Nancy Christie's Blog, page 32

My review of I Thought You Said This Would Work

I Thought You Said This Would Work by Ann Wertz Garvin

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

[This is an edited excerpt from my review on Focus on Fiction]

Perhaps because of the isolation posed by the pandemic, I have been reading a lot of books centered around friendships.

New friendships and old ones. Friendships with people just like us and those that bring new types of individuals into our lives.

Friendships that have withstood the test of time and those that have disintegrated, in some cases, beyond repair. Friendships with people and friendships with pets. (And yes, you can have a friendship of sorts with an animal!) Friendships that are born out of tragedy and those that, in some way, survive even the final loss.

Ann Garvin’s latest novel, I Thought You Said This Would Work, covers all those types of friendships. In turn serious and humorous, the story follows two women, Samantha and Holly, who have been estranged since college, reuniting to perform one final task for their mutual third friend, Katie whose cancer has returned.

And no small task it is. It involves a Great Pyrenees dog once owned by Katie that they need to transport from California back to Wisconsin to give their friend a morale boost and what they hope will be a dose of much-needed animal affection.

Along the way, they acquire a fourth member, the eccentric D-List celebrity Maggie, who becomes the catalyst for changes in how each woman views herself and her relationships. So yes, this is indisputably a women’s friendship novel.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book in the way you enjoy sitting with people you have known for a long time but haven’t seen because of COVID-19 and are now catching up with. And people that, under other circumstances, you might not have chosen as friends but now, because of circumstances resulting from the virus, you can’t imagine not having in your life.

If you have friends, read I Thought You Said This Would Work to remind yourself how lucky you are.

If you have lost friends due to a falling-out, read the book to make you think if the rupture can be repaired.

And if you’re wondering how good of a friend you have been, or should be, read the book and then reach out to those you care about and ask those questions.

True friendships are lifelines that we hold onto when the waves threaten to submerge us. I Thought You Said This Would Work reminds us of that, and also how invaluable and precious friends are.

View all my reviews

Wednesday Writing Inspiration for 9.22.21 from Jennifer Egan

Words for writers from Jennifer Egan

The post Wednesday Writing Inspiration for 9.22.21 from Jennifer Egan appeared first on The Writer's Place.

Wednesday Writing Inspiration for 9.15.21 from John Updike

Words for writers from John Updike

The post Wednesday Writing Inspiration for 9.15.21 from John Updike appeared first on The Writer's Place.

Wednesday Writing Inspiration for 9.8.21 from Kim Lionetti

Words for writers from Kim Lionetti

The post Wednesday Writing Inspiration for 9.8.21 from Kim Lionetti appeared first on The Writer's Place.

Wednesday Writing Inspiration for 8.25.21 from Roddy Doyle

Words for writers from Roddy Doyle

The post Wednesday Writing Inspiration for 8.25.21 from Roddy Doyle appeared first on The Writer's Place.

Living the Writing Life interview with Wade Rouse

In my latest episode on Living the Writing Life, author Wade Rouse, who writes under the pen name Viola Shipman, talks about the challenges and creative stretch of writing women’s fiction as a male author.

Listen to the episode here

Wade Rouse
Viola Shipman

Branding Across Different Genres—Guest Post by Heidi Angell

“Branding”—This is an issue that authors often struggle with, especially if they publish in multiple genres. So when I saw the poll from Heidi Angell, I knew I wanted to get her input on this topic, especially given her background.

But before we get into her guest post, here’s a little about Heidi. Heidi is a bibliophile, lexicomaniac, and wordsmith who clearly believes in the Oxford comma. She is the author of The Hunters Saga, The Clear Angel Chronicles, The Hell School Series, and Survivalist...

Wednesday Writing Inspiration for 8.18.21 from Henry Miller

Words for writers from Henry Miller

The post Wednesday Writing Inspiration for 8.18.21 from Henry Miller appeared first on The Writer's Place.

Wednesday Writing Inspiration for 8.11.21 from Geoff Dyer

Words for writers from Geoff Dyer

The post Wednesday Writing Inspiration for 8.11.21 from Geoff Dyer appeared first on The Writer's Place.

One Writer’s Path to Self-Syndication and Publishing—Guest Post by Dorothy Rosby

It’s always a treat to have award-winning humor columnist Dorothy Rosby on The Writer’s Place.

Not only does she have useful information to share, like this post on self-syndication, she does it with wit mixed with a slight hint of absurdity, which, if you think about it, is the perfect blend for anyone in the writing field!

Her previous visit—Giving an Old Book a New Lease on Life—covered her experience re-releasing a book and the attendant tasks associated with it. In this guest post, she shar...