Open House

Rating:
Summary: clever, funny, fabulous character developement
Review: Open House reminds a reader of the difference between reality t.v. and sitcoms. Reality television quickly gained popularity due to it's true characters and dramas that recall real people you relate to or knew in your own life, or things one would realistically say or do in situations. Sitcoms, on the other hand, now are quickly becoming the lumbering dinosaurs of television due to trite, simple, storylines we no longer wish to accept. Open House is reality book reading. It envelopes the reader in characters with dialogue that is hilarious, simply because it is so real and recognizable. For example, the sarcastic dialogue of the teenage son will remind you of every teenager so much that you want to laugh and read it out loud to someone else. Whether the character's divorce is something you relate to or not, the funny takes on this serious subject and the character development make it one of the books you want to keep reading, regardless of other chores you "should" be doing at the time. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I am ordering all her other books. It was the first book this summer that made me laugh out loud at times and then feel pity for the character a few pages later...excellent! You KNOW every character when reading this book as what they say and do rings real, amusing, and true

It is reality t.v. in book form...You know them, you know someone like them, and the realistic diatribe amuses and keeps you reading!

Rating:
Summary: Finallly enjoyed an Oprah book pick
Review: I usually read all of the books Oprah picks for her book club. I read them because i teach English and it is expected of me to talk literature in public (PTA meetings etc)People read Oprah's books so I feel like I need to also. Most of the books help pass a rainy Sunday afternoon but other than Toni Morrison, I personally don't find many of them to be well written. So I picked this book up expecting it to be okay. I have not read anything else by Ms.Berg and I have to say I was completely surprised! It was short, but the characters were wonderful. She did a great job of capturing the different emotions that each family goes through during a divorce. Wonderful teen portrayal. Ms. Berg creates beautiful language and has the wonderful ability to vary sentence length and make the reader wonder is he/she is reading or listening to music. One of my favorite scenes describes the main character, Sam, having dinner with a man that she is (finally) comfortable with. He prepares a dinner at his home, sets a beautiful table and when she sits down she says "This is my favorite restaurant". I felt bad that i had never thought to say this to my romantic husband who often brings me breakfast in bed. (but i can steal it! he hasn't read the book!) If you like beautiful language, you will love this book. If you have been through, or are going through a divorce, it will give you strength!.

Rating:
Summary: A Gem of a Book
Review: I finished this book in one weekend. It was my first experience reading a book by Elizabeth Berg and it was wonderful. She so accurately described experiences you go through in a divorce but did it with a gentle touch of humour. I was not able to put it down. Would highly recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: Good, easy read
Review: Open House is one of those books that you can just dive in, forget the clock and read until you've finished it. Berg does a good job of capturing the fear, desperation and exhiliration experienced by Sam, the book's protagonist, after her husband abruptly leaves their 20 year marriage.

Wanting to keep her house, Sam begins renting the basement and study to what becomes an ecclectic and endearing cast of characters. I thouroughly enjoyed Lydia, the 80 year old newlywed, and King the sensitive MIT grad who takes odd jobs for a living in order to "learn everything."

Although I found a few holes, Open House is a delightful read, perfect for a lazy summer day.

Rating:
Summary: wish I heard [...] club debate!
Review: I personally thought this book to be a load of predictable drivel and was amazed to see so many reviews praising it. My book group has selected it for this month and I can't wait to see the sparks fly at our meeting. Two people have already confessed to really enjoying it which left me completely surprised. [...] reviews either loved it, or hated it. I wish I could have seen [...] book club discussion. I suppose she has to be more tactful when the author is her guest. However,my group will have diverse opinion that are vehemently defended. Perhaps this makes Open House a good choice for book groups???!!

