Rating: 
Summary: Very worthwhile read!
Review: The Book Club is a most entertaining and thought-provoking book. I agree with an earlier comment that some of the characters weren't well developed, however this does not make them any less real or less important to the developement of the story as a whole. I thought the book was beautifully written and the characters were, in general, representative of some of the women I have known in my own life. Some of their reactions and responses to the trials of life were, at times, difficult to believe or approve of. This may be a more appropriate representation of the way real people respond to life's twists. The lesson is: we are not here to approve or disapprove of peoples actions or reactions, we are to encourage and accept. Over-all, it is a great book, worth the effort to read...perhaps worth the effort to re-read on a regular basis.
Rating:
Summary: Long live our investment in feminine relationships!
Review: The Book Club is an important book. It is a bridge from pure romance to story telling with a purpose. Ms. Monroe makes a realistic attempt to depict the effort made by a group of woman to invest in friendships through a literary venue. It is a story about woman who try to raise the level of their lives by reading good books. In truth, I think Ms. Monroe is suggesting, however delicately, that what we read makes a difference in our lives. I consider this book an attempt to raise the level of romance and still keep a good story moving. Bravo Monroe! Keep asking our women characters to examine their lives and choices.
Rating: 
Summary: A great story about relationships.
Review: The book introduces us to characters that are dealing with all kinds of relationships - husbands, lovers, mothers (eek!), children & friends. We watch the characters deal with a wide variety of problems, each in their unique way. A good read.
Rating:
Summary: A real story of women and their friendships.
Review: The characters of "The Book Club" are so real. Throughout the book you can relate to every character and their story. We have all gone through similiar situations. I loved this book. It made me laugh and cry. The Epilouge was truly moving. A must read, especially with the popularity of Book Groups today. You can see yourself or group in this story of friendship.
Rating:
Summary: best book this year!
Review: The characters were so realistic I felt like I knew them. I laughed and cried right along with them. It made me think a lot about people and relationships. I strongly recommend this book!
Rating:
Summary: A great book...for men and women!
Review: The paperback The Book Club, by Mary Alice Monroe, is a very interesting story of five middle-aged women. I enjoyed this book because it was something different from what I've read in the past, and it was a great change. The women in the story are real life people, and they go through real life experiences. They have to face the challenges of becoming older and clinging onto the little bit of youth that they have left. I rated this book a five for many reasons. One of which is the fact that Mary Alice Monroe is a very good descriptive writer. She thoroughly explains each character in the book, even the ones that aren't essential to the plot. Another reason that I gave it this rating is because she uses great examples of personification. One line in the book is: "Pushing open the heavy wood door, she stepped out into a beautiful spring day and felt the sunshine kiss her cheeks..." This is just one of the times she compares inanimate things doing human-like actions. Finally, the other reason I completely enjoyed this book is because it's a book that can be understood by anyone. Almost anybody that reads it can relate to the way the women's emotions in the book because they have human feelings, just like everyone else does. This book wasn't a mystery, like what I usually read, and so I thought it was an excellent choice for a change in literature. I highly recommend this book, not just for the women, but for the men as well, it's a great read.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting Premise
Review: The premise is interesting, the use of quotes for each chapter has promise and concentrating the book on 5 characters is intriguing. Unfortunately Monroe does not deliver - the dialog is trite and hackneyed. Who says "You Go Girl"???? I groaned every time that phrase was used. The quotes used as headings are interesting, but then the analogies during the chapter to support it are just too much. Especially grating was the reference to Jack London's Buck, leaders, the pack and Evie threatening to bite someone's finger. These female characters just do not ring true. Doris comes the closest, with Gabriellla not too far behind - but she also gets the least attention, the easiest problem that is all solved when her "friends" from the book club come over, clean her house and open a box of crackers. Who are these women? How did they meet and get to be friends? Are they really friends? It's never adequately explained or explored. This book comes close - but it's a miss.
Rating:
Summary: Life-Affirming
Review: The reader can see herself in each of these very human characters. The story is beautifully written, not a romance, but rather a love story between friends. Kudos to the author!
Rating:
Summary: I can't believe I read the whole thing!
Review: The summary on the back of the book drew me to it, but it was a huge disappointment! I thought the author tried too hard with telling us about each character, instead of letting me interpret their dialogue and actions for myself. I was also annoyed how just about every chapter included a brief, general paragraph summarizing what each person had done over the past week or month. The books read by their book club are only briefly mentioned and I expected to interpret for myself the comparisons of the women to their book club selections. Instead, I felt the author didn't have enough confidence in her readers to figure out these relationships for ourselves; instead choosing to say things like, "Doris is like the main character in The Awakening because she's going through a mid-life crisis and has an unfaithful husband." I thought many of the "revelations" the women had over the course of the novel were excessively cheesy and very cliched, like a really poorly-acted soap opera. I guess I just prefer books with very well-developed, memorable characters that resonate with me long after I've finished the book. I'll probably forget all about these characters within the next day or two!
Rating:
Summary: I can't believe I read the whole thing!
Review: The summary on the back of the book drew me to it, but it was a huge disappointment! I thought the author tried too hard with telling us about each character, instead of letting me interpret their dialogue and actions for myself. I was also annoyed how just about every chapter included a brief, general paragraph summarizing what each person had done over the past week or month. The books read by their book club are only briefly mentioned and I expected to interpret for myself the comparisons of the women to their book club selections. Instead, I felt the author didn't have enough confidence in her readers to figure out these relationships for ourselves; instead choosing to say things like, "Doris is like the main character in The Awakening because she's going through a mid-life crisis and has an unfaithful husband." I thought many of the "revelations" the women had over the course of the novel were excessively cheesy and very cliched, like a really poorly-acted soap opera. I guess I just prefer books with very well-developed, memorable characters that resonate with me long after I've finished the book. I'll probably forget all about these characters within the next day or two!
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