Monday, June 15, 2009
Everyone She Loved
Because I love books (and I LOVE the opportunity to review stuff), I eagerly said yes.
The brand new, first edition, hard cover copy arrived just a few days later and I immediately launched into it, excited for my first official, totally solicited review.
(Notice I said FIRST. Just, you know, sayin'...)
Anyway, as soon as I finished the novel, I replied to my contact to see about arranging some sort of Q&A with the author. There was talk of the possibility of a phone interview, but that just didn't work out. Which is okay. Stuff happens. I'm flexible.
So I decided to hold my review until today, because tomorrow is the official release of Everyone She Loved by Sheila Curran.
Everyone She Loved tells the story of a close-knit collection of friends and family living in a small town in Northern Florida as they try to recover from the loss of the one person that brought them all together: Penelope Cameron. Penelope was a wealthy heiress, but with a kind and generous nature, and who did all she could to take care of the people around her. Because of her own mother's untimely death and her father's unfortunate remarriage, Penelope developed very strong opinions about what should happen for her daughters and her husband, Joey, should Penelope likewise die young. She added a codicil to her will; one that was signed by the three women closest to her; one that allowed them a voice over who Joey could marry. Everyone signed it to appease her. They never thought it would be necessary.
The overall story is very good. There are some villainous cousins and an evil potential step-mother. There are actions and consequences and misunderstandings. Jealousy and grief. And a satisfying conclusion.
I also liked the character development. Lucy Vargas, Penelope's best friend, is delightfully free-spirited, even though this gets her into trouble. Penelope's two daughters deal with a whole range of issues related to their mother's death, which one would expect, but it didn't feel like a cliché. And there's Joey. The widower. The only thing that guides him through his grief is the fact that he has two daughters that need him. And he does everything he can for them. But he's not perfect.
And that's what I really liked most about this book. Every character has their good traits, as well as the flaws. Even the villains. No one is completely good or completely bad. There are a lot of gray areas, which helped to make these characters come alive and feel real. And many of their issues are familiar and believable. Curran writes people well.
There were a couple of areas where the novel fell a bit short. There is a LOT of explanation. Some of it felt totally unnecessary. The author explains text messaging because Lucy is averse to technology. Texting is ingrained enough in our culture that it doesn't need much definition or example. But it's there. The treatment of eating disorders is explained in fairly substantial detail, as is the issue of quit-claim deeds and other banking and financial issues. Some of the information mattered to the story and would not have been known to a general audience, and some of it is a part of the general knowledge. All of it is accessible with a quick Google search. And this is the one criticism I have of Ms. Curran's novel. Most of the necessary details could have been imparted in a way that didn't take the reader out of the story. I felt pulled away more than once by long passages of exposition.
I would recommend Everyone She Loved to anyone looking for a good, uncomplicated plot (although the issues in the story are plenty complicated--there wouldn't be drama without that!), that can be read in a fairly short time. I'd say it's a good beach read, ideal for summer reading. And it's definitely written for women.
Sheila Curran is the author of two novels. Her first, Diana Lively is Falling Down, is also available through her website or your nearest B&N. And she's a blogger! Check out her blog here.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I'm a high school English teacher who's always looking for a good book to read. Thanks for sharing this! Stopping by from SITS to Share Some Comment Love!
ReplyDeleteThat is so awesome that you were chosen to review this book! And they obviously know what they are doing because you have a great talent for it! :)
ReplyDeleteSounds like an interesting book! Did I email you my address?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recommendation. My book list suddenly hit a dry spot, and I need a good suggestion.
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome. How did they know to contact you about reviewing the book? That's totally cool. I'd love to be on that kind of list. :)
ReplyDeleteI, too, want to know how you got to read the book first! I'd love that kind of a gig! Sounds like a good one.
ReplyDeleteGreat review and congrats on being asked to review this new novel.
ReplyDeleteBeing asked to review a book is VERY cool. And you did a terrific job too! I'll look for it at my bookstore.
ReplyDeleteThanks.
That definitely sounds like a book I'd enjoy! If I could find the time...LOL!! I'm still trying to finish Jodi Picoult's book Second Glance....from 2 months ago.
ReplyDeleteI would SO LOVE to be selected to review a book! I try to read at least 2 books a week, and end up giving unsolicited reviews of each one!
ReplyDeleteSend me your email address, I'll be happy to share my recipe. It was delish!
♥,Lilly
btw....I'm STILL eating boysenberry jam every day! Thank you again!!!
How lucky are you? Getting to read and review---so fun!!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like a really great book, and you gave it a lovely but honest review!
ReplyDeleteI have little time for reading books these days its seems, yet somehow I ALWAYS find time to blog surf LOL... go figure!
I love me a good novel that doesn't take too long to read. When the author over explains things, I tend to start skipping over those paragraphs, is that so bad?
ReplyDeleteI love your review, and I must add that I love that you got asked to read in advance. I also get to read in advance(never asked), and respect that you held out. Sometimes I get a really great one and feel like I am bursting at the seams to tell someone about it but nope. Mum's the word till release.
ReplyDelete