Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Home Safe

3.43 of 5 stars 3.43 · rating details · 5,762 ratings · 1,022 reviews

In this new novel, beloved bestselling author Elizabeth Berg weaves a beautifully written and richly resonant story of a mother and daughter in emotional transit. Helen Ames–recently widowed, coping with loss and grief, unable to do the work that has always sustained her–is beginning to depend far too much on her twenty-seven-year-old daughter, Tessa, and is meddling in he...more

Hardcover, 260 pages

Published April 28th 2009 by Random House (first published January 1st 2009)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer

The Most Comforting Books (The Literary Version of Bread Pudding)

71st out of 418 books — 348 voters

Best Books of 2009

274th out of 1,225 books — 6,459 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Sep 29, 2010 Barbara rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: novel

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

10 likes · like · see review

May 17, 2009 Lynn rated it 4 of 5 stars

I always look forward to a new work by Elizabeth Berg which is why I devoured it, gulping it when I should have probably done more sipping and savoring. The plot, a middle-aged widow with writer's block discovers a secret her husband kept from her, and a secret she has kept from herself about who she is and what she is truly capable of, is classic Berg. I didn't particularly care for Helen. Her relationship with her daughter, Tessa, made me want to smack her up-side the head on several occasions...more

4 likes · like · see review

Jul 17, 2010 Myth rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

I received this book for free, as a sort of promotional Nook was doing. I felt kind of cheap and decided I would get this, instead of one of the books I had planned on.

What a mistake.... but before I get into subject analysis and general ranting, here are the technical specs.

Most of the writing is in third person present tense. At first it's awkward to read in present tense, but you get use to it. It appears to be written this way so as to make easy transitions from past and present.

The main ch...more

7 likes · like · see review

Sep 20, 2010 Heather rated it 1 of 5 stars

I've heard this is not a typical Elizabeth Berg story, but this is my first, and, from the writing, it could be my last. Incidentally, I have been informed (by a rather nasty reviewer), to put a Spoiler tag here. So, here it is! SPOILER ALERT.

The book seemed to lack plot or point; the main character, Helen was so unlikeable -- needy, non-self-reflective in any way, no sense of self, critical, empty, and lacking any EQ, that I felt sorry for her daughter and parents, and angry and irritated at he...more

4 likes · like · see review

Nov 25, 2012 Shonna Froebel rated it 4 of 5 stars

I found this book a quick read, but a very enjoyable one. The main character Helen Ames is a writer, or at least she was until she hit the writing block she is currently up against. The block began eleven months ago when her husband died suddenly.
Helen has gone from depending on her husband to do certain things to depending on her daughter. And while she depends on her daughter, she still sometimes treats her daughter too much like a child. Her best friend Midge is urging her to move on.
When Hel...more

1 like · like · see review

Jun 30, 2012 Stacy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Helen is a 50 something widowed author who is still trying to find her way a year after her husband’s death. She cannot do the most basic things around the house relying instead on her 27-year-old daughter Tessa and she has not been able to write at all. When she finds out the nest egg she thought would support her financially is gone, having been taken out of the bank by her husband before his death, she has no idea what to think. She takes a job teaching a writing workshop and the eccentric st...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 28, 2012 Michele rated it 3 of 5 stars

The word that comes to mind when describing this book is "sweet." The story is both sad and uplifting. The main character is an author who lost her husband very unexpectantly almost a year before, resulting in an inability to continue her writing. We see her struggle to move on with her life and deal with a surprising revelation about her late husband. As with so much of life, she finds she is only able to heal when she gives of herself, even if it is reluctantly at first.

The author does a nice...more

like · see review

Apr 17, 2012 Julia rated it 4 of 5 stars

I bought this book when it first came out, but the reviews that I read put me off it and it's been sitting on my bookshelf ever since. Now that I've finally read it, I'm sorry I waited so long. It's a lovingly written, thought provoking book about moving on after you've lost your partner, and redefining what your "home safe" place will be.

Helen Ames is in her late 50s and a successful author. She is recently widowed and is struggling to cope without her husband, Dan. She is becoming overly depen...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jan 06, 2012 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars

My first book by Elizabeth Berg was "What We Keep", which I thought was an amazing book and set me on the path to buy and read every book she wrote. I found almost all of them to be terrific. But as the years go on and I read her newest novels, I am continuously disappointed. "The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted", "Dream When You're Feeling Blue" and now this novel.

