BOOK REVIEW:
The Merry Widow's Diary
This book was different.
I think, and I could be wrong AND I'm way too lazy to verify this, but The Merry Widow's Diary might be my first women's fiction title this year...
Like I said, I could be totally wrong about that. By the end of the year I tend to forget most of the books I read in the first quarter. Just sayin'.
ANYWAYS back to the book review.
So this book...was fantastic.
Really different, like I said, to anything I've read this year (unless that isn't true, memory = shoddy, folks). It was definitely different than most of the romance I've been devouring.
Understandably because the main plot wasn't romantic.
Susan Crosby's The Merry Widow's Diary follows Jill Townsend, a mid-40s suburban housