Rating: 
Summary: sitcom tedium
Review: I loved this book. Charlotte is a wonderful heroine. She is a little dispirited at first, as things in the publishing world are not working out exactly as she'd planned. So, she decides to abandon writing and go where the money is, teaching elementary school! With this extremely amusing premise Ms. Lewis starts us off on the road with Charlotte to her realization of how exactly we can reinvent ourselves and end up back where we belong only a little better for the journey. I found this book charming, witty, delightful, a little sad and a lot inspiring. I advise you to buy two copies, one for your child's teacher and another for yourself. Sara Lewis captures children, parents, writers, and teachers with kindness and wit and you just don't want to miss out on spending time with such lovely wonderful characters.
Rating: 
Summary: The Perfect Gift Book for a teacher AND yourself!
Review: I loved this book. Charlotte is a wonderful heroine. She is a little dispirited at first, as things in the publishing world are not working out exactly as she'd planned. So, she decides to abandon writing and go where the money is, teaching elementary school! With this extremely amusing premise Ms. Lewis starts us off on the road with Charlotte to her realization of how exactly we can reinvent ourselves and end up back where we belong only a little better for the journey. I found this book charming, witty, delightful, a little sad and a lot inspiring. I advise you to buy two copies, one for your child's teacher and another for yourself. Sara Lewis captures children, parents, writers, and teachers with kindness and wit and you just don't want to miss out on spending time with such lovely wonderful characters.
Rating: 
Summary: A well-crafted story that gets dropped on its head.
Review: I really like Sara Lewis and think that many women of all ages can relate to her books. In "Second Draft of My Life", her heroine is a forty two year old writer named Charlotte, who is determined to leave her life as a writer to become an elementary school teacher. Would-be novelists can learn a lot from the fictional Charlotte. So many writers believe that getting their first book published is the end of the rainbow. Charlotte's had five published, and the book realistically shows the fight to get distribution, publicity, sales and a movie tie-in. Perhaps Lewis speaks autobiographically, since she's been successful in getting published, but less so in terms of sales and notoriety. While Charlotte is changing professions, and coping with the real world of teaching young children, a challenge for the not-so-faint of heart, she's also given up a romance that was going nowhere and attempting to find a meaningful relationship. Although Lewis has the ability to see inside many angles of a woman's thought process and struggle through the everyday ups and downs of life, and although her gentle humor is heartwarming and charming, overall, this particular novel didn't succeed with me. Throughout the first 225 pages, Lewis successfully gives us the ups and downs of Charlotte's attempt to start over. You become invested in what she is doing, and what decisions she will make to tinker with the path she's put herself on. And though you know there will be a happy ending, you're not prepared for the speed at which a simplistic idea that Charlotte sort of falls into, turns it all around for her, buttoning up all her loose ends, and doing a 180 degree turn....all in the last 75 pages of the book. Too many answers in too little time...Lewis seems to tire of the story and want to wrap it up fast. Try other books by Lewis before you read this one, and you will see her skill in the art of writing for and about women.
Rating:
Summary: A well-crafted story that gets dropped on its head.
Review: I really like Sara Lewis and think that many women of all ages can relate to her books. In "Second Draft of My Life", her heroine is a forty two year old writer named Charlotte, who is determined to leave her life as a writer to become an elementary school teacher. Would-be novelists can learn a lot from the fictional Charlotte. So many writers believe that getting their first book published is the end of the rainbow. Charlotte's had five published, and the book realistically shows the fight to get distribution, publicity, sales and a movie tie-in. Perhaps Lewis speaks autobiographically, since she's been successful in getting published, but less so in terms of sales and notoriety. While Charlotte is changing professions, and coping with the real world of teaching young children, a challenge for the not-so-faint of heart, she's also given up a romance that was going nowhere and attempting to find a meaningful relationship. Although Lewis has the ability to see inside many angles of a woman's thought process and struggle through the everyday ups and downs of life, and although her gentle humor is heartwarming and charming, overall, this particular novel didn't succeed with me. Throughout the first 225 pages, Lewis successfully gives us the ups and downs of Charlotte's attempt to start over. You become invested in what she is doing, and what decisions she will make to tinker with the path she's put herself on. And though you know there will be a happy ending, you're not prepared for the speed at which a simplistic idea that Charlotte sort of falls into, turns it all around for her, buttoning up all her loose ends, and doing a 180 degree turn....all in the last 75 pages of the book. Too many answers in too little time...Lewis seems to tire of the story and want to wrap it up fast. Try other books by Lewis before you read this one, and you will see her skill in the art of writing for and about women.
Rating:
Summary: A well-crafted story that gets dropped on its head.