I, like Tessa, have a mother who depends on me far too much, and for that reason, I found Helen to be unbelievably annoying. I wanted t...more My first book by Elizabeth Berg was "What We Keep", which I thought was an amazing book and set me on the path to buy and read every book she wrote. I found almost all of them to be terrific. But as the years go on and I read her newest novels, I am continuously disappointed. "The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted", "Dream When You're Feeling Blue" and now this novel.

I, like Tessa, have a mother who depends on me far too much, and for that reason, I found Helen to be unbelievably annoying. I wanted to shake her and tell her to grow up and to stop meddling in her daughter's life. (Potential Spoilers going forward.) Also, while it's true that everyone heals differently while they grieve, I felt her loss of Dan was unbelievable. I didn't feel as though she was just a year out from losing her husband. I also think I would have preferred to have had Dan in the book initially, get to know him, and then have him pass away, and see Helen's struggles. That to me would have made a better book. I also felt Helen's being a writer and not being able to write was a backdrop for what I envisioned Berg must have been going through with this novel, as it was just that mish mashed, and in the end, in the acknowledgements, she said as much. I don't necessarily like when the book reflects the Author's life. It makes me wonder too much if what I'm reading is really Helen, or if that's really happening in the author's life.

On top of all that, I felt that her "relationship" with Tom went way too fast. First she was nervous around him and self conscious then she calls up and blurts out, "Midge says we should have had sex". Who does that? Then when you think they're going to be together, to wrap it up in a nice bow, she says she'll take it slow with him and talk to him from time to time, but that she wanted to enjoy being alone. Completely different from just a few pages before. While I was annoyed that she and Tom were going to work out so perfectly (because real life is not like that), I think I was more annoyed when she suddenly changed her mind.

In the middle of all this, she loses her dad, but reacts completely indifferent. You never really see her affected by the death.

At the end of the book, Berg acknowledged that she could not see the excitement in the book, but that everyone else told her how great it was. I wish they had just kept quiet.(less)

like · see review

Mar 04, 2011 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars

Home Safe is one of the latest works by bestselling and prolific novelist Elizabeth Berg.

Recently widowed Helen Ames is a bestselling author who encounters writer's block as she tries to adjust to life without her husband, who took care of everything in the household, including finances. When Helen discovers there's very little money left for her to live comfortably from, it comes as quite a shock. Why are thousands of dollars missing and what did her husband spend it on? In addition, Helen mus...more Home Safe is one of the latest works by bestselling and prolific novelist Elizabeth Berg.

Recently widowed Helen Ames is a bestselling author who encounters writer's block as she tries to adjust to life without her husband, who took care of everything in the household, including finances. When Helen discovers there's very little money left for her to live comfortably from, it comes as quite a shock. Why are thousands of dollars missing and what did her husband spend it on? In addition, Helen must find a way to pay her bills now that her savings is gone and her writing is at a stand-still. What Helen soon learns about her husband's secret financial affairs will shake up her world, and the impact her story has on readers is not likely to be forgotten.

Home Safe is by far the most memorable novel by Elizabeth Berg I've ever read, and I've read them all up to this point. Berg has the ability to provide naked insight into a character's mind and thoughts without making the character seem vulnerable, but beautiful and unique in all their diversity instead. Home Safe is written in a way that will make you feel connected to the author because of its deep intimacy; you'll be intrigued as to how Helen's character is inspired if it isn't by Berg herself.

For readers who truly enjoy the craft of reading and writing, you'll find yourselves strongly relating to Helen's character. Berg describes Helen as being a closet "people-watcher" to gain content and ideas for her books and scatters entertaining observations and anecdotes throughout; such as the fact that Helen enjoys the smell of dog paws because they smell deliciously like corn chips. Such tiny thoughts pop into our own heads and oftentimes we have nobody to share them with, just as it is with Helen.

The cast of characters surrounding Helen in Home Safe are just as charming; including Helen's twenty-seven-year-old daughter Tessa and Helen's much-loving parents. One of my favorite parts of the novel is when Helen attempts to pick out clothes for her daughter (who happens to be the editor of a prominent beauty magazine); although Helen is convinced a particular sweater is stylish, Berg makes it perfectly clear to readers that it's clearly not stylish -- at least not for anyone under seventy years old!

