Rating: 
Summary: Wake me when it's over.....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Review: I listened to the audio version of this book - perhaps it would have been more engrossing if I had read it but I doubt it. The "reader" sounded like she was bordering on laryngitis, which was annoying enough, but her reading was bland and devoid of any emotion. The story itself had promise but I found the writing to be uninspired and the diagolue weak. It was also lacking in depth and I found it hard to care about any of the characters. I literally had to force myself to finish listening to it.
Rating: 
Summary: Selfish and Whiney Main Character
Review: I was expecting a bit more from this book based on the buzz but it was very overhyped! The main character, Carrie, is very selfish and by the end of the book, I just wanted her to dive off of Clausen's Pier!
Rating: 
Summary: fooled, and confused
Review: I was emotionally provoked by this book, and I think that is where it is very successful. It makes you really think about what you might do in any number of situations. I hated Carrie, and just about every decision she made. She was a bad friend, a bad daughter, and a bad girlfriend. She was so caught up in her own needs and feelings that she ran everyone down who had the bad luck to be in her path. OK, she could be nice when it suited her. But her M.O. is that she ran. (If they make a movie of this book, be sure to use Duncan Sheik's song "She Runs Away"). It would have been acceptable if she did it once. But she ditches everyone, continuously. So for me it ends up being more of an exploration of Carrie's (poor) behavior and lack of coping mechanisms than anything else. It was well written for the most part (I did not buy that part about Kilroy being 40!) and some of the dialog was great. But in order to be a real examination of how people make the tough decisions, Carrie would have had to exhibit some kind of redeeming quality. For me, anyhow.
Rating:
Summary: Not bad
Review: I thought the book was pretty good and I like Ann Packer's writing style--I could clearly visualize what she was writing about. What I did not like was that she introduced a lead character in the story who embarks on a quest of self discovery?? Or at least a quest for a direction in life, but even at the end she does not seem to have learned anything. The consistent theme of Carrie Bell from cover to cover is that she's completely irresponsible with her life and the feelings of those who count on her and suffers no consequences. Who just doesn't show up for work for days at a time, up and leaves town without a word, settles in a new town and then pretty much leaves the responsabilities of the new found life to return to the old one--all like it's no big deal? Overall it was a good read, but a bit unsettling at the end to have been taken on Carrie's soul searching journey to come to no real resolution at the end.
Rating: 
Summary: First walk a mile in Carrie's shoes...
Review: You don't have to like Carrie to be drawn to this story. For a story to ring true, the character must be human and flawed. This is a story of the choices one character made. Not perfect choices, not the choices another character might make and not the choices the reader thinks she should make. Carrie is indeed selfish and at times I was shocked by her decisions. Carrie is stifled by living is the same town her entire life and loving the same boy from the time she was 14. She is guilt-ridden that she is falling out of love with Mike from before the accident and then a horrendously life-altering event happens. It may be easy to stand on the outside and say that Carrie should have been a good girlfriend and stuck it out, etc. If the accident hadn't happened, then it would be okay to leave him? Isn't that pity that Mike (or anyone else ) wouldn't want? Carrie is 23 and doesn't know what she wants out of life. Is that so unusual? She is under some of the most incredible stress and guilt imaginable and she flees to take time for herself. Isn't that the most justifiable time to be selfish? She's not a good friend for a lot of that year, but maybe Jesse should have accepted that under those circumstances. Instead she wanted Carrie to do tequila shots and go with her to a party. Was that being a good friend to Carrie? Even the best friendships are not without selfish times and insensitivities. Carrie returns to Madison ultimately because she IS a good friend. She realizes when it is her turn to be there for Jesse. She returns because she loves Mike deeply even if she is not "in love" with him. At any age it can take years to sort out those feelings after a tragedy. Especially if those feelings were all confused from beforehand. Is it possible to even admire Carrie that she was able to make that painful decision: To stay, but not to stay with him? To choose love and not pity?
