Rating: 
Summary: "P.S."... what?
Review: "P.S." raises an interesting question: what if you had a second chance with someone who is -- or is very like -- your first and only real love? Helen Schulman makes a real effort to delve into the questions about love, lust, memories, and reincarnation... but she never quite figures out how to answer those questions.
Years ago, Louisa was in love with Scott Feinstadt, a sexy charmer who died abruptly, leaving her teenage emotions up in the air. Now she is thirty-eight, divorced from a sex-addicted husband, and living a dull life as a college admissions administrator. Enter F. Scott Feinstadt, a hunky young student who is the spitting image of her dead lover.
Soon Louisa has taken up with F. Scott again, feeling as if she's been given a second chance with the man she loved -- their age differences and different lives make no difference. But what does make a difference is Louisa's ex-husband and her catty best friend. And when her friend spills the beans about Louisa's two Scott Feinstadts, it may destroy her new relationship.
As an idea, "P.S." can't be matched. Schulman dives headfirst into a sort of metaphysical (and VERY physical) tale that just avoids being a Mrs. Robinson story. Is F. Scott a reincarnation, a son, or a cosmic sign? It's also a very compelling story of a woman approaching middle-age, who is looking back on a life devoid of passion and happiness.
What it lacks is a real answer to its own questions. Okay, the ending decides what F. Scott isn't -- but it never tells us what he is either. The similarities between him and his predecessor never quite get explained, but there are too many of them for it to be a coincidence. It sort of putters slowly to a stop, and Schulman's glossy writing can't hide its problems.
Louisa may also annoy readers, since she's a bit of a doormat -- she married a guy she didn't love and stays vaguely interested even though he's a louse. And she remains friends with a woman who seems determined to wreck her life. Why does she have anything to do with these losers? The confused F. Scott is a more likable guy, especially since he's definitely an upgrade from the original model -- he's sweeter, more sensitive, and more monogamous.
"P.S." has some good idea lurking behind the story, but Helen Schulman seems to have written it without a clear idea of how to explain it. An interesting yet very confusing read.
Rating: 
Summary: More Praise for Schulman
Review: Funny and smart characters. Wonderful plot. I enjoyed this book immensely and read it in a day! Highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: An A+ on Insight
Review: Helen Schulman did a good job with this one. Her prose is witty and fun and above all, real. My roomate gave me this book saying, "I've never read something and felt like I was in someone else's head, but this is YOU." I'm glad for the comparison. That's not to say I didn't have my problems. The boyfriend similarities are tiresome at times, way too many people end up crying . . . but, with Schulman's insights into relationships -- with men, present and past, and girlfriends, and brothers -- I didn't really mind so much. I'd very much like to read another novel by the author.
Rating:
Summary: Startling, Sensuous . . . Superb
Review: Helen Schulman, in her short stories and wondrous book "The Revisionist", has delt with romance ending, romance that never happened, romance that caused everlasting pain. This is the first of her works to deal with a romance that ends in death, and yet doesn't quite. There are small and troubling and lovely moments in this book. But much more.
Someone innocently asked me this morning, What is the sexiest book you've ever read? This was the easiest question I've ever been asked, perhaps even easier that my own name. "P.S." is the sexiest book I have ever read. It ranks a notch above "Lolita" and "Lady Chatterly's Lover" in the sensuous sex department because a) there is no guilt nor wheelchaired husbands around and b) an intelligent, ready-for-passion woman is in control. This book is devilish fun! Who wouldn't want to go back to their sexy first lover and woo them all over, this time with wisdom, intellect and wit. "P.S." is a perfect novel for any season but it is especially wonderful for hot, sticky days on the beach. If this book doesn't get you in the mood for summer lovin', you need to have your battery checked.
Rating:
Summary: Startling, Sensuous . . . Superb
Review: Helen Schulman, in her short stories and wondrous book "The Revisionist", has delt with romance ending, romance that never happened, romance that caused everlasting pain. This is the first of her works to deal with a romance that ends in death, and yet doesn't quite. There are small and troubling and lovely moments in this book. But much more.
