The Transformation of Things
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The Transformation of Things
by
3.38 of 5 stars

What if the reality you thought you knew was nothing but a fantasy?

Jennifer Levenworth has a great big pounding headache. It could be beca... read full description


reviews

Jan 17, 2011
Rhonda Rae rated it: 4 of 5 stars
I loved this novel...the story premise was superbly written. Psychological twists, emotions, friendships, perceptions, and real life family drama. This is one that I will be reading again and even had to read the last two chapters when it turned around because I was taken by total surprise and shocked yet happy.

What if? What is reality? What are dreams? What is our subscious really trying to tell us sometimes? I'm going to seriously start writing down my dreams. I want to le More...
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Jan 22, 2012
Kieran rated it: 1 of 5 stars
So I'm hoping this book ends my trilogy of terrible books for the year. Where do I begin reviewing this one?
Good: Book took one day to read
Bad: will never get said day back
Good: It was raining outside so good opportunity to read (anything).
Bad: Missed opportunity to paint dining room.
I'm not even going to bother 'walk' through this one. Jennifer Levenworth was annoying and a suburban brat who just got lucky with some paranormal ability to experience other peoples' emotio More...
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Jun 05, 2011
Jillian rated it: 5 of 5 stars
What would you do if you could suddenly hear the thoughts of those around you? Would you be surprised at what they thought of you or would you expect it?

It’d be hard for me not to like a book by someone with my own first name, so I won’t. I really enjoyed The Transformation of Things by Jillian Cantor. In fact, I liked it so much, I read it in one night in one sitting. You gotta love insomnia.

When Jennifer finds out that her husband Will, a judge, has been indicted on charges More...
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Jan 27, 2011
Cleverly rated it: 4 of 5 stars
t's not often you read a book and thoroughly enjoy it even though it left you scratching your head. I love Jillian Cantor's writing style she can master YA and Adult alike. I still don't know how to explain The Transformation of Things to someone with out spoiling it. So I am going to try....The characters all played fabulous catching roles. Each one had a specific reason even if it isn't the reason Jennifer(the main character) thought it was. Life comes quick and Transformations come in all More...
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Nov 24, 2010
Cheryl rated it: 2 of 5 stars
Jennifer Levenworth is at the hair salon when her life crumbles before her eyes. Jennifer’s husband Judge Will Levenworth has been charged with bribery. Jennifer rushes home to fine Will there. Will tells Jennifer that the charges are not true. He is innocent. Jennifer hopes Will is right because if found guilty, Will could be sentenced to up to twenty five years in prison.

Jennifer starts to crack under all the pressure of Will’s job on the line. Jennifer has a bad headache, only th More...
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Nov 02, 2010
Jennifer rated it: 4 of 5 stars
The Good Stuff

* One of the most unusual stories I have read this year -- in a good way that is
* Beautifully written story that has a nice flow to it
* Some light humour
* Great ending and nicely hopeful -- we know I like that in a book
* Lovely commentary on the stress of being a mother and some of the feelings that we have, that society frowns upon us talking about. Motherhood isn't for sissies people!!!!
* Interesting thoughts on the misc More...
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Jan 07, 2011
Stephanie rated it: 5 of 5 stars
“The Transformation Of Things” is a haunting account of ordinary lives and the things that make us see them in a new light. Some Chick Lit novels are obvious to read. Not this one. The way that Jillian Cantor left me hanging every chapter was astounding. Real relationships are never as clean cut and definite as when they are portrayed in novels. However, throughout this novel I could never decide on the outcome of the main character’s relationship. Despite this, the ending left me blind sighted More...
0 comments like (1 person liked it)
Nov 05, 2010
Kate (I Just Wanna Sit Here and Read!) rated it: 3 of 5 stars
THE TRANSFORMATION OF THINGS, by Jillian Cantor, is a interesting story that explores the idea that things are not always as they seem. The relationships that Jennifer has with her husband, family, and friends are tested as she discovers their secrets through her dreams.

I did enjoy this book as a whole but I have to say it wasn't my favorite. It was an interesting concept but I found myself getting bored in the middle. I did not connect with Jennifer the way I wanted to. For example More...
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Nov 06, 2010
Alisha rated it: 2 of 5 stars
The Transformation of Things was weird. Like, really, really weird. My thoughts on it are all over the place. I loved the premise, it was unusual and I loved that the author took a chance in doing something strange. It totally went in a way I would've never suspected and caught me completely by surprise. All good. However, as much as I love strange, I just couldn't connect with anything going on in the book.