Review: I really like Sara Lewis and think that many women of all ages can relate to her books. In "Second Draft of My Life", her heroine is a forty two year old writer named Charlotte, who is determined to leave her life as a writer to become an elementary school teacher. Would-be novelists can learn a lot from the fictional Charlotte. So many writers believe that getting their first book published is the end of the rainbow. Charlotte's had five published, and the book realistically shows the fight to get distribution, publicity, sales and a movie tie-in. Perhaps Lewis speaks autobiographically, since she's been successful in getting published, but less so in terms of sales and notoriety. While Charlotte is changing professions, and coping with the real world of teaching young children, a challenge for the not-so-faint of heart, she's also given up a romance that was going nowhere and attempting to find a meaningful relationship. Although Lewis has the ability to see inside many angles of a woman's thought process and struggle through the everyday ups and downs of life, and although her gentle humor is heartwarming and charming, overall, this particular novel didn't succeed with me. Throughout the first 225 pages, Lewis successfully gives us the ups and downs of Charlotte's attempt to start over. You become invested in what she is doing, and what decisions she will make to tinker with the path she's put herself on. And though you know there will be a happy ending, you're not prepared for the speed at which a simplistic idea that Charlotte sort of falls into, turns it all around for her, buttoning up all her loose ends, and doing a 180 degree turn....all in the last 75 pages of the book. Too many answers in too little time...Lewis seems to tire of the story and want to wrap it up fast. Try other books by Lewis before you read this one, and you will see her skill in the art of writing for and about women.
Rating:
Summary: Looking for a perfect summer read?
Review: I'll admit that I'm an unabashed Sara Lewis fan, and was thrilled to see that she had a new book out. SECOND DRAFT OF MY LIFE is sure to delight readers of her previous titles, and should attract new fans as well (these lucky folks will have three other novels and a book of short stories to catch up on!). The heroine of the book is Charlotte Dearborn, a talented but unsuccessful author whose novels got great reviews, but never caught on with the general public. Finally, Charlotte declares that she's through writing fiction (AND through with her unsupportive boyfriend). She gets a job teaching grade school. The book is primarily about her trials and tribulations as a teacher. While I've never been a teacher, Charlotte's ups and downs in the classroom seemed amazingly true to life. She also crosses paths with a number of potential Mr. Rights who all seem to turn into Mr. Wrongs. SECOND DRAFT doesn't sugarcoat Charlotte's despair -- in fact, it's a pretty dark book compared to the much more lighthearted THE ANSWER IS YES and BUT I LOVE YOU ANYWAY. If there's a flaw, it's that the ending seems TOO upbeat compared to what has come before, and I didn't quite buy it. However, if you're looking for a fun summer read that's well-written as well as just plain entertaining (according to the bio at saralewis.com, the author has written for the New Yorker AND Mademoiselle!), check out SECOND DRAFT OF MY LIFE.
Rating:
Summary: Inspirational
Review: It's rare that a book really lifts your spirits, but this one does and then some. I was feeling really down in the dumps when I started this one, but by the end I was really motivated to take the first step towards achieving my goals.
This is such a great book because it is both painfully realistic - the protaganist hasn't figured out what to do with her life, all her romantic prospects are distinctly unimpressive and she's losing the battle of the bulge - and at the same time it's also uplifting and inspirational (especially the ending, which is totally unexpected and utterly charming).
I can't wait to read more by this author. If she isn't huge now she deserves to be. Sara Lewis is simply amazing.
Rating:
Summary: Funny and poignant
Review: Lewis's novel gives a realistic (and sobering) view of the publishing world. The female protagonist, Charlotte trades in her writing career to become a first-grade teacher. Since I was a not-very-good teacher for ten years, I completely identified with the main character. I also loved Lewis's self-depreciating voice. There's something so true and heartfelt about her writing style, and she wraps the book up in an extremely inventive way. I was so sad when the book ended
Rating:
Summary: Funny and poignant
Review: Lewis's novel gives a realistic (and sobering) view of the publishing world. The female protagonist, Charlotte trades in her writing career to become a first-grade teacher. Since I was a not-very-good teacher for ten years, I completely identified with the main character. I also loved Lewis's self-depreciating voice. There's something so true and heartfelt about her writing style, and she wraps the book up in an extremely inventive way. I was so sad when the book ended
Rating: 
Summary: inspiring, quick read
Review: Poor Charlotte Dearborn! The protagonist of Sara Lewis' new novel is a writer who has several novels under her belt, and even though she is praised by critics, her peers constantly overlook her and her work doesn't sell very much. When she's nominated in the wrong category (Horror) at an awards dinner, she makes the sudden decision to quit her writing career and become a teacher. Unfortunately, Charlotte does't fair much better in the classroom. She goes into her new career with excitement and good intent, but her methods of teaching are always under the critical eye of her fellow teachers and her students run wild. After several months of struggle, one of the characters from a novel that Charlotte abandoned comes back to inspire a complete change in attitude and outlook. I love Sara Lewis' writing. I just wish her books took longer to read (I devoured this one in an afternoon). While I was frustrated by the constant oppositions that Charlotte faced (if my co-workers were *ever* that rude to me there's no way I would tolerate it) both with her publisher and in her school, I was really delighted with the way she embraced her students and earnestly gave it her all. I was greatly inspired by the changes Charlotte made in her life- it made me think about who I would change into if given the opportunity. My only wish was that the book devoted more time to discussing the results of the change in Charlotte's life instead of a few pages at the very end. Regardless, I highly recommend it. I think Sara Lewis is a fantastic writer who deserves more attention. I just hope the book isn't an indication that she's considering a change in career!
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