The Season of Second Chances

Aug 21, 2011 Laurel rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: women-s-fiction, anthology-authors, contemporary-fiction

I recently finished The Season of Second Chances, by Diane Meier and liked it so much that I didn’t want to write about it!

I do that sometimes after experiencing a great movie, opera, musical or book. When something touches me profoundly, I want it all to myself. Talking or writing about it somehow takes the shine off my new found treasure. And then there is that Bridget Jones insecurity tapping me on the shoulder telling me that my review could never give it due justice, or I would gush about i...more

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Jan 09, 2013 Lori rated it 1 of 5 stars

This book was not poorly written by any means, and it is an interesting premise to set a coming of age tale with a protagonist who is 48, but this book failed on so many levels.

There was no animation whatsoever to this story. No passion. The two main characters are devoid of emotion to the point of being wooden and one dimensional. They come across as undiagnosed adult autistics instead of emotionally stunted humans who are starting to grow and come into their own through the context and situat...more This book was not poorly written by any means, and it is an interesting premise to set a coming of age tale with a protagonist who is 48, but this book failed on so many levels.

There was no animation whatsoever to this story. No passion. The two main characters are devoid of emotion to the point of being wooden and one dimensional. They come across as undiagnosed adult autistics instead of emotionally stunted humans who are starting to grow and come into their own through the context and situation of their relationship.

The peripheral cast of supporting characters were far more exciting, and yet they weren't really necessary to the story. They were plot advancers and nothing more.

This novel was more about the author trying to impress everyone with her knowledge of literature and her unsuccessful attempt to create characters that emulate Wharton and James, but does she not realize that the majority of concepts and ideas she's using are more 18th century than late 19th and early 20th. It's basically her treatise on feminism, education (and none of Lowell's ideas are innovative or revolutionary), and architecture and a sis-boom-bah for academia.

Academics can be pretty snotty and dreadful, but not all of them. She only served to reinforce the bad stereotypes about scholars and their sense of self-grandiose importance and entitlement.

This is a novel that again has me questioning- are there any editors left in the publishing industry? This wasn't a bad story and her writing was decent enough to pull it off, but it was way too wordy and cluttered and filled with characters, scenes, and opinions that held it down instead of enhancing it.

One of my other main issues was there was no reality to this. These people were perfect and could accomplish anything in a 24-hour period including raising kids, holding down a full-time job, and cooking gourmet meals? Teddy finished reconstructing, rennovating, and decoratin Joy's house in 5-6 months? Completely unbelievable. Joy can't cook and eats junk food and packaged food, and yet she knows what good food is? Joy develops a state of emotional being that is supposed to show her growth and development into a better human being? At the end, she's still the same superiority-addled snob she was in the beginning and Teddy gets tossed out with the dirty dish water. His story is left unfinished.

I guess if you like books where the author recreates herself as the main character who is a heartless, succesful woman who thinks she's better than everyone else, this is for you.

I threw it in the trash. This will not be a book I pass on.

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Sep 28, 2011 Sherri Rifkin rated it 5 of 5 stars

I absolutely adored this book.

I finished it three days ago and the characters are still with me, as is the main character Joy's house and the people in her Amherst community who draw them into her lives and therefore out of herself. I gobbled it up in practically one sitting.

This book has all my favorite elements: a compelling, sympathetic yet undeniably imperfect main character, a finely crafted and vivid setting, unique secondary characters who are distinct and wholly themselves from the momen...more

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Jul 26, 2011 Patricia rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: school-days-school-days-dear-old

This is a bittersweet novel about a middle-aged college professor who gets another chance at love and life when she leaves New York City for Amherst, Massachusetts. Joy Harkness teaches literature at Columbia University, but she has isolated herself from her colleagues and has few real friends. When she receives an enticing offer to teach at the University of Massachusetts, she quickly decides to accept it. Finding a place to live proves to be a problem, and she rather impulsively (for her) buys...more

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Jul 05, 2011 Suzanne rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

I loved The Season of Second Chancesl! This is one of the best books that I have read this year. I picked it up, not sure what to expect. I was trying to work my way through The Three Weissmanns of Westportl and having a difficult time, so I decided to try this book, based on all the great recommendations. It was a really good book, easy to read and engaging from the first page.

The Season of Second Chances is about a college English professor, Joy, who is really going through the motions of lif...more

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Sep 17, 2010 Jlaurenmc rated it 3 of 5 stars

Columbia professor Joy Harkness is offered a large sum of money to leave her current position and take a new one at Amherst College in Massachusetts. As she dines out with two spinster sisters the night before her move, she realizes that she has very little to show for her decades in New York City. In fact, she knows very little about these two women, very likely her closest friends there. Joy had big dreams when she moved to the city -- shopping at smart shops, dining out at the best restaurant...more Columbia professor Joy Harkness is offered a large sum of money to leave her current position and take a new one at Amherst College in Massachusetts. As she dines out with two spinster sisters the night before her move, she realizes that she has very little to show for her decades in New York City. In fact, she knows very little about these two women, very likely her closest friends there. Joy had big dreams when she moved to the city -- shopping at smart shops, dining out at the best restaurants. Somehow, all that fell apart once she actually lived there, and now she finds herself 48 years old, entirely alone, and very much outside the loop of what is "hip" and not.

