Tess Dyer is in pain.
It's not the kind of pain she can see and smell and wrap with an ace bandage. It's the kind she tries to numb with sex...
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May 27, 2009
I
rated it: 
To begin with my expectations were low of this book but I am glad I persisted as the author surprised me by producing a work that, although quite unlike anything I've read in the past, produced deep characters and a plot that kept me read till the end. I enjoyed the style of writing; the way Tess experienced and viewed the world and people around her. Another aspect which I favoured was how each item mentioned turned out later to have a significance and meaning beyond it's initial appearance.
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Feb 11, 2009
Lori
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I read this book, all the way amazed by the vitality of the writing.
The protagonist (Tess) “looks like shit” most of the time and works as a cleaning lady and her love interest (Brian) has a construction company. They are working class, real people with even more real problems that make our real lives look absurdly fictional. They deal with abuse, drugs, absent parents, abortions, beatings and death. Still, although they live in a seemingly endless ”cold, cruel, frigid winter” nobody More...
The protagonist (Tess) “looks like shit” most of the time and works as a cleaning lady and her love interest (Brian) has a construction company. They are working class, real people with even more real problems that make our real lives look absurdly fictional. They deal with abuse, drugs, absent parents, abortions, beatings and death. Still, although they live in a seemingly endless ”cold, cruel, frigid winter” nobody More...
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Mar 06, 2009
Cribquilter
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This book has captured raw emotion like no other I have ever read. I wept many times while reading this. I ached for the leading character. It was a good book I liked it
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Jan 06, 2012
Misty
rated it:
When I read a book I become emotionally engrossed in it, sometimes this habit is good, because the book will brighten my mood or make me a stronger person, while other times the words that flow from the pages (to create the movie in my head) leave little burn marks, like a projector that was wound to tightly. “Waiting for Spring” was the later.
I have read so many books lately that focus on peoples inability to control, rely, or believe in themselves that it’s starting to make me wonde More...
I have read so many books lately that focus on peoples inability to control, rely, or believe in themselves that it’s starting to make me wonde More...
Mar 31, 2011
Patty
rated it:
Waiting For Spring
By
R.J. Keller
This book was one of Amazon’s Encore books…it just did not get noticed enough and that is quite sad. It told a really great story and the author did it in a spellbinding intense riveting sort of way.
It is the story of Tess. She is a huge disappointment to her parents...and feels that her mother really intensely dislikes her. She has been unfaithful to her husband of 11 ½ years because his belief about having a family suddenl More...
By
R.J. Keller
This book was one of Amazon’s Encore books…it just did not get noticed enough and that is quite sad. It told a really great story and the author did it in a spellbinding intense riveting sort of way.
It is the story of Tess. She is a huge disappointment to her parents...and feels that her mother really intensely dislikes her. She has been unfaithful to her husband of 11 ½ years because his belief about having a family suddenl More...
Jul 10, 2010
Celia
rated it:
Tess Dyer not only waits for spring, she is waiting for much else, in this leisurely novel which explores various aspects of contemporary family and parenthood, love and community, and the impact on them of addictions (of various sorts) and self-destructive behavior. Tess’s mood is as bleak, her emotions as frozen as winter in an isolated Maine community, to which she has fled following upon divorce, to try and build something of a new life for herself. There she finds friends – and lovers as we
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Jun 25, 2011
Kathleen
rated it: 
I thought the beginning really captured the sadness and pain of the main character Tess. But it never ended and just seemed to get worse and worse. I hated the constant "counting" the main character did--from the steps to her apartment to how many days since something bad happened. Maybe I missed something there. I obviously got that Tess used sex for validation, etc...but the sex in this book (usually called f--ing) got old really fast. For someone who supposedly thought in terms
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Jun 22, 2009
Kay
rated it:
I'll admit that I didn't have very high expectations for this book - I'm not sure why. But I was so completely wrong, it floored me.
The writer's voice is clear throughout the entire story, drawing you in, creating such real characters that I couldn't force myself to go to bed without reading one more page, one more chapter. So many of Tess' thoughts could have come from my own mind, her actions so clearly desperate. You could feel her fear, her insecurity. The way her thoughts ming More...
The writer's voice is clear throughout the entire story, drawing you in, creating such real characters that I couldn't force myself to go to bed without reading one more page, one more chapter. So many of Tess' thoughts could have come from my own mind, her actions so clearly desperate. You could feel her fear, her insecurity. The way her thoughts ming More...
Oct 08, 2010
Megan
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Apr 14, 2011
Laurel-Rain
rated it:
A long line of people have rejected Tess Dyer, even before the final rejection from her husband Jason. The husband who had been a childhood friend, a town star, and the one who had promised to love her forever.
So what will happen next to a woman whose heart is frozen, like the soil that is hard before the Spring thaw?
She moves a few miles away, to another small Maine town, hoping to start over. To create a new life and new memories. And she meets Brian, who fills her hear More...
