What makes a wife a lover?
For Kate, the spark went out of her marriage long ago but her husband doesn't seem to notice. Their ... read full description
For Kate, the spark went out of her marriage long ago but her husband doesn't seem to notice. Their ... read full description
reviews
May 04, 2011
Debbie
rated it: 
Four very different friends have remained so with much effort, but when tragedy strikes and deathbed requests are made the least that will happen is head scratching, the most will be life changing.
Ms. Higgins has a sure to be hit on her hands in this her first foray into mainstream women’s literature. The first thing that was apparent to me was her astonishing storytelling capability, the second is her capacity to pull some deep emotions from me while reading. She gives us a heart-wrenching More...
Ms. Higgins has a sure to be hit on her hands in this her first foray into mainstream women’s literature. The first thing that was apparent to me was her astonishing storytelling capability, the second is her capacity to pull some deep emotions from me while reading. She gives us a heart-wrenching More...
Sep 20, 2011
April
rated it: 
Four friends. Together through thick and thin. And then cancer. The life of the group, the rock, the glue that held them together, was gone. On her death bed, Rachel penned letters to each of the women asking them to do the one thing that eluded them while she was alive.
Kate, the seemlingly perfect stay at home mother of three young ones. Perfect house. Perfect husband. Perfect life. Or so it seems. In her quest to do everything perfectly, to give everything to her children, she has More...
Kate, the seemlingly perfect stay at home mother of three young ones. Perfect house. Perfect husband. Perfect life. Or so it seems. In her quest to do everything perfectly, to give everything to her children, she has More...
Aug 15, 2011
Vicki
rated it:
This is a great feel good book. Even though Rachel, one of the four friends, died before the story begins, we get to know her because of the memories of Sarah, Jo and Kate. Rachel has given the other 3 their own challenge to complete, sort of a last request, via a letter she wrote before her death. Rachel is a woman I would love to have as a friend. She's outgoing, adventurous and carefree. Without giving too much away, the women each embark on a journey that is nothing they would have ever done
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Jan 25, 2011
Shonda
rated it:
4.5 Stars
Friends Sarah, Bobbie Jo, “Jo”, and Kate are shocked to their core when Rachel, the most daring and vivacious of the group, suddenly dies of cancer. After her passing, each woman receives an unexpected letter from Rachel. In her letters, Rachel requests something of each woman: to experience life outside of her comfort zone.
For Kate, that means sky-diving. Kate was spontaneous and care-free before she become a married mom of three. Somewhere along the way her marriag More...
Friends Sarah, Bobbie Jo, “Jo”, and Kate are shocked to their core when Rachel, the most daring and vivacious of the group, suddenly dies of cancer. After her passing, each woman receives an unexpected letter from Rachel. In her letters, Rachel requests something of each woman: to experience life outside of her comfort zone.
For Kate, that means sky-diving. Kate was spontaneous and care-free before she become a married mom of three. Somewhere along the way her marriag More...
Aug 13, 2011
Beth
rated it: 
The title intrigued me first and then the cover. I'm glad I picked this one up. It's a topic that every woman can relate to - being surrounded by people who are gonna love you through the thick and thin.
Rachel is one of four best friends but she does the unthinkable when she dies. At her death she has letters she wrote mailed out with requests of the recipients. Her three best friends, reeling from the sudden loss of Rachel, are now shocked at her final request of each of them. Wisely More...
Rachel is one of four best friends but she does the unthinkable when she dies. At her death she has letters she wrote mailed out with requests of the recipients. Her three best friends, reeling from the sudden loss of Rachel, are now shocked at her final request of each of them. Wisely More...
Jul 11, 2011
Rhapsody
rated it:
I found the story so beautiful. It was a celebration of friendship and I could not help but relate to it through my own friendships with my three closest friends. The story revolves around a circle of four friends, Rachel Braun, Sarah Pollard, Kate Jansen and Jo Marcum. Rachel Braun passes away and leaves a letter for each of her friends to do one thing for her. For Sarah, it is to seek a man she has always loved, Colin O'Rourke. For Kate, it is to jump out of a plane and for Jo, it is to look a
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Mar 16, 2011
Kim
rated it:
4 college friends, Rachel, Sarah, Bobbie Jo (goes by Jo) and Kate. All have fun together and manage to stay friends even after life takes them their paths. Until Rachel dies from cancer and leaves behind letters with her instructions on how to live their lives. Sarah, a nurse with Drs. without boarders, needs to resolve a past love, Jo, to learn how to live outside of her job, and Kate needs to spend less time with her insular life of 3 kids and husband.
