Rating: 
Summary: Light with some depth, an enjoyable read....
Review: I'd read another of Berg's books (Until the Real Thing Comes Along, a disappointment to me) and wanted to see, since Oprah had selected this book, if it was any good.This book is more than a summer light read, but not as deep as the dark-humor of that classic divorce novel, The War Between the Roses. And, as another reviewer aptly points out, although the heroine's kick into mid-life crisis is a divorce, that doesn't have to be the catharsis - it could have been any other mid-life shake-up. The opening is hilarious, yet not - Samantha is in shock when her husband walks out, leaving her with a pre-pubescent son. In the first chapter, she decides to be the perfect mother and homemaker. Martha Stewart she's not, and her son Travis is not interested in her attempts to carve butter in the shape of a whale for his French toast - he doesn't want French toast, he wants Cheerios and a normal life. But life as they have known it is changing, pretty quickly too. Samantha never goes to see a lawyer, trusting that her ex-hubby to be will do right by her. Perhaps he would have, but when she runs amok in Tiffany's, using a credit card to buy extravagant china she doesn't really want, but thinks will make her life better, he cuts off her credit. She decides to take in boarders, to the horror of Travis. Indeed, she goes through a gradual metamorphosis that reminds me a lot of some of my own mid-life changes (for different reasons). This is a story about a woman meeting herself again, and it is handled well, lightly, but not tritely. She'd given up music to be the best wife her wealthy young husband could have - but she doesn't take the predictable path to re-discover herself. I was delighted to find the jobs she took on, and the friends she made. Her flighty mother turns out to be more than she'd realized. Her nearly ex-husband, if somewhat of a stereotype, is only human. Some reviewers have complained that this book isn't deep, or that it's boring, or they didn't like the ending. That may be because they are too young to have gone through any major life changes. Samantha is 43, a not uncommon time for major life changes (whether choices we make, or ones that are thrust upon us). We'll make choices that are sometimes seen later as not for the best. There's a twist towards the end that seems somewhat unbelievable perhaps because it points out how much has happened in such a short period of time. But that's a minor irritation. The ending perhaps is predictable, though I'm not sure if that's because it was the ending I'd hoped for... Thoughts of Samantha, what she'd gone through, choices she made, stuck with me after finishing the book - I almost felt like this was my own story. Any book that sticks with me, and makes me think, is a book I recommend to friends.
Rating:
Summary: Open your heart to Open House
Review: Elizabeth Berg has done it again---told the story of Everywoman, or at the least, a story every woman can identify with. This moving book, about the disintegration of a marriage and its aftermath, will touch all who read it. Sam deals with the end of her marriage in a scattershot way: looking for reasons, spending lots of money, trying to figure out what to do, and generally flailing about, emotionally. But the reader comes to understand why, thanks to Berg's wonderful writing. This was the reaction of a woman has no idea what will happen next, when all the things she has thought would come to pass suddenly are no longer a part of her future. The reader observes Sam as she takes in boarders to help pay the mortgage, has a succession of temp jobs, and begins dating again. At the same time, Sam is going through the grief process, trying to heal herself emotionally in order to get herself to a better place. I found Berg's humor much more apparent in this book than in any of her others. I laughed out loud when Sam sat down at her sewing machine and sewed up the fly on every one of her husband's boxer shorts! Her characterizations -- of her son, her mother, and the boarders -- were excellent. Had I not read any other Berg books, I probably would have given this a "5" but I don't think it was quite as good, nor as moving, as "Talk Before Sleep" or "Pull of the Moon".
Rating:
Summary: OPEN HEART!
Review: I thought I was reading, "Portia faces Life". Can a woman find happiness after divorce? Elizabeth Berg takes us on a field trip through the heart-rending alternately funny, yet tragic experiences of the book's heroine Samantha. Does she survive? Is she better off? Well, read the book and find out. You will understand the gamut of emotions, the anger, the bereavement, the grief- all part of the recovery process. Did I say Portia? This is "Samantha faces life"; and she does it well in this soap opera of a book. You will cry and laugh as she triumphs barely supported by a dazzling, bizarre array of characters. Hold on to your hat. You're in for one breathless roller coaster ride.