Home Safe has all the components that great literature is comprised of; including a genuinely surprising plot that will keep you guessing until the end. The ending definitely caught me off-guard, and this is just another reason why the novel is just grand. I highly recommend Home Safe to not only fans of Elizabeth Berg, but anyone who appreciates beautiful writing.

Elizabeth Berg's most recent releases after Home Safe include The Last Time I Saw You(2010) and Once Upon a Time, There Was You, which is due to release in April 2011.

Read more book reviews at http://dreamworldbooks.com.(less)

like · see review

Jan 12, 2011 Antof9 rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-read, about-books, depressing, forgettable, unfulfilling, women

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I woke up around 2:30 last night and couldn't go back to sleep. I have no idea why, but I finally got up at about 3 and decided to read. 3 in the morning is not the time for The Gulag Archipelago, so I grabbed this one from the shelf.

I guess by now I know that Elizabeth Berg's themes are death (usually a husband), small towns/neighbors, a sort of forced/created friendship with unlikely people, and older female relationships, but this one was just one too many. This book just isn't her best work....more I woke up around 2:30 last night and couldn't go back to sleep. I have no idea why, but I finally got up at about 3 and decided to read. 3 in the morning is not the time for The Gulag Archipelago, so I grabbed this one from the shelf.

I guess by now I know that Elizabeth Berg's themes are death (usually a husband), small towns/neighbors, a sort of forced/created friendship with unlikely people, and older female relationships, but this one was just one too many. This book just isn't her best work. It's as if her wonderful Year of Pleasures was watered down and made into a Lifetime television movie or something. It was just really disappointing.

I realized (somewhere around 7 this morning when I went back to sleep) that part of what I don't like about this book is ... Helen! She's really unlikable. And not because she's still in mourning. She's unlikable because she's spineless and pathetic and mopey and ... not even very interesting. Sadly, I think she could still be those things (or some of those things) and keep my interest, but really, I was so tired of her by the time the book got interesting in the least. And, in my opinion, the author would have served Helen better if she'd had the last couple of pages come earlier in the book. I'd certainly have liked Helen better.

I was also disappointed by her relationship with Tessa. The whole Anthropologie thing in the beginning was just weird. And it didn't much make me like Tessa either.

One thing I did like? This author's attitude toward books, which came through many times. I particularly liked this one

In the classics section, she had picked up a copy of The Magic Mountain and recalled the summer between her junior and senior years of high school, when she read it, how she lay in bed hours after she should have gotten up, the sheet growing warmer against her skin as the sun rose higher in the sky, her mother poking her head in now and then to see if she'd gotten up yet, but never suggesting that she should: Eleanor didn't have many rules about child rearing, but one of them was this: Never interrupt reading.

If there had been more of that in this book, I'd have liked it better. Instead there was a lot of Tessa going, "Mom. Mom. Mom.", which might work in a screenplay but didn't really play well in the book. And a lot of talk about mufflers. Who calls a scarf a muffler these days? Maybe 90 year old women, but Berg isn't, the character wasn't, and this was published in 2009.

There's more, but really? Just read "Year of Pleasures" for a good Elizabeth Berg, and let's pretend this one didn't happen.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Jul 01, 2010 Jouraine rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: library, fiction, 2010

I gave this book 3 stars only because it was readable and it didn't take me to the point where I wanted to put it down. It came very close though. Like the writing students in the book, this was like one long writing exercise that went on beyond the point of reason. The book begs so many questions: Why wasn't more done with the missing money angle? Why wasn't the relationship between Helen and the builder developed? If Helen felt guilty about her husband's passing, why wasn't that explored?

Of co...more

1 like · like · see review

Jun 02, 2010 Karen rated it 4 of 5 stars

I've told you before that Elizabeth Berg is my favorite author. I don't think I could ever read a book by her that disappoints! This novel is about a 59-year-old writer, Helen Ames, who is recently widowed and trying to now fend for herself, and is battling writer's block. Her 27-year-old daughter lives in the same city and Helen depends on her too much and meddles in her life as well. One day Helen discovers her husband was seemingly leading a double life and had withdrawn a huge amount of mone...more

2 likes · like · see review

Apr 11, 2010 Sandy T rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, fiction

I've read several of Elizabeth Berg's books because I love her thoughtful discriptions of everyday ordinary life. But I keep waiting to really LOVE one of them, and it just hasn't happened yet. I did love this quote about books though:

