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294th out of 1,297 books
—
10,683 voters
Promises to Keep
by
Jane Green
From the New York Times bestselling author-a momentous new novel about a family suddenly thrown together
Callie Perry is a successful family photographer living in upstate New York. She adores her two daughters, has great friends, and actually doesn't mind that her workaholic husband gets home at 9 p.m. every night-that is, when he's not traveling six months out of the ye...more
Hardcover, 352 pages
Published
June 15th 2010
by Viking Adult
(first published June 4th 2010)
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May 05, 2011
Kathleen
rated it
4 of 5 stars
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review of another edition
Shelves:
favorite-contemporary-authors
Jane Green could be one of my favorite contemporary authors. In fact, I am making that official as of this moment. Her writing embraces the issues and challenges (real and perceived) of relationships and family life, and her discussion of them, through her characters, is often spot on. The description of the self doubting, the aspirations, the juggling of the demands of family and career and self (even when I might not have a lot of empathy for some of the characters) is honest and true to prese...more
One: I really liked seeing a recipe at the end of every chapter.
Two: I've picked up this book at Borders, thinking that I should read something different for a change. I had my doubts, since I had always leaned more towards fantasy or action-packed novels. Then, I started reading this book two days ago, and I didn't regret it. It brought me through laughter and tears.
The book started with a look at various characters' lives; a peep into their past; an experience of their present. I have to be ho...more
Two: I've picked up this book at Borders, thinking that I should read something different for a change. I had my doubts, since I had always leaned more towards fantasy or action-packed novels. Then, I started reading this book two days ago, and I didn't regret it. It brought me through laughter and tears.
The book started with a look at various characters' lives; a peep into their past; an experience of their present. I have to be ho...more
I have read many of the books by this author and had been pleased with her writing. But I did not expect to be so moved by this story!!! She usually ties things up very nicely with a happy ever after ending and this time there is a bit of a twist that helps the reader put a lot of things into perspective. I highly recommend this book to anyone that has a sister that is their best friend or even a person that has one TRUE best friend!! Be prepared to use tissues by the end of the story due to the...more
Steffi is a chef in a vegan restaurant in New York. Being a rock chick, and living a life on her terms, Steffi is the worry of her dad, who wishes she settled down.
Mason is a publisher who frequents Steffi’s restaurant, and is about to move to London. He wants somebody to look after his dog while he is away.
Steffi’s sister Callie, an exuberant mom of two, is busy with her life in the suburbs, happy balancing her family, and her photography business.
Lila, Callie’s best friend, has finally found t...more
Mason is a publisher who frequents Steffi’s restaurant, and is about to move to London. He wants somebody to look after his dog while he is away.
Steffi’s sister Callie, an exuberant mom of two, is busy with her life in the suburbs, happy balancing her family, and her photography business.
Lila, Callie’s best friend, has finally found t...more
As the hot weather begins to come in full force in Philly, it is natural for readers to want to get away from the "heavy hitter" lit and get into something mindless. That is what I thought I was getting when I picked up Jane Green's Promises to Keep. What I got was much, much more and truly made me weep.
Promises to Keep is Green's 11th novel. It begins with a sister, Steffi, who is struggling to find her way in the world in love and career. We then meet Callie, Steffi's older sister, who the rea...more
Promises to Keep is Green's 11th novel. It begins with a sister, Steffi, who is struggling to find her way in the world in love and career. We then meet Callie, Steffi's older sister, who the rea...more
Green’s latest is an overlapping tale of a few women. Callie is a cancer survivor and a mother or two with loving, workaholic husband. Her sister Steffi is living with her rocker boyfriend and working as a vegan chef. Callie’s best friend Lila is an average looking girl who almost got married out of a sense of obligation, but backed out at the last minute. Now, at 42, she’s finally in love. Despite the surface summary, the plot takes a darker turn than many of Green’s previous novels, which give...more
Actual Rating: **1/2
You know when a book starts out with a happy couple with two happy children living a happy life in the suburbs that there's probably only one direction in which the story will eventually go (clearly foreshadowed in the book's dedication). I was glad to see many characters find their way; others find what they didn't know they wanted. Recipes at the end of every chapter were intriguing; and Fingal, the Scottish deerhound, was endearing.
