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Open House

3.61 of 5 stars 3.61 · rating details · 25,373 ratings · 887 reviews

In this superb novel by the beloved author of Talk Before Sleep, The Pull of the Moon, and Until the Real Thing Comes Along, a woman re-creates her life after divorce by opening up her house and her heart.
Samantha's husband has left her, and after a spree of overcharging at Tiffany's, she settles down to reconstruct a life for herself and her eleven-year-old son. Her eccen...more

Paperback, Oprah's Book Club, 272 pages

Published May 1st 2001 by Ballantine Books (first published 2000)

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The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

Oprah's Book Club Picks

46th out of 73 books — 967 voters

Books That Make You Laugh and Cry!

2nd out of 58 books — 51 voters

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Jul 27, 2007 Beth rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: a retard

True to form, Elizabeth Berg sucks again.

What do I care about a dumpy, depressed, middle-aged divorcee who spends her evenings reading Oprah book club selections and chowing down chocolate bars?

On the up-side, it made me feel thin and accomplished.

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Dec 07, 2008 Amanda rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2008

I am going to review this book based on the first 3/4 and the last 1/4.

At first, I was pleasantly surprised when I picked this one up. Berg described feelings and characters in such detail that I was eager to read more of her work. I really felt for Sam, the main character, and I loved how Berg added Sam's inner thoughts as an aside of the regular plot. I was debating between 4 and 5 stars because I kept thinking about what would happen at the end and I was really into the book.

The last 1/4, I w...more

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Jun 10, 2008 Suede rated it 1 of 5 stars

Next time I find myself thinking that I need a really easy read, I'll edit my thought to be "I need an easy, BUT STILL WORTHWHILE, read."

Although I hate to love, and love to hate on Oprah and her book club books, they usually are pretty decent. Oprah needs to fire who ever read this book for her, at once!

And the thing I find the most perplexing is that my mom left it in my room at home to read. I mean, she actually read this book and thought to herself "Liz would like this" and then put it in my...more

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Feb 10, 2013 Ginger Hallett rated it 3 of 5 stars

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

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Jan 30, 2013 Danielle Sheppard added it

Shelves: semester-1-2012-2013

It was a very good I liked the book out her 20 years of marriage Samantha has been really content with her life she's happy with her family,and she knows she's not perfect.But everything is turned upside down when her husband, David, tells her he wants out of their marriage. His rapid departure on the heels of this announcement leaves Sam horribly shocked, utterly confused, and oddly obsessed with Martha Stewart. Her initial reaction is to go on a spending spree, charging thousands of dollars wo...more

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Oct 24, 2012 Annie rated it 4 of 5 stars

I'd read another of Berg's books (Until the Real Thing Comes Along, a disappointment to me) and wanted to see, since Oprah had selected this book, if it was any good.

This book is more than a summer light read, but not as deep as the dark-humor of that classic divorce novel, The War Between the Roses. And, although the heroine's kick into mid-life crisis is a divorce, that doesn't have to be the catharsis - it could have been any other mid-life shake-up.

The opening is hilarious, yet not - Samanth...more I'd read another of Berg's books (Until the Real Thing Comes Along, a disappointment to me) and wanted to see, since Oprah had selected this book, if it was any good.

This book is more than a summer light read, but not as deep as the dark-humor of that classic divorce novel, The War Between the Roses. And, although the heroine's kick into mid-life crisis is a divorce, that doesn't have to be the catharsis - it could have been any other mid-life shake-up.

The opening is hilarious, yet not - Samantha is in shock when her husband walks out, leaving her with a pre-pubescent son. In the first chapter, she decides to be the perfect mother and homemaker. Martha Stewart she's not, and her son Travis is not interested in her attempts to carve butter in the shape of a whale for his French toast - he doesn't want French toast, he wants Cheerios and a normal life.

But life as they have known it is changing, pretty quickly too. Samantha never goes to see a lawyer, trusting that her ex-hubby to be will do right by her. Perhaps he would have, but when she runs amok in Tiffany's, using a credit card to buy extravagant china she doesn't really want, but thinks will make her life better, he cuts off her credit. She decides to take in boarders, to the horror of Travis.

