The Three of Us (Beeler)

Rating:
Summary: interesting
Review: I liked this book to an extent. The robbery/murder didn't sway me in any way and I guess I never felt the terror the author was trying to conjure up. Then, my second problem is my belief that usually people involved in a crime don't want to see one another again or be reminded of the crime in any way. So, why would these 3 women who really don't have much in common become friends? While you could figure out what would happen when each woman stated what her dreams and regret's were, I do feel that the story in general was entertaining and worth reading. While there were too many characters in this book, it did have a great ending. I would say this is a good book to read on vacation or at the beach.

Rating:
Summary: develop the art of skimming....
Review: I was hoping for so much more from this book. The three major protagonists are likeable and although wealthier than the average reader will be, easy to identify with. That said, the solutions to their problems are all too superficial. For example,we have one more over-weight woman losing weight and turning her life around. But my major disappointments are two: there are far too many pages that are just plain dull and unnecessary to plot or character development [filler?] that I just skipped after a while. And the major change in Kip's life seems contrived [I won't say more to avoid ruining the book for someone else]. I managed to finish the book by skimming, but this is my last Cynthia Victor book.

Rating:
Summary: develop the art of skimming....
Review: I was hoping for so much more from this book. The three major protagonists are likeable and although wealthier than the average reader will be, easy to identify with. That said, the solutions to their problems are all too superficial. For example,we have one more over-weight woman losing weight and turning her life around. But my major disappointments are two: there are far too many pages that are just plain dull and unnecessary to plot or character development [filler?] that I just skipped after a while. And the major change in Kip's life seems contrived [I won't say more to avoid ruining the book for someone else]. I managed to finish the book by skimming, but this is my last Cynthia Victor book.

Rating:
Summary: Three Women Find Triumph in Friendship Born of Tragedy
Review: Kip Hallman, Nora Levin, and Eloise Bentley all survive a brutal robbery/murder at an exclusive New York boutique. Their friendship is developed out of this tragedy and the three women stay in touch and form a support group. They soon learn that each has one big regret in life and it will come as no surprise to the reader that each will turn her regret into her proudest accomplishment.

The problem I had with this book is that their regrets were very superficial. Each woman is very wealthy and has a good life. It is hard to empathize with wealthy, glamourous women who discover a hangnail on the way to their weekly manicure.

Kip is a middle-aged woman who had been a high school ice-skating superstar. The fact that she wants to reclaim her ice-skating abilities seems trivial to me. Shouldn't a woman in her 30's have a more substantial primary goal than relearning to ice-skate? Nora has a fear of committment yet seems fairly cruel to the one man she claims to regret having loved and lost. Eloise has a weight problem, but as the editor-in-chief of a leading magazine for women, couldn't a few trips to Weight Watchers or a personal trainer have solved her poor eating habits? She didn't seem quite as upset about her husband leaving her for another woman, a problem I would have thought much more important.

Perhaps the fact that these women were so wealthy and had so many good things in their lives trivialized their problems. Perhaps the fact that the friendship seemed forced and not all that real was another drawback of this book. Their initial meeting seemed forced and that set the tone for the rest of the book. Friendship is more than a once-a week three-way phone call listing your "best moment" and "worst moment" of the week, but these three seemed to have no more than that.

Having said all this, I'd say the book is Ok, just not the best book on womens friendships I've read. There were also too many characters introduced and dropped as well as a major situation concerning Kip's husband that came from out of left-field and was suppose to be the ultimate bonding experience for the three.

This is not a bad book, but in light of all the truly good books on women friendships out there, it is perhaps not the best choice.

Rating:
Summary: Three Women Find Triumph in Friendship Born of Tragedy
Review: Kip Hallman, Nora Levin, and Eloise Bentley all survive a brutal robbery/murder at an exclusive New York boutique. Their friendship is developed out of this tragedy and the three women stay in touch and form a support group. They soon learn that each has one big regret in life and it will come as no surprise to the reader that each will turn her regret into her proudest accomplishment.

The problem I had with this book is that their regrets were very superficial. Each woman is very wealthy and has a good life. It is hard to empathize with wealthy, glamourous women who discover a hangnail on the way to their weekly manicure.

Kip is a middle-aged woman who had been a high school ice-skating superstar. The fact that she wants to reclaim her ice-skating abilities seems trivial to me. Shouldn't a woman in her 30's have a more substantial primary goal than relearning to ice-skate? Nora has a fear of committment yet seems fairly cruel to the one man she claims to regret having loved and lost. Eloise has a weight problem, but as the editor-in-chief of a leading magazine for women, couldn't a few trips to Weight Watchers or a personal trainer have solved her poor eating habits? She didn't seem quite as upset about her husband leaving her for another woman, a problem I would have thought much more important.

Perhaps the fact that these women were so wealthy and had so many good things in their lives trivialized their problems. Perhaps the fact that the friendship seemed forced and not all that real was another drawback of this book. Their initial meeting seemed forced and that set the tone for the rest of the book. Friendship is more than a once-a week three-way phone call listing your "best moment" and "worst moment" of the week, but these three seemed to have no more than that.

Having said all this, I'd say the book is Ok, just not the best book on womens friendships I've read. There were also too many characters introduced and dropped as well as a major situation concerning Kip's husband that came from out of left-field and was suppose to be the ultimate bonding experience for the three.

This is not a bad book, but in light of all the truly good books on women friendships out there, it is perhaps not the best choice.

Rating:
Summary: Compelling
Review: The story of three women who meet under the worst of circumstances "a robbery/murder", and form a bond of friendship.

It seems that after this life-altering event, each woman is having difficulties emotionally dealing with everyday life. They're afraid of sounds that go bump in the night, not sleeping, arguing with friends and family, eating like there's no tomorrow. The three woman decide that maybe they can help each other overcome their fears since no else seems to understand what they are going through so they arrange to chat on a weekly basis to discuss the best/worst moments of their past week.

Kip - wife, mother and former figure skater, who after being given a second chance at life decides to do something for herself -- but what?

Nora - single talented music producer has a fear of commitment -- why?

Eloise - editor of a woman's magazine whose husband leaves her as he's in love with someone else and expects her to be happy for him. Eloise does what she does best when faced with adversity, she eats -- but why?

Each woman seems to have it all on the surface but after having experienced a near death experience, each discovers something about themselves which they've hidden so deep in the subconscious that they are each amazed when they realize the real reasons for their fears and doubts but they also find out the true meaning of friendship. The plan is get Kip back on the ice, find the man Nora let get away and get Eloise on a diet. Things do not go according to plan but each woman finds out something about themselves that will change their lives forever. I loved Kip, Nora and Eloise for their strengths and their flaws and cried like a baby near the end of novel.

I've followed Ms. Victor's career since the release of "Relative Sins" in the early 1990's and she is an extraordinary storyteller -- you find yourself right in the middle of the plot. Her novels are wonderful!!!

Rating:
Summary: An incredible treat, a significant jolt.
Review: Three strangers suffer a near death tragedy, leaving them confused about their feelings towards family and life in general. Together they work through the rage that surfaces after their loss of control, and disappointments in a life that has passed them by. Kip, Nora, and Eloise are about to find out just how important it is to follow your dream.

The authors, Cynthia Katz and Victoria Skurnick, known by the pen name of Cynthia Victor, have written a book that upsets the balance between what is, and what can be. Remarkably you find yourself cheering on the heroines as they make political and social statements that shake up the standards. The characters are as clearly cut as glass and I found myself laughing as well as crying as the story unfolded. It all culminates in the last 100 pages where I felt like I was in a rowboat headed for the falls at break neck speed.

I picked up this book thinking this was a light read, the cover struck me as chick lit, but I was pleasantly surprised to find it was a total package with a great deal to say...