Liner Notes

Rating:
Summary: Music and memories
Review: Emily Franklin has written a brilliant first novel. From the first line the reader hops in, fastens the seatbelt, and prepares to go along for the ride -- forward and reverse, and around the bend. You will rush back to your mixes and like Laney, remember who, what, when, where, why -- and feel fortunate to have grown up in the pre-CD era when the reality was that a tape could be eaten, become warped, yet not change a beat; thus would be added another chapter to the story of that mix.
I heard the author read excerpts of the novel at Borders in NYC. If you can catch one of her appearances, go! (see www.emilyfranklin.com for info)

Rating:
Summary: Great book about mother daughter relationships
Review: I'm pretty sure one reason I really loved this book is because of the main character, Laney...I swear she could be me or one of my high school or college friends. I am 29 and the time frame lines up with mine as does the narrator's outlook while growing up. I love the way she gradually opens up her tapes to her mom and lets her know what she missed in her daugher's life when she was battling her sickness. The only reason I docked it one star is because it was very predictable and anti-climatic in the end. It also seems to fastforward in the end in a way that does not match the rest of the book. Otherwise, I read it quickly and related to it immediately. Great quick read!

Rating:
Summary: A must read!
Review: Laney sees her life as a series of episodes - and flashes back to each one by listening to her old mix tapes. Franklin's novel is engaging, funny, wry and moving - a near-perfect read. If you liked High Fidelity, you will like this book and pass it on to your friends (or mom).

Rating:
Summary: Road-trip story with a twist!
Review: Liner Notes is an engaging road-trip story with a twist. Instead of a group of friends or two lovers, it's Laney and her mother, working through their mottled pasts as they drive across the country. They delve into family relationships, the mother's illness, and Laney's failed romances, all memories sparked by intriguing mixed tapes, the soundtrack to Laney's life. Some of the most gorgeous scenes are the tender renditions of the mother's long fight with cancer and the shadow this illness cast on Laney's young adult years. A great read for mothers and daughters or anyone who loves the kind of music found on cassette tapes under the seat of a well-worn car.

Rating:
Summary: Great book about mother daughter relationships
Review: This book is based on a great premise -- a road trip with your mom listening to old "mixes" and remembering the stories that went with them. For that, I give the well-written beginning 5 stars; for the lack-luster, unimaginative ending I have to drop the overall stars to "4." Its still a good read, but a better ending would have made it a great read.

(...). I would have preferred, however, if the main character had actively pursued a final relationship with some "tooth" and didn't have it just dumped in her lap.

Rating:
Summary: Unforgettable
Review: To start her new job working in art restoration for a Boston museum, thirty-year-old Laney plans to drive across the country with the music tapes she created by herself. Laney looks back at how she envisioned this trek with a boyfriend or her close girlfriends, but she has no one to accompany her. However, that solo drive ends when her mother, who was very ill but recovered, flies out to join her so that they can reconnect on the cross-country drive.

At the beginning of the trip, Laney resents her mother's intrusion. However, as they begin to use her tapes and reflect back as to when Laney made them, they share memories that only a mother and a daughter can have.

Up front, this author hooked me when her bio stated she works for the NPR Car Talk show, whose hosts provide one of the funniest helpful shows that is a hit on the radio (a new carburetor every 40 years?). Back to LINER NOTES: The story line is intriguing as Laney reflects back on her life based on the event that triggered a specific tape that she created. She is the center that holds together this road show novel as she searches into her past seeking the answer to why relationships seem to end while her mom just wants to reconnect. The tale of the tapes is fascinating, but at times the numerous tracks can interfere with an intriguing plot, gimmick and all.

Harriet Klausner