Indeed, she goes through a gradual metamorphosis that reminds me a lot of some of my own mid-life changes (for different reasons).

This is a story about a woman meeting herself again, and it is handled well, lightly, but not tritely. She'd given up music to be the best wife her wealthy young husband could have - but she doesn't take the predictable path to re-discover herself. I was delighted to find the jobs she took on, and the friends she made. Her flighty mother turns out to be more than she'd realized. Her nearly ex-husband, if somewhat of a stereotype, is only human.

Some reviewers have complained that this book isn't deep, or that it's boring, or they didn't like the ending. That may be because they are too young to have gone through any major life changes. Samantha is 43, a not uncommon time for major life changes (whether choices we make, or ones that are thrust upon us). We'll make choices that are sometimes seen later as not for the best.

There's a twist towards the end that seems somewhat unbelievable perhaps because it points out how much has happened in such a short period of time. But that's a minor irritation.

The ending perhaps is predictable, though I'm not sure if that's because it was the ending I'd hoped for...

Thoughts of Samantha, what she'd gone through, choices she made, stuck with me after finishing the book - I almost felt like this was my own story. Any book that sticks with me, and makes me think, is a book I recommend to friends.(less)

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Aug 28, 2012 Janice Williams rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, literary-fiction, womens-contemporary-fiction

I read "Open House" by Elizabeth Berg for the first time four years ago. I discovered her books at the library and read all of Berg’s titles available there, then purchased some additional titles as well. I’ve now read all of her books except, oddly considering my profession, her book on writing, which I haven’t finished yet. A few weeks ago, I decided to purchase paperback editions and re-read a few of Berg’s books. I started with Open House.

I’ve just now gone to Berg’s site to grab a short syn...more I read "Open House" by Elizabeth Berg for the first time four years ago. I discovered her books at the library and read all of Berg’s titles available there, then purchased some additional titles as well. I’ve now read all of her books except, oddly considering my profession, her book on writing, which I haven’t finished yet. A few weeks ago, I decided to purchase paperback editions and re-read a few of Berg’s books. I started with Open House.

I’ve just now gone to Berg’s site to grab a short synopsis, and see that Open House was published by Random House in 2000. This novel was the author’s first (written), but not the first she had published. Here is the synopsis from Elizabeth-Berg.net.

A woman whose husband has moved out decides that, rather than selling their house, she will keep it and rent out rooms to boarders. This novel, which was an Oprah pick, is about finding the gifts inside yourself that you've ignored or not been aware of. It emphasizes the fact that sometimes it takes a tragedy to get you to the best place you can be.

Here is mine:

When husband David leaves Samantha after many years of marriage, Sam first reacts by imitating Martha Stewart in an attempt to create the perfect home for her and her 11-year-old son, Travis. When this soon wanes, Sam, determined to keep the family home, opens the doors of her house and the doors of her heart to a few strangers and a man named King, who has a degree in astrophysics and works for a temp agency. Sam starts working there, too, and as the book progresses, Berg weaves the story of how a person’s heart can heal and open to the beauty of the world around them once again, even when they are so profoundly changed by circumstances that they may feel unrecognizable to their former selves. When Sam faces what she thought she once longed for, and makes a surprising decision, some readers may recognize having been faced with a similar dilemma as time marches on and our old dreams boomerang back in our faces, challenging our new desires.

Open House is not simply my favorite Elizabeth Berg book; it is one of my very favorite books ever. This is because it is well-written, well-woven, and I can relate to much of the storyline. My first marriage lasted about the same length as fictional character Samantha’s. My boys were about the same age as Sam’s son, Travis. I, too, had to figure out how to earn money, how to handle a life that had suddenly changed in what felt like every single way, how to parent pre-teen sons and in that process re-invent myself, or find myself, or just grow and change, like many people do. But this commonplace process takes extraordinary strength, I believe (not compared to humanity but compared to what we might have been called upon before to have), and Berg seems to think so also. She blends strength and a fragile sensitivity into the character of Sam (as well as King), and this makes the main character someone you would want as your best friend; someone you want to be happy and to be loved.

