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Summary: Mom vs. Mom?
Review: A wonderful story. I don't like to give away how stories are told but I have to say I wasn't expecting what happened in this book. I am amazed at how much I loved these characters. This is one of those books you don't want to end. This was my first book by Leclaire and it will not be my last. She is a wonderful heartfelt writer that makes me excited to find her books.
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Summary: Finding friendship where you least expect it
Review: Anne LeClaire is truly a gifted storyteller. This is the first novel I have read by her and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Opal Gates, a young unwed mother, and Rose Nelson, a middle-aged homemaker, could not be two more different people. But when Opal moves north from her home in New Zion, North Carolina to make a fresh start in the small town of Normal, Massachusetts she and Rose are soon thrown together as next door neighbors for better and for worse. There's an old saying that goes "you never know who your friends are," a fact that Opal and Rose soon discover as difficult times come around for each of them and they feel the need to lean on each other. This is an excellent and very well written story.
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Summary: Character development, a let down...
Review: But that's not all. I did not really feel anything for these characters, as they were not fully developed. Furthermore, Rose, Opal & Ned seemed to morph into almost similiar personalities by the end of the book. (Near the end, Opal swears less than she did earlier in the book; Rose more; Ned the same.) I kept reading, because I thought the story might be interesting, even if the writing style was a little annoying. Then, I got to the end and was further dissappointed. The ending did seem quite unplausable, reminding me of a made for TV movie. I read this book and instead of the satisfied feeling you typically get after a good book, I felt that I wasted my time.
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Summary: Memorable Book and Memorable Characters
Review: Entering Normal by Anne D. Leclaire is one of those books that finds you reading late into the night and asking for more. As I was about to finish this book, I was sorry I couldn't be reading it for the first time. I was so sorry to see the pages almost turning themselves for a book which turned out to be a very memorable read.Opal is the 20 year old unmarried mother of a five year old son named Zack. Refusing to live with her critical and overbearing mother any longer, Rose rolls dice from a Monopoly game and decides to fill up her car according to the number which appears. Wherever her car runs out of gas is where she is plannign on staying. And soon enough she finds herself and Zack entering Normal, Mass. Moving next door to Rose and Ned, Opal settles into hometown life spending time with her son
and making dolls for a toy store in town. Rose on the other hand isn't doing much of anything. Shrouded in grief from a tragic death five years before, Rose's feels as though she has little in her life to look forward to and ignores Opal and Zack. But when Opal needs Rose's help, Rose manages to set aside her grief. How these two women help each other to be there when life turns on a dime for them is the focus of this book which I really enjoyed. The book packs many an emotional punch and shows readers how friends can and do become family. Rose and Opal are two wonderful characters who I miss already and will never forget. Similar to themes explored both by Jacquelyn Mitchard and Alice Hoffman, Anne D. Leclaire is a new to me author but one whom I plan on reading in the future.
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Summary: Get your tissues ready for this one
Review: Entering Normal is a tale of two moms. One who lost her son in an accident five years ago and one who moves away from her family and sons' father to better her life and make a new start. Although these women do not see eye to eye in the beginning they grow close sharing the bond of loss, love, and motherhood. This story will break your heart and then mend it. I will be looking for more books by Leclair!!
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Summary: entering normal: sceptical at first, but...
Review: entering normal: sceptical at first, but i really enjoyed reading this book. i really got into the two main characters and the story had a few twists and turns to be very interesting. and the ending was a bit of a surprise for me too. read the book, its well worth it.
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Summary: Entering the life of 2 powerful women
Review: Entering the lives of Rose and Opal provided me with an escape from my mundane summer & made me think so much about life and womanhood and our roles as wives, mothers, both, or neither. This is the book I've been waiting for. As I turned the pages, watching Rose and Opal battle and overcome troubles, my new husband and his new brother-in-law watched a movie they insisted I see. I could not put the book down! I would not put the book down. I even let my pizza get cold in the kitchen so that I could get more of Rose and Opal. This writer is wonderful! She gives us 2 women who are so very different and chapter after chapter she dismantles those differences. Read it! You'll love it!
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Summary: A powerful uplifting tale
Review: Five years has passed since Todd died and Rose Nelson waits every minute she breathes for a sign from her son. Rose remains in a constant of grief and disbelief since the accident took her child's life. Her relationship with her spouse Ned has never recovered from the stunning tragedy. Opal Gates and her five-year-old son Zack has moved next door to Rose after fleeing her family and the father of her son to start life anew. Rose would prefer to ignore the single mother and the child because she brings back memories of a happier time rather than the endless numbing she continually feels. However, Rose is soon drawn into Opal's fight to keep custody of Zack even though it means opening up her heart to love and hope, emotions that she thought died with Todd's death. ENTERING NORMAL is a powerful inspirational tale that never tries to explain why bad things happen to good people, but instead provides a message of hope. People grieve a loss of a loved one, but always need someone to care about and be cared for to remain human. Anne D. LeClaire provides her uplifting message inside a strong and entertaining story line starring real people who easy could be a reader, a relative, a friend. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Very Entertaining
Review: From the moment I opened this book, till the moment I put it down I was entralled with the folks of Normal. I feel like I know the town, the people. Opal drew me into her and will never let go. A great story a great read, the heart does in time mend and this book proves it. If you read one book this year, make it this one.
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Summary: wonderful heartwarming tale
Review: From the moment I started reading about Opal and Rose, I was hooked. Both women reached out off the page and grabbed me by the heart. Opal's struggle to be a good mother despite mistakes she can't seem to help making was both frustrating and empowering. Rose's pain was palpable, and Ned's struggles to understand his wife and deal with his own grief were an added dimension I wasn't used to seeing in women's fiction. I loved this book and needed tissues to dry my eyes at the end. I hope every Opal out there is lucky enough to find a Rose to love and support her.
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