I just felt very detached while reading this. I don't know if this was More...
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Nov 12, 2011
Tasos rated it: 2 of 5 stars
That book was certainly nothing like I had expected it to be. Reading its plot I got fascinated by the main idea that was when we are really sure when are we dreaming and when we are facing reality. Could it be possible that what seems like reality is in fact our dreams and vice versa? For those of you who thought (like I did) that there would be a whole analysis how to make sure what actually takes place I am sorry to write but it was nothing but nothing like that.

The novel seems to b More...
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Jan 17, 2011
Shonda rated it: 3 of 5 stars
Jen Levenworth is at the hair salon when she sees the breaking news story. Her husband Will, the youngest judge in Deerfield County, has been indicted on bribery charges. Shocked and embarrassed, Jen flies out of her chair with damp hair and races home to find Will.

Will is home when she arrives and looks beaten and distraught. A look that is uncharacteristic for him as he is always put together and everything is its place when he’s around. Seeing Will this way frightens Jen and she beg More...
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Jan 13, 2012
Elizabeth rated it: 3 of 5 stars
It's kind of interesting to see what random books I end up reading just because the library has them in Kindle format... in any case, I went in with fairly low expectations of this novel, but I ended up liking it. There's actual character development! The protagonist actually undergoes some change and learns from her experiences. The ending was actually somewhat interesting, and by this time I actually cared about the protagonist more than I had in the beginning.

I did have one reall More...
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Aug 06, 2011
Kathy rated it: 2 of 5 stars
I have to say I devoured this book over just a couple of days, wanting to see what would happen. And the characters were really likable. But I had many problems with this book. Overall, I don't think it was very well written. The twist at the end felt like a cheat, for one thing. Also, maybe this is just a pet peeve of mine, but this author constantly does that thing where you end a sentence, then put in a comma, then end the sentence a different way, as in "I didn't know what was goin More...
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Sep 23, 2011
Ben rated it: 2 of 5 stars
The following review might be due to me not giving the book enough of a chance, or that I'm more used to the action/fantasy/suspense genres, but... While I found the first 5-7 chapters interesting, once I got to chapter 11, I got bored of the story. Another issue I had with the book, is that there seemed to be a lot of paragraphs with multiple sentences(in a single paragraph) starting with... "And then..." I don't mind it when authors use those words, but to have one sentence after the More...
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Feb 26, 2011
Melanti rated it: 3 of 5 stars
I find the idea of this book much better than the book in practice. Maybe because I can't imagine belonging to a country club, or having friends that use plastic surgery. Nor can I imagine having a husband that is never home (what's the point of being married in that case) or even having children. Due to the differences in our lives, I found it almost impossible to relate to Jen. I find her husband a bit more relatable, but not much.
My biggest problem is that the ending is one of the b More...
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Jan 30, 2011
Shari rated it: 3 of 5 stars
I could give it three and a half--a little weak in the writing department. it seems as though most readers loved this book. no major complaints-although i have not read the particular sadness of lemon cake, i thought that perhaps this was a similar premise. Jennifer's husband -a judge- is indicted and her world is turned upside down. relatable friend theme, jewish theme life's problems theme-i guess what threw me off was the whole notion of her dreams. jennifer has dreams which enable her to kn More...
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Feb 04, 2011
Rachel rated it: 3 of 5 stars
After her husband, a judge, is indicted for accepting a bribe, Jennifer Levenworth's life begins to unravel. As tries to adjust, she begins to realize that she is getting a glimpse into the private lives of the people around her through her dreams.