As a writer, I find it impressive that in the 241 pages of Open House the author has created endearing characters and a story that touched me so deeply because as I read it I thought, Yes, that! I did that same thing. I felt that same way. This is the magic of Berg’s writing, in this book and in others. If you haven’t yet discovered her books, start with one of her many titles soon.

Note: This is not a paid review, nor a requested review, and I have never worked with Elizabeth Berg, though I have liked her Facebook page.

~Janice Phelps Williams, writer, illustrator at www.janicephelps.com
Author of “Open Your Heart with Pets: Mastering Life through Love of Animals” (Transformation Publishing 2012)(less)

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May 17, 2012 Jessica rated it 3 of 5 stars

WAY disappointed by this book. A big part of it is that I love Elizabeth Berg. She is is one of my favorite authors, and the Kate Nash series (Durable Goods, Joy School, True to Form) is one of the best series about growing up I've ever read. Sorry to say, Open House was nowhere near the quality of her many other books.

I had a hard time connecting with Sam, the female lead. She seemed like a pushover with no backbone or even a clue. Very hard to root for someone like that. Nothing in the story...more

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Nov 14, 2011 Mmtimes4 rated it 2 of 5 stars

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Aug 17, 2011 Tania Brzovic rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really did enjoy this book - it was very readable and fast paced. I cared about the key characters. Alot of what happens in the book felt true to life, and I particularly enjoyed the relationships between Sam and her son, and Sam and her mother. I also thought that Berg used her secondary characters, the people who roomed at Samantha's, quite well. The evolution of the characters was good. The plot was engaging, overall. Some of the imagery is quite stunning.

So why not a full five stars? I've...more

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Jul 22, 2011 Alexa rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The main character of this book is a little down trodden, a little mopey, and didn't show nearly enough spunk, even at the end, but still, I couldn't help but like her. Her main romantic interest is also likable, and though their romance, such as it is, did not exactly spark a fire in me, it was sweet. I also liked that neither character started out gorgeous or had a major makeover to become gorgeous.

Other than that, there's not a whole lot positive to say. The book reads as more of a chronicle...more

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Mar 26, 2011 Julie rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book seemed like an honest look at a woman struggling through a divorce and was a fast read. I But this is the second of Berg’s books that I have read and haven’t really been all that impressed. Some of the writing and content was wonderful and very well written while other parts seemed rushed and undeveloped. There are two significant occurrences at the end of the book that although were life altering changes for Samantha, only garnered a few pages and didn’t really seem resolved. I won’t...more

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Nov 10, 2009 Becky rated it 4 of 5 stars

I like Elizabeth Berg, her books have kind of crept right up on me and grabbed me. I like her character's eccentricities (even though if I knew them in real life I'd find them annoying)and the analogies she uses (example: "I save his confidence in me as though his words were silver dollars, knotted in a silk scarf and kept hidden in a dresser drawer". Just lovely, poignant imagery.

In this novel Sam (Samantha) is on a tail-spin after her husband abruptly leaves her and their son, Travis. She act...more

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May 21, 2009 Kristen rated it 2 of 5 stars

I'm surprised Oprah chose this one of Berg's books. I much preferred "A Year of Pleasures". Though maybe it is one of those you like best whichever you read first conundrums.
This follows a similar pattern (or I guess a Year of Pleasures follows a similar pattern to this) with a woman dealing with the loss of her life-force, in this case, an intact family unit. She starts to cope with her divorce, winds up with an abortion, then falls in love with the new perfect man. If that sounds trite, its b...more

