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

Waiting For Spring

by R.J. Keller (Goodreads Author)

3.76 of 5 stars 3.76 · rating details · 218 ratings · 61 reviews

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 and work and cleaning-cleaning-cleaning the house. The kind that comes from enduring a lifetime of rejection. First from her mother--whom Tess knows would have aborted her had the law allowed it--then from a string of men whose names...more 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 and work and cleaning-cleaning-cleaning the house. The kind that comes from enduring a lifetime of rejection. First from her mother--whom Tess knows would have aborted her had the law allowed it--then from a string of men whose names she can never remember. And finally, at age thirty-four, from her husband of ten years; the man who once promised to love her forever.

Now her divorce is final. She trudges out of one small Maine town and into an even smaller one. There she meets twenty-five-year-old Brian LaChance. He is struggling to keep Rachel, the sister he raised, from becoming another victim of the drug problem that infests their impoverished town. Brian is immediately drawn to Tess's quirky, outspoken nature, and to the beauty he sees in the haunting pictures she paints. Her own initial attraction to him is purely physical; just a warm, young body to help her mask the pain. Soon, though, she comes to admire his kindness and strength, and reluctantly allows herself to fall in love with him. But the fear of losing it is always there. Because Tess has heard the promise of forever before and now she knows that there's no such thing. And when her ex-husband pays an unexpected visit, his cruel, taunting remarks make Brian wonder whether her feelings for him are genuine. Whether they go any deeper than just sex after all.

Meanwhile, Rachel begins a relationship with an abusive drug dealer and dives head-first into the dangerous world of addiction. As his sister's life spirals out of control, Brian is unable to cope with his guilt and grief, and Tess is unable to comfort him. Because she has finally found a pain that sex will not bury. A pain that uncovers her own barely-suppressed feelings of worthlessness, and forces her to make a choice: continue wandering through life, drifting and numb, or confront her past and start living…for real.

(less)

Paperback, 395 pages

Published 2007

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

Self Published Young Adult Books

434th out of 1,029 books — 1,623 voters

The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Springtime

26th out of 60 books — 8 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 458)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

May 27, 2009 I Read rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: general-life

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.

The...more

like 1 like · see review

Feb 11, 2009 LoriTP rated it 5 of 5 stars

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 ever stops...more 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 ever stops waiting for spring.

Tess drinks a bit too much, without apologizing or trying to make it look cute. But Tess is also an artist who sees the world in crayon and paint colors.

“I still can’t remember his name, but his hair was Goldenrod and his eyes were Sky Blue.”

For me this sentence was convincing enough. If it isn’t for you, then read further.

With her self-worth crushed to nothingness from childhood, Tess finds the strength to defend aggressively the ones she loves. She fights with God for them. Because Tess remains pure and beautiful all throughout a life in which she obsessively cleans offices, her past, bathrooms, sins, kitchens, a path for the future.

“The next day I cleaned, all day long. First my apartment, scrubbed every inch of it, from ceiling to floor. Then Brian’s. I called Laura at work, begged her to let me watch Cassidy at her house after school instead of mine so I could please clean something there,[...:]”

I needed to do a lot of re-reading, a lot of going back to the same passage to understand exactly what was that about, because this author assumes her readers are of the intelligent sort. And I love it when somebody thinks of me like that.

This is the kind of book that I like: not a fast read because it is too thought provoking, multi-layered and simply beautifully written. And besides being beautifully written, the story flows seamlessly like a good movie, pulling the reader in that universe for a good amount of time, much longer than it takes to only read the book.

I could write more about the leitmotif of flying, falling, landing hard, the symbolism of the hard soil and the spring, the counting, or the the repetitive phrases of internal dialogue that torture Tess. But I’m gonna stop now, because I just finished reading the book and I am too overwhelmed and because I want to let you find the scattered beauty in this novel on your own. It’s a good book, if you don’t mind reading through a haze of half-shed tears. Just until the last fifty pages or so. Those you read shaking through an overflow. It’s a good book to read while we’re all waiting for a spring of our own.
(less)

like 2 likes · see review

Mar 06, 2009 Cribquilter rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009-reads

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

like 1 like · see review

Jan 06, 2012 Misty Baker rated it 5 of 5 stars

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 wonder if this i...more 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 wonder if this is how the majority of humanity actually feels on a daily basis. So my new motto is this: We are human, we make mistakes, we are damaged but we are beautiful.

“Waiting for Spring” was a difficult book to read, not structurally, because in actuality the writing was undeniably masterful, but the plot was so emotionally torturous (on so many levels) that it actually made me want to kidnap the characters and take care of them myself.

