Lola read and liked Suzanne's review of Real Boys : Rescuing Our Sons from the Myths of Boyhood:

"We are doing a great disservice to our sons with some of the cultural expectations we place on them. This book compassionately explains many of the problems boys face in our society and what we can do to help. I grew up with all sisters and didn't h...more We are doing a great disservice to our sons with some of the cultural expectations we place on them. This book compassionately explains many of the problems boys face in our society and what we can do to help. I grew up with all sisters and didn't have a lot of experience with boys and men until I married. This book has helped me understand my husband and son better. I especially liked the explanation of active love and how boys and girls express closeness differently at times. I hope it's helped me be more understanding and able to connect with the guys in my life. I guess my son and husband would have to be the judge of that.(less) "

Lola read and liked Maureen's review of The Mermaid Chair: A Novel:

"When I saw that this book was on the goodreads "unpopular" shelve, I decided to write a review on why I liked this book. I have a thing about sticking up for an underdog.

Probably the most stated reason that this book is unpop...more When I saw that this book was on the goodreads "unpopular" shelve, I decided to write a review on why I liked this book. I have a thing about sticking up for an underdog.

Probably the most stated reason that this book is unpopular is because readers compare and contrast it to the author's previous award winning work, The Secret Life of Bees. I think that people who loved the Secret Life must have anticipated that Monk Kidd's follow up would somehow cater to the same audience, and then they were disappointed.

I have not yet completely read the Secret Life, but my English Department is picking it up as a contemporary novel for the curriculum. The decision to make this book required reading for YA's alone tells me that these two books are in totally separate interest categories.

So, why did I like this book? Probably because I loved the setting and could identify with the main character Jesse. If you hold at least four of the six following qualifications you may well like this book:

1 - 30 to 40 something female
2 - Raised Catholic
3 - Love stories about east coast U.S. and old island settlements
4 - Been married for 10+ years
5 - Have a least one child within a few years of of leaving the nest

And this one is not necessary, but it helps...

6 - Have a family story about a kinswoman being involved with an ex Benedictine priest (no, this is not me, but there is a story in my family tree).

I can well understand that many readers don't fit more than two or three of these descriptions, but I happen to be that reader and the Mermaid Chair just happens to be a book for someone like me.
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