Rating:
Summary: Charming
Review: I loved reading this book just as I have loved reading all of Berg's other books (I was especially moved by Talk Before Sleep). Berg creates characters who are loveable and real, but in Open House, I was disappointed by the lack of depth she allowed her heroine and her compatriots. That aside, there are genuinely poignant moments in the novel that capture your heart as well as moments that are so amusing you'll laugh out loud. I was especially appreciative of Berg's easy, straight-forward writing style - I read Open House start to finish in one evening over a cafe latte. In a complex world, it's a complete delight to have the opportunity to drop into someone else's world for an evening and then leave it feeling satiated. I would highly recommend Open House as a "feel good" read. PS. I'll never think of Martha Stewart in the same way ever again! Thank you Elizabeth Berg.
Rating: 
Summary: A good read
Review: This book is fantastic! Once I picked it up, I could not put it down. I found myself staying awake an extra two hours every night just to read more. Sure I lost a lot of sleep over this book, but it was worth it. Elizabeth Berg has a gift for articulating every day life in a beautiful way. With one subtle sentence she has the ability to sum up things I have felt for years, without knowing that I felt them. I just kept reading and saying, "yes...that's it...yes...that's right." The only problem that I had was that it ended too soon. But I have to admit that my real problem was that it ended. 1000 pages wouldn't have been enough for me. I just wanted more. I wanted it to keep on going. I laughed, I cried, I was elated and I was frustrated. That's how true to life this book was. I have also heard a rumor that one of Elizabeth Berg's books is being made into a movie. I can't wait for that to happen!
Rating:
Summary: I want to follow these characters wherever they go!
Review: What do you do when your husband decides he doesn't want you anymore? You start to analyze EVERYthing -- especially yourself. That's what Samantha does -- as she agonizes her way to a new life. This is a fun book. And the characters are a hoot. Omigosh, this lady can write! The dialogue is so natural and realistic, I found myself reading it out loud, and it always rang true. It only took a few hours to read, and I must say it gave me a lot of laughs. (It's not a farce, by any means. It's really quite gentle and warm.) There were several real surprises in the book, too -- not plot twists, but weird characters popping up or really odd job situations or just a smack-on-the-button remark. Here's one that hit me for some reason: She's trying to help her son with his math homework, which reminds her of how she didn't understand geometry in high school, and she remembers taking her midterm: "I passed the time by drawing designs for evening gowns on the back of the exam; everything on the front of the page only annoyed me." I don't know what it is, but it has that magical something. My advice: Join me in looking up every book she's written, because this is worth our time! .
Rating: 
Summary: Open House--close the door!
Review: After reading Talk Before Sleep and Durable Goods, I looked forward to reading any other books by Elizabeth Berg. I bought Open House in hardcover as I could hardly wait for her next story. I was so disappointed! How could a woman go to Tiffany's and spend such an incredibly ridiculous amount of money and then turn around and have to advertise for a boarder? It just seemed so weak..And so often the strength of the female characters in Ms. Berg's other books are what makes the stories so appealing. This women fell apart ( granted, all that scenerio was plausible) but when it came to the job market, she seemed so inept. I did like some of her characters; her son was realistically an 11 year old. But this time, Ms. Berg reached a bit too far to make this book a moving experience. Bottom line...I did not like the main character.
Rating:
Summary: NOT YOUR TYPICAL OPRAH PICK!
Review: Elzabeth Berg is one of my favorite authors because of her ability to make normal situations seem extraordinary. Yes, Samantha's husband leaves her, yes she is depressed, but, unlike many of Ms. Winfrey's picks, "Open House," does not dwell on these facts. Sam is able to laugh at herself, and ultimately finds the courage to go on. She is, as the last line states so eloquently, "full of faith, blessed by it."
Rating: 
Summary: House party
Review: I would recommend this to anybody who loves a good story and wants a book that is impossible to put down.
Rating:
Summary: A perfect movie for Lifetime Television
Review: Open House has the makings of a cute tv movie. You have the main character who desperately wants to improve her life after her husband leaves her. Her son has an attitude problem that in my book could be cured with a visit to a good old-fashioned wood shed. But at least the people she rents rooms out to have fun and interestine lives. My favorite tenant was Lydia, the elderly woman who has boyfriend and tells Samantha to "lighten up" and move on with her life. Luckily Samantha tries by taking outragous temp jobs and tries to date. I love the scene where she gets a call from Martha Stewart.
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