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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.
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Summary: A Fun read
Review: A good story about real feelings done in a sometimes funny way.
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Summary: A touching, magic, lyrical story
Review: Patty is in love with a gay man and wants a child -- dilemmas one might not be able to relate to, but such is Elizabeth Berg's magic that she draws readers into this particular story as strongly as if it were reality. She makes the difficult and complex choices of Patty and the object of her affection, Ethan, seem natural -- the initial decision to conceive a baby, then a move to Minneapolis where Ethan feels he might better simulate heterosexuality, Patty's everyday irritation with the tumults of pregnancy, and finally, welcoming a child against the backdrop of Patty's mother's recent diagnosis of Alzheimer's. One life is ushered in as another is slowly but surely escorted out; the smooth ebb and flow of being continues, and Berg, as always, renders every moment lyric and wonderful.
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Summary: This was a fun book
Review: As my title says...fun. It's a quick read. I enjoyed it, read it in one day. I was hooked. I love Berg's writing. Purely for women. I've read all of hers, Open House was probably my favorite. I'd recommend her.
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Summary: I really enjoyed this book!
Review: Have you ever wanted a relationship to work so bad you talked yourself out of all the rational reasons to leave it??? Enter Patty. Wow! I'm baffled to hear some readers say how dissapointed they were with this book due to Patty's weak character. First of all, I really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed it so much I read it in less than 3 days, and for me, that's rare. Not all made up characters, like real people in this world, have to be heroines who are strong, outgoing, go for the gusto kind of people. Patty is a real woman in my eyes. She knows what she wants and she's willing to ask for it (a baby), yet is vulnerable because she is so much in love with her ex-boyfriend that she's having a seriously hard time moving on to a new relationship. What woman hasn't had a hard time moving on from a previous relationship, wishing and hoping that "he" will just instantly "change" one day. Okay, maybe the marajuana experience seemed a little out of character for Patty given the fact that she won't even drink coffee while she's pregnant, but other than that, I found it touching and sad, but realistic.
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Summary: Don't Bother especially if you've already read Open House
Review: After reading Open House which I enjoyed, I immediately got several of Berg's other books. This book is a disappointment. The main character is weak and stuck feeling sorry for herself, and many of the other characters (Elaine and Mark) are not well developed. This book feels like it's from another era where women didn't know how to deal with their problems and get what they really wanted in life. Yes, Patty gets her baby, but what about dealing with all the relationship and career issues in her life?? While Berg generally promotes close female friendships, I had problems with Elaine's lack of loyalty. Aren't some bonds more sacred than getting the man? Skip this one.
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Summary: Frustrating!
Review: This is the second Elizabeth Berg novel I've read. I decided to try it after being disappointed by "Open House". This book sure did not make up for "Open House". I found the same problems with this book. Why does Berg insist on her lead female characters being so stupid? It is very frustrating for me. They appear to be very helpless, no self-esteem and are waiting for the man to save them. What kind of crap is this?! It drives me crazy because parts of the book caused me to say, "That's just how I feel", and then turn around and have the character say and do the most stupid things. This is a fast and easy read, and there are some thought-provoking ideas in the book, but I must warn you that you may end up very frustrated!
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Summary: I've seen better from Ms. Berg
Review: I was rather disappointed with this effort from the usually interesting and insighful Elizabeth Berg. While still moderately enjoyable, she managed to irritate me with the heroine of this tale. While she seems to be a rather intelligent woman, the main character comes across more often than not as blind, deaf and dumb. In love with a man who will never love her the way she wants in return, she refuses to see it, hear it or believe that she has no chance with him, even to the point where she convinces him to conceive a child with her, hoping it will make him see what he is missing. Instead of feeling sorry for her, I wound up wanting to scream "Wake up and smell the rejection, honey!" I found this to be more frustrating than any other Berg book.
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Summary: The ticking clock...
Review: UNTIL THE REAL THING COMES ALONG is about Patty Murphy and her need to have a baby. It seems to be her yearning in this point of her life, but there is something missing: a husband. She doesn't lack for suitors. In fact, she starts dating Mark, a very eligible bachelor who meets her via a blind date set up by her best friend and ex fiance Ethan (who also happens to be gay). She tries to like Mark. And she does! But there is something missing - he's not Ethan.Half way through the book Patty and Ethan decide that it is time for them to have a baby. Patty is ecstatic! But life never goes the way one plans, and through this experience she learns how to accept life for what it gives her.
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Summary: a fun and easy read
Review: I was appalled to read such wretched reviews of this book! Without having written a review before, I had to set the record straight and stand up for this book, which I thought to be quite enjoyable. The comment was made that this book was a little out of touch. How could a woman cling on so incessantly to her gay best friend??.... However, just because you've never experienced it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. I think this book is a very relaxing read; it is funny, upfront, and has a flow that prevented me from putting it down.... but until then, take this book for what it's worth - an excellent escape from reality into a world that is crazy and adventurous, yet at the same time, simple and real. Berg's frankness as she delves into the everyday thoughts of women is great comic relief.
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