Certain Girls
by Jennifer Weiner (Goodreads author!)
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Read in May, 2008
recommended to Jennifer by:
Jennifer Weinerrecommends it for: anyone who liked Good in Bed
I've heard rumors that critics didn't like this book as much, but since I'm not ranking on literary merit here but on MY said enjoyment of said book, I will say that I enjoyed this sequel to Good in Bed. It wasn't a perfectly constructed book but nor was it a glorious mess (as my sister often tags something that one enjoys while recognizing fully its many flaws).
This novel picks up about twelve years after Good in Bed ends. Canny (Candice) Shapiro is now married to the lovely Peter, her da...more
This novel picks up about twelve years after Good in Bed ends. Canny (Candice) Shapiro is now married to the lovely Peter, her da...more
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“Good in Bed” is one of my Top Ten Favorite Books of All Time. It’s funny, it’s all about various relationships and there are even lesbians in it. Over the years, I’ve wondered whatever happened to Cannie Shapiro and Joy?
Well, Cannie turned into a scaredy cat housewife/closet writer and Joy turned into a typical teenager.
“Certain Girls” takes place 13 years after the end of “Good in Bed.” Cannie is married to Dr. K and Joy is in middle school, preparing for her ba...more
Well, Cannie turned into a scaredy cat housewife/closet writer and Joy turned into a typical teenager.
“Certain Girls” takes place 13 years after the end of “Good in Bed.” Cannie is married to Dr. K and Joy is in middle school, preparing for her ba...more
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Read in May, 2008
recommends it for:
mothers and daughters everywhere, anyone with a heart
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
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Read in April, 2008
I, of course, loved this book because I think I would love anything Jennifer Weiner writes. I am a little surprised that people disliked the book because of the overwhelmingly sad occurance at the end of the book. Did you all think Good in Bed was light hearted and breezy? Because, compared to this, I would say it was much less fantasy. The reason her books touch so many of us profoundly is because she writes about things that many of us endure, but aren't necessarily socially acceptable to ...more
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Yet another book with alternating points of view--one chapter is the mother's; the next chapter is the daughter's. I'm guessing the reason for that in this story is so the reader can know what each character is thinking about the other. You know, the overprotective, almost smothering mother who believes she's looking out for her darling daughter's best interests...and the bordering on surly teenager who wants her mother to give her some breathing room.
Seems like I've read a lot of books la...more
Seems like I've read a lot of books la...more
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Read in May, 2008
recommends it for:
the gals
There is just something about Jennifer Weiner that I love. It could be that she is less than skinny, sort of Jewish, and from Philly (remind you of anyone?). Maybe I am vain, but I like books that I can relate to (at least a little bit) and that remind me of things that I know...like growing up Jewish, struggling with weight and then learning to love yourself, crazy hair, and of course all of the wonders of Philadelphia. And then of course there are things that I can't relate to in this book...l...more
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Read in April, 2008
Jennifer Weiner's skills as an author get better with each book. This book is a fantastic read and amazingly well written.
I do think that Weiner decided to become a 'serious writer' because the lightness and jovial feel that is so much a part of Weiner's work in her past books is absent. And well, I blame Curtis Sittenfield (the anti-fun anti-light anti-feminine I want to be a man writer)and her and Weiner's on again off again feud about the term Chick Lit. A feud they seem to have resolv...more
I do think that Weiner decided to become a 'serious writer' because the lightness and jovial feel that is so much a part of Weiner's work in her past books is absent. And well, I blame Curtis Sittenfield (the anti-fun anti-light anti-feminine I want to be a man writer)and her and Weiner's on again off again feud about the term Chick Lit. A feud they seem to have resolv...more
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Read in January, 2008
I procured an advanced reader copy of this title in a couple of days, being so excited for the sequel to one of my favorite books ever. Cannie is a great heroine and I couldn't wait to revisit her 13 years after the birth of her daughter, Joy.
While initially I was a bit disappointed, "Certain Girls" is a fast read, and anyone looking for a continuing story of Cannie, Joy, Peter and the rest won't be sorry. While I don't want to give up any spoilers, I sobbed like crazy through my...more
While initially I was a bit disappointed, "Certain Girls" is a fast read, and anyone looking for a continuing story of Cannie, Joy, Peter and the rest won't be sorry. While I don't want to give up any spoilers, I sobbed like crazy through my...more
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Read in April, 2008
I thought I could use a good chick-lit book to get me through exams. I should have known better than to discount Jennifer Weiner's books as chick-lit: I finished this in two days I was so eager to see what happened, and I spent the better part of an afternoon in tears about the end of the book. This book is technically a sequel to "Good In Bed," but I didn't remember a ton about the first book, and I enjoyed it. Weiner is a truly good writer - she seems to know how to make fun of t...more
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Read in April, 2008
I loved this book! I related to it on so many levels. First of all, I have two pre-teen daughters and I am already seeing some of the new parent/child dynamic that comes with having young teen-agers. I could totally relate to what Cannie was going through with her daughter. (I'm also thanking my lucky stars that I'm Catholic. I cannot imagine having to plan two bat mitzvahs. Two weddings will be more than I can handle!) As with all Jennifer Weiner's books I can also relate to Cannie's weig...more
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Read in May, 2008
recommends it for:
anyone who likes chick lit
I just finished the book late last night. I enjoyed it, but I didn't entirely remember the Cannie Shapiro original story. So, luckily Jennifer Weiner explains some of the past in this book. It has been years since I read the first one.
