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Life on the Refrigerator Door
by
Claire and her mother are running out of time, but they don't know it. Not yet. Claire is wrapped up with the difficulties of her bourgeoning adulthood—boys, school, friends, identity; Claire's mother, a single mom, is rushed off her feet both at work and at home. They rarely find themselves in the same room at the same time, and it often seems that the only thing they can
...more
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Hardcover, 220 pages
Published
August 28th 2007
by Harper
(first published August 3rd 2007)
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Community Reviews
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Start your review of Life on the Refrigerator Door
I took a week or so to write my review of this book because I'm still not certain how I truly feel. I admit to having borrowed it from the library's "We recommend" section; I felt it would be a quick 'read whilst waiting on the car line' book. Little did I know forty-five minutes worth of reading would cause such inner strife!
Initially I felt the plot to be terribly contrived in terms of post-it note communication. However, having finished the book I realised several people/families have indeed ...more
Initially I felt the plot to be terribly contrived in terms of post-it note communication. However, having finished the book I realised several people/families have indeed ...more
This story is told in the form of notes on the refrigerator door from mother to daughter and vise versa. It's engaging and easily captures the attention of the reader as it reveals the life of Claire and her mom. It's pretty clear where the book is taking us and the morals behind the writing--> don't waste a moment of life, make time for each other, don't ignore the important things that face us, etc. Despite the obvious nature of this book, I became invested in the glimpse into the life of ...more
I read this beautiful little gem of a book, a couple of years ago. You might think to yourself ... Well, alright, cool ... but how can you write a review for a book you barely remember?
I'll tell you how.
You don't write a review, but you write something along the lines of a 'recollection of thoughts'. I might not remember every detail of the book - actually, who am I kidding - I barely remember anything, but a few main themes.
However, I can remember what I felt whilst reading this novel, and ...more
I'll tell you how.
You don't write a review, but you write something along the lines of a 'recollection of thoughts'. I might not remember every detail of the book - actually, who am I kidding - I barely remember anything, but a few main themes.
However, I can remember what I felt whilst reading this novel, and ...more
I found it hard to like this book because I didn't like the mother at all. My problem with that character was she didn't seem to know much about breast cancer even though she was an ob/gyn, she seemed less mature than her daughter most of the time, and thing the bothered me the most was she didn't have a cell phone. What ob/gyn in this day and age doesn't have a cell phone? (Of course, if she had a cell phone, she could've called her daughter and written fewer notes, which would've been a
...more
I found this book yesterday and decided to read a page before going to sleep, however this turned out to be impossible to put down and when I realized, it was over.
At a time when face to face comunication and personal interaction is increasingly scarce, it's important to question ourselves - do we really know the people closest to us? at the end of the day what we are doing and the people we're sharing our moments with are the ones that really matter?
A very quick read that still menages to ...more
At a time when face to face comunication and personal interaction is increasingly scarce, it's important to question ourselves - do we really know the people closest to us? at the end of the day what we are doing and the people we're sharing our moments with are the ones that really matter?
A very quick read that still menages to ...more
Okay, I'll admit it...this book had me bawling in the waiting room at the doctor's office yesterday. Everyone thought I was there for bad news. After reading the ending, I could honestly tell the doctor I was doing great.
The title caught my eye first, but when I saw the pages were notes between a mother and daughter, I had to read it. Claire is a teenager struggling to define herself in a life of divorce, friends, boys, and school. Her mom is also struggling as a single mother raising a ...more
The title caught my eye first, but when I saw the pages were notes between a mother and daughter, I had to read it. Claire is a teenager struggling to define herself in a life of divorce, friends, boys, and school. Her mom is also struggling as a single mother raising a ...more
2.5*
I’ve read this book twice, once in English and once almost two years later in French, and I didn’t like it either time. This book was fine but it just wasn’t really for me.
I’ve read this book twice, once in English and once almost two years later in French, and I didn’t like it either time. This book was fine but it just wasn’t really for me.