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May 18, 2011 Dylan rated it 1 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Open House is a celebration of self-absorption, self-centeredness and self-pity in women. The book centers on a recent divorcee, Sam, who whines incessantly and feels sorry for herself. Sam reads like a misogynist’s idea of what a woman is, alternating between a nagging, vindictive shrew and an emotional, ultra-sensitive, self-pitying sad-sack who’s always one slight away from crying. Seriously, why exactly are we supposed to give a damn about this pathetic individual? There are people like this...more Open House is a celebration of self-absorption, self-centeredness and self-pity in women. The book centers on a recent divorcee, Sam, who whines incessantly and feels sorry for herself. Sam reads like a misogynist’s idea of what a woman is, alternating between a nagging, vindictive shrew and an emotional, ultra-sensitive, self-pitying sad-sack who’s always one slight away from crying. Seriously, why exactly are we supposed to give a damn about this pathetic individual? There are people like this in real life and they do deserve help, of the psychiatric kind; that doesn’t mean their self-centered antics have to be celebrated or legitimized in “literature” (if an Oprah Book Club pick can count under that distinction). Talking about self-centeredness, there’s a slobbering interview with author Elizabeth Berg featured in the back of the book, in which she says “A lot of men have told me that my books help them understand their women better...”. If I thought there was even the slightest truth to the notion that most women behave like this, and not just a certain sector of Oprah-loving upper-class divorcees who feel like the world owes them something, it would be enough for me to swear off the female sex for life.

What makes the whining and self-pitying of Sam so perverse is that, by all accounts, she lives a really good life. Better than most of us do. She’s never had to work a day in her life. She lives a luxurious, upper-class lifestyle. Even after the breakdown of her marriage, she gets to keep the house, and the fact that she needs to bring in tenants to help with the pay is treated as some major life-changing development rather than the reality it is for most people. Here’s someone who has had everything handed to her on a platter in life and yet cries, whines, and never learns a goddamn thing. There are people struggling to pay their bills, people starving to death in third-world countries, people suffering with severe disabilities and mental illness, and all she can do is whine about how her divorce is the end of the world. Look, I get that divorce can be a hugely upsetting and catastrophic event in some people’s lives – my parents divorced, but they never took it as cart blanche to forgo all their responsibilities and act like immature children.

Among the litany of Sam’s offenses:

- After finding a pair of her husband’s dirty boxers in the laundry, she buries her face in them and tries to inhale the scent. Then, she sews up the fly on the boxers. If you think this was some stupid spur-of-the-moment decision, to quote Sam, “With great care, I do this, with tenderness”. Oh yeah, in case that wasn’t enough: “Then I go back to the pile of laundry and get some of his fancy socks and sew the tops of them shut”.
- Determined to live in “elegance” following the divorce, Sam decides she will make her son freshly-squeezed orange juice...despite the fact that he doesn’t like it. When he says she doesn’t have to make it, she insists. When he asks for a glass of Tropicana from the fridge instead, she refuses. When he asks if they’re out of it, she lies and says yes. When he opens the fridge and sees the jug of juice, she dumps it down the sink. That will show the stupid kid for wanting a glass of juice.
- Sam insists on being the one to break the news to her son about the divorce. Then, she tells her son that the reason for the divorce is because his dad is self-centered and she hates him. Following this outburst, she begins to mope about her bad breath, gray hair and cellulite rather than the fact, you know, that she just horribly upset her son.
- Deciding not to resort to vindictive pettiness, Sam goes to "Tiffanys" and charges $12,000 worth of stuff she has no need for to her husband’s credit card. She’s then shocked when her husband freezes their account and cuts her off.
- She eavesdrops on her son and his friend. When she hears them playing a harmless prank call on a girl in their class, she storms into the room, takes a bag of cookies from the friend and decides she will lecture her son on how to treat women properly. Prank phone calls? No. Charging $12,000 to someone else’s credit card? Sure, why not?
- Sam goes on a blind date with a man. She acts like a real floozy, kissing him in the restaurant and asking “Should we do it here? Or should we go and make out in the car with the heater turned up?” They end up back at his place, where they begin making love to each other. Midway through, she asks this man playfully, with a laugh, to stop. When he doesn’t, she tells him seriously to stop. He immediately stops. Sure, he is mean to her afterward, but he does stop. Then she goes home, tells the man who is babysitting her son as a favor that all men are assholes, and then claims she was date-raped, “Almost”. So you ask a guy to stop and he does, and that’s date-rape? You wanna try telling that to a woman has actually suffered through the trauma of date rape, Sam?
- After getting a temporary week-long job literally doing nothing but sitting behind a desk and making change, Sam is offered a full-time position. She turns it down. She says she can’t commit to a full-time job. Really, what the hell else do you have to do? If you actually have the time to delicately sew the flies shut on your husband’s boxers, I think you have time for a job.
- Sam prepares a Thanksgiving dinner for herself. She mixes all the food on her plate, and when she doesn’t like the look of it, dumps all the perfectly good food down the garbage disposal. Meanwhile, somewhere out-there is a family of four starving.
- Throughout Open House, Sam rents out rooms in her house to different tenants. If I remember correctly, at one time or another she enters each of these tenant’s rooms without their knowledge and pokes around, lies on their beds and just plain out invades their privacy.