"When Suzie introduced Helen, she told the audience that one of the best things about books is that they are an interactive art form: that while the author may describe in some detail how a character looks, it is the reader's imagination that completes the image, m...more

1 like · like · see review

Jan 23, 2010 Reading Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: author, family, realistic, relationships

Helen, a successful writer, lost her husband, and after a year of emptiness and blank pages. She's turning all the energy she used to spend on writing and hr life towards interfering in her daughter, Tessa's, life instead. Then she finds out her husband was keeping a very big secret which involved removing most of their life savings. Reading this book is like having a long conversation about everything with an old friend you haven't talked to in a while. Helen and Tessa and their muddled relatio...more

1 like · like · see review

Nov 16, 2009 Gerri Beckerman rated it 5 of 5 stars

Helen Ames's doesn't know what to do with herself after the sudden death of her husband Dan. She finds herself unable to write and becomes more and more dependent on her 27 year old daughter, Tessa. Then one day she receives a call that will completely change her world. She and her husband had always saved money for their retirement, but she is shocked to find out that he made a very large withdrawal before his death. Now she must find a way to support herself and she takes a job something she h...more

like · see review

Oct 28, 2009 Helen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: elizabeth-berg, family-life, grief, relationships, death, female-friendship

A book about a widow who has a lot to learn about herself, her deceased husband, her daughter.

Helen is an author who has written since childhood. It was a natural ability that allowed her to express herself effortlessly and obviously well since she became a top selling author.

Then her husband dies and suddenly she has no words left. Try as she might and this scares her. Where have the words gone and how can she get them back.

The very things that might help her are what she runs from. But in th...more

like · see review

Oct 12, 2009 Tressa rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans of Alice Hoffman, Anne Tyler, and Kaye Gibbons.

Shelves: general-fiction, family-issues, marriage

This is my first Elizabeth Berg novel, and since I've heard so many good things about her other books, I'm going to assume this isn't one of her best.

Home Safe is the story of Helen, a writer whose husband of 30+ years drops dead suddenly. They are well off and Helen assumes that she is set financially, until a call from the accountant surprises her with this: over $800,000 was removed from their retirement account by her husband. What did he do with the money? Gambling? Does he have another fam...more

1 like · like · see review

Sep 28, 2009 Joy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Elizabeth Berg's books are really good. I'm enjoying novels by women these days. This was a mother-daughter story of a recently widowed woman who is overprotective of her 27-year-old daughter. The mother's own mother gives her excellent advice from older times: "We didn't need to air all our dirty laundry and run to therapists every five minutes. Life comes with problems. You just have to accept that. And you have to try to lead the simple life; to not constantly ask questions about the whys and...more

1 like · like · see review

Aug 13, 2009 Annie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Annie by: Kim

Shelves: fiction

A fun, light and breezy read, Elizabeth Berg does not disappoint. I enjoy her heroines, who usually tend to be older females overcoming the challenges of life. In this story an author, who has recently had a husband pass away, is suffering from a bad case of writer’s block and trying to set up her exasperated daughter. Helen then discovers her situation is much worse, and stranger. Her late husband withdrew a very large amount of their nest egg. She has no idea why. Although resistant at first,...more

like · see review

Aug 06, 2009 Louise rated it 3 of 5 stars

Helen Ames, recently widowed, coping with loss and grief, unable to do the work that has always sustained her, is beginning to depend far too much on her twenty-seven-year-old daughter, Tessa, and is meddling in her life, offering unsolicited and unwelcome advice. Helen's problems are compounded by her shocking discovery that her mild-mannered and semmingly loyal husband was apparently leading a double life.

The Ameses had painstakingly saved for a happy retirement, but that money disappeared in...more

like · see review

May 29, 2009 Alissa rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Heather, Lesley, Kay, Diana, Stephanie, Maya, June

Recommended to Alissa by: Kay got me hooked on her books

I'm always ashamed to admit how much I like Elizabeth Berg's books. I mean, really--they're corny, with a lot of rumination about the small pleasures in life. Which, yeah, ok, I have to admit: I'm kinda the same way--I just don't talk about how much I love the iridescence of a scrub jay's wings. Maybe Elizabeth Berg is just the part of myself I'd never let anyone see because I'd be too freakin' embarrassed.