So what will happen next to a woman whose heart is frozen, like the soil that is hard before the Spring thaw?
She moves a few miles away, to another small Maine town, hoping to start over. To create a new life and new memories. And she meets Brian, who fills her hear More...
May 13, 2011
Gwenn
rated it:
It's one of those things you do as an independent writer. You offer to read other people's self-published books and write a review because you need to support each other. Added to that, the author is a friend of a friend of a friend and you kind of virtually know each other, so you want to do the right thing.
So, groaning inside, I offered to read a virtual friend's eBook. The cover art looked dull and not promising and then I remember, my cover art isn't so hot either. Good cover ar More...
So, groaning inside, I offered to read a virtual friend's eBook. The cover art looked dull and not promising and then I remember, my cover art isn't so hot either. Good cover ar More...
Dec 30, 2011
Erin
rated it:
This is a tough one to review because I was sucked into the story and wanted to know what happened, but I felt like the book was way too long and just wanted it to end. I got annoyed at the mopey main character--think Bella Swan times a hundred. She hates herself because her mother hated her and because she had sex with tons of guys to try to make herself feel better. There were also see things I found unrealistic. On the plus side, I felt like I was rooting for the main characters, and I cou
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Jun 08, 2011
Gregory
rated it:
I read this book while traveling through Maine last summer and something felt right since the author is from that part of the country. I feel bad I didn't review it while it was fresh on my mind, but I recall the feeling I had as I turned into Keller’s book. What could have easily been a pity book about divorce was far from it as I was pulled directly into the life of Tess and connected with her and the other characters. I count a good book when I know I don't want it to end and I did want to st
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Sep 19, 2011
Clara
rated it:
This is definitely not a book you read as a pick-me-up. It is a sad story about how everything in several peoples lives can go terribly wrong yet they dare to hope for better. The continuous theme of renewal (spring) is multilayered, meaning different things to different characters at various times in their lives/trials.
I very much enjoyed the author's writing style which was honest and descriptive without being flowery. "Waiting for Spring" is full of honest, raw and em More...
I very much enjoyed the author's writing style which was honest and descriptive without being flowery. "Waiting for Spring" is full of honest, raw and em More...
May 14, 2010
Linda
rated it:
Rarely has a book touched me on so many emotional levels. Author RJ Keller’s words connected me to Tess hip-to-hip; I saw what she saw, felt what she felt, and lived her experiences with her, and through her narration gradually discovered her history and its significance. Also rare in a first person narrative, I knew the supporting cast almost as well as I knew poor flawed Tess. Some of the prose was beautiful. Some made me cry, and I can think of only two other books to have that impact on me.
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Jul 21, 2010
Dianne
rated it:
Damning with faint praise, I guess...this was a nearly free Kindle book, so I can't really complain. But my goodness, I've never read a book that was in greater need of a big red pencil! I thought the book would never end -- long, boring internal monologues, extremely repetitive, the "deep dark secret making Tess miserble" is doled out in dribs and drabs and a real anti-climax when it was revealed. Even the (frequent) sex scenes were boring and repetitive. Save the 99 cents and rea
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Dec 07, 2009
Karen
rated it:
Actually, I guess this book could be a 2 1/2 star book, because there were many places where the writing very good.
My disklikes: Too much adult language (very distracting), and too much sex, that didn't add to the story. The book was too long, if 100 pages had been edited out, it would have been better. The ending was very good. I think my biggest problem was that I couln't sympathize with the main character, I didn't like her. I almost liked the other characters better.
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My disklikes: Too much adult language (very distracting), and too much sex, that didn't add to the story. The book was too long, if 100 pages had been edited out, it would have been better. The ending was very good. I think my biggest problem was that I couln't sympathize with the main character, I didn't like her. I almost liked the other characters better.
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Aug 31, 2010
Philip
rated it:
The feeling I have after reading “Waiting for Spring” by RJ Keller is one of hopefulness.
Immediately after meeting the main character, Tess, I had a feeling of connection with her. She is an ordinary middle-aged woman who has some baggage she carries around (like the rest of us) and some deep-seeded fears just waiting to come out.
From her mother she gets nothing but hatred…about messing up her plans for life, about Tess’s ill attempt at marriage and the decision she made about not More...
Immediately after meeting the main character, Tess, I had a feeling of connection with her. She is an ordinary middle-aged woman who has some baggage she carries around (like the rest of us) and some deep-seeded fears just waiting to come out.
From her mother she gets nothing but hatred…about messing up her plans for life, about Tess’s ill attempt at marriage and the decision she made about not More...
Jul 26, 2010
Craig
rated it:
The emotional honesty of this book -- in ways that will make your heart soar and stop it cold -- is startling. In a world of fiction inundated with two-dimensional women who are shopaholics, fashionistas or crime-fighting, ass-kicking FBI agents (or, God forbid, crime-fighting, ass-kicking FBI agents who wear haute couture and slink around the mall), R.J. Keller's Tess is rough-edged, whipsmart, beaten down and indomitable. She's real. You can get your arms around her.