This could easily have ended up as a DNF...more
You know when a book starts out with a happy couple with two happy children living a happy life in the suburbs that there's probably only one direction in which the story will eventually go (clearly foreshadowed in the book's dedication). I was glad to see many characters find their way; others find what they didn't know they wanted. Recipes at the end of every chapter were intriguing; and Fingal, the Scottish deerhound, was endearing.
This could easily have ended up as a DNF...more
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I have read Jane Green's book, The Beach House and I enjoyed the twisty turning way it melted characters into a story. It was fun reading. However I started this book and by the time I got to the 8th disk, I spent half of the time sobbing. I had to literally force myself to go finish the last 2 disks. I needed to hear the end of the tale. I suppose for anyone who has had a journey with a loved one through cancer, it is a very gut-wrenching experience and this book was just the story of that magn...more
2 likes · like · see review
This book by Jane Green was a bit different then her other books. It was a more 'mature' read I guess (not the usual, girl finds a job, girl finds a man scenario). I mean, I cried real tears, that's definitely a first for a Jane Green novel. The story is of Callie who has what seems to be the perfect life - a job she loves, adorable children and a handsome husband she adores. Her younger sister Steffi is a free spirit who can't hold down a job or boyfriend for the life of her. Her latest saga in...more
Promises to Keep was clearly a labor of love for Jane Green. Using the life of a dear friend as motivation, Green wrote a love story about friendship and loss.
Cancer has taken a lot from all of us, and Green does a tremendous job showing how cancer affects not just the victim but also everyone who loves him or her. Callie believed she was a survivor, but when cancer strikes her again everyone who loves her puts aside their differences and rallies to her side, as they should.
It is this positive s...more
Cancer has taken a lot from all of us, and Green does a tremendous job showing how cancer affects not just the victim but also everyone who loves him or her. Callie believed she was a survivor, but when cancer strikes her again everyone who loves her puts aside their differences and rallies to her side, as they should.
It is this positive s...more
If you have any tears that need to be jerked, this is the book for you. Callie Perry has the ideal life. She is a breast cancer survivor, she is happily married with two young children, and she is surrounded by loving family and friends. Then the unthinkable happens and it tests the love and friendship of all those around her. This book is about the relationships between four women--Callie; Steffi, her younger sister and the ultimate free spirit; Lila, Callie's best friend for decades; and Honor...more
This book was about four women: two sisters, their mother, and a friend of one of the sisters.
The younger of the two sisters, Steff, (although an adult) is still trying to figure out what she wants to be when she grows up, much to the consternation of the rest of her family. Her older sister, Callie, is happily married with two children. Their mother, Honor, has been divorced for a number of years. The friend, Lila, is Callie's BFF and seems to have met the man of her dreams after kissing many p...more
The younger of the two sisters, Steff, (although an adult) is still trying to figure out what she wants to be when she grows up, much to the consternation of the rest of her family. Her older sister, Callie, is happily married with two children. Their mother, Honor, has been divorced for a number of years. The friend, Lila, is Callie's BFF and seems to have met the man of her dreams after kissing many p...more
I liked the characters but found the pace a bit off ... it seemed as though it took a long time to get there, to the heart of the book, and once it got there it all got tied up quickly and was over and done with. A bit of a roller coaster without the excitement, if you know what I mean -- anticipation and then you're in it, and then it's over and you're walking away.