Rating:
Summary: Frustrating
Review: I found this book to be extremely frustrating. Carrie Bell, the main character, has lived in Wisonsin her whole life. A terrible accident leaves Mike, her fiance and high school sweetheart, bound to a wheel-chair. Instead of standing up and taking on responsibility, she flees Mike and her old life and ends up in New York. What follows is about 250 pages of Carrie waffling back and forth between going back home or staying in New York and living her new life (complete with a brand new boyfriend). Just when you are getting to the point where you can no longer take it (and you want to lay your head down and just sleep), she finally decides to go back to Wisonsin for a "visit". Once back home, Carrie waffles some more over whether or not to go back to her life in New York. On top of it, she can't understand why people are so upset by her actions. The main character is way too wishy-washy and leaves too many people hurt in the aftermath of her actions. I spent about 3/4 of the book fighting the urge to scream and put it down, although I kept reading because I hoped that Carrie would finally do the right thing. She eventually does, but it occurs with little emotion or conviction which left me very unsatisfied. I feel that screaming and perhaps hurtling the book across the room would have provided more satifaction than actually reading this book. I believe that the author, Ann Packer, has a unique way of writing that I find to be easy and flowing, but this plot does nothing for her and she needs to work on developing her characters. All in all, this is a book to avoid unless you would like to end up with a nice big headache. (This review refers to the Microsoft e-Book format)
Rating:
Summary: disappointing
Review: Give me a break. What a very boring book. Carrie is so shallow. All the characters lack depth. It made me think of the book, The Prince of Tides. Someone with problems goes to New York to find himself. But the Prince of Tides had so much more. In fact, it is one of my favorite books. I cannot believe I spent several hours reading this book hoping something would happen to make me believe that it belongs in the best seller category. Actually I never read it all, I skipped to the end after finishing two thirds of it. Surely this author must be related to the publisher and was due a favor. I am so glad this selection was a loan from the library and I lost only valuable time.
Rating: 
Summary: Very good Read
Review: I completely enjoyed this book, got wrapped up in the characters and read the final 200 pages in a night. I would have rather read a different ending but still derived much pleasure from this tale.
Rating:
Summary: Very Disappointed
Review: I was so excited to read the book of a new author. The premise of the book sounded really interesting and differenet but a few chapters into the book, I was feeling very disappointed. First the book dragged out unbelieveably. I found my mind wandering during reading so I could only read a little at a time. Second, I didn't bond or identify with any of the characters and it only got worse as I got deeper into the book. I didn't find any characters that I liked because none of them had any redeeming qualities. I didn't even have sympathy or empathy for Mike after his accident. How ridiculous is that? However, when Carrie goes to New York and proceeds to sit on her butt, live rent free and then hook up with Kilroy immediately instead of trying to find out who she is and what she wants on her own was the last straw. I kept waiting for something, anything to make me like her-but nothing ever happened. When she went back to Madison it was too late and I really just wanted to finish the book since I don't like to leave things unfinished. I read a bad review for this book before I started, I should have listened and skipped this one. I'm giving it one star for the original idea but that's all I can muster.
Rating:
Summary: Gives you a lot to think about.....
Review: Many of the reviews I have read of this book are not about the book itself, but strong judgements against Carrie, the main character. Too many reviewers are slamming Carrie and passing judgements on the decisions she made as "cruel", "selfish", and "not someone I'd like to know". Isn't good writing about challenging us to know people or situations we wouldn't know in real life, to see things from another's point of view, to be open and not condemn? Many readers are uneasy or angry at this novel because they cannot see themselves acting as Carrie did in her situation. However, as a single woman having been through a few difficult crisises myself, I related to Carrie and could understand where her "fight or flight" instincts kicked in. Why I don't agree with some of the decisions this character made, I did not judge her or poorly rate the book because its not what I personally would have done. Overall I enjoyed this book (didn't like the ending, however) and it challenged me to think about some of my own attitudes and decisions (when do you start living for yourself and not for everyone else?). Any book that has that effect on you is a winner in my opinion.
| 