From the beginning, Amherst is a very different sort of experience for Joy. She shares an office suite on campus with a vivacious French professor and a chummy sort of secretary. They bring her into their fold as though they've known her always. Soon Josie, the French professor, is bringing in gourmet picnic lunches for the three of them to share and inviting Joy to her home for dinner. Josie goes so far as to call a handyman to come and begin work on Joy's recent purchase -- a huge Victorian in a state of disrepair. Although she makes every attempt to maintain her distance, slowly but surely Joy is pulled into a circle of friends unlike anything she's ever experienced.

I enjoyed Diane Meier's first foray into the world of fiction with this debut novel The Season of Second Chances. Known for her book about the changing customs in modern marriage ceremonies, The New American Wedding, and for her work in the field of marketing, Meier has created an exceptionally well-written first novel. The book's cover gives readers a hint of the style to come within its pages. One of my favorite parts of the novel was the attention to the details of home that Meier includes. As Joy renovates and redecorates her house with the help of handyman and historical home expert Teddy, Meier provides lush descriptions of the colors and fabrics used.

I also enjoyed the slice of academic life portrayed in the novel. The Season of Second Chances is set in a college town and on a college campus. Although never overbearing, Meier includes an array of interesting scenes from Joy's life as a professor. Joy was recruited by an Amherst professor to participate in a cohort of professors who are developing a new style of teaching. They plan to begin with a set of courses on Shakespeare which will blend subjects together in a new way; while teaching Shakespeare, professors will include historically accurate information in subjects such as science, social sciences, and mathematics from Shakespeare's time. Although not a large part of the novel's action, Meier included enough to keep me interested in that piece of the plot throughout the book.(less)

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Jun 21, 2010 Laura rated it 2 of 5 stars

This is the story of Joy Harkness, a university professor who led an empty life—camouflaged by a successful career—and finally took the opportunity to change it and learned to live more fully. The cover and the synopsis attracted me to this book; however, the opening chapters did not hook me. The author’s writing style took some getting used to, as it was full of comparisons I could not relate to.

I debated if I wanted to continue reading it, and I stuck to my rule of reading the first fifty page...more This is the story of Joy Harkness, a university professor who led an empty life—camouflaged by a successful career—and finally took the opportunity to change it and learned to live more fully. The cover and the synopsis attracted me to this book; however, the opening chapters did not hook me. The author’s writing style took some getting used to, as it was full of comparisons I could not relate to.

I debated if I wanted to continue reading it, and I stuck to my rule of reading the first fifty pages. As I continued reading, it suddenly got interesting and I finished it easily. I have mixed feelings about this book. I liked the changes that took place in Joy, the way she took a chance doing things she never would have done before. The best part for me was seeing the transformation of the old run-down Victorian house she bought and how this represented the changes that were taking place within her and her life. It’s true there is a lot of description in this book, some of which I found necessary in reference to the house and others which I did not.

I thought the minor character of Bernadette was given too much place in the story when I would have liked to see more regarding Donna and her family. The children seemed to have adapted too well (with almost no repercussions) to witnessing their mother being bludgeoned to near-death by their father, and none of this was explored in the story. It seemed too unrealistic to me, almost as if it was concocted merely to advance the plot. I was also not impressed that Joy's friends encouraged her involvement with Will, a shallow man and obvious womanizer.

What irked me about Joy’s behaviour was the casual use of sex, rendering it simply an act of physical attraction rather than an expression of intimate and profound love between a committed couple. She fell into a relationship with her emotionally stunted mamma’s-boy handyman, Teddy Hennessy, and I had a hard time figuring out what their relationship was based on. They reminded me of two teenagers, but then again, seeing how they were both missing the mature emotional growth that comes during later adolescence perhaps this was a reflection of that.

The writer in me tells me that there is much underlying in this book, but I was distracted throughout and could not relate to any of the characters. I did like the ending, though, and it was perfect for this story.
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Jun 08, 2010 Carolyn Hill rated it 4 of 5 stars

While I enjoyed this book and stayed up late to finish it, I'm inclined to give this 3.5 stars. Joy Harkness, the lead character, is a literature professor recruited from Columbia to Amherst College, and, through the people she meets in the new job and locale, goes through a profound personal change. In short, she awakens from the dull, emotionally void life of a solitary academic to an engaged participant in her own life and the life of her community. And it started with the house. She bought a...more While I enjoyed this book and stayed up late to finish it, I'm inclined to give this 3.5 stars. Joy Harkness, the lead character, is a literature professor recruited from Columbia to Amherst College, and, through the people she meets in the new job and locale, goes through a profound personal change. In short, she awakens from the dull, emotionally void life of a solitary academic to an engaged participant in her own life and the life of her community. And it started with the house. She bought a run-down Victorian and hired a highly qualified handyman to work on it. I'll admit that for me the old house fixer-upper element is what drew me to the book in the first place. I wish that Joy had had more of a personal stake in the house. She leaves most all of the decisions about it to the well-informed handyman, Teddy. In fact, Teddy is an odd amalgamation of a character: an expert in restoration and a talented carpenter, he is also a phenomenal interior designer, while being emotionally stuck in adolescence. I found it a bit unbelievable that he would have been quite so up on all the decorating when he had no sense of fashion and dressed in old weird tee shirts, and not the cool kind. He not only shopped at tag sales for the perfect accessories and old fabrics, but he had cushions made with contrast piping for the window seat. The descriptions of the decorating and remodeling were extensive and delightful, and sounded like they came from a woman who enjoys that kind of thing. That it was all the product of a handyman arrested in adolescence seemed to be stretching it to me. (I've worked in interior design, architecture and home building/remodeling and have never seen those worlds collide in a sixties rock-music loving straight man.) On the other hand, I felt that the extensive description of Joy's academic subject and new educational method were more esoteric and slowed down the narrative, and I was surprised the author was not an academic herself. Joy seems incredibly naive for someone who had once been married, and she seems much older than late forties. And her friend and colleague Josie was too perfect as the outgoing motherly domestic goddess cum respected professor. She literally did have it all. Further, the back story in the latter part of the book about Teddy's mother seemed to be the story of an Irish immigrant from the early twentieth century rather than mid-century. It sounded hollow and was a poor attempt to justify her bitterness and possessiveness. So, I had a lot of quibbles about the characters. While I enjoyed the story of Joy's transformation, the descriptions of houses, and the flashes of humor, all in all, it just did not ring true.(less)

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Apr 08, 2010 Myckyee rated it 4 of 5 stars

In the this novel, Joy Harkness is presented with the opportunity to start a new life and she grabs it. She buys a dilapidated old house, befriends a handyman, develops relationships with co-workers and embarks on a new phase of her career. She’d lived in New York City for years and gave it up for small town life. Little did she know that small town life can have more drama than the big city.

This book is filled with characters who are offered second chances and new lives. Some, like Joy, grab th...more

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Mar 30, 2010 Gail Cooke rated it 5 of 5 stars

Do you ever wonder how many go to New York City looking for success and excitement? Next query - how many find it? Joy Harkness did not. She had long nurtured a dream of going to Manhattan as "a way out of Saint Louis." Some 17 years later she tells us, "It takes a keen eye to tell a false start from a dead end. I was finished with New York."

To many Joy's life was enviable - she'd been at Columbia University for 12 years, received a full professorship and published a book of poetry. Yet she rema...more Do you ever wonder how many go to New York City looking for success and excitement? Next query - how many find it? Joy Harkness did not. She had long nurtured a dream of going to Manhattan as "a way out of Saint Louis." Some 17 years later she tells us, "It takes a keen eye to tell a false start from a dead end. I was finished with New York."

To many Joy's life was enviable - she'd been at Columbia University for 12 years, received a full professorship and published a book of poetry. Yet she remained isolated with few friends or involvement in the greater community or, for that matter, in life. Joy doesn't hesitate when she's offered a teaching position at Amherst College and the opportunity to be a part of a group working toward changing teaching methods. She sells her apartment, packs her belongings, and goes.

Although determined to remain in her self-styled cocoon, removed from others, Joy is immediately embraced by her office mates, and urged (dragged might be a better word) to take part in social activities in which she has no interest.

What does Joy care about? A recently purchased aged Victorian home in much need of repair. That had been a spur of the moment buy and quite unlike anything she has ever done. And, she cares about Teddy, a handyman who turns her relic of a residence into a warm, inviting home.

Teddy is one of the most appealing characters to be found. A boy/man in gimme cap and shorts he is caught in a dysfunctional relationship with his mother (a thin lipped harridan), is a genius at renovation and repair, has an unerring eye for color and decor, an encyclopedic knowledge of historic homes, and an innocent, honest concern for others.

As Joy is unwillingly drawn into the happiness and travails of those around her she begins to learn how to relate, how to genuinely feel for others. This evolution is described with both insight and humor, whether she is fending off the advances of the Coyotes (male faculty members with an eye for someone new) or trying to care for four young girls who patiently teach her the importance of a pastry bag and how necessary it is to keep hair conditioner on hand.

THE SEASON OF SECOND CHANCES is an empowering, entertaining story reminding us of the importance of home, family, and trust. It is, at times, an invitation to step outside of our familiar boundaries and perhaps discover what we may yet become.

As Joy reaches her home after an especially busy day she looks at the windows "glowing from within,' and comments, "There was life in this house, and I was a part of it." We can rejoice with her, and learn.

Enjoy!

- Gail Cooke (less)

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Feb 07, 2010 Barbara A. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: femminst-fiction, fiction

A very very enjoyable read! If you like the films of Nancy Meyers, reading searchingly intellectual essays in The New York Review of Books, watching episodes of THIS OLD HOUSE, and flipping through back issues of Martha Stewart LIVING, this book will hook you! It is as smart as the average post feminist 'women's novel' yet is is a wonderfully commercial page-tuner. WASPY College Prof Joy leave a steady tenured post at Columbia to take on new challenges at U Amherst in Mass. She is s cool custome...more

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Jun 29, 2010 Wes rated it 1 of 5 stars

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

Joy Harkness is a middle-aged Academic who has closed herself off from the Human Race. She left her Husband, has no children, no immediate family, and two friends she hardly knows. Joy doesn't make any attempt to get to know anyone, and lets absolutely no one into her life.

She eventually becomes dissatisfied with all this emptiness and decides that the problem is not her, but her environment. So when Joy is offered a great job elsewhere, she quickly seizes it.

Joy's new life involves a large grou...more

Joy Harkness is a middle-aged Academic who has closed herself off from the Human Race. She left her Husband, has no children, no immediate family, and two friends she hardly knows. Joy doesn't make any attempt to get to know anyone, and lets absolutely no one into her life.

She eventually becomes dissatisfied with all this emptiness and decides that the problem is not her, but her environment. So when Joy is offered a great job elsewhere, she quickly seizes it.

Joy's new life involves a large group of new (and wonderful) friends, a great job (with a hefty salary), a string of boyfriends (who she makes no effort to get to know), and an old run-down Victorian house that is slowly transformed into a home better than she ever dreamed.

So far the book is a bit bland but tolerable. Then a friend (whose cries for help were ignored by everyone) is beaten nearly to death. Shallow, self-centered Joy is forced to step outside of herself and think about someone else for the first time in her life.

Joy begins to realize just how empty her life has become, but instead of deciding to make changes, Joy looks forward to everything returning to normal (an emotional void). Her latest boyfriend (Teddy Hennessy) points this out to her, but Joy responds by shifting the focus from herself onto her boyfriend and insists that he stop looking after his mother and try to better himself.

This results in the only character conflict in the entire book, Teddy trying to please Joy and his Mother (Maureen Hennessy), who both want different things from him. Maureen wants Teddy to restore houses and stay under her control for the rest of her life. Joy wants Teddy to teach about restoring houses and abandon his Mother. There apparently is no room for compromise.

After bringing the relationship of Joy-Teddy-Maureen to a head, Diane Meier decides to resolve the issue by placing Joy on a pedestal while trashing Teddy. Joy is "wonderful", "outstanding", "brilliant", "clever and original and scrappy", "insightful and human".

Meanwhile, Teddy is revealed as someone who is emotionally stunted, drinks far too much, smokes pot, and has no ambition (while Joy is wonderful, drinks very little, never smoked pot, and has already risen to the top of her field).

As soon as the house is finished, Joy breaks up with Teddy. Teddy tries to deal with this (Joy using him to break out of her shell, then dumping him for not being good enough) by buying a dog for himself. But Joy winds up with his dog, too. Teddy is left with nothing but his heavy drinking, pot smoking, and a controlling manipulative mother.

Meanwhile, Joy completes "her transformation" by spending thousands of dollars on clothes, going back to New York to get a makeover, then showing off the new Joy, to the surprise, then acceptance of everyone (except the trail of old boyfriends who weren't good enough for her).(less)

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Aug 26, 2010 Laura rated it 5 of 5 stars

When I finished The Season of Second Chances, I felt bereft. The Season of Second Chances was a wonderful novel that I enjoyed reading. I enjoyed it so much that I ripped through the book reading it too late into the night and finishing it in record speed during a busy work week. After I finished it, I regretted only that it didn’t continue on as I loved the story and characters so much, it was hard to let them go.

The Season of Second Chances is a unique story that I really loved. Joy Harkness i...more When I finished The Season of Second Chances, I felt bereft. The Season of Second Chances was a wonderful novel that I enjoyed reading. I enjoyed it so much that I ripped through the book reading it too late into the night and finishing it in record speed during a busy work week. After I finished it, I regretted only that it didn’t continue on as I loved the story and characters so much, it was hard to let them go.

The Season of Second Chances is a unique story that I really loved. Joy Harkness is a middle-aged literature professor at Columbia University. She loves and excels at her work, but doesn’t really feel connected to anyone. When a professor she admires, Bernadette Lowell, offers her a chance to move to Amherst College in Massachusetts and be a part of an innovative new curriculum on learning, Joy jumps at the chance. She impetuously buys an old, large, falling down Victorian house and quickly moves up from her small New York apartment. I love the scene where she moves in and the house springs a giant leak.

Realizing that something needs to be done about the state of her house, Joy hires Teddy Hennessy to fix her house. Teddy is a unique individual that knows the history and design of old houses. He has an impeccable eye when it comes to interior design and works wonders with the house . . . and with Joy.

Joy finds life changing for herself at Amherst and becomes involved with a great new group of friends. She has a growth of personal relationships and self. Through her time there, Joy really has a “coming-of-age” at mid-age. She learns that to be a feminist, one does not need to give up everything that is feminine.

It is really hard to describe this novel as it was so unique and I do not want to give away the entire plot of the novel. It was a great story and I really loved the style in which it was written.

I also loved that since Joy is a literature professor she talks about a lot of my favorite authors such as Edith Wharton and Willa Cather. The discussions are like small diamonds throughout the text that I really enjoyed reading.

Overall, The Season of Second Chances is a wonderful novel with a great story, fantastic characters, and great prose. I highly recommend it.
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Nov 12, 2010 Ang added it · review of another edition

I was pleasantly surprised by how substantial this book ended up being. I thought, based on the information I'd read about it, that it would be frothy and light, filled with romance and fun descriptions of an old house. I got the latter part right, but the former rather wrong. Not that there wasn't romance of a sort in the book, but it wasn't frothy and it wasn't necessarily fun. [return][return]I think this books strikes a really good balance between serious and not, and I especially did enjoy...more

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Jun 12, 2011 Jo rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

This is a beautifully written, character-driven literary novel (not chick-lit). The main character is a “nearly 50” single professor of literature. After her brother died when she was 14, the miasma ofgrief took her and wrapped her up and separated her from life. She went through the motions, including marriage, divorce, and career at Columbia, but did not truly care, feel, or live. Her name, Joy, became somewhat of an oxymoron. This is the story of her re-emergence into life – at 48 — with all...more This is a beautifully written, character-driven literary novel (not chick-lit). The main character is a “nearly 50” single professor of literature. After her brother died when she was 14, the miasma ofgrief took her and wrapped her up and separated her from life. She went through the motions, including marriage, divorce, and career at Columbia, but did not truly care, feel, or live. Her name, Joy, became somewhat of an oxymoron. This is the story of her re-emergence into life – at 48 — with all the muddled emotions and lack of control that life, love and friendship truly is.

It is hard to believe this is the author’s first novel. Meier creates a character about whom we aren’t told much (because it’s a first person narrative & Joy doesn’t care much about herself either at the beginning), and who is at the outset rather whiny and condescending and detached, and persuades us to open our hearts to her as she opens herself to others and to life through the course of the book. Meier paints a charming portrait of small town life in western Massachusetts, and populates it with multi-layered characters you want to discover more about.

At the beginning of the story Joy somewhat impulsively (out of character, as we understand) quits her positions with Columbia University and her cold life in NYC and takes a position with Amherst College in small town Massachusetts. She also impulsively buys a wreck of an old Victorian house in North Hampton MA. Her job as a college professor is not central to the book other than to help define her character, get her to move to North Hampton, and provide a framework for her newly developing friendships. It is those developing friendships, their shared crises, the remodeling of the house, and Joy’s reluctant personal growth that drive the book. The house Joy remodels, with Teddy's (handyman extraordinaire, with his own past demons) assistance, is an obvious metaphor for Joy's life. As it is restored, so is she; and as the house became her home, her newly developing friendships became a chosen family. It was comforting to see her change and blossom into a happy, loving, and accepting woman. The Season of Second Chances does not have a fairytale ending, but it felt perfect for what she had learned and where she was in life now.

The story has many wonderful memorable characters, and much wit & humor. (I love the description of the campus bachelors who prowl after any new female in sight, called “coyotes” because they are too inept to rate being called "wolves", lol.) It also contains some deep insights on self-esteem, and growth that are both thought-provoking and inspiring. “Sometimes you have to work really hard to choose life," Joy says, "and it has to be your choice."

Lovely book. Now I want to loan it to all my girlfriends!
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Mar 24, 2010 Mara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, friendship

This is a sweet book, though it's not without some drama and darkness. At just the right time in her life, Joy Harkness gets an unexpected job offer that takes her from a prestigious but unsatisfying job at Columbia University to an equally prestigious job in the small college town of Amherst, Massachusetts. Leaving behind a life devoid of personal connections, she suddenly finds herself thrust into the social framework of her new home.