Oct 07, 2008
Eva Leger
rated it
really liked it
Recommends it for:
young women
Recommended to Eva by:
found @ the supermarker yesterday - already had it listed to-rea
I'm not sure what to say about this book. I had this listed to-read for quite awhile and finally stumbled upon it yesterday at the Super G. :)
I will admit that I'm glad I didn't pay $15.95 for it. As much as I liked it being that it took me less than 20 minutes to read I would have been a little ticked at that. As it happened I only paid $3.00 for it and for this I am pleased.
The reason I gave this 4 stars instead of 3 is the ending. The ending affected me more than any other part of the book. ...more
I will admit that I'm glad I didn't pay $15.95 for it. As much as I liked it being that it took me less than 20 minutes to read I would have been a little ticked at that. As it happened I only paid $3.00 for it and for this I am pleased.
The reason I gave this 4 stars instead of 3 is the ending. The ending affected me more than any other part of the book. ...more
"This is Just to Say
I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox
and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast
Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold"
~WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS
I remember when i first encountered this poem~ninth grade Honors English (my all time favorite teacher~most inspirational~props again Mr. Mathis...) I seem to remember one of those painful sessions of analyzation~searching for meaning, symbolism, wondering if there were any right or wrong answers (which brings back ...more
I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox
and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast
Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold"
~WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS
I remember when i first encountered this poem~ninth grade Honors English (my all time favorite teacher~most inspirational~props again Mr. Mathis...) I seem to remember one of those painful sessions of analyzation~searching for meaning, symbolism, wondering if there were any right or wrong answers (which brings back ...more
5 stars, I finished this book a minute ago, it took me today to read, it is short but powerful. i really like the style, because you can imagine it however you want in your mind. I saw a mother and daughter that did not see enough of each other. They loved each other very much despite their fights. They didn't realise how little time they had left together which I found really sad. This book taught me a lesson: enjoy life and complete your dreams while you can. This book made me think of how
...more
Aug 20, 2014
Catarina Miranda
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
contratos-de-leitura,
have-it
Oh dam... I knew that something really bad was going to happen... oh dam...
I really enjoyed this book, even though it was really sad and heartbreaking. I'm still trying not to cry, to be truly honest.
It has an extraordinary and essential message. Good book.
I really enjoyed this book, even though it was really sad and heartbreaking. I'm still trying not to cry, to be truly honest.
It has an extraordinary and essential message. Good book.
Such a quick read, think I had it finished in under an hour. I really didn't like most of this book. It seemed so wrong to me that this family of two couldn't take the time to communicate face-to-face. Although they do talk about a few meetings, most of the book centered around the fact that they didn't really know each other and were both so selfish they wouldn't stop anything in their own lives to spend time with each other. The mother knew little to nothing about the daughters school and
...more
Dec 20, 2007
J-Lynn Van Pelt
rated it
really liked it
Recommends it for:
Teens and adults who have been touched by cancer
This book is incredibly moving especially when you think about the fact that it is written entirely in scribbled notes on the refrigerator door. A great example of how alternative formats can be just as strong as powerful as the traditional novel.
I like how the author didn't fill in the blanks, the reader is left to decide what conversations and fights take place between the daily notes. In short notes, Kuipers captures the voice of a teenage girl and her mother struggling to fit cancer into ...more
I like how the author didn't fill in the blanks, the reader is left to decide what conversations and fights take place between the daily notes. In short notes, Kuipers captures the voice of a teenage girl and her mother struggling to fit cancer into ...more
Today I listened to a book on CD. The title was "Life on the Refrigerator Door, Notes between Mother and Daughter". It was about a Mother and Daughter that left notes for each on the frige door. Much of the time they were caught up in everyday life, even when mom was diagnosed with cancer. This book made me realize that life is too short. Today I have made the decision to make my relationships with my daughters better. I don't want to waste time life is too short. It cold be gone in a snap of a ...more
Very very very sad.
I MAY HAVE FAILED AN EXAM BECAUSE OF THIS BOOK
But don’t worry, this review will be a 5 star one!
I am still waiting for this exams results, but I just couldn’t resist this new book staring at me? And then it made it impossible to study after reading the last page? It was an absolutely bad decision to read this in the middle of the night instead of preparing for the next days important exams but… that’s priorities right? 0:)
But don’t worry, this review will be a 5 star one!
I am still waiting for this exams results, but I just couldn’t resist this new book staring at me? And then it made it impossible to study after reading the last page? It was an absolutely bad decision to read this in the middle of the night instead of preparing for the next days important exams but… that’s priorities right? 0:)
Mom,...more
I went to the store. See inside the fridge. I watered the plants. I
Life on the Refrigerator Door by Alice Kuipers is a heartfelt story of a mother and daughter relationship. This novel is realistic fiction. The theme of this book is, “there’s always enough time.” Now, if you have read this book, you may wonder why I chose this theme. If you haven’t read it, it is about a girl, Claire, and her mother. Claire’s parents are getting a divorce, but Claire lives with her mom. Both girls are very, very busy. Claire obviously has to go to school, but she is also always
...more
A very quick read but emotional.
I liked this book. It's a roller coasters of emotions between a mother and a daughter who leave notes on the fridge for each other because their schedule are so different and busy. Claire is a 15 year old teenager going to school, being with friends and dealing with a boyfriend, while her mother works at the hospital and has a busy sporadic work schedule.
Once bad news hits you see the notes change between the mothers and daughter.
As every mother and daughter ...more
I liked this book. It's a roller coasters of emotions between a mother and a daughter who leave notes on the fridge for each other because their schedule are so different and busy. Claire is a 15 year old teenager going to school, being with friends and dealing with a boyfriend, while her mother works at the hospital and has a busy sporadic work schedule.
Once bad news hits you see the notes change between the mothers and daughter.
As every mother and daughter ...more
Jul 03, 2011
Vicky
rated it
liked it
Shelves:
setting-unknown,
author-english,
color-pink,
family,
epistolary,
series-none,
author-canadian,
fiction
I found Life on the Refrigerator Door in the super-discount bin at Barnes&Noble, thought it was an interesting concept and picked it up.
It wasn't a fantastic book and only took me about 40 minutes to read, but it certainly had a strong message.
This epistolary work is written in the form of notes between a mother and daughter left on the refrigerator as they just miss each other going through the motions of their busy lives.
When I first read the book, I felt both mother and daughter were ...more
It wasn't a fantastic book and only took me about 40 minutes to read, but it certainly had a strong message.
This epistolary work is written in the form of notes between a mother and daughter left on the refrigerator as they just miss each other going through the motions of their busy lives.
When I first read the book, I felt both mother and daughter were ...more
This was a really quick read as the format of the book is conversation through post-it notes and eventually, a letter. This made the book an extremely quick read, but unfortunately I think that this didn't make the book as effective as it could be. Cancer is a quite shocking and a very emotive subject, but I just couldn't connect or feel much towards this book. It was all very quick and I although I thought that the post-it notes were a clever idea, I just can't believe that a mother and
...more
I had mixed feelings about this one. I had a hard time not feeling frustrated with the mother. I have a teenage daughter and I cant imagine being so busy where I had to leave notes on everything from being dianosed with breast cancer to what boys she is dating. The mother was the won suffering with the cancer but I felt more sympathetic towards the daughter who I felt was neglected. The ending was very sad and it did bring tears to my eyes. The good thing about the book is it is a reminder to
...more
Read this in 30 min, didnt realize it was so short but I guess greater things come in smaller packages. At first I was kind of annoyed with claire and how she would brush off her mom and act like a complete teenager but soon I realized, what else can you expect from a 15 year old girl. As the notes progressed you could see how their attitude changed and how they realized things could never be the same. I cryed a bit at the end and Im very happy with this quick read since I am a momma's girl.
Seriously just sped through this in 15 minutes... wow the FEELS!!!! Of course the end made me cry right in the middle of the library, but I'm trying to keep it together.
I think I would have liked this book just a teensy bit better if there would have been snippets of the real story between the post-its every so often.
Even still it was a super emotional read for such little text at some points.
I think I would have liked this book just a teensy bit better if there would have been snippets of the real story between the post-its every so often.
Even still it was a super emotional read for such little text at some points.
We went out to have lunch today at Nandos and before we went home, I popped into the bookstore. I was browsing when I saw this book. I walked away from it though because it looked like the stereotypical YA novel. But later on, I found myself drifting back to it. I picked it up, it had a pretty cover, and flipped to the first page. I quickly realised that the book was written in completely in notes and lists.