Kate goes sky diving More...
Kate goes sky diving More...
Jan 29, 2011
Mary (BookHounds)
rated it:
This story is all about taking chances and getting out of your of comfort zone. Four women, friends forever, find themselves at a loss when one member, Rachel, dies of cancer. She has never told the other three about her condition. Before she dies she sends letters to the other members of the group and makes them face their fears. The requests make each person leave their comfort zone and in the process overcome things that are holding them back in their lives.
The story reminded More...
The story reminded More...
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Jan 02, 2011
Elizabeth
rated it:
Letters, letters, letters...did yours arrive yet?
They weren't letters you would want to receive, though. They were letters from Rachel, a dear friend who had died unexpectedly, and contained her last wishes for each friend to carry out. Would you go to great lengths to fulfill a friend's dying wish?
Most of the requests were outlandish, but were sent to be sure her friends would find happiness or do something they would never dream of doing. She really wanted all of her f More...
They weren't letters you would want to receive, though. They were letters from Rachel, a dear friend who had died unexpectedly, and contained her last wishes for each friend to carry out. Would you go to great lengths to fulfill a friend's dying wish?
Most of the requests were outlandish, but were sent to be sure her friends would find happiness or do something they would never dream of doing. She really wanted all of her f More...
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May 06, 2011
Brenda
rated it:
The library had this book sitting on their shelf. I decided to give the book a try. I am glad I did take the time to read it. The story started out like a bucket of cold water was thrown over you to make sure you were awake. From that start you are in for a high adventure roller coaster ride. Rachel advises all her friends to really take stock of their lives. I did notice that it helped that two out of the three friends did not have to worry about money. This story was true to life in the
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Feb 21, 2011
Kristi (Books and Needlepoint)
rated it:
This book begins with Kate, a stay-at-home mom afraid of flying, getting ready to jump out of an airplane - to skydive. She has been sent on this "mission" by a letter that she received from one of her dear friends Rachel. Rachel has passed away and sent a letter to many of her friends and family with last requests. This book focuses on three of those - Kate's, Jo's and Sarah's. They were brought together by Rachel and the four of them had remained good friends despite their diffe
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Nov 26, 2011
Teela
rated it:
Lisa Higgins The Proper Care and Maintenamce of Friendship. Oh girls...you've just got to read this. It helps us understand how we can be so different from each other but BFF's an how we are supposed to be there thru the thick and the thin and I'm not talking about weight! If you are interested in what it's like to have or to be a GOOD friend, this book is for you. It's about knowing your friends well enough to make some difficult calls in their lives. I've been blessed with some great BFF's,
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Mar 11, 2011
Beth
rated it:
Looking at the cover of this book I was expecting a light chick lit type of book but there was much more to this book. Before Rachel dies, she leaves each one of her friends a letter asking them to do a special task. Each one is different and each one takes the recipient out of her comfort zone and will really test each woman in ways even I didn't see coming. Rachel wanted to help each woman grow and help them even if she could no longer be there. The characters are well developed and the story
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Jan 03, 2012
Jessica
rated it:
This book will tug at your heart! I chose this book because i like to choose books about friendships and share them with my best friend. I loved the closeness the group of friends shared but also of the secrets they held individually. This book will make you laugh and cry and at the end i felt sad it was over. You know the type of friend you are and i think you will see yourself in one of the characters as well as wanting to see yourself in another. You wont want it to end. If you read this book
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Sep 08, 2011
Ilyanna
rated it:
Book was lighter than I expected. I didn't like the story like about Jo at all - nothing about it rang true to me. Child wasn't drawn well, and I can't imagine any parent/family who actually cared about the child just dumping them without basic health information and other planning. I identified to a certain extent with Kate, but thought again, it was a simplified version of what would happen in real life. I guess it seemed a little trite, or too easy to me. It would be a good hollywood movie, t
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Mar 08, 2011
Danielle
rated it:
This book was fantastic! The characters were really interesting and you were drawn into their individual stories. It was a wonderful reminder of how amazing friendship can be, despite differences between friends. I especially loved Kate and Sarah's characters. It definitely makes me hope I never lose one of my friends too early and that I won't ever forget who I am. I couldn't put this book down and would gladly recommend it to anyone.
Aug 19, 2011
Megan
rated it:
Not something I would ever pick to read myself, but thanks to my excellent book group, I read this one and enjoyed it. The title is misleading and/or very arrogant, so that was irritating. Some of the reactions/actions of the characters made me angry .. but I would chalk that up to the author using her characters well to evoke emotion from her reader. I enjoyed the stories and the general background plot. A great summer read.
