Rating: 
Summary: Funny, light and an all around great book
Review: I loved the author's style of writing... straight to the point yet very realistic. I just really started getting into reading and started with another story in Oprah's book club and enjoyed it. I found myself looking forward to spending time with Samantha, the main character, and finding out what was going to happen next. I too have been in the state of devastation resulting from divorce and empathized with Sam's craziness. A light read with laugh out loud moments, situations we've all found ourselves in, and a hopeful outlook on love.
Rating: 
Summary: I cried in the end - with relief
Review: Despite its strong premise and appealing style, 'Open House' has about as much thematic resonance and depth of character as a two-dollar Harlequin romance. If that's what you're into, fine. But why not just read (or for that matter, Elizabeth, write) one of those? It starts well enough, with the sudden abandonment of Samantha and her young son. How will she tell him? What will they do? How will they cope on their own? All good questions that suddenly-single parents must face, and surely the basis for a fine and thoughtful book. Unfortunately, 'Open House' isn't it. Berg sidesteps the all-too-real financial and legal ugliness of divorce, and chooses instead to wander through the more picturesque emotional landscape of Samantha's 'spiritual recovery'. In this endeavor she is ably assisted by a phalanx of unrealistic family, friends and lodgers, including a potential new beau: an almost-virginal astrophysicist with a strong sideline in home repair. From there, it's downhill all the way. The novel quickly degenerates into a sappy, middle-aged personal growth fantasy involving everything from moral victory over your ex to developing a better relationship with your mother, and seems over-informed by specious self-help books, vacuous pop philosophy, and most other forms of commercialized American voodoo. No wonder Oprah loved it: it reads just like a story from one of her diabolical 'Remembering Your Spirit' set-pieces.But what do I know? After all, this book wasn't written for me; I'm a young Australian man, not a middle-aged American woman with 'relationship issues'. But I can't help thinking that a better book could have made me appreciate just what it's like to be that person anyway. Call me crazy, but I kind of thought that's what good writing was all about.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Read
Review: I loved this book. It gave me a much needed laugh over and over. I could relate to the main character even though I've never (thankfully) experienced what she did. Even though I read it over a year ago - I can recall many peices of the story and have talked about parts of it with friends. Thats the sign of a good book. Yeah Elizabeth Berg!
Rating:
Summary: Definately worth the read
Review: I read this book while going through my own divorce, and being a naturally analytical person found Sam really easy to relate too. I couldn't get over just how 'right' the Author got the emotions Sam went through - it was almost like a checklist for the previous six months of my life! Other reviewers have mentioned a 'flat' feeling to the story, I feel this added to the whole feel for me as that was exactly how I felt - flat, two dimensional, dis-connected.
Rating:
Summary: A Fast good read
Review: In Open House, the main characther Samanatha life changes when her husband David moves out, and wants a divorce. Sam has to get a job for the first time, and rent out rooms in her house to pay the bills. Sam also has to be a single parent to her son Travis, who wants his parents back together. Open House is a great book to read for entertainment.
Rating: 
Summary: Oprah's Poor Choice
Review: I bought this book while waiting at the airport for my flight to depart. I was looking for an easy read and I got it. While reading this book wasn't a challenge, getting into it was. Her main character, Sam, is pathetic and flat. Sam's epiphany (or, as I prefer, Berg's "pat ending") occurs in the last chapter. Until that point, Chapter One is rewritten as Chapter Two, and then Chapter Two is rewritten as Chapter Three, etc. Skip this book. The most interesting part of it is the jacket copy.
Rating:
Summary: Loved it!
Review: This book started me off to start reading Elizabeth Berg...what a great author! I'm so glad Oprah featured this, I would have missed a super story & wonderful author who has many stories, none that disappoint.
Rating:
Summary: ~Making lemonade out of lemons~
Review: Sam,short for Samantha, the protaganist is happily going about her homemaker routine when suddenly her world is turned upside down. Her husband is experiencing a mid-life crisis and decides he needs to leave. He not only leaves his wife, but 11 year old son as well, the house, the mortgage etc. As Sam is faced with how to survive without an income she Opens up her house to boarders. This is the story of how a middle-aged woman takes control of her life the best way she can and goes on a journey of self discovery, meets interesting people and finds romance in the process. This is a quick light read with a feel good ending!
Rating:
Summary: A true "women's" read
Review: I love Elizabeth Berg, her quirky observations and unabashed honesty are refreshing. I have read, at last count, 5 of her novels, enjoying all of them, but this is my favorite. You will join in with our leading lady as she tries to cope with the new divorce of her husband, but is sure her loneliness will drive her back to him. She decides for the benefit of money and company she will rent out a room or two in her home. Berg paints fun, different characters which we learn from, love, and sometimes dread. I think most touching to me were the small motherly observations of realizing her son is growing up all to quickly.... I will tell you this much about the ending; it is a nice "feel good" ending that satisfies if you have connected with the charaters in any way (which I did). This is surprising if you are used to reading other Oprah picks-she usually draws toward gloom and doom, but this is not that. I found this to be a very easy read, flowing and light without being shallow. I think it is a great "women's read" and would make an excellent book club choice. I can not complain about any aspect of the book, and this is why I gave it 5 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Rebuilding
Review: I read this book when it first came out but decided I would write a review because it was so good. I enjoyed the characters and the plot was believable. The book is about divorce and rebuilding ones life. We have read lots of books with this plot but this one is exceptional.
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