So I started to read. And read. And read. And I finally finished the book.
There were ...more
So I started to read. And read. And read. And I finally finished the book.
There were ...more
Never judge a book by its cover. You can say that again!
When I reached for Life on the Refrigerator Door at four in the morning I hoped for a light reading that would distract me from the stabbing pain in my stomach. Instead, I ended up being punched by a rather raw wave of emotion that I was not expecting at all.
Honestly, I find it hard to believe that people would communicate like this. I mean, at first it made sense. Even though plain - I thought this was going to be sort of a scrapbook thing ...more
When I reached for Life on the Refrigerator Door at four in the morning I hoped for a light reading that would distract me from the stabbing pain in my stomach. Instead, I ended up being punched by a rather raw wave of emotion that I was not expecting at all.
Honestly, I find it hard to believe that people would communicate like this. I mean, at first it made sense. Even though plain - I thought this was going to be sort of a scrapbook thing ...more
Not as touching as I thought it would be, or perhaps the previous one I read was just beyond awesome it makes this pinky cover shine less.
I was sold by the writing format, but the content itself? Not really. Sometimes those frigo notes seem weird to me, like, srsly, you met your mom last night and you complimented her the next morning about how awesome last night was through a memo? And why it seems to me that everyone tried to reach you thru phone but your mom, and instead she wrote you a note ...more
I was sold by the writing format, but the content itself? Not really. Sometimes those frigo notes seem weird to me, like, srsly, you met your mom last night and you complimented her the next morning about how awesome last night was through a memo? And why it seems to me that everyone tried to reach you thru phone but your mom, and instead she wrote you a note ...more
I can't believe I wasted 20 minutes of my life on a self-centered mother-daughter duo who opt to discuss the weighty issue of breast cancer on the refrigerator door. Yup, you read that right. Nowhere in the books description did it mention breast cancer or I would never have downloaded it from my library. I lost my mother to breast cancer when I was only a couple years younger than the daughter in this book, so I found it even more insulting. And then I realized this drivel is actually targeted
...more
Well, it was a quick read. It consists of notes left on the refrigerator door between Claire and her mother. It was the shortest book I've ever read so far, yet it affected me so much. During the first exchange of notes, I already predicted the ending, but I still cried after reading this. I was reminded that life is short and should not be wasted ignoring those people around you. No matter how busy you are, try to talk to them.
I just wished that it has a story in between notes, so that we will ...more
I just wished that it has a story in between notes, so that we will ...more
When a friend of mine from university lent me this book, she said it made her bawl her eyes out. I was instantly curious. But flipping through the pages I saw that the book only contained notes- it was literally just short notes left on the door of a refrigerator, put together to tell a story.
I've always held the notion that a story with in-depth character exploration and a strong plot embedded in emotions/relationships that tug at your heartstrings could draw the reader in- enough to make them ...more
I've always held the notion that a story with in-depth character exploration and a strong plot embedded in emotions/relationships that tug at your heartstrings could draw the reader in- enough to make them ...more
Interesting style---a book composed completely of notes!
I did wish it was a bit more engaging however.
I felt the character development was weak, and I really wished that instead of it all being refrigerator door notes (which to me exacts a certain amount of detachment) that the notes would have been interspersed throughout the story and given a stronger character development.
Cool idea---but I had difficulty connecting to the characters and developing empathy for the plot. Short read ...more
I did wish it was a bit more engaging however.
I felt the character development was weak, and I really wished that instead of it all being refrigerator door notes (which to me exacts a certain amount of detachment) that the notes would have been interspersed throughout the story and given a stronger character development.
Cool idea---but I had difficulty connecting to the characters and developing empathy for the plot. Short read ...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What's the Name o...: book about a mother and her daughter told through notes they write each other [s] | 5 | 23 | Apr 05, 2014 09:38AM |
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I was born in London, England, and I moved to Canada in 2003 when I fell in love with a Canadian. We live in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, which took a while for me to learn how to spell. I have four children, a girl and three boys.
My first novel, Life on the Refrigerator Door, was published in 29 countries, won several ...more
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