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Shelter Me
by
Four months after her husband's death, Janie LaMarche remains undone by grief and anger. Her mourning is disrupted, however, by the unexpected arrival of a builder with a contract to add a porch onto her house. Stunned, Janie relizes the porch was meant to be a surprise from her husband- now his last gift to her. As she reluctantly allows construction to begin, Janie cling
...more
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Kindle Edition, 415 pages
Published
October 6th 2009
by HarperCollins e-books
(first published December 30th 2008)
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Community Reviews
Showing 1-30
Start your review of Shelter Me
Apr 19, 2009
Juliette
rated it
it was amazing
· (Review from the author)
·
review of another edition
Okay, I'm listing my own book -- how weird is that. However I did read it ... way too many times!
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This book is so amazing, especially since the author, Juliette Fay, admits she's never been widowed and that this book stemmed from her obsessive fear of losing her husband at a young age. In my case, this book was like looking in a mirror. There were times when I had to put it down and walk away as my sobbing disrupted my young daughter's play. Fay really reaches into that deep, dark place we widows walk daily in her beautiful yet flawed character. The young widow's attitudes, anger, restentmen
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Story about a woman who lost her husband in a bicycle accident, and how she must learn to carry on, with her young son and baby daughter. Of course she's mad, and doesn't want to get up in the morning, that's expected. This is about her friendships and how they eventually bring her out of the worst of the grieving period.
I didn't like this nearly as well as the others who have already reviewed it. Seemed like so much of it was drivel, not important to the story. Just boring parts. Maybe it was j ...more
I didn't like this nearly as well as the others who have already reviewed it. Seemed like so much of it was drivel, not important to the story. Just boring parts. Maybe it was j ...more
Mar 25, 2009
Staci
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Staci by:
Target Book Club and Heather
Shelves:
2009-reads
From my blog: www.lifeinthethumb.blogspot.com
This is a new author to me and one that I will definitely be reading more of in the future. This book was truly a great read. I enjoyed how the author went between entries of Janie's journal and then back to the story. I loved Janie's character and even loved her when she would get pissed off and throw a fit. She misses her husband so much that she is drowning in the day-to-day monotony of life. With the help of her cousin and aunt, plus a few other c ...more
This is a new author to me and one that I will definitely be reading more of in the future. This book was truly a great read. I enjoyed how the author went between entries of Janie's journal and then back to the story. I loved Janie's character and even loved her when she would get pissed off and throw a fit. She misses her husband so much that she is drowning in the day-to-day monotony of life. With the help of her cousin and aunt, plus a few other c ...more
I absolutely loved this book.
This is a story about a young widow left to raise two young children after the tragic death of her husband. He leaves behind a request to have a porch built on their house, a porch that will provide shelter for his family. There have been some discussions about the cover of the book. When I look at the cover I see a mother and her child wrapped in a patchwork quilt. Each patch represents an event, a memory, and a person that has provided some sort of assistance to Ja ...more
This is a story about a young widow left to raise two young children after the tragic death of her husband. He leaves behind a request to have a porch built on their house, a porch that will provide shelter for his family. There have been some discussions about the cover of the book. When I look at the cover I see a mother and her child wrapped in a patchwork quilt. Each patch represents an event, a memory, and a person that has provided some sort of assistance to Ja ...more
A widow with two small children learns about herself, her family and rediscovers love. At first I groaned another book that I picked up focused on a woman whose husband died, then as I got in to it I began to like the character. She is a Catholic woman who is really prickly, begins to fall in love with her priest and then falls for the guy who was predictable from the beginning – the carpenter (another bibilical reference!) who keeps adding work on the construction project to be near her. That w ...more
Warning: there are some minor spoilers.
