Rating: 
Summary: Slow and repetitive
Review: I thought this book was slow and repetitive. How many times did the Amy's hair need to be mentioned? How many times did Fat Bev's stomach problems need to be mentioned? How many times was the terrible heat described? And how many chapters needed to start and end with a description of the flowers and plants surrounding their house or town? I felt really sorry for Isabelle by the way Amy acted towards her, but that's the way teens are. What a sad life Isabelle led...how, in the last chapter, did she suddenly make friends with the women she had worked with for MANY years, find a husband, become closer to her daughter and take a vacation? I can't say I enjoyed this book-but, I wanted to see how it ended, and I found that disappointing.
Rating: 
Summary: Human, heart breaking, thoroughly engaging novel...
Review: I loved this book. All the characters were well developed and believable--Amy, Isabelle, Mr. Robertson, Fat Bev, Avery; all seemed very real, people who might inhabit our own towns. Amy and Isabelle, held together by that fine line--that was a metaphor I could understand and relate to. They were held together, yet pulling apart. Amy's infatuation for her teacher, his manipulations, her mother's pain were palpable. The book was beautifully written and very moving. I found it very believable and very engaging.
Rating: 
Summary: A good book, but not something to read in one sitting
Review: I found this book to be really well written. It was nice to have bits of future events to be helpful in seeing how events shapped peoples lives. It was a little scary how because of one childhood incident Amy gets her kicks out of "nrrdy men". I did feel that Isabelle hung onto the circumstances a bit too long. But I can also sympathize with her about her shyness coming across as being snobbish. This book is definately not meant for a one sitting book, it is to heavy and really makes you think. But overall a good book.
Rating:
Summary: I really wanted to like this book
Review: Although the author achieves some very nice things, ultimately Amy & Isabelle is a disappointment. The character of of Isabelle is written ridiculously shallow, and the happy ending is absurd.Still, the charater of Amy is written with uncommon depth -- capturing the troubling uncertainty of the teenage years with remarkable insight.
Rating:
Summary: phenomenal
Review: I consider myself an avid reader and I must say that I absolutely loved Amy and Isabelle. Strout's style of writing is incredible. She can weave a story up there with the best of them. I can't wait for her next book.
Rating: 
Summary: Overall, well-written and engrossing
Review: As many of the earlier reviewers have commented, this is a wonderfully detailed honest portrayal of the tensions and love between an adolescent daughter and a mother. My favorite part, however, were the many minor characters -- who made the community seem all too familiar, and who became interesting in a few very brief scenes. These really show Strout's strength as a writer. In particular, the workplace dialogue among the women that Amy and Isabelle share an office with is truly wonderful -- the constant bickering, shifting alliances, yet underlying friendships -- everyone who has worked in close quarters with others has been there! This book is very well written -- my only complaints were that the "happy ending" seems a little contrived, as does the parallel between Amy's life and Isabelle's life -- there the realism breaks down. Also, there's a little too much detail about the natural world - sometimes it breaks the (quite compelling) narrative flow.
Rating:
Summary: Mothers & Daughters--It Ain't Easy!
Review: Amy & Isabelle is a moving story about relationships. It teaches us that those we love, while often disappointing us, are still dear to us. It teaches us to be understanding of others and that often, we need only look as close as the image in our own mirror to better understand the weaknesses in those we love. Elizabeth Strout has written a moving story about just such a relationship...a relationship about ordinary people who confront all too common hardships among themselves and the people they come to know and love. "Amy & Isabelle" inspires the reader to seek out others and to cherish the relationships they already have. A wonderful book.
Rating:
Summary: Intriguing characters; A must read!
Review: What I liked most about the book was the many emotional struggles between the mother and daughter. The volatile relationship between mother and daughter was not just because Amy had sex with her math teacher. It was Isabelle's inability to be honest about her own past. I beleive even in the best of circumstances the love/hate relationship of a mother and daughter is always there. In the case of Isabelle and Amy is was just more pronounced and harder for the characters to find a common ground. I do have to say that I think it was unnecessary to include Amy's friendship with Paul. I had no idea where the author was going. It was especially confusing to me why Amy and Paul had that "encounter" at his apartment after their "discovery." I do not think any of that was pertinant. The author should have excluded that passage from her novel. I highly recommend this book. I enjoyed it and I hope to read something else of hers in the future.
Rating:
Summary: one of the best books ever
Review: Amy and Isabelle is a book that explores the true feelings of insecurity, uncertainty, and unconditional love of mother and daugher. My mother gave me this book, and told me it was just like Alice Hoffman, she is right. If you like Alice Hoffman, you will love this book. Way to got Elizabeth, can't wait for another!
Rating:
Summary: A MUST READ FOR MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS!
Review: If you are looking for an exciting book, this is not it. However, if you enjoy wonderful characters and a slice of real life, this is the book for you. This book explores the relationship of a mother and daughter and shows the richness of everyday life. There is no great message in this book, other than that peoples' lives are not always what we perceive them to be. I really loved this book and am sharing it with my mother. Your life doesn't have to parellel these characters to appreciate the wonderful writing in this book. Beautiful phrases and wonderful pictures are drawn with words. I highly recommend this book.
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