Maynard, long proclaimed by the media to be the spokesperson for the baby-boomer generation, may have finally grown into that role herein a novel about divorce, love, and raising children that hits home harder than anything she's pitched at us before (To Die For, 1992, etc.). Claire, almost 40 and the mother of two adolescents, ended her marriage because she didn't feel sufficiently appreciated. ``I need to feel there's somebody on the face of this earth who just plain adores me,'' she tells her ex-husband now. And that's what she goes looking for. First, she finds Mickey, a southern charmer who can catalogue the many ways he loves her. Unfortunately, what he doesn't love is the idea of helping to raise her children. Next, there's Tim, divorced father of seven-year-old Ursula, a troubled, overweight, needy child. Tim worships Claire, and, for a while, he seems the answer to everything she's wanted, despite the complications of snooping children, guidance counselors, and ex- spouses. But, eventually, Claire discovers that being worshipped isn't enoughor, confusingly, perhaps it's too much. Maynard does a fine job of revealing the many complications and confusions inherent in this point in life, including cynical teenagers and the practical intrigue of sex after divorce: Where and how to have it in a house full of kids? And what about your stretch marks? Having been a media darling in her teens, Maynard has always tended to take herself a mite seriously, and she hasn't entirely recovered from that. In an introduction, she offers for sale an independent CD of her favorite songs ``out of a belief that introducing readers to the music I love will enhance the experience of my work....'' Music notwithstanding, her writing has come of age here. Claire learns to face her own faults, and her story is funny, tender, and true. Older and wiser: Maynard's best yet. (First serial to Good Housekeeping and Redbook; Literary Guild alternate selection; author tour)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1995
ISBN: 0-517-70177-4
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1995
Anyone who believes in true love or is simply willing to accept it as the premise of a winding tale will find this debut an...
True love flares between two people, but they find that circumstances always impede it.
On a winter day in London, Laurie spots Jack from her bus home and he sparks a feeling in her so deep that she spends the next year searching for him. Her roommate and best friend, Sarah, is the perfect wing-woman but ultimately—and unknowingly—ends the search by finding Jack and falling for him herself. Laurie’s hasty decision not to tell Sarah is the second painful missed opportunity (after not getting off the bus), but Sarah’s happiness is so important to Laurie that she dedicates ample energy into retraining her heart not to love Jack. Laurie is misguided, but her effort and loyalty spring from a true heart, and she considers her project mostly successful. Perhaps she would have total success, but the fact of the matter is that Jack feels the same deep connection to Laurie. His reasons for not acting on them are less admirable: He likes Sarah and she’s the total package; why would he give that up just because every time he and Laurie have enough time together (and just enough alcohol) they nearly fall into each other’s arms? Laurie finally begins to move on, creating a mostly satisfying life for herself, whereas Jack’s inability to be genuine tortures him and turns him into an ever bigger jerk. Patriarchy—it hurts men, too! There’s no question where the book is going, but the pacing is just right, the tone warm, and the characters sympathetic, even when making dumb decisions.
Anyone who believes in true love or is simply willing to accept it as the premise of a winding tale will find this debut an emotional, satisfying read.Pub Date: Oct. 16, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-525-57468-2
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: July 30, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
With frank language and patient plotting, this gangly teen crush grows into a confident adult love affair.
Eleven years ago, he broke her heart. But he doesn’t know why she never forgave him.
Toggling between past and present, two love stories unfold simultaneously. In the first, Macy Sorensen meets and falls in love with the boy next door, Elliot Petropoulos, in the closet of her dad’s vacation home, where they hide out to discuss their favorite books. In the second, Macy is working as a doctor and engaged to a single father, and she hasn’t spoken to Elliot since their breakup. But a chance encounter forces her to confront the truth: what happened to make Macy stop speaking to Elliot? Ultimately, they’re separated not by time or physical remoteness but by emotional distance—Elliot and Macy always kept their relationship casual because they went to different schools. And as a teen, Macy has more to worry about than which girl Elliot is taking to the prom. After losing her mother at a young age, Macy is navigating her teenage years without a female role model, relying on the time-stamped notes her mother left in her father’s care for guidance. In the present day, Macy’s father is dead as well. She throws herself into her work and rarely comes up for air, not even to plan her upcoming wedding. Since Macy is still living with her fiance while grappling with her feelings for Elliot, the flashbacks offer steamy moments, tender revelations, and sweetly awkward confessions while Macy makes peace with her past and decides her future.
With frank language and patient plotting, this gangly teen crush grows into a confident adult love affair.Pub Date: April 10, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5011-2801-1
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2018
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