Tess is a whore, or so she has been told since she was sixteen. Emotionally damaged by her mother, and the scrutinizing eyes of a small town, she has forgotten how to love…even herself. With one life ending and another life beginning, (in a town miles away,) Tess thinks the slate is clean. Start over, eventually forget the past, and start a future…even if that future only consist of cleaning other people’s toilets and having enough cash for beer. But what happens when being invisible is impossible? What happens when you fall in love with other damaged people…people with drug problems, daddy issues, and years of missed opportunities? What happens when the worst case scenario happens, and the second life you’ve worked so hard to build turns to rubble in less than 2 hours? What happens when the glue that keeps you together melts?

“RJ Keller” penned a story about denial, rage, hatred, addiction, abandonment, loneliness, love and acceptance. “RJ Keller” wrote a piece of literature that defines the phrases “Giving Up” and “Learning to Live” and she did it with some of the most beautifully descriptive paragraphs I have ever read. She had an understanding that “love” and “sorry” are simple words for strong emotions, and that people hold on to guilt as easily as they do money, but most importantly she let the reader experience what happens when there is an overwhelming loss of control.

The first couple of chapters seemed a little apprehensive…like “Keller” was searching desperately for a way to express her feelings, and I thought that the preface was completely unnecessary, but regardless of the initial missing depth, the rest of the novel was so deep that at times I felt like I had to take a break just to learn how to breathe again.

This book was NOT in any way shape or form a quick read, it is roughly 480 pages and believe me when I say you feel each and every one of them. There was also a rampant use of the “F” word, but once it was said more than 200 or so times, it pretty much seemed like second nature, and to be perfectly honest… I don’t really think there could have been a better word to use.

This book is definatly not a light hearted read and therefore I do not recommend it for everyone (especially younger audiences) but I do whole heartedly recommend it for those of you who like a serious, well crafted story.

Happy reading my fellow Kindle-ites and remember: Yankees rule…Boston sucks… so just deal with it! (*wink*)(less)

like 1 like · see review

Mar 31, 2011 Patty rated it 4 of 5 stars

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 suddenly differs from hers. She does something...more

like · see review

Jul 10, 2010 Celia rated it 4 of 5 stars

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...more 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 well – most of whom have just as many problems as she does. She has not escaped life, in coming to a new place, renting her own apartment, taking up a new job, and developing a circle of new friends. She has just replaced all the old problems with new ones, but the novel also focuses on how she grew and came to deal with them, in slightly less self-punishing ways than previously.

The reasons behind Tess’ unhappiness, her divorce, and her dysfunctional childhood as well as much else about the demons which drive her are revealed at a deliberate pace, and with considerable skill. They are shown, or rather unfolded for the reader to discover, by Tess herself, a gritty, witty and seemingly tough survivor, who cleans homes and offices for a living and lives for art and love. Failing love, she has settled, over and over again, for sex and has enough self-knowledge to know there is something wrong, something unhealthy about that. Tess’s voice, and the characters of her friends and family that she sketches for the reader have considerable charm;; otherwise this book might have seemed appropriate fodder for – if not Jerry Springer, than Oprah, at the very least. This book is told in first-person, which gives a very immediate feel to what Tess experiences and feels, but which also limits any exploration of how other characters react to her, save filtered through her own perceptions. Why do other characters in Tess’s world love and trust her? That question is scanted, but it is more a reflection on the way this story is told than any shortcoming of the authors’.
(less)

like · see review

Jun 25, 2011 Kathleen Crowell rated it 2 of 5 stars

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 of color, and...more

like · see review

Jun 22, 2009 Kay rated it 5 of 5 stars

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 mingled with her...more

like · see review

Oct 08, 2010 Megan rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: random-novels

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I don't like the name Spring....End of story. Really, it IS the end of the story.

No, really, why didn't I love this book, with it's great idea and Halmarky sentiments?

Well obviously the name Spring at the end was pretty much an "Ew, thanks for trying to be one of those celebrities and name your child something fantastically retartded" I didn't like that the name had so much irony; with the title and the main theme of the book. Don't get me wrong, I love the theme thing, I love that the author to...more I don't like the name Spring....End of story. Really, it IS the end of the story.

No, really, why didn't I love this book, with it's great idea and Halmarky sentiments?

Well obviously the name Spring at the end was pretty much an "Ew, thanks for trying to be one of those celebrities and name your child something fantastically retartded" I didn't like that the name had so much irony; with the title and the main theme of the book. Don't get me wrong, I love the theme thing, I love that the author took the renewal of spring and kind of ran with it and went through the whole book.

And the questions throughout the book was: How many times can these people have sex? and How many times can they drop the F bomb? Now don't get me wrong I know some people have sex non stop, some of them being prostitutes, not that Tess or Brian are Prostitutes--I'm just throwing that idea out there, and some people really do drop the f bomb like leaves during fall. I just got a little tired of it by the end of the book.