I also got a bit confused, time-wise. I wasn't sure if the ending happened *rightaway* or if it was a year later. I think it happe...more
I also got a bit confused, time-wise. I wasn't sure if the ending happened *rightaway* or if it was a year later. I think it happe...more
3 likes · like · see review
Promises to Keep by Jane Green (rated: MP)
Viking Canada
ISBN 97806700691
Published June 2010
352 pages
July 7, 2010
We meet Steffi, one of the main characters in this novel at a vegan restaurant in New York City where she is the chef, a self-described “rock chick and vegan chef”. As a thoroughly modern woman Steffi drifts from one romantic encounter to another without any stability in her life. Her sister, Callie, the heroine of this novel, is completely the opposite. She has a perfect life, it seems...more
Viking Canada
ISBN 97806700691
Published June 2010
352 pages
July 7, 2010
We meet Steffi, one of the main characters in this novel at a vegan restaurant in New York City where she is the chef, a self-described “rock chick and vegan chef”. As a thoroughly modern woman Steffi drifts from one romantic encounter to another without any stability in her life. Her sister, Callie, the heroine of this novel, is completely the opposite. She has a perfect life, it seems...more
I've only read a couple books by Jane Green and was not impressed but this book was unbelievable. Granted I am 7 1/2 months pregnant and have a toddler of my own but this book had me bawling. I was so invested in the characters and what happened to each that I almost couldn't finish the book out of fear of what would happen. Steff is your typical chick lit, flighty character and you can pretty much predict what would happen to her in the end. Still the story was written in such a way that it wil...more
I have read and enjoyed several of Jane Green's previous novels -- Jemima J especially, but also The Other Woman and Bookends -- but I haven't read any of her more recent books. When I saw her most recent book, Promises to Keep, on the new releases shelf at the library I thought I'd give it a try. I've been reading a lot of books lately with heavier subject material, so I thought a lighter read would be just the thing to cleanse the ol' reader's palate, as it were.
I certainly did not expect to...more
I certainly did not expect to...more
2 likes · like · see review
Wow. Ok, Jane Green. After Dune Road I doubted, but with this one you proved me wrong. Forcefully.
Promises to Keep is about a young mother named Callie Tollemache who, on the five year anniversary of the day she was declared free of breast cancer, is diagnosed with a rare complication from it. In the beginning of the book Callie seems to be just another overwhelmed mom driving the kids to soccer and tae kwon do or whatever they have, and I literally rolled my eyes at first because I thought it w...more
Promises to Keep is about a young mother named Callie Tollemache who, on the five year anniversary of the day she was declared free of breast cancer, is diagnosed with a rare complication from it. In the beginning of the book Callie seems to be just another overwhelmed mom driving the kids to soccer and tae kwon do or whatever they have, and I literally rolled my eyes at first because I thought it w...more
A real tear-jerker, The Love Verb, as this book is called in Australia, is about fighting cancer. Callie is 42, happily married with two kids, and has the world at her feet, and her shocking battle with a rare form of cancer is very emotional, raw and human.
Like all good stories, this one is also full of pathos, humour, and frustration, and the topic is dealt with beautifully by Jane Green, a talented writer who usually writes in the chick-lit genre. There is an element of that genre here, but i...more
Like all good stories, this one is also full of pathos, humour, and frustration, and the topic is dealt with beautifully by Jane Green, a talented writer who usually writes in the chick-lit genre. There is an element of that genre here, but i...more
We start out following Steffi through her day to day routine, or lack thereof, and are introduced to the main character, her sister, Callie. We get to see all the joys and hardships of a mother with two young children; a husband who is always traveling for work, her work-from-home part time photography business, her children's extra-curricular activities, as well as her book club meetings. Callie's life is hectic, but she loves it that way.
We follow the lives of Steffi, Callie, and of Callie's b...more
We follow the lives of Steffi, Callie, and of Callie's b...more
In Promises to Keep, Callie, a successful photographer, wife and mother, is not at all like her sister, Steffi, who can't seem to keep a job or a boyfriend for more than six months. Their parents, Walter and Honor have been feuding since their divorce many years ago. They would love it if Steffi learned some responsibility, but no one is counting on that. When tragedy strikes, this family along with friends and acquaintances band together to care for the children, make the arrangements and keep...more
I enjoyed this book, it's written in the popular style of most "chick lit." Callie is the married Mom of two with a good looking faithful husband, or is he? Her sis Steffi is almost 30 and finally found her love, it's vegan cooking. Plus an interesting Englishman enters her life, asking her to doggy sit. Then he asks her to house sit in a beautiful cottage she loves. Callie loves living in the suburbs, and has best friend who never found a man. You know from the beginning pretty much how it will...more
Promises to Keep was a labor of love for the author Jane Green with elements adapted from a tragic personal experience in her life. This book is a departure from some of her earlier works that had less mature themes. I was surprised and delighted that the characters had more depth and bigger problems than just their jobs, meeting the right man, etc. Promises to Keep explores the lives of three women. Callie, a noted photographer, wife, mother, and breast cancer survivor. Steffi, a chef who is ga...more
**Semi-Spoilers** This is a story about Callie: friend, sister, daughter, mother, and cancer survivor; until, unexpectedly, the cancer comes back.