Rating:
Summary: The most authentic book I have ever read!
Review: Elizabeth Berg deserves a standing ovation for this one. This story is so real, so absolutely right on, that I was just absorbed into it from page one. Samantha is a woman in her forties, faced with an unexpected and unwanted divorce. The story evolves around everything Samantha must go through, emotionally and physically, as she attempts to face life without a smidgeon of security left in it. She must deal with Travis, her young son, and she must deal with such tremendous inner turmoil that the reality of it jumps off the page right into your lap. She has one good friend, Rita, who is quite a character herself, painfully honest but lovable, and her mother, referred to as "Veronica" who is just one crazy but endearing person. David is (or was) her husband, who basically decides the marriage is not working. Just like that. And Samantha is left to pick up all of the pieces. I found the skillful wording so poignant and the flow of the whole story so smooth. I could envision myself doing and saying and acting much like Samantha, and in the end, it is a story of one woman's search for who she really is, not David's wife, not Travis' mom, but who Samantha really is. You will hurt with her and for her, and you will not want to put the book down. At the end of the book is an interview with the author, which is such a great way to get to know her, and after that are a few Reader's discussion questions, which I have never seen at the end of a book before. I thought that was wonderfully clever, and I really look forward to reading more of Elizabeth Berg.

Rating:
Summary: A GREAT WAY TO SPEND AN AFTERNOON
Review: THIS IS AN ENJOYABLE READ FOR A WOMAN WHO HAS BEEN THROUGH THE TOUGH CHANGES THAT A CRUMBLING MARRIAGE BRINGS. SOME OF THE CHARACTERS AND STORY TWISTS ARE NOT ALWAYS BELIEVABLE BUT THAT'S WHAT FICTION IS I GUESS.

I FOUND IT OVERALL A VERY RELAXING READ ON A LAZY SUMMER PATIO. ELIZABETH BERG KNOWS THE CHAOTIC THOUGHTS OF A WOMAN IN TURMOIL AND THE LIGHTER SIDE OF UNCERTAINTY.

Rating:
Summary: Thought I could Relate...
Review: Since my mother was left by her husband, and I've had similar experiences, I thought that this would be a good "empowering" book to read. I think it was intended for that, but I found that I didn't have a whole lot of sympathy for a woman who could go to Tiffany's and spend thousands of dollars on dishes, and who apparently had a large enough house to rent out rooms to strangers. (On top of the fact that her husband let her keep the house with no arguments.) I know that she did get a job, but only because she was bored and some man told her to do it. There didn't seem to be any conflict resolution with family members that seemed to simply need communication - instead she just invented excuses for their behaviors and let them go. It basically turned out to be a kind of "Cinderella" story - not the empowering novel that I was in search of. It was well written, and I suppose worth the read, but don't go into it with the attitude that I did, or else you will be sorely disappointed and perhaps a little grumpy afterwards.

Rating:
Summary: Like an afternoon with a kindred spirit
Review: What a delightful book! I had the pleasure of listening to it on a return from vacation and was so thankful my trip was long enough to hear it all in one setting.

Honest, insightful, wonderful use of stream of consciousness.

Gave me hope for finding that lost part of myself too!

Rating:
Summary: Light reading, but I loved it!
Review: I sat down and read "Open House" in one sitting, I enjoyed Elizabeth Berg's style of writing so much. The main character, Samantha, is so average...not beautiful, worrying about her weight, feeling dependent on her husband. Now that he has decided he doesn't love her anymore, and wants a divorce, she is lost, worrying about how she will make the mortgage payments among other things. I have never been through a divorce, but I thought Berg did a good job of capturing how it must feel for a woman. Samantha spends the first part of the book feeling depressed, at one moment deciding to turn into this elegant person, and in the next she can't make herself get dressed. Several comical characters come into the story such as Veronica, her mother who believes the best thing is for Samantha to start dating again. When she finally does take her mother up on one of her blind dates, it is a disaster. Then Samantha's friend Rita flies in for a week and picks her up a bit. But it is a man named King who seems to be the best remedy for what ails her. He is an overweight man who works odd jobs, but manages to be just what Samantha needs. He helps her find a job and the self esteem to move on from her husband. I thought the book was at times sad, funny, and very true and I will be looking for more by Elizabeth Berg.