May 14, 2011
Patti
rated it:
I would reccomend this one; great character development, flow and story line.The characters were really interesting and you were drawn into their individual stories. It's about three friends who each take on a new life changing challenge after the death of a mutual friend who has left each friend a letter that requests each person to leave their comfort zone and in the process overcome things that are holding them back in their lives.
Jul 23, 2011
Lisa
rated it:
The Proper Care and Maintenance of Friendship is a book about friendship and a reminder as to how important friends are in our lives.
Rachel, who has recently died of cancer, has sent letters to her friends Jo, Sarah and Kate. The letters are last requests from their dear, departed friends. As each friend takes on the task given by Rachel, they find that having friends is the only thing that gets them through the difficulttimes at hand.
Great book to renew your faith in
Rachel, who has recently died of cancer, has sent letters to her friends Jo, Sarah and Kate. The letters are last requests from their dear, departed friends. As each friend takes on the task given by Rachel, they find that having friends is the only thing that gets them through the difficulttimes at hand.
Great book to renew your faith in
May 03, 2011
Cheryl
rated it:
Four friends............one dies and leaves letters for the other 3 that will change their lives on many levels. This is a fast reading "chick" book that I thoroughly enjoyed and would have liked to have given another half star (C'mon Good Reads). Maybe because of the kind of book it is I could not rate it as high as some of the others.
Let's petition good Good Reads for those half stars.
Let's petition good Good Reads for those half stars.
Jan 03, 2012
Megan
rated it:
Not a bad book. A nice enough story about a group of women after a friend dies. But I have to admit that none of the characters or story lines had me really caring. And only a week after reading, I'm having trouble remembering it. (Of course, that could be because I immediately followed it with another book about a group of four female friends just after one of them dies that I actually preferred.)
Jul 02, 2011
Amy
rated it:
The characters grabbed me right away with their unique situations and their shared loss. This is one of the rare times when I chose a book based only on the jacket, not a prior recommendation, and actually felt it lived up to the concepts. Very well written, quick to read, and heart wrenching in all the right ways. A great summer read.
Nov 11, 2011
"Higgins writes with grace and humor, reminding us to hold tight to the ones we love."-Luanne Rice, New York Times bestselling author
Listen to The Proper Care and Maintenance of Friendship on your smartphone.
Listen to The Proper Care and Maintenance of Friendship on your smartphone.
Oct 01, 2011
Karen
rated it:
A really delightful story. It's been quite a while since I have picked up a book and been able to sit and read comfortably without getting bored with it. Just haven't been able to find something to interest me but this tale did. A simple story with lovely meanings and undertones throughout. I found I was putting myself in each womans place and even welled up a couple of times.
Mar 31, 2011
Lisa
rated it:
Interesting idea. A dying friend sends letters to her 3 best friends, having them do something that will shake up thier lives and get them out of their comfort zone, to change something that's been holding them back. The characters were very well written, and enjoyable. The book was deeper than typical chick lit.
Oct 13, 2011
Natalia
rated it:
Good book, interesting story, easy read. I was surprised that I didn't share any tears since books like this usually tug at my emotional heart strings. The book is about a group of women who lose one friend to cancer. She writes each of them a letter and asks them to do one final thing for her. Of course they will do it, who's going to say no the memory of their best friend? I was actually sad Rachel was dead because I think she would have been a great character in the book. The book is good, I
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Sep 17, 2011
Mary
rated it:
Enjoyable, quick read. Not great, but likable. I did appreciate reading "chick lit" that was about women in/near my age group. I suppose the most telling explanation for a 3-star review is that I can't really find much to say about the book other than "I liked it."
Jul 31, 2011
Kristen
rated it:
Good story...very predictable. I didn't like the character of Kate, I thought she was so typical and very selfish. It wrapped up too quick--everything was happy happy in the last few pages. Good story line...minus the author writing like it was a romance in some parts.
May 25, 2011
Rosa
rated it:
Do friends really know what is best for you? Jo, Sarah and Kate each receive a final letter from their friend Rachel, after Rachel's unexpected death. As each friend sets out to complete the unique task asked of her, they discover themselves and rediscover each other and those around them.
The book is predictable but an enjoyable read none the less.
The book is predictable but an enjoyable read none the less.
Nov 24, 2011
Kim
rated it:
We should all be so fortunate to have a "Rachel" in our lives. Makes me stop and really appreciate those special girlfriends that have been there for me over the years. Hugs to you all. :-)