This book kept bouncing back and forth between three to four stars for me. At first, there were all of these characters that I was learning about and I didn't understand why there had to be so many. Callie and Reese's relationship seemed too good to be true and all the side stories were just a little too much to handle. Eventually, at about halfway thr...more
This book kept bouncing back and forth between three to four stars for me. At first, there were all of these characters that I was learning about and I didn't understand why there had to be so many. Callie and Reese's relationship seemed too good to be true and all the side stories were just a little too much to handle. Eventually, at about halfway thr...more
I am not as big of a fan of Jane Green's books now as I used to be. Jane Green's earlier books -- Jemima J or Mr. Maybe, for example -- were what I would classify as classic, high-end "chick lit." They were generally about young, single women struggling to find their place in the world....but they were also sharp and funny and witty and heartfelt. Jane Green's fiction today is what I would classify as "women's fiction" with much more "mature" themes about marriage, infidelity, parenting, illness...more
To be completely honest, it was very difficult to get into this book at first. The beginning jumps around a bit too much to really capture my attention from the start. However, after about a hundred pages I couldn't put it down. I find the big picture of the story to be utterly overwhelming and absolutely heart-warming. The unconditional love that Callie has for each member of her family, blood related or extended to close friendships, and friends is amazing. The love and caring that her family...more
The best thing about this book was the recipes included, which can all apparently be found online at her website. I didn't finish this book, so feel free to take that into account. In fact I wouldn't say I read more than the first 50 pages. I didn't even skip to the end to find out what happened.
A few things really bothered me right off the bat. I was not a fan of the tense the book was written in, and the conversations between the sisters were formal and extremely unrealistic. It made it hard t...more
A few things really bothered me right off the bat. I was not a fan of the tense the book was written in, and the conversations between the sisters were formal and extremely unrealistic. It made it hard t...more
The queen of women’s fiction is back with her most emotional and powerful novel to date. Jane Green’s Promises to Keep is the story of Callie Perry, a successful family photographer in upstate New York. Callie’s younger sister Steff is a free-spirited city girl who has yet to land (in life, in love, or in work). And to complete the trio is Lila, Callie’s best friend who has finally found love (and unfortunately her love has a nightmare of an ex). The heart of the story comes when Callie is given...more
First off the summary on Goodreads is all wrong, her sister can cook and there is no summer in Maine, there are no notes, I say this only because I kept waiting for these events to happen and it totally messed me up wondering what was going on.
Now on to the book, I loved it, it might have been the time in my life or the relationship between the best friends but I felt I knew these people and I wanted to take a casserole over to the house and watch the kids to help out. I was so engrossed my lif...more
Now on to the book, I loved it, it might have been the time in my life or the relationship between the best friends but I felt I knew these people and I wanted to take a casserole over to the house and watch the kids to help out. I was so engrossed my lif...more
This is about Callie (happily married and stay at home mom to two adorable kids) and the women closest to her (her younger sister Steffi and best friend Lila). Steffi's trying to figure out what to do with her life and Lila's finally dating the right guy, but now she has to deal with his insane ex-wife.
And then (spoiler, because I HATE when things like this aren't disclosed) Callie's cancer comes back and it comes back in this rare way. They can't even discuss a cure; best case scenario, all the...more
And then (spoiler, because I HATE when things like this aren't disclosed) Callie's cancer comes back and it comes back in this rare way. They can't even discuss a cure; best case scenario, all the...more
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Jane Green (born in 1968 in London, England) is an U.S.-based British author. She lives in Connecticut with her husband, four children under the age of 5 - including a set of twins - and dog Palmer. She attended the University of Wales, Aberystwyth from 1987-88, although she left without completing her degree and worked as a journalist throughout her twenties. At the age of 27 she was inspired to...more
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“Life, Steffi has learned, carries on around the pain, making room for it, absorbing it until it becomes part of the daily fabric, wrapping itself around you and lodging itself in your heart.”
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12 people liked it
“Where there is life, there is hope.”
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7 people liked it
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Mar 22, 2012 08:27am