One other thing that bugged me was the predictability of the book. Oh, Tess and Brian have sex? Rachel ends up getting murdered and Brian goes into a black part in his life and breaks up with Tess, even though they're the only ones that the other is ever going to love? Now who that has seen a Lifetime/Halmark movie hasn't seen that coming?

What I did like about the book. The running theme of spring and renewal of numerous things and people, Tess being one of them. I do like that Tess found someone as stable as Brian, she needed him, even if he was quite a bit younger than her. I like that Brian wasn't necessarily corrupted by Tess. He came that way. I also like the different kinds of people that were in the novel, as predictable as they were at times.

I also liked that Tess was loyal to Rachel. Rachel needed someone to trust and that happened to be Tess. I don't know if Tess did the right thing necessarily but how am I to know, I haven't been in that situation.

Another thing that I liked was that Tess learned that not every relationship was crap. With her track record with her mother and her ex-husband, it would have been easy for her to give up on the human race all together, but she is a strong enough person to keep going and find someone, even if he was just sex to her at the beginning.(less)

like · see review

Nov 04, 2012 Christine rated it 3 of 5 stars

I seriously thought that I was going to fall into depression by the time I finished this book. I'm half-kidding. I also thought that I was going to absolutely hate it by the time I'm done, but surprisingly, I don't. Confused? I am, too.

When I started it I was kind of annoyed with Keller's style of writing. There were a LOT of staccato sentences and it kind of pissed me off. But once I got to the second chapter, I got used to it because I think I got drawn in. Drawn in on the lead's world, her fe...more

like · see review

Sep 25, 2012 Calli rated it 4 of 5 stars

In her debut novel, "Waiting for Spring," R. J. Keller shows a tremendous amount of talent and promise. Superbly plotted and vividly characterized, the inhabitants of this world will remain with the reader far beyond the rather substantial duration of the book. With an exquisite, bold realism, Keller unfurls the lives of these characters to the reader without flinching in the face of their flaws, resulting in a far more recognizable, affecting experience than I anticipated from the description.

O...more

like · see review

Sep 10, 2012 LK Hunsaker rated it 4 of 5 stars

I'm trying to give this book a 5 and would like to give it 4.5. This is a beautiful searching story filled with raw emotions, prevalent cultural issues, family strife, and the blockades of building a true love relationship.

**semi-spoilers ahead**

What prevents a 5 star rating: 1) too much repetition of sex and vulgarity without real cause for it, which makes it feel like shock value more than real Story value, 2) too much of the "waiting" theme, and 3) a weaker ending than the story deserves.

I'm...more

like · see review

Apr 14, 2011 Laurel-Rain rated it 4 of 5 stars

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 heart and life...for awhile....more

like · see review

May 13, 2011 Gwenn Wright rated it 4 of 5 stars

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 art is difficu...more 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 art is difficult to come by when you're an Indie. The story didn't seem to be my normal reading...not that I have narrow tastes but this didn't seem to be a fit.

But I'd made a promise. So I started reading.

Waiting for Spring is indeed outside my usual genres but Keller's characters got their claws into me. They slipped off the page and burrowed into my brain as people I knew and cared about. The story itself is gritty and raw and so real I swear that Keller followed me around and implanted a recording device in my head, capturing my own thoughts and experiences as I dealt with my ex-husband and my own childhood issues.

I kept thinking, how much longer can this story go on, because it's so real? What else could possibly happen? And it was obvious. Nothing good could happen. So, one day I avoided the book, because I didn't want to know what bad things would happen to Tess. She had become more than a two-dimensional character. She was me. She was my best-friend in high school, the one who popped a bunch of niacin to get the crank out of her system before the impending drug test she faced. But at the end of the day Tess called to me and I had to know what happened to her. It was a story I couldn't stay away from.

Waiting for Spring made me laugh. It made me angry. More than once it made me blush and then concede, "Yea, that's how it is." And more than once I cried, though I tried desperately not to. As soon as it was over I wondered what the second book would bring and nearly decided not to read it whenever it comes out because I don't want to know when anything else bad happens to Tess.

But I will buy it because I know Tess, she is so strikingly solid, as are all of Keller's characters, that she cannot be ignored.

Keller's powers of observation and her ability to communicate that to the written page are stunning and unsettling. If you have lived a life of any kind of hardship you will feel as though Keller was there, hiding in the bushes, taking notes. I told my husband, "What Gabaldon does with minute, physical detail Keller does with emotional detail. And sometimes it feels a little too personal, as though she's airing my own dirty laundry."