I did find the story got a bit lengthy at times and the ending was a shocker. It was a real surprise in the last few chapters, which I hadn't expected. I won't tell you the ending, but it's not at all what you'd expect it to be.
The writing style is her us...more
I did find the story got a bit lengthy at times and the ending was a shocker. It was a real surprise in the last few chapters, which I hadn't expected. I won't tell you the ending, but it's not at all what you'd expect it to be.
The writing style is her us...more
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Read in May, 2008
I actually did not finish this book. I have been reading it for 5 days now and should be finished with it by now but am only on page 71. It is so slow, that I cant even get excited about reading it.
I will read the last couple of chapters to see how it ends. Even if it is a book that I like, I can read the end and then go back and finish it.
I have read other Jennifer Weiner books and really liked them, but I cant recommend this one.
Okay I tried to read the last few chapters. The...more
I will read the last couple of chapters to see how it ends. Even if it is a book that I like, I can read the end and then go back and finish it.
I have read other Jennifer Weiner books and really liked them, but I cant recommend this one.
Okay I tried to read the last few chapters. The...more
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Read in May, 2008
recommends it for:
chick lit fans
Certain Girls is Jennifer Weiner's sequal to Good in Bed. This novel starts off with Cannie's daughter Joy about to turn 13 and the family trying to plan her bat mitzvah. After Cannie's experience with Bruce and having Joy and all the craziness during that time she wrote a semi-fictional book called Big Girls Don't Cry (similar in content to Good in Bed), but soon settled into family life and started writing sci-fi under a pseudonym. Cannie's life seems perfect unt...more
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Read in April, 2008
It has been several years since I read "Good in Bed", the book that introduced us to Cannie Shapiro.I remember liking it very much. Now it is 13 years later and Cannie has a daughter who is about to turn 13. The chapters alternate between the voice of Joy and that of Cannie. I found it to be kind of confusing at first. It would have been nice if they had been in different fonts or if there was some kind of marker. I liked this book, but didn't love it. There was a surprise I was not re...more
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Read in April, 2008
I couldn't decide whether to re-read Jennifer Weiner's debut novel, Good in Bed, before reading the long-awaited follow-up, Certain Girls, but in the end I chose not to. I thought I could remember enough about Good in Bed that it wouldn't be necessary and, at the same time, I wanted to see if Certain Girls could stand on its own.
Well, it turns out that I didn't remember Good In Bed as well as I thought, but Certain Girls certainly stands on its own. I think (but, you know, I can't be sure) t...more
Well, it turns out that I didn't remember Good In Bed as well as I thought, but Certain Girls certainly stands on its own. I think (but, you know, I can't be sure) t...more
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I really wish that I could have given this book 3.5 stars. Like all of Weiner's books, it was very well written and engaging. A follow up to her first book Good In Bed, this story shoots us ahead 13 years as Cannie prepares for her daughter Joy's bat mitzvah. I had a few problems with the book... First, in this book Cannie has written a story about a portion of her life and is dealing with the repercussions of this. This gets a bit confusing when she starts talking about the things th...more
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Read in April, 2008
This is the sequels to Weiners book "Good in Bed" which is the only other book of hers I have read. Being of substantial size myself, I really enjoyed that story--about a plus-sized woman whose ex-boyfriend writes a column about how surprisingly satisfying it is to sleep with a big woman.
"Certain Girls" is set about 14 yrs later. Cannie is raising Joy, the love-child of the above mentioned relationship and is pulling her hair out over the turbulent teen years that are ...more
"Certain Girls" is set about 14 yrs later. Cannie is raising Joy, the love-child of the above mentioned relationship and is pulling her hair out over the turbulent teen years that are ...more
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Read in April, 2008
Weiner is such a phenomenal writer with her finger on the pulse of the culture and her characters. I loved her return to Cannie, the heroine of her first book GOOD IN BED, as well as the reprising roles of other familiar characters and their growth. Cannie's daughter Joy, an infant as GOOD IN BED closes, is now 13 and preparing to make her Bat Mitzvah. The chapters alternate between Cannie and Joy's voices and get to the heart of what mothers and daughters struggle with in changing, grappling w...more
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Read in May, 2008
I really enjoyed this book. I'm still not sure how I feel about the different points of view --one chapter is from the mother's perspective, then next from the daughter's. I guess I just didn't really enjoy the daughter's perspective. She came off as an incredibly spoiled 12 year old. But I love "Cannie" the same character from Good in Bed, and I was glad to see her again. I liked how it jumped in many years later, but then went back and filled you in on what happened between the ...more
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Read in April, 2008
Wow! This is the sequel to Good in Bed but it is totally not necessary to have read the first one to enjoy this book. There are references to stuff that was in Good in Bed but is usually pretty well explained. The chapters alternate between Cannie (now married to Peter) and her daughter, Joy, who just turned 13. It really made the story to hear from both view points. Plus Cannie experiences many of the fears of mothers everywhere with a teenager. It actually felt like some parts where pul...more
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