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Kristi Vitale's Reviews > Heart of the Matter
Heart of the Matter
by Emily Giffin (Goodreads Author)
by Emily Giffin (Goodreads Author)
Kristi Vitale's review
bookshelves: read-in-2010, mindful-readers-book-club-selection
Jun 23, 10
bookshelves: read-in-2010, mindful-readers-book-club-selection
Read from June 03 to 09, 2010
When I began reading this book, actually my first Giffin novel, I had not a clue what it was about. I refused to read reviews, allowing the book's jacket to be my only insight. A wise move since the anticipation simmering page by page and the unpredictability of what lay ahead in the pages of the first two-thirds of this book were terrific.
Therefore, I will do the same; I won't reveal the "heart" of this book. I will only say that Emily Giffin is a gifted writer, as you all knew and I now know, whose words flow seamlessly and beautifully on the pages.
I will say that Heart had me fooled at checkout. With its purple, heart-ribboned cover, I was sure I would soon be reading a lighthearted, uplifting story of family, love, and endings with a smile.
Instead, I will say that the journey of reading this novel slowly filled me with sadness and frustration. I was irked and annoyed by certain characters, while I was overjoyed with and adored others.
After finishing Heart of the Matter, I can easily give it 4 stars and honestly say I "really liked it." I liked the way the chapters moved. I liked being able to lose myself in Giffin's relatable writing elegance. I really liked a handful of souls in this novel.
I just didn't like the way I felt after reading it.
Maybe the quote that seared my "heart" the most just 28 pages into the book can explain why:
"It is a feeling that has never wavered. Life isn't always fun, and is almost never easy, I think, as I return to the kitchen in my trouble-shooting mode, ready for my second cup of coffee, but I am in love with my husband and he is in love with me. It is the constant in my life, and will continue to be so, as our children grow, my career changes, friends come and go. I am sure of this.
"But I still find myself reaching out and knocking twice on our wooden cutting board. Because you can never be too sure when it comes to the things that matter most."
Likewise, the above quote attests and the Mindful Readers agree: Heart of the Matter boils fear in the bellies of its women readers. A powerful novel.
Therefore, I will do the same; I won't reveal the "heart" of this book. I will only say that Emily Giffin is a gifted writer, as you all knew and I now know, whose words flow seamlessly and beautifully on the pages.
I will say that Heart had me fooled at checkout. With its purple, heart-ribboned cover, I was sure I would soon be reading a lighthearted, uplifting story of family, love, and endings with a smile.
Instead, I will say that the journey of reading this novel slowly filled me with sadness and frustration. I was irked and annoyed by certain characters, while I was overjoyed with and adored others.
After finishing Heart of the Matter, I can easily give it 4 stars and honestly say I "really liked it." I liked the way the chapters moved. I liked being able to lose myself in Giffin's relatable writing elegance. I really liked a handful of souls in this novel.
I just didn't like the way I felt after reading it.
Maybe the quote that seared my "heart" the most just 28 pages into the book can explain why:
"It is a feeling that has never wavered. Life isn't always fun, and is almost never easy, I think, as I return to the kitchen in my trouble-shooting mode, ready for my second cup of coffee, but I am in love with my husband and he is in love with me. It is the constant in my life, and will continue to be so, as our children grow, my career changes, friends come and go. I am sure of this.
"But I still find myself reaching out and knocking twice on our wooden cutting board. Because you can never be too sure when it comes to the things that matter most."
Likewise, the above quote attests and the Mindful Readers agree: Heart of the Matter boils fear in the bellies of its women readers. A powerful novel.
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Reading Progress
| 06/04/2010 | page 33 |
|
8.97% | "Wonderful." |
Comments (showing 1-5 of 5) (5 new)
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Dawn
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rated it 4 stars
May 19, 2010 08:23pm
I want to read this one too.
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I like your review and agree a lot with you. I was a bit less generous than you and gave the book 3 stars bc I did enjoy Emily's prose. I had never read her before- have all her books bt yet to crack them, now I will. I do like reading about love triangles and do have sort of a perverse attraction to books about infidelity..go figure!! I think when well-done, not the stereotyped characters etc..the gray area/the conflict/the choices can be really compelling to read-though hard cause there will always be pain and sorrow. I feel particularly bad when there are kids involved. The few scenes regarding the kids broke my heart...Nick cooking breakfast with his kids and talking to his mistress about sex. Nick at the museum with his kids texting Valerie. Nick going to a Halloween party with Charlie and ignoring his kids. Nick leaving Charlie abruptly. I did not even get a feeling about Charlie. So, while Emily has asked her readers to have empathy for her characters even while they are making bad choices, it is hard to do it with Nick and Valerie. I actually liked Tessa, again, was more generous towards her than you, bc again, due to Nick's avoidance and jerky behavior he was being an ass towards her and gave her no chance.I try to imagine what Emily really wanted us to feel at the end. I wanted him to come home bt I wanted him to want to. I wanted him to be more generous towards Tessa. I guess given the context of the story- the so idealized and repetitive mantra about how in love he was with Valerie it seems so phony. So why didn't Emily have Nick and Valerie run off together, have Tessa toss him out..have him be alone. Again, I wanted him and Tessa together bt not that way.