But dirt and grit and all, you can't help but love Tess.
(less)

like · see review

Dec 30, 2011 Erin rated it 2 of 5 stars

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 could...more

like · see review

Jun 08, 2011 Gregory Allen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

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...more

like · see review

Aug 24, 2011 Clara rated it 4 of 5 stars

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 emotional depictions of re...more

like · see review

May 14, 2010 Linda Welch rated it 5 of 5 stars

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....more

like · see review

Jul 21, 2010 Dianne rated it 2 of 5 stars

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 read something el...more

like · see review

Dec 07, 2009 Karen rated it 2 of 5 stars

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.

My likes: Some of the p...more

like 2 likes · see review

Jul 13, 2010 Philip Nork rated it 4 of 5 stars

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 wanting kids...more 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 wanting kids which results in her divorce and about a secret the two share, but never discuss.
From her father, who she believes never loved her mother, she gets nothing but excuses and ignored. She feels like he has given up on life and wants nothing more than for him to be happy again.
When Tess’s husband wakes up at thirty-five and decides he wants a family--the one thing Tess never wanted--(Or does she?) she runs away into the arms of another man, but only for one night. Unfortunately a divorce is imminent.
Tess moves on to a new town, but all of her “problems” follow her. And as she tries to start over more and more “problems”, some hers and some from the people she meets, continue to follow her. But they all disappear when she is having sex with Brian.
Although Brian and Tess are in love, old responsibilities and life get in the way. Neither is strong enough to forget and just live in the moment. Fear is the underlying factor that both must conquer. Fear that they are not perfect.
The internal struggle to be the best you can be is scattered all through the book. Fear and past decisions weigh heavy on every character. So much so that they aren’t living their own lives, they are living how others think they should. Sometimes we as humans keep things inside, deep down, away from others, hoping these demons will go away on their own. Most times they don’t, they just get buried deeper, making it even harder to relate to day to day occurrences. The same happens here.
Through it all Tess just wants to be accepted and loved and happy once again.
And she holds on for Spring to arrive, because winter means death (like the barren trees and lack of colors), while Spring brings new life and the colors that she loves, just like the best present she ever received as a child--a 72 pack of crayons with names of colors that she never heard of before.
The story is typical--hardship, love, broken love and starting over. The writing of RJ Keller is not. It is a well written, heart wrenching portrayal of a woman who knows she deserves more than the hand she was dealt. The inner thoughts of Tess are put into sentences, letting you understand what she is thinking, even as she is saying something completely different. Once I started reading, I couldn’t put the book down. This is just another example of an author, not well-known, who should be. The characters, the plot and the ending all make this a book well worth reading.
(less)

like · see review

Nov 14, 2012 LizzieB rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebook

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��...more

like · see review

Jul 26, 2010 Craig Lancaster rated it 4 of 5 stars

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 small -- very sm...more

like · see review

Jan 26, 2011 ValeriGail rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorite-authors, own-kindle-read, favorites

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 development is...more

like · see review

Oct 05, 2009 Cheryl Gardner rated it 4 of 5 stars

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...more

like · see review

Jun 14, 2010 Teri Sanders rated it 2 of 5 stars

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.

like · see review

Jan 10, 2012 Jeri rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: f-women, kindle

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.

like · see review

Jan 23, 2013 Jeanne Bringley rated it 2 of 5 stars

I think there was a good story in there but I just didn't like Tess. Sure she had a lousy childhood, her mother didn't like her and her marriage broke up but maybe part of the problem was that her answer for everything was sex. Mad at your mom, sleep with her boss. You get in a fight with your husband, have sex with his friend. You are sad, have sex. You are lonely, have sex. You are happy, yep sex. Except even in the middle of a meaningful relationship it wasn't referred to as sex but as the F...more

like · see review

May 31, 2011 N. Sasson rated it 5 of 5 stars

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.

like · see review

Jun 19, 2010 Helen Smith rated it 4 of 5 stars

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 enjoyed very...more

like 1 like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 15 16 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 (4)

Genres

Romance

4 users

Womens Fiction > Chick Lit

3 users

Contemporary

2 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About R.J. Keller

R.J. Keller is the author of WAITING FOR SPRING and the co-host of Book Chatter with Stacey Cochran, an internet talk show that features interviews with authors and publishing professionals. An avid independent movie enthusiast, she was Managing Editor of The Movie Fanatic website and currently writes, shoots, and edits episodes of the writer-centric YouTube show, Inside The Writers’ Studio, with...more

More about R.J. Keller...

Books by R.J. Keller

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Waiting For Spring

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

title link	preview: Waiting For Spring
avg rating	preview: Waiting For Spring Goodreads rating: 3.76 (218 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5650430-waiting-for-spring?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1226627536l/5650430.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5650430-waiting-for-spring?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Waiting For Spring by R.J. Keller[/url]

Waiting For Spring

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website