As a final note, besides the general nastiness of Sam, I was fairly disturbed by the abundance of racist and homophobic stereotypes throughout Open House. I consider myself a fairly politically incorrect person; it takes quite a bit to offend me. However, even I was a little put off by some of the characterizations in Open House. There’s a black guy who carries a boom-box blasting rap music, a black mom begging for change on a street corner with her kid, an old Asian Laundromat owner with “tea-colored teeth” who speaks in broken English with monosyllabic phrases such as “Detective!” and “Dumb”, a flamboyantly gay hairdresser, and a teenager who is, of course, an emo. We get 241 pages about the troubles of middle-aged, upper-class, white women and you can't throw in a single minority character that isn't a stereotype straight out of the 1920's.
(less)

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Feb 19, 2009 Laine rated it 3 of 5 stars

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

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Jun 30, 2012 Stacy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Sam is a 42 year old mother, daughter, best friend, and soon to be ex-wife. She has never had to support herself and 12 year old son, Travis, and has decided that the best way to do this is to take in boarders at her large suburban home. Travis is not crazy about the idea and everybody else just thinks she’s crazy. First there’s mature Lydia, then sad Lavender, and finally fabulous Edward.

She goes on a shopping spree at Tiffany’s. She calls Martha Stewart and Martha calls her back. She makes new...more

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Sep 05, 2011 Connie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: src-fall-2011

Samantha is devastated when her husband, David, leaves her. This is the story of how she copes--her initial reaction to go on a spending spree, her decision to have boarders stay in her home to supplement her income, her attempt to get a job, her experiences in dating, and how she mothers her teenage son. The beginning of the book has Samantha not thinking clearly, not knowing what she wants, and acting in a neurotic manner. As Samantha tries to find out who she really is outside of her failed m...more

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Feb 15, 2013 Jenni rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I felt like the book jacket for Open House was very misleading. They insinuate that the main character, Sam's, bringing in boarders to make her mortgage payments is the central focus of the book. And it's really not. It also makes you feel as if she is going through a profound change in her life and real discover of self. And she doesn't.

The book is actually about a hormonal woman who has no idea what is happening to her now that her husband has left. She did not see the divorce coming in their...more

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Jan 03, 2011 Trish rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: No One

Shelves: audio-books, throw-away, 2011

If I could give this book zero stars I most definitely would. I don't know WHAT I was thinking delving into another book on Oprah's book list. I have found very few books on her list that don't make me want to poke myself in the eye with a dull pencil. I listened to this as an audio book and couldn't make it past the 2nd CD (out of 6). The narrator was good, but the story....AAAAGGGGHHHHH!!!