2.5 stars. Mom of two young kids deals with her newly widowed status. Takes place in Massachusetts, with scenes on the Cape, a hallmark of women’s fiction. You have to have a beach house somewhere, right? There are some lovely, real, and raw scenes and it’s easy to root for the main character. She is winsome and flawed and completely believable. I enjoyed her relationship with her Aunt Jude (side note: there are a lot of names starting with J in this book). ...more
2.5 stars. Mom of two young kids deals with her newly widowed status. Takes place in Massachusetts, with scenes on the Cape, a hallmark of women’s fiction. You have to have a beach house somewhere, right? There are some lovely, real, and raw scenes and it’s easy to root for the main character. She is winsome and flawed and completely believable. I enjoyed her relationship with her Aunt Jude (side note: there are a lot of names starting with J in this book). ...more
I will admit that I began reading this book assuming I wouldn't like it. Fay is one of my mother's good friends, and it's hard to imagine someone you know having the creativity and intelligence to publish a full-length novel, let alone a GOOD full-length novel. This book is also a genre I would not normally pick up/enjoy.
But read it I did, and to my surprise, I really enjoyed it. I couldn't put the book down once I started- I had to find out what happened to the characters whom I quickly grew to ...more
But read it I did, and to my surprise, I really enjoyed it. I couldn't put the book down once I started- I had to find out what happened to the characters whom I quickly grew to ...more
I hesitate to given this three stars without explaining that I think that three stars is a decent rating. The main character is a young woman with two children widowed suddently. The novel takes you through the first year following her husband's accident and all of her emotional adjustment and angst. I found myself somewhat annoyed with her at times because of her insular approach to things, not realizing how her behavior and emotions might be affecting those around her simply trying to understa
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This is the perfect 'take me away' book! Fay's easy to read prose allows the reader to immediately identify with her main character. Without spoiling the plot, this tale of a grieving single mom, will make even the greatest cynic into a romantic. I loved the characters, setting, and recipes! (A book with food--Yum!)
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Sep 30, 2014
Jane Stewart
rated it
it was ok
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
grief,
womens-fiction
Depressing and unpleasant. I don’t like the subject. It’s grief and an unlikeable heroine.
STORY BRIEF:
This is women’s fiction with some romance at the end. Janie’s husband died in a bicycle accident. The story takes place during the subsequent year.
OPINION:
It’s hard to like a book when you do not like the main character Janie. She is antagonistic, snide, snotty, insufferably irritable, sarcastic, angry, hurting others, and disrespectful to others. One character said to her “You snarl and snipe a ...more
STORY BRIEF:
This is women’s fiction with some romance at the end. Janie’s husband died in a bicycle accident. The story takes place during the subsequent year.
OPINION:
It’s hard to like a book when you do not like the main character Janie. She is antagonistic, snide, snotty, insufferably irritable, sarcastic, angry, hurting others, and disrespectful to others. One character said to her “You snarl and snipe a ...more
A tragic bike accident leaves a family of four struggling to adjust to life as a family of three. A young mother of two: a toddler and an infant, navigates her new life with the help of eccentric characters and friends.
This book, much unlike the others I have read lately, is not a thrilling, page turner. Instead, it moved slowly. Almost too slowly at times. I nearly put this book back on the shelf a number of times but chose to plod through it and am glad I did. While I think chunks of this 415 ...more
This book, much unlike the others I have read lately, is not a thrilling, page turner. Instead, it moved slowly. Almost too slowly at times. I nearly put this book back on the shelf a number of times but chose to plod through it and am glad I did. While I think chunks of this 415 ...more
I really enjoyed listening to this story. Julie LaMarche's husband, Robbie, is killed while out riding his bike and she is left alone to raise two young children. She is consumed by both anger and grief and then meets the contractor, Tug, who arrives to build her a porch, which was the last gift given to her by her husband.
There is so much in this story. The characters are quite colorful, from her crazy aunt to her flamboyant neighbor. I loved living the year through Julie's life. The ending??? ...more
There is so much in this story. The characters are quite colorful, from her crazy aunt to her flamboyant neighbor. I loved living the year through Julie's life. The ending??? ...more
I was really taken away by this story and in particular this author's writing style. The thing is it's not an unusual story line, however, the way the author presents it is what makes this book just so very enjoyable. About half way through I started worrying that it would be over. I didn't want the story to end! Lots of humor and wit in every page too. I would say run out to your library or to Target and buy this book!!
...more
Apr 11, 2009
Toni
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
general-fiction,
chick-lit
What started out as just another "chick-lit" novel became, for me, a truly enjoyable read with characters I really cared about. Sprinkled throughout this tale of love and loss (or more accurately loss and love) are words of wisdom, some humor and a great deal of realism.
This is Juliette Fay's first novel - I hope it will not be her last. I will certainly look for her in the future. ...more
This is Juliette Fay's first novel - I hope it will not be her last. I will certainly look for her in the future. ...more
Juliette Fay's writing is wonderful. She can paint detailed scenes with her words. Unfortunately she wasted a lot of this book painting dull, mundane scenes. I skipped pages after pages of details about the sandwiches the protagonist made for lunch, what she packed for the Cape, what she chose at a bakery, etc. Too bad.
...more
Sep 16, 2009
Shelby *trains flying monkeys*
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read-2010
I liked this book alot. It did drag for me abit about halfway but I'm so glad I finished it. Ended up really liking this story and became attached to the characters.
...more
Aug 20, 2010
Kelli
rated it
did not like it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
no one
Shelves:
stopped-reading
For the first time EVER in my life, and upon the suggestion of a friend, I returned this book to the library when I was 196 pages invested. I was thoroughly disappointed and utterly disinterested.
This book is really hard to rate. I'd probably give it a 3 1/2. At some points I loved it and at other points I felt like it really dragged. the story is about loss and grief and the sometimes unexpected people in your life who step in when you really need them. I liked that theme and really enjoyed some of the relationships in the story, but I also felt like a lot of characters were a little underdeveloped.
SPOILERS:
this story is about Janie and her life after her husband is tragically killed in ...more
SPOILERS:
this story is about Janie and her life after her husband is tragically killed in ...more
Aug 22, 2017
Mary
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Anyone who likes contemporary fiction
Recommended to Mary by:
Library Book Sale
Janie LaMarche has recently lost her husband Rob in a biking accident. In the four months since his death, she has been balanced on the edge of an overwhelmingly emotional crisis - teetering from heartwrenching grief to blazing anger from day to day. However, her mourning is disrupted by the unexpected arrival of a contractor with a building order to add a porch onto her house. Bewildered by his sudden arrival, Janie slowly realizes that the porch was actually meant to be a surprise from her hus
...more
I thought this book was awful - poorly written, heavily in need of editing, complete lack of character development and just plain boring - long and boring. I don't know why I even bothered to finish it except I am generally reluctant to not finish a book once I have started it - and I kept thinking it might get better. It didn't. Nothing special about the plot - basically the story of a woman with two young children and how she copes when her husband is killed in a car/bike accident. Enough said
...more
I really enjoyed this book!
Perhaps I should wait a day or two to write my thoughts about this book, since I just now finished reading it. I have been engrossed in it for the last two days. But my stack of books is tall, and I shouldn't wait lest I forget anything. I think I'll just make a list and see where it takes me.
1. I love the wonderful images Ms. Fay presents with her words.
2. I really, really dislike the foul language. When someone uses words as deftly and compellingly as this author, why would they resort to th ...more
1. I love the wonderful images Ms. Fay presents with her words.
2. I really, really dislike the foul language. When someone uses words as deftly and compellingly as this author, why would they resort to th ...more
Mar 29, 2009
Kim
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2009-reads,
breeder-book-club
So far, not liking it. The characters are sweet, but there are tons of tiny descriptive things in the book that are just not right for me. So not right, that they arrest me in the middle of sentences to re-write them. So not right, that she drops useful details so late in the story that you have already developed a different image in your mind in order to fill in what she has left blank.
Some examples:
She describes her baby as sleeping with her arms over her head as if she were "preparing to di ...more
Some examples:
She describes her baby as sleeping with her arms over her head as if she were "preparing to di ...more
What a wonderful little find this was.
Janey is a newly-widowed mother of 38. Her husband died in a motorcycle accident that likely wouldn't have been fatal but for his own carelessness. Janey's grief and anger - released on everyone except her infant daughter and toddler son - have just about consumed her when she finds out about her husband's last gift: a new porch.