Joy’s lack of personal past seems at many points in the narr...more

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Jun 18, 2010 Milka rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-during-2010

The reader is introduced to Joy, a 48-year old women from New York. She has built an impressive career and she is successful, but along other people, she do not know how she should act. She got married when she was young, but after couple of years of the marriage, she divorced and moved from St. Louis to New York City. She moved to the city with big dreams. She had always dreamed about her life in New York, but when she got there, she realized that it is nothing like she dreamed about. She goes...more

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Mar 21, 2010 bookczuk rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-for-review, bookcrossing, first-novel-or-book, early-review-librarything

AR Copy for review via Library Thing.

I'm really bummed -- all the time I was reading this book, I was thinking that a great opening line for my review would be, "Who says coming-of-age only happens on the cusp of adolescence to adulthood?" But I can't say that because the publisher's blurb reads "Coming-of-age can happen at any age", which is actually a direct steal from the book.

Poor old Joy, about as misnamed a central character as ever opened a book, at 48 finds herself on the verge of a chan...more

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Jun 17, 2010 Amy rated it 1 of 5 stars

Joy Harkness is sick of her life in New York as a professor at Columbia University. She wants a change, and serendipitously the opportunity opens up when a well-known feminist author invites her to Amherst to join a new educational group to discover a new philosophy of learning. She moves there, finds a new home, and begins to recreate her life: her ‘second chance’. She falls into a wonderful new community of interesting individuals, all living fulfilled lives, and not only gets to enjoy her new...more Joy Harkness is sick of her life in New York as a professor at Columbia University. She wants a change, and serendipitously the opportunity opens up when a well-known feminist author invites her to Amherst to join a new educational group to discover a new philosophy of learning. She moves there, finds a new home, and begins to recreate her life: her ‘second chance’. She falls into a wonderful new community of interesting individuals, all living fulfilled lives, and not only gets to enjoy her new teaching position but also remodel a unique Victorian home. In the end, she discovers that her previous life was narrow and unfulfilled, and her new life allows her to expand and enjoy the world to the full.

It’s a love letter to academia. The novel is easily readable and fast paced, and there’s no lack of descriptions for the details of her transformation. It might appeal to many readers as an imaginary escape from their own lives, to be read with a Restoration Hardware catalog and a fan of paint swatches at hand. It is a very pretty book…I loved the font and the block printing styles.

That said, I hated the book on so many levels. First, it would appear that the ‘second chance’ she needed was meant to be: her NY house sold in four days, far over the asking price, and she found her new home instantly. Her new job paid far more than she imagined. The first contractor to come along was not only a savant-like expert on all things Victorian, but his price was under her budget, and the remodel was a quick and smooth production. Do you see where I am going with this? Realism is not to be found.

Joy’s new friends are all wealthy academics who pride themselves on their tolerant love of others, community, and family. They accept her unhesitatingly, and it appears the entire community wants to assist in her transformation. Evenings of gourmet suppers with perfect food and wines, stimulating conversation, and constant supportive murmurings fill Joy’s new days. Her new job is also perfect: coworkers who gladly share duties without complaining, well-behaved students, and gourmet lunches made by a professor (in her spare time) and brought in for the staff. The only nod to their academic work is rearranging book shelves and deciding where the fresh flowers should be placed, with some occasional paper-grading over wine.

I kept waiting for one of the enlightened community to be an ax murderer, just to liven up the cloying sweetness of it all.

The biggest problem, of so many, was the treatment of the academic community towards the talented craftsman who remodels her home back to its original splendor. They recognize his talent, but are quick to suggest a course of study that will allow him to teach and join their ranks. He’s simply not living up to his potential in their eyes and they are troubled by his lack of ambition. He’s just not good enough. In fact, every character in the novel that leads a productive life is an academic; the only ones who aren’t are the craftsman (who lives with his mom and is emotionally stunted), a wife-beater, and a vindictive old woman. In other words, the flawed people are uneducated. It’s as if Lassie saves the family from the fire, saves Timmy from the well, and yet is put to sleep because she’s not purebred. The elitist agenda is obvious and awkward.