Someone innocently asked me this morning, What is the sexiest book you've ever read? This was the easiest question I've ever been asked, perhaps even easier that my own name. "P.S." is the sexiest book I have ever read. It ranks a notch above "Lolita" and "Lady Chatterly's Lover" in the sensuous sex department because a) there is no guilt nor wheelchaired husbands around and b) an intelligent, ready-for-passion woman is in control. This book is devilish fun! Who wouldn't want to go back to their sexy first lover and woo them all over, this time with wisdom, intellect and wit. "P.S." is a perfect novel for any season but it is especially wonderful for hot, sticky days on the beach. If this book doesn't get you in the mood for summer lovin', you need to have your battery checked.
Rating:
Summary: Swept me off my feet
Review: I bought this book because I like reading books before seeing the movie and I thought it looked good. I was not disappointed. The beginning of the book is a little slow - it does fill you in on histories and such, but it's almost tempting to put down because it's not the best opening. Keep reading, and it'll suck you in. It truly was written beautifully. A quick read - barely 200 pages - but you'll be thinking about it afterwards, wondering what all happens next. My only complaint (besides the slow beginning, that is) is that I wish we could have seen what happens next, after the book ends. I wondered what happened between all the different friendships and such. Overall, very good, very sensual. I'l recommend it for some nice winer reading, curled up in front of a fire! :)
Rating:
Summary: P.S.........I LIKED it!!!!!
Review: I can't say I loved this book....I didn't.....but I really liked it. The concept of F. Scott and Sctt was cool but different and really far-fetched in my eyes. I really like Louise...Missy...however.... was the kind of person I'd love to stomp on!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: It really does give a new meaning to deja vu!
Review: I had fun with this novel. It is a rather unique romance that gives you a new meaning to deja vu. Louise has just run into her childhood love. But it can't be. He died 20 years ago in a car wreck. Actually, it is a whole other person -- or is he? Everything seems to match, including date of birth and other characteristics. The heroine takes us in a witty and sensuous journey in which she tries to figure out who this mysterious person is. I loved the characterization and witty dialogue. This is the first Helen Schulman novel I have read, and, believe me, it won't be the last. I highly recommend this title.
Rating: 
Summary: Major disappointment
Review: I heard about this book because of the movie coming out and it sounded like an interesting premise. A middle aged woman still has a longing for a high school boyfriend who died tragically just when he went off to college. Twenty years later, when she works in the admissions office of Columbia University, she comes across an applicant with the same name as her former flame, Scott Feinstadt. When she meets him, she's startled to find that not only does he share the same name as her former flame, but he even looks like him, talks like him, appears to be an exact clone of him. How can this be?
Well, with a premise like that...I was expecting this novel to be about reincarnation or cloning. I read it, hoping to see where the author leads the reader on this intriguing premise. Maybe its the fault of my expectations, for I was looking forward to metaphysical insight and a deeply spiritual book or an interesting look at the ultimate meaning of cloning...but the author leads the reader no where. It's inconclusive just who the new Scott Feinstadt really is. One clue that he's probably not the reincarnation of her former flame is that he was born before the other died. That's either an author error or a well hidden clue that this novel isn't about reincarnation.
Some of the writing is good and funny, but the overall style is annoying to read as the author gives many segues into the past that interrupt the flow of the novel for me. The novel is written in third person, but it mainly focuses on Louise Harrington, so perhaps it should have been first person, because the novel offers little insight into what the other characters are thinking. We see everything from Louise's point of view, and if its going to be that way, then why not make it first person? If one is going to use third person POV, then take advantage of it by showing us what Scott Feinstadt was thinking or the other people in the novel.
Disappointing read. Here's hoping the movie will be a vast improvement. I think the reincarnation angle is intriguing and should be developed more. It would have made for a vastly superior story.
Rating:
Summary: R-rated
Review: I rate this book a 3 because Schulman is an amazing writer and this is a great concept and a well-written story, but I couldn't get through it. If you would rather not read bad language and sex scenes, as I would rather not, I just write this review as a warning so you'll know what to expect. It would have been a fun book to read.
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