying, but then found it really pretty neat. One person would be narrating and mention the another of the characters, and the next thing you know that other character is the one narrating without any warning at all. It did, at least, keep the story interesting and moving.
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Jan 09, 2010
Karetchko
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Finally, a book by Jane Green that I enjoyed nearly as much as Bookends. This one has sort of a Big Chill feel about it, as it deals with the lives of a group of friends after a death. (The dead friend died in a terrorist attack, and that almost turned me off from reading it.) Although I didn't absolutely love any particular character in the ensemble, I sometimes feel like Jane Green doesn't respect the characters she creates and I didn't feel that way this time. It made a big difference in term
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Nov 13, 2009
Tania
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A group of friends, once inseparable, drift apart into very different lives. 20 years later they find themselves reuniting to mourn the passing of their dear friend Tom, the one friend that none of them had fallen out of touch with. Even in death, he was the glue that held them all together. After a terrorist attack claims his life, the rest of the group takes the time to reflect on their own lives and to reconnect with the people who knew them best. So many events are set in motion by this
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Aug 13, 2009
CaterinaAnna
rated it:
Lazy Sunday and didn't feel like reading anything serious so picked out this piece of chick-lit from one of Bookcrosser Molyneux's boxes. This is Amazon's summary:
Holly Macintosh is sitting round her kitchen table with her oldest friends - friends she hasn't seen since school - now reunited by an unexpected tragedy and catching up on the past 20 years. On the surface, they are all successful and happy. But scratch a little deeper after that extra glass of wine and it's not quite so straigh More...
Holly Macintosh is sitting round her kitchen table with her oldest friends - friends she hasn't seen since school - now reunited by an unexpected tragedy and catching up on the past 20 years. On the surface, they are all successful and happy. But scratch a little deeper after that extra glass of wine and it's not quite so straigh More...
Apr 29, 2009
Amy Lyn
rated it:
Found this book predictable but enjoyable as the characters were real and the themes of death and divorce, universal.
Favorite passage about grieving:
"The problem with grief is that it doesn't go away. As time ticks on, the rawness dissipates somewhat, and you find yourself settling into the pain, becoming accustomed to it, wearing it around your shoulders like an old, heavy scarf....And life has to go on. There are children to look after, meals to cook, cards to illustra More...
Favorite passage about grieving:
"The problem with grief is that it doesn't go away. As time ticks on, the rawness dissipates somewhat, and you find yourself settling into the pain, becoming accustomed to it, wearing it around your shoulders like an old, heavy scarf....And life has to go on. There are children to look after, meals to cook, cards to illustra More...
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Jun 28, 2010
Beth
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This was a quick, enjoyable read. This author has a great way of introducing interesting characters that are fun to read about, and her storylines are always nice to follow, with a good conclusion (which I appreciate).
The only complaint I have about this author, which I think I've said every time I write a review of one of her books, is that she doesn't write in the correct "voice" for her American characters. She often writes stories that include a combination of both Brit More...
The only complaint I have about this author, which I think I've said every time I write a review of one of her books, is that she doesn't write in the correct "voice" for her American characters. She often writes stories that include a combination of both Brit More...
Aug 07, 2011
Georgina
rated it: 
Second Chance's by Jane Green is a book I have been meaning to read for some time and finally got around to doing so. The book focuses on four main characters; Holly, Olivia, Saffron and Paul, who were all best friends in school and have been reunited following the death of one of their close friends; Tom. They find themselves not only having to deal with their individual grief but it also causes them to re-examine their lives, leading them all to realise that they need one another.
Eve More...
Eve More...