The house Joy remodels, with Teddy’s assistance, is an obvious metaphor for Joy’s life. It starts out decrepit and run down, but eventually is restored to beauty and luxury. It’s no coincidence that towards the end, when she discovers Armani couture and is counseled to live life to the full, the clothing she purchases reflect the colors used in the home. Even her new lipsticks (oh yeah, we get to hear about lipstick colors, wallpaper samples, and the benefits of skillful makeup) seem to coordinate. It all falls into place, with never a concern about money issues, family problems, misunderstandings with friends, or illness. The lack of any credible conflict dilutes it into more of a fashion article than an interesting novel. Sure, some bad things happen, to other people, on the periphery. These serve only to emphasize the wonderful nature of the academic village. Amid this she sprinkles Feminist anecdotes, Henry James references, and treatises on private education that leave you snoring. As I said, though, the font is lovely.(less)

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Jun 02, 2010 Amy rated it 4 of 5 stars

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

When 48-year-old Columbia English professor Joy Harkness receives the offer of a lifetime to teach at Amherst College, she jumps at the chance to escape her unsatisfying New York life and start over. Emotionally shut-down and socially awkward, Joy begins a journey of self-discovery in the most unlikely of places. Her journey begins with an ill-advised purchase of a crumbling Victorian home in need of a great deal of repair and renovation...more

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May 12, 2010 Grace rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book was an enjoyable but bumpy ride. The author definitely has her strong and weak points. Strong points include setting and description. The best parts of this book come when the author turns the story line to the renovation of the beautiful Victorian house. Her descriptions of the house and its transformation will delight anyone interested in historic homes. But the author definitely also has weak points, which include

-Making the main character act far older than her age. I have close fr...more

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May 08, 2010 Lora King rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

I put this out as a possible book club book, but my buddy said it sounded boring...not so. Easy quick read, (easy quick means I liked it and didn't want to put it down and the print was not miniscuile ;-) A self involved middle age intellectual moves from NY to Amherst to teach and a whole new world opens up for her as she renovates a dilapidated victorian and in the process renovates herself. Opening up to people for the first time, she starts tenative steps out of her protective cocoon and int...more

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Jul 01, 2010 Jane rated it 4 of 5 stars

Meier is president of a New York marketing firm, and she knows a great deal about interior decorating, Edith Wharton, and Henry James. Her protagonist, Joy, is an English PHD who leaves her post of Columbia and moves to Amherst, recruited by a leading scholar to be part of a team of curriculum innovators while teaching a full course load. She purchases an old home and develops an interesting relationship with the handyman who undertakes the major remodeling job for her. This is a novel about col...more

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Apr 08, 2010 Julia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Professor Joy Harkness leaves Columbia and what she views as an increasing disconnect with life in NYC for a plum job at Amherst. She's in a great department and will help head a taskforce on changing the way students learn with a world renowned professor. She purchases her first house, an old Victorian in need of a great deal of work and a good contractor. She settles in at Amherst, sharing an office with women she can't quite believe are so friendly. Life in Amherst is messy and real, and Joy'...more

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Apr 06, 2012 Judy rated it 2 of 5 stars

A divorced Columbia professor leaves New York City for a new position at Amherst College hoping to find a new beginning. She falls in love with an old Victorian that needs a total renovation to make it liveable. She's pursued by several of her middle-aged colleagues and the handyman who spends hours in her company while working on her house. You wonder who she might fall in love with. Maybe the handman, but he lives with his needy mother who wants him all to herself. I used to live in Amherst so...more

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May 31, 2011 Brian rated it 4 of 5 stars

The back of the book did not do this book justice. This just proves that the description of the book does not indicate if you will like the author's writing style, or the actual plot itself. The plot is very simple: A woman moves from NYC to MA, buys an expensive house, meets an eccentric handyman with an overbearing mother, and tries to find meaning to her life. What made this book so good was the author's writing style. The plot sounds like pure chick lit, but her writing style was deeper and...more

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Jul 10, 2012 Wendy Myers rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: other women looking for beach reads

Recommended to Wendy by: my mother

A highly successful college professor "of a certain age" is given a chance to shake off her dreary NYC existence. This is her story of growth, self-discovery and renewed life.

Generally speaking I liked The Season of Second Chances. Ms. Meier's descriptions of academia and the life surrounding it were often cuttingly dead-on. My biggest complaint was that although Joy's changes occurred in increments throughout the book, many of her actions seemed to still be out of character, regardless of where...more

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Jun 12, 2010 Charlotte rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: advanced-readers-copy

http://charlotteswebofbooks.blogspot....

Joy was a character that I was able to identify with in a way that I have not done in quite some time. She is a strong woman successful in her career. It isn't until she moves to Amherst & she becomes part of a community that she realizes what she has been missing all this time. And for her it is a scary realization. I started thinking back to the friends in my adult life and I realize that they are all people I met through my career. And I see that if...more

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Jul 08, 2010 Meg rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2010, sent-for-review, contemporary-fiction

Diane Meier’s The Season Of Second Chances delivers on what it promises: a novel based on the thought that “coming of age can happen at any age.” When we first meet Joy, she’s one bitter shrew of a 48-year-old — and I don’t mean that generously. She’s closed off. Cold. Distant. She shies away from human interaction, choosing to hold anything and everything at arm’s length. Her best friends are two cousins who specialize in Civil War history, the Grant Girls, and she notes with a hint despondency...more Diane Meier’s The Season Of Second Chances delivers on what it promises: a novel based on the thought that “coming of age can happen at any age.” When we first meet Joy, she’s one bitter shrew of a 48-year-old — and I don’t mean that generously. She’s closed off. Cold. Distant. She shies away from human interaction, choosing to hold anything and everything at arm’s length. Her best friends are two cousins who specialize in Civil War history, the Grant Girls, and she notes with a hint despondency that they still never discuss anything “private.” In New York, her life was like a dusty, bound-up book.