I have two smal More...
I have two smal More...
Jan 26, 2011
ValeriGail
rated it:
I finished this book the other night... well, umm like 4 am in the morning actually! HAHA. I seriously couldn't put it down! I first started it at the beginning of spring break, but new pretty quickly it was more suited to alone time, where I could totally fall into the story (with no kids distracting me by running around playing ball or begging to go fishing!) I reluctantly put it down till this week.. and wow! Just simply Wow! I loved the raw honesty in this book. The Character developme
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Mar 14, 2010
Cheryl
rated it:
For a standard “woman starting over after a failed relationship” type of story, this one had a rough edge to it that I liked -- liked a lot. If more contemporary women's fiction was written like this, I would read more of it. Tess, our narrator and main character, is a little off. She is Neurotic. Very. Very. Neurotic. Not to mention: cynical, sarcastic, and self-absorbed. Not much to like really, but considering her dysfunctional childhood, her bleak outlook on life seems somewhat justified. Sh
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Nov 16, 2009
Moriah
rated it:
It’s been a long time since I threw common sense to the wind and stayed up to finish a book knowing how much I had to do the next day, but not resenting it the next day because it was totally worth it.
This book has no spiffy genre classification. After some thought, I think I’d call it “literary romance.” I don’t know what “women’s fiction” is and I’m not sure I really even know what “chick lit” is, but I’m pretty sure it’s not either of those. And you know, lately, I’ve been very ha More...
This book has no spiffy genre classification. After some thought, I think I’d call it “literary romance.” I don’t know what “women’s fiction” is and I’m not sure I really even know what “chick lit” is, but I’m pretty sure it’s not either of those. And you know, lately, I’ve been very ha More...
Jun 14, 2010
Teri
rated it:
I guess I am old fashioned, but the language was too much. I realize that people talk that way today, but I also look at them as if they have no class - which is what I thought of Tess. She had a few strong points and I almost didn't finish the book because I was so fed up with the main character, but I did want to find out the ending, so I skimmed the last half of the book. It was okay, not the worst book I have ever read, but also a far cry from the best. I wouldn't recommend it.
Jan 10, 2012
Jeri
rated it:
I felt like I was reading a Harlequin novel most of the time....the only reason it didn't get one star is that something compelled me to finish it. Young woman,divorced, shunned,moves to a new town to start over -- and starts over with a lot of the same "baggage" from the past, just new players....there's a nice guy out there who loves her and a little bit of a twist as his little sister needs her help, and she tries, but fails..but not much good can be said about this one.
May 31, 2011
N.
rated it:
Briefly, I'll saw this was one of the most emotive books I've ever read: raw, sometimes gut-wrenching, layered, and yet imbued with traces of hope. From the outset, I cared what happened to Tess and those around her. I almost feel like I know her in person now, she was that real, albeit imperfect. Without a doubt, I am looking forward to Keller's next book with great anticipation.
Jun 27, 2010
Helen
rated it:
I liked the warm, flawed, funny heroine in Waiting for Spring. Tess and the situations she found herself in felt authentic, as if the writer was writing from the heart if not actually drawing on episodes from her own life. Tess deals with tragedy, love, sex, work , heartache and loss during the course of the book - and all of it feels credible.
On a separate note, the author has made a series of funny short films with her fellow author Kristen Tsetsi about 'the writer's life' which I More...
On a separate note, the author has made a series of funny short films with her fellow author Kristen Tsetsi about 'the writer's life' which I More...
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Feb 09, 2011
Dawn
rated it:
Tagged as vulgar. It catches your attention, right? While I emphatically disagree with the tag, this book should catch your attention. R.J. Keller has a way with words that is both poetic and endearing. The story itself is an enjoyable read that moves the reader easily from scene to scene. The relationship between Tess and her mother left me feeling heartbroken. The emotion is so real and at times I felt myself loathing the woman she called Mom. With each page read, I felt like I really knew Tes
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Jul 18, 2011
Astrid
rated it:
I really enjoyed this book. The story felt so real I couldn't put it down even when I was too tired and sleepy to whole my phone in front of my face. It was an emotional roller coaster, I could feel not only Tess' pain, but the whole range of emotions every character went through. Thank you so much for it, Kel!
Aug 05, 2011
Kathy
rated it:
I admire the author's ability to write in such a way that the inner thoughts and emotions of the characters can be absorbed by the reader. (Even more amazing when I realized that this was a first time author.) I found the story line to be very dark: violence, abuse, drugs, and even a first-hand account of an abortion. Tragically, very real life experience for many people. I also appreciated the authors choice to not make every scenario end happily. Yet, the end of the novel brings a glimmer of h
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