Anyway. I read this book in a day and a half, and that was even with Charlie sitting on my...more

2 likes · like · see review

Dec 03, 2012 Lourie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult, chick-lit

It's important to note that this book is not for anyone who has not experienced the art of life’s maturity. And what I mean by that is the natural progression of growing older with all the pit falls of life. Falling in love, getting married, having children, taking care of elderly parents. Not to say that someone who hasn’t done any of those things wouldn’t enjoy it but most likely wouldn’t relate to the characters as much as someone who has or been close to someone who has.

All in all this is a...more

like · see review

Jan 31, 2010 treehugger rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: chicklit, own_it, read_2010, women

Surprisingly good, this book brought back my confidence in Elizabeth Berg! I don't remember which novel made me question her, but I was hesitant to start this one, and was hooked immediately.

GREAT look inside the head of a (fairly neurotic) female writer as she grapples with getting on with life after the loss of her husband. She's never had to be self-sufficient, and does a fairly poor job of it in the beginning, sponging off of her late-20s daughter both emotionally and practically. I loved to...more

like · see review

Jan 28, 2010 Dawn rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This was my first Elizabeth Berg novel. I'd describe it as being somewhere between Chick Lit and Literary Fiction; it aspires to be something literary but doesn't quite hit the mark. The story is about a woman in her late 50's who is a writer. Her husband died almost a year ago of a heart attack and she's struggling with writer's block and also with her relationship with her 29-year-old daughter. I thought the daughter had a lot of problems with the mother, but the mother seemed fine to me. I di...more This was my first Elizabeth Berg novel. I'd describe it as being somewhere between Chick Lit and Literary Fiction; it aspires to be something literary but doesn't quite hit the mark. The story is about a woman in her late 50's who is a writer. Her husband died almost a year ago of a heart attack and she's struggling with writer's block and also with her relationship with her 29-year-old daughter. I thought the daughter had a lot of problems with the mother, but the mother seemed fine to me. I didn't understand why someone would get upset with a mother who buys you gifts for no reason from Anthropologie. Gee, what a horrible mom! I also found it difficult to believe that the woman, Helen, is a successful author. She seems pretty flakey in the book and is incapable of doing things like changing the light bulb on her front porch. She teaches a class on writing and seems to think that all of her students are good writers when in fact most of them seem not to be.

The conflict in the book comes when Helen's accountant informs Helen that her husband withdrew $850,000 from their account and he doesn't know what it was for or where the money was gone. I find it hard to believe that this could have escaped her attention while her husband was alive, let alone up until a year after he had died. I was expecting something really bad, like, he had a mistress or a gambling problem. The reason actually is positive and surprising--he built his wife's dream house in California, despite the fact that his retirement dream was to buy a boat and sail around the world. I found it difficult to believe that such a nice house could have been built (under budget, no less) near San Francisco for $850K. The whole notion seemed a bit far-fetched to me. Overall, it was an okay read, enough to keep me interested in reading more, but at the end I wasn't overwhelmed with how great the book was. I think Berg could be recommended to patrons who give a chick lit author as a recent read.

There was also a part where Helen receives a letter from a "fan" who thinks her books lack substance and aren't really any good. I wonder if this was something that happened to Berg?

(less)

1 like · like · see review

May 28, 2009 Diane rated it 2 of 5 stars

I was anxious to read Home Safe by Elizabeth Berg, because I have enjoyed a few of her books in the past. The premise of this story is not a new one: when her husband dies unexpectedly, Helen Ames is stunned and finds it difficult to move on.

Yes, Helen lose her husband, but this woman was incapable of doing anything for herself ; honestly, she was pathetic. Once a best selling author, she even loses her her ability to write. She also becomes dependent on her 27 year old daughter Tessa, to the po...more

5 likes · like · see review

May 21, 2009 Kathy McC. Mc.C rated it 3 of 5 stars

Elizabeth Berg's novels have "normal" characters with average lives, but she always manages to make them interesting and very real, as if they live next door. This novel was no exception. It is sometimes hard for me to relate to female characters who are "weak" and expect to be taken care of. But Berg always manages to redeem them by the end and they become stronger and more independent. Berg writes beautiful prose and the reader feels comfortable inside the pages.
This book is set in Chicago an...more

like · see review

Jan 31, 2013 Ken rated it 2 of 5 stars

"Ann Tyler Lite"
Helen Ames has been a widow for almost a year, and she is rather unsuccessfully dealing with her loss. Dan handled all of the practical details of their marriage, and tended to coddle Helen. Now, Helen tries to make her adult daughter, Tessa, the focus of her life, but a surprise 'beyond the grave' gift from Dan introduces radical change.