A woman's husband leaves her, she mopes around, cries all the time, begs, pleads and whines to try to get...more

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Mar 06, 2009 Jess rated it 3 of 5 stars

I didn't want to read this book at first-- it seemed too depressing, the theme of divorce. I come from a split marriage, so it's a topic I kind of like to avoid. I was pulled, though, for some reason. The first couple of chapters were a bit depressing and difficult to get through, but by chapter four, I was hooked and wanted to keep reading to see how Sam, the main character, would develop throughout the pages. Berg did an amazing job at character and plot development, but she could have incorpo...more

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Sep 20, 2010 Brian rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a novel about a woman who is forced to recreate her life after her husband leaves her. Until his desertion she's been a contented housewife and mother to her eleven year old son. Now she has to learn to stand on her own two feet, get a job and take in lodgers to survive.

In a style that is reminiscent of Anne Tyler, Elizabeth Berg forensically examines the distress of a woman whose 'sin' is that she was content with home-making in a world that no longer values such a lifestyle.

There are...more

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Mar 03, 2013 Shylashree Chikkamuniyappa rated it 1 of 5 stars

Easy to read, Saturday page-turner.....predictable but sweet time-pass.

The story revolves around Samantha (42), whose 20 year old marriage with David comes to an end. Adjustment issues with Travis (her 11 year old), Veronica Morrow,her mom (who encourages her to date) and Rita Lawrence, her friend from SFO fill into the pages. Her obsession with Martha Stewart, even resulting in a phone conversation with her; her shopping spree after the separation, taking up odd jobs to pay the bills and rentin...more

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Jul 11, 2008 Roxy rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was having trouble settling on a book after so much dense school reading, so I decided to let Oprah guide me. This book is kind of like advanced chick lit. The prose is simple and honest, and somehow very comforting. Ideal if you want to spend a weekend lying on the couch with some sort of snack food, but still sophisticated enough to not induce that "I just watched a marathon of The Bachelor" feeling.

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Sep 13, 2011 Emily rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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

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Nov 27, 2010 Faydra rated it 1 of 5 stars

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Oct 22, 2009 Shannan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009

This was an Oprah's Book Club book so I had high expectations going in. It was okay...a book about a woman going through a divorce. I thought the author captured the emotions of the main character very realistically. We women are strong and brave one minute then crying on the floor in a self defeated heap the next. That part I really connected with. But the story line was predictable and cliche...and I am so tired of books and movies celebrating couples who divorce and then "find" themselves and...more

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Aug 02, 2012 Brenda Sorrels rated it 5 of 5 stars

I'm going to start out by saying that I'm giving this book 5 stars because I enjoyed it on almost every level. I'd never read anything by this author before, but after reading Open House, I will be checking out her other books. At first I wasn't sure I wanted to read about another woman coming to terms with her divorce, but it was chosen for Oprah's Book Club, probably some years back, maybe in 2001 when it came out, and that got my interest.
Well, yes, it is about a woman raising a child and d...more

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Jan 03, 2013 Christine rated it 2 of 5 stars

his was a quick, easy read. In general, Sam is a likeable heroine. She rides an emotional rollercoaster following her husbands departure and seeks comfort in new friends and various roommates. Which each relationship, she discovers something within herself (trust, ability to love again, etc). She is also able to look at previous relationships (i.e., her mother) and have a new perspective on life. By the end of the book, Sam comes to terms with being divorced, her feelings for her ex and finds ne...more

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Oct 14, 2009 Lynne rated it 4 of 5 stars

What a fun, crazy book. I recommend it to anyone who wishes to be amused by the antics of a recently separated woman ("Sam") with an 11-year-old son, who takes on a roommate to help pay the mortgage. The subsequent revolving roommates are absolute characters who add immensely to the drama. Sam's preteen son's indifferent, sometimes nasty attitude is right on (I would know). I loved the other characters in the book as well. Sam's long-distance friend, Rita, is blunt and honest and over-the-top bu...more

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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

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Quotes from Open House

“I remove my wedding rings and put them in the jewelry box. So many others have done this. I am not the only one. I am not the only one. But here, I am the only one.” — 8 people liked it

“It's amazing how smart the body is. Though maybe we could do without loving. I think it's overrated, and I think it's too hard. You should only love your children; that is necessary, because otherwise you might kill them. But to love a man? It's overrated, and it's too hard and I will never, ever do it again.” — 6 people liked it

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