Until the Real Thing Comes Along

Rating:
Summary: Pretentious drivel
Review: I gave this book two stars because I felt generous. When I got close to the last page, I thought "Will it never end?" I was very tempted to just chuck it, but still hoping it might get better, I pressed on. No luck-- it didn't get any better. This book is about Patty Ann Murphy, a woman who feels like a "runner-up in life"-- always coming in second. Well, no wonder. She sets herself up for failure--- she loves the wrong man, but instead of admitting it and moving on, she seems to relish the unhappiness she feels because Ethan is unavailable. This woman is a glutton for punishment. She hashes and re-hashes her feelings toward him-- I got the impression she was enjoying her misery. Then there is the baby thing--- we all love babies- or most of us do. But her fixation is almost to the point of unhealthy obsession-- and so we have pages and pages of baby discriptions. The writing is overly dramatic-- everything is phrased as if it is great drama, instead of a story where not much happens to a woman who sells real estate except she gets pregnant, then acts as if no one had ever done it before. Not a good read.

Rating:
Summary: A miss for Berg
Review: I have read only one other Elizabeth Berg, Talk Before Sleep, and fell in love with her writing after this book. For my next Berg selection I chose Until the Real Thing Comes Along and have to admit I was highly dissappointed. I give the book 2 stars only because I was able to finish the entire book in a few days as it did keep something of my attention.

From the moment I started reading this book, though, I wanted to smack some reality into the main character, Patty. Patty was in love with her best friend and refused to even try to give love a shot with other men. This frustrated me as I found Patty whining more and more about her missing love life and her want for her best friend Ethan and I wanted to tell her you will never get him to marry you so stop obsessing!

I continued reading the book just to find out if Patty ever found her dream man or ever had a baby, but finished the book with a feeling of dissatisfaction. I felt the book ended with an ending that was empty. I feel Berg left us with a simple ending and characters that readers could not totally connect with. I am moving on to Range of Motion and hope this one is better than Until the Real Thing Comes Along.

Rating:
Summary: A little dissapointed...
Review: I LOVE E. Berg, however, in this novel I thought the story was a little dragged a little and the ending was rushed. it was as if she realized this story needs to end. though Funny at times I just wished all the action didn't happen at the few last chapters.

Rating:
Summary: A Big Disappointment for a Big Berg fan
Review: I was so excited to learn that Elizabeth Berg had a new book out this summer and couldn't wait to get my hands on it, since I have read all her other works of fiction. However, I was truly disappointed in this book. I found Patty Ann, the main character, to be highly immature for a 36-year-old. However, I could identify with her need for wanting a baby. I felt that the road she took to achieving her dream was unrealistic and not in character at all with Berg's past fabulous female creations. For a woman who did not seem to make enough real estate sales to support herself for even a month, I wondered throughout the novel how she was financially taking care of herself, and if she had given thought as to how she was going to take care of an infant, with the never ending demands an infant makes. I also felt it extremely difficult to believe that once Patty reached her destination, that this too was simply implausable. Please, if you are just starting out reading Elizabeth Berg's wonderful novels, do not start with this one or you may not discover her wonderful way of weaving the threads of relationships between women and their families. Ms. Berg is truly a gem of a writer, but this particular book is not a star in her crown.

Rating:
Summary: Off-beat Love Story
Review: I'm a big fan of Elizabeth Berg and her special skill at creating characters who make us exclaim, "Yes, that's just like so and so!" I've enjoyed some of her other books more, but I can understand the elemental pull towards motherhood (after all, I'm the author of a book for mothers, NEW PSALMS FOR NEW MOMS: A KEEPSAKE JOURNAL). An interesting story.

Rating:
Summary: Painful
Review: It's painful to read the book simply because, like Patty, I also feel so much of the longing and desire to have a baby. Sometimes I do feel I want a baby more than a husband. And it strikes true when the heart rules against the sensible mind - wanting so much for the perfect one (a perfect someone for me, not the perfect man). You want to kick her and knock her head, and yes I want to kick myself too. But OK, don't judge me for that.

Berg seems to know how it all feels and and she describes the emotions well. Her language is awesome and so very true.

However, I have to say the storyline could be better. Certain things seem to be too convenient making it much less interesting.

I'm thinking of reading her other books.

Rating:
Summary: OK BUT LEFT OUT SO MUCH!!
Review: The idea of this book is good, but alot of it was very unrealistic. I think if this were a real situation there would have been alot more emotion and not tied up so quickly at the end. These characters just did not act like someone in this situation should act. Getting pregnant on the first try and just moving on the way the story did just did not seem real to life to me. They also seemed very immature. I just think it could have been alot more emotional and really captured the idea of the book better.

Rating:
Summary: Enh...
Review: This is the first Berg book I've read, and while I admire her writing style, I couldn't stand the main character, Patty. She was just too self-absorbed for my taste. It drove me crazy. Ethan was a slice of heaven, but the situation they were in was incredibly unrealistic to me. I know this kind of thing does happen, but I think there should have been a lot more conflict involved.

Rating:
Summary: Just Wanting to Share My Thoughts....
Review: This is the second Berg novel that I have read. The first one, "What We Keep" did not appeal to me at all, and it took me awhile before I picked up another novel by her.
I was thrilled by this piece of writing! I think that in many ways, Patty relates to the average woman. I think that many of us ache to be mothers when we are pursuing a career, and many of us also lust after the wrong guys (even the gay ones). I thought that the writing was very light-hearted, and I loved the smart-mouthed Patty. I think that Berg writes her characters as "real" people, and found myself amazed that some of the things going through Patty's head, actually had gone through mine many many times.
I recommend this novel. It was interesting, and I thought that the subject matter contained was interesting as well. I related to her main character, and I cried quite a bit at the end. It's funny to think this, but perhaps I had found someone whom I related to, and it was sad to let her go.
It's amazing to think of the compromises that we make in order to make others dreams come true.
Anyhow, get this book and read it. If you are disappointed, at least the novel is short enough where you don't feel that you wasted too much time. I don't think you'll be disappointed though. It's a page-turner.

Rating:
Summary: SUCH a good book!
Review: This story is touching and funny - I laughed out loud at some points and had to cry at others.