One of the themes of Elizabeth Berg's sentimental novel is similar to O. Henry's 'Gift of The Magi'. Both Dan and Helen secretly acknowledge eac...more

like · see review

Sep 21, 2010 Amanda rated it 1 of 5 stars

I don't really dislike books very often, but this one is a "dislike" for me. I would probably give this a 1.5 stars because the writing is not hideously bad, I just did not find the story enjoyable at all.

This book is what my husband and I call a "lady book". It's as close as I comfortably get to a "beach read", but far from romance novel. It's the kind of book I probably would have liked in high school because I thought it would make me seem sophisticated or grown up.

The story focuses on Helen...more I don't really dislike books very often, but this one is a "dislike" for me. I would probably give this a 1.5 stars because the writing is not hideously bad, I just did not find the story enjoyable at all.

This book is what my husband and I call a "lady book". It's as close as I comfortably get to a "beach read", but far from romance novel. It's the kind of book I probably would have liked in high school because I thought it would make me seem sophisticated or grown up.

The story focuses on Helen, a widow and frustrated novelist, as she continues to adjust to the loss of her husband, the growing up of her only child, writers block and some questions about her purpose/identity. The problem: Helen is completely unlikable. She is neurotic and self centered. The husband she is mourning? He died a year ago. The daughter who she is "letting go" because she is growing up? Yep, she's almost 30 years old. She's constantly meddling in her daughter's business, being a self-centered friend, and wavering back and forth on decisions.

She is almost 60 years old and applies for a job at a young adult clothing store in the mall, then walks out before her interview because she changes her mind. Then goes when they call her back again to interview. Then complains internally during the interview because she doesn't want the job. Then complains again because they don't give her a job. Then doesn't need the job anyway because she's a writer and doesn't need another source of income. Only, then she does.

And it goes on and on and on.

Some of the writing is very nice, but honestly I didn't like Helen enough to care. Tessa (the daughter) and some of the students in her writing class could have been interesting characters, if developed. The house in the story, could have been an interesting "character", if developed.

At least, this book isn't that long and doesn't take much effort to read, so it ultimately only led to a few hours of book time, but I would have much preferred a different book. (less)

1 like · like · see review

Oct 15, 2009 Judy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I enjoy Elizabeth Berg as an author and this book is no exception. Helen Ames is 59 years old, a recent widow, and she is driving her 27 year old daughter, Tessa, crazy with her unwanted advice and constant clinging. I can identify somewhat with Helen. Although I'm not a widow, I'm sure that I constantly drive both of my children crazy. Batten down the hatches if Dad dies, kids. There will be no controlling me then. But back to the book. Helen was completely dependent on her husband, Dan, and no...more

1 like · like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (16)

More editions...

Genres

Womens Fiction > Chick Lit

23 users

Contemporary

17 users

Adult

14 users

Adult Fiction

12 users

Book Club

10 users

Novels

10 users

Womens Fiction

10 users

Relationships

10 users

Womens

8 users

Literature > American

6 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Elizabeth Berg

Elizabeth Berg is the New York Times bestselling author of many novels, including We Are All Welcome Here, The Year of Pleasures, The Art of Mending, Say When, True to Form, Never Change, and Open House, which was an Oprah’s Book Club selection in 2000. Durable Goods and Joy School were selected as ALA Best Books of the Year, and Talk Before Sleep was short-listed for the ABBY Award in 1996. The w...more

More about Elizabeth Berg...

Books by Elizabeth Berg

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Home Safe

1 trivia question

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from Home Safe

“books are like confort food without the calories” — 21 people liked it

“She sits down and puts her hand to her chest and rocks. Thinks of all she has lost and will lose. All she has had and will have. It seems to her that life is like gathering berries into an apron with a hole. Why do we keep on? Because the berries are beautiful, and we must eat to survive. We catch what we can. We walk past what we lose for the promise of more, just ahead.” — 12 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: Home Safe
avg rating	preview: Home Safe Goodreads rating: 3.43 (5762 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4815584-home-safe?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320449283l/4815584.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4815584-home-safe?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Home Safe by Elizabeth Berg[/url]

Home Safe

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website