Oct 11, 2011
Michelle
rated it:
A nice story about how friends come together twenty years later after the loss of another friend. I've been reading through a glom of Jane Green lately, trying to catch up because I'm a little behind. I've noticed a theme has grown in her stories. More and more she has written about infidelity and divorce and has moved away from the sweet romantic stories she began with. She is still a fabulously talented author, but I'm not sure if these are the themes I want to be reading. I realize that divor
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Jun 18, 2011
Rebecca
rated it:
I have read almost everything by Jane Green and this is her newest that I actually found at the library! I love it when that happens. It’s more of an ensemble cast book, but one Girl does get featured more. A guy in a group of friends dies in a terrorist attack on a train in the US. All his high school friends back home in the UK mourn for him as a group as they haven’t seen each other in use. They reconnect with each other afterwards as they are all dealing with stuff in their own lives. The ma
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Jul 26, 2011
Stacy
rated it:
While I enjoy Jane Green's novels, usually, they are simply chick lit--something to pass the time while by the pool, on the beach, on a plane, or just at home on a rainy afternoon. However, this book (while certainly chick lit) falls into another category altogether. I think this is the first and only time that Jane Green's writing addresses real issues that women (and men) go through. The endings in the book aren't always happy and I like that. You don't know from page one, or even page 101, wh
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Feb 24, 2009
Melanie
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This was a quick read- read mostly the week Gracyn was born while I was hooked up to a monitor of some sort. I even read about 100 pages while I was in labor. It reminded me of The Big Chill. It's a story about high school friends who reunite after the death of a mutual friend. They are all going through life changes and get support from these friends that seem to have been a part of their life for the past 20 years, even though none of them have maintained contact with one another. The only
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Sep 06, 2009
Angela
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I just finished this book. I was looking for some fiction to read during a much needed vacation. I can't remember the last time I read a fiction book having been so entrenched in non-fiction and writing my own non-fiction book. It was nice to read a book about adults and adulthood that really dealt with the insecurities we face in our thirties. The idea of losing a friend making so many reflect on their own lives, take risks and make changes seemed more real to me that it would have ten years ag
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Sep 04, 2009
Jen
rated it:
This is the first book I've read by bestselling chick-lit author Jane Green, and I enjoyed it. It's sort of a British take on The Big Chill: four high school chums are reunited in their late 30s when their friend Tom is killed in a terrorist attack. Though the book is told from many different perspectives, Holly gets the most attention. She is trapped in a loveless marriage - and Green tends to beat the reader over the head with the message that being trapped in a loveless marriage is very, very
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Sep 25, 2007
Meg
rated it:
I really enjoyed this book while on a summer vacation. Although the premise (a bunch of friends getting back in touch after a friend of theirs was killed in a terrorist attack) may seem somewhat dark, the book was actually quite uplifting. A bit unrealistic maybe, but still enjoyable.
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Jan 14, 2011
I recently read my first Jane Green book (Promises to Keep) and loved it, so this is my second book of hers. I am also enjoying this one!
Dec 05, 2010
Nicolette
rated it:
Second Chance
By Jane Green (Penguin, Michael Joseph)
JANE Green has a profound insight into people’s lives, relationships and loves, which she captures beautifully in Second Chance.
A group of old school friends are reunited 20 years later when Tom, the one in the group who kept in contact with all his mates, dies. After the funeral the four friends decide to keep in contact with each other.
I would not class myself as a chick lit fan but I became totally absorbed in the ch More...
By Jane Green (Penguin, Michael Joseph)
JANE Green has a profound insight into people’s lives, relationships and loves, which she captures beautifully in Second Chance.
A group of old school friends are reunited 20 years later when Tom, the one in the group who kept in contact with all his mates, dies. After the funeral the four friends decide to keep in contact with each other.
I would not class myself as a chick lit fan but I became totally absorbed in the ch More...
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Oct 02, 2010
Carolyn
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I was disappointed in this book. Firstly, there were so many characters introduced and I found that I only really cared about Holly. So much time was spent on the other characters and they really weren't all that interesting. Secondly, the HEA (happily ever after) at the end for Holly was really lacking. It seemed like the author just got tired of writing the book at the end and wanted to wrap it up with a relationship that was explained in just a couple paragraphs. The whole reunion scene at th
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Jan 11, 2009
Janine
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Mar 12, 2011
Tracey
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This book was recommended to be by someone at work, and I'm not looking forward to telling her I hated it! This book was essentially about the following: a group of school friends lose touch, two of them marry the wrong man, one of the friends in the group dies prompting a get together. They all are having a mid life crisis of some kind, one of which involves adultery, one of which involves alcoholism, another involving an accidental pregnancy and another a divorce.
At the end of t More...
At the end of t More...
Aug 09, 2011
Jenna
rated it:
I usually like chick-lit now and then, when I'm in the mood for something light and not-so-serious. I picked up this book after reading Jemima J, which I enjoyed. Second Chance, however, failed me and now I am sad to say that I will be wary to pick up another Jane Green book in the future.
It was entertaining for the most part and easy to read, but it really didn't do anything for me except induce a lot of eye rolling. A lot of the dialogue made me cringe as it just seemed so childish More...
It was entertaining for the most part and easy to read, but it really didn't do anything for me except induce a lot of eye rolling. A lot of the dialogue made me cringe as it just seemed so childish More...
Dec 17, 2009
Stephanie
rated it:
i actually really enjoyed this. it wasn't as lighthearted/chick lit-ish as most of her books are, it was a bit deeper.
there were a couple of sentiments about marriage that kind of bothered me, but other than that, it was a good read.
there were a couple of sentiments about marriage that kind of bothered me, but other than that, it was a good read.
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Mar 24, 2009
Christina
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I'd read a couple of other books by Jane Green a few years ago and didn't like them much, although I only vaguely remember them and couldn't articulate my complaints. This one is fairly recent so maybe it represents more skill as a writer or a more mature perspective -- whatever it is, I did enjoy this. The story follows a group of friends who were close during their A-level years but reunite when they're all 39-ish. I found the characters to be pretty believable, and was pleased at the reali
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