I was expecting a little story about a woman dealing with adversity and working through troubles in her life and marriage. It ended up being a little deeper than that. The last few chapters brough a bit of surprise that I didn't see coming a More...
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Jun 11, 2010
eb rated it: 1 of 5 stars
The narrator is both deeply boring and breathtakingly clueless about the meaninglessness of her problems (it ruins her day if someone gives her the side-eye in Whole Foods)--which would be great if we were meant to see her as an unreliable narrator, but I'm afraid we're meant to trust her. These characters aren't round; they're not even flat. They make you forget what it's like to read a book about three-dimensional, lovingly imagined people. Does it go without saying that the prose is the pits? More...
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Dec 19, 2010
Mary rated it: 4 of 5 stars
Was he a man, dreaming he was a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming he was man? That's a key question in this book. Do we really choose our own destinies? I'd like to think we have something to do with it. It was hard at first to care about Jennifer and all she was going through. She seemed so distant from her husband, her family, her friends. But as the story picks up and things are not exactly what they seem, you root for her to figure out where she's going on her path in life. I enjoyed this s More...
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Dec 28, 2011
Rachel rated it: 4 of 5 stars
I thought this was an easy read ... definitely different from what I expected! A woman discovers her husband, a judge, has been indicted for taking bribes. The cushy life she had been living was suddenly in chaos and the friends she had expected to be with her suddenly dropped her like hot potatoes. Her whole world has changed. So Jen sets out to discover what was really going on and in the meantime, she found out as she dreamed that she could enter her friends' and husband's thoughts ... it was More...
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Dec 29, 2011
Laura rated it: 3 of 5 stars
Jen's life is falling apart: she'd given up her city-based life when her husband became an elected judge and gained "friends", the chairmanship of a cancer benefit and a McMansion and all that goes along with suburban wealth. One day she learns her husband is being indicted for bribery and her new life unravels. To deal with the stress, her herbalist gives her a new herb that now gives her very deep, very intense dreams in which she becomes people in her life (her husband, her BFF, h More...
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Aug 07, 2011
Amanda rated it: 2 of 5 stars
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here
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Jun 04, 2011
Sara rated it: 5 of 5 stars
What an amazing book! Jen's a woman who seemingly has it all - her husband's a judge, they lives in the suburbs, she spends time lunching and playing tennis with the wives of other noteworthy people in town - but then her husband gets indicted for accepting a bribe, and her life begins to fall apart. Supposed friends shy away from her, her husband's life is changed, and she suddenly starts having vivid dreams that give her glimpses into the lives of those around her; she dreams that she's her More...
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Jun 17, 2010
Ml rated it: 5 of 5 stars
I absolutely loved this book. I was lucky enough to receive an advance copy, and finished it in two days. The Transformation of Things is the story of Jen Levenworth, wife of a recently disgraced judge who begins to have dreams about the secrets of her family and friends. She soon realizes that not everything is as she thought it to be, and begins to question her own choices and truths.

I highly recommend this book and will definitely be buying it as a gift for family and friends.
0 comments like (1 person liked it)
Nov 10, 2010
Jayne rated it: 3 of 5 stars
My thoughts on this book are all over the place. For much of it I couldnt wait to be done,however the last quarter saved it for me and I find myself re-thinking everything I thought about it initially. It totally went in a way I didn't expect and caught me completely by surprise which I love in a book. If I could, I'd give this 3-1/2 stars.
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Aug 30, 2011
Liz rated it: 1 of 5 stars
1 star. I kind of felt like I was reading an episode of Desperate Housewives, what with the suburban drama and the perfect-exterior-yet-crumbling-inside marriages and people. It was quite predictable and didn't move me... I found myself rolling my eyes a lot. And the ending?? Oh man, I guess I should give it points for giving me a laugh. I probably would have given the book two stars if it weren't for the ending.

Yeah, this just really isn't my kind of book. Sorry, book club!
More...
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Nov 24, 2010
Maureen rated it: 3 of 5 stars
I was stumped by the quote in the beginning of the story written by Chinese philospher Lao Tzu. The author takes this quote and builds a story surrounding it. Very thought provoking and different way of weaving a story. I wish the storyline was easier to follow; still not sure exactly what happened or was it all a dream.
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Dec 30, 2010
Julie rated it: 4 of 5 stars
Jennifer and Will live in the suburbs . Jennifer has been taking these herbs and also trying to get pregnant. Will is a judge , and there is information that gets him disbarred from practicing law again. She is also getting headaches since her husband doesn't have a job.

Jennifer has been having some very vivid dreams since taking the herbs. She is able to be in her friends place , and feel what they feeling . Will gets a job working for family in the mean time.

Jennifer More...
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Jul 05, 2011
Mamasoo rated it: 2 of 5 stars
It was a quick read, and a good premise, but I thought the narrator was a little shallow and I quickly grew tired of hearing about her problems with her husband. I kept saying "why doesn't she just talk to him?" I wasn't expecting that ending (which I liked) but it felt so rushed and incomplete.
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Oct 23, 2011
Pmcdnld2 rated it: 3 of 5 stars
Jennifer has the "good" life until her husband/the judge is indicted and all falls apart;he is out of work, her rich friends turn their back on her and she starts having very strange dreams where she sees the lives of others are not what she thought they were. Interesting twist.
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