Despite the fact that, as a narrator, I found Joy condescending, pedantic and whiny from page one, something about The Season Of Second Chances really worked for me. It was a gradual process, but Joy — so hardened, so emotionally vacant — began to change. And she morphed before my eyes. As her newly-purchased home was lovingly restored by Teddy — wallpaper chosen; furniture installed — she changed with her surroundings. As it became more beautiful, so did she. And as her relationship with the home intensified, so did her relationships with the new people in her lives – especially Josie, a fellow professor, expert cook and mother; and Teddy, her handyman and new best friend.

The novel wasn’t without its troubles for me, though. While the fact that Joy was a professor was definitely her defining characteristic and crucial to the plot, I found any of the scenes revolving around academia and the “program” in which Joy was a member to be Boring. With a capital B. If there was some metaphor I was supposed to draw from Joy finding a more intuitive way to teach disinterested students, I didn’t see it. I could have happily skipped over any scenes at the college and been a happier reader.

I spent a good portion of the book in a blind rage, too, over Teddy’s situation with his mother, a good ol’ selfish “Mommie Dearest” if ever I’ve read one. Mrs. Hennessey was demeaning, rude, ill-tempered, terrible – and without redemption. Man, I hate when characters are beyond redemption! I kept waiting for Teddy to be slapped awake with the realization that he was a man — a 36-year-old man – who was no longer beholden to Mama’s whims and worries.

I’m torn on this book. I can see why people love it, but just as easily see why people hate it. I had some issues with it, yes, but I’d feel terrible if I ended on a bad note. Overall, I found The Season Of Second Chances to be an entertaining, optimistic story — full of lush descriptions, interesting characterization and a whole host of vivid characters. As a narrator, Joy might have been a little cagey — but I came to love her, prickly thorns and all. And by the final page, I was cheering for her, too. Fans of contemporary and women’s fiction might enjoy this one — especially if you’re into coming-of-age stories that may or may not take place in a crumbling old house.(less)

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May 11, 2010 Colleen rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Season of Second Chances by Diane Meier tells the story of Joy Harkness and the new chapter she faces in her life. Leaving behind her relatively solitary existence in New York City as a professor at Columbia, Joy heads north and takes a position at a Massachusetts university. The novel chronicles Joy's transition to her new life and the self discovery that accompanies the transition.

Without acknowledging that she wanted or needed to, Joy leaves behind her NYC existence and is suddenly confro...more The Season of Second Chances by Diane Meier tells the story of Joy Harkness and the new chapter she faces in her life. Leaving behind her relatively solitary existence in New York City as a professor at Columbia, Joy heads north and takes a position at a Massachusetts university. The novel chronicles Joy's transition to her new life and the self discovery that accompanies the transition.

Without acknowledging that she wanted or needed to, Joy leaves behind her NYC existence and is suddenly confronted with all kinds of complications to her previously straightforward life. Despite her best efforts to remain aloof, she is embraced by a group of friends and the rhythm of their reliance on each other. To many, this instant community would be welcome but to Joy it feels claustrophobic and she struggles to feel comfortable at weeknight dinners and daily lunches with her new friends. Joy reflects on the difference between her life in NY and her life in Amherst:

My time in New York hadn't exposed me to people who let you see their most intimate or ardent inner lives. I do remember thinking that life at Columbia was devoid of people of goodwill and benevolence. And I remember thinking that they must have had their kind and sweet human emotions removed before they took their jobs, or perhaps the pressures of their academic bred it out of them. Here in Amherst, in contrast, every day seemed to bring another heart onto another sleeve.

Along with new friends, romance also enters Joy's life. Actually, as opposed to the friends who she seems to feel have thrust themselves upon her, romance is welcomed in by Joy. She makes, in my opinion, some unwise choices in the romance department and these choices result in additional complications. Teddy, one of the men with which Joy becomes involved, is enmeshed with his overbearing mother and this limits his ability to fully be in a relationship with Joy. For all his emotional immaturity, Teddy also sees through Joy's aloof exterior to her fears and weaknesses and their relationship brings even more self revelation for Joy.

My assessment:
This book is excellent - it is smart and well written and the characters are complex and interesting. As much as Joy may not seem to always be the most likeable character, I think there is a lot readers can relate to in Joy's struggle to make changes to her life and the discomfort she feels with the changes. The book certainly gave me much to consider.
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