She doesn't want this conspicuous reminder of the presence he had in her life and the absence she now has to face. And she especial ...more
I can't say enough how enjoyable I found the experience of reading this book. From the very first page, I felt like I was a part of Janie's life and felt a strong kinship with her pain and heavy grief. Although I am not a mother, nor am I married, the writing style allowed me to empathise with Janie's struggles, rather than to pity her and to admire the strength it took her just to get out of bed in the morning. It made me wonder how I would react if I found someone that I was committed to lovin
...more
The staggeringly high GR rating convinced me to set aside my instincts (this looks dumb! Title and cover echo the sentiment! A brief skim shows that much dialogue is in all caps which basically guarantees that this will be BAD!) and read this despite myself, and while it was not as bad as I thought, it was not much better.
Shelter Me takes on the incredibly whiny and unlikable Jane who has lost her husband and now has to take care of her two kids. Jane is a miserable ingrate who blithely accepts ...more
Shelter Me takes on the incredibly whiny and unlikable Jane who has lost her husband and now has to take care of her two kids. Jane is a miserable ingrate who blithely accepts ...more
My sister told me to read this book after she finished it so I was quite sure I would love it. She knows exactly the kind of book I like. The last book she told me to read was The Help so she doesn't throw these recommendations around lightly!
I started this novel and fell headfirst into it within the first chapter! The characters are vivid, real, and flawed. Janie is a 38 year old mother with 2 young children in the grips of sorrow after the loss of her husband Robby in a freak bike accident. ...more
I started this novel and fell headfirst into it within the first chapter! The characters are vivid, real, and flawed. Janie is a 38 year old mother with 2 young children in the grips of sorrow after the loss of her husband Robby in a freak bike accident. ...more
You wouldn't think a book about a 38-year-old new widow with two small children could be hilarious, hopeful, and uplifting, but "Shelter Me" does just that. Then there are scenes that are so heart-breakingly full of raw grief or sweet poignancy, that your eyes tear up. I think it's this rollercoaster of emotions that makes Janie LaMarche's first year of being a widow, putting the pieces of her life back together, feel so realistic and satisfying.
Janie LaMarche is such a delightful protagonist. I ...more
Janie LaMarche is such a delightful protagonist. I ...more
Emily read this for her last book club. I just started it because I just finished the book for her next book club. She wanted me to read it and go to the book club with her. This book she didn't like to much. I like the widow's sarcastic thoughts. When the priest asks her where the baby is she wants to tell him that she's out weed wacking the yard. I also enjoy her easy style of writing and how read the characters are. Have any of you read it?
Wow! This was Juliette Fay's first novel. She had suc ...more
Wow! This was Juliette Fay's first novel. She had suc ...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Around the Year i...: Shelter Me, by Juliette Fay | 2 | 17 | Jan 03, 2016 06:24AM | |
| What's the Name o...: woman's husband dies when car hits him riding his bike, her falling in love with guy building her front porch(designed by the husband) [s] | 7 | 91 | Apr 10, 2013 12:38PM |
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Juliette Fay is the author of THE TUMBLING TURNER SISTERS, a USA Today bestseller and Costco Pennie’s Book Club Pick. Previous novels include THE SHORTEST WAY HOME, one of Library Journal‘s Top 5 Best Books of 2012: Women’s Fiction; DEEP DOWN TRUE, short-listed for the Women’s Fiction award by the American Library Association; and SHELTER ME, an Indie Next pick and Massachusetts Book Award “Must-R
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“Loneliness is painful. But suffering is not wrong in and of itself. It's part of the human experience, and in a way brings us closer to all people.”
—
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“The Magi in my life have always surprised me. They have often been people I initially felt I had nothing in common with. Sometimes I didn't even like them. But they came bearing gifts. Of wisdom, or acceptance. One or two came to give me a kick in the pants...and some left as suddenly as they came. They returned to their respective homelands or continued on their own journeys. I miss some of them... But we all have to find our way toward what ever miracle awaits us. And to perform miracles, when it is in our power to do so. Maybe the most important question is: how do I serve the Magi for others? How generously do I give my gifts - and not just to the obvious recipients in my life? How far out of my way do go to recognize and pay homage to miracles? Not very far some days. But on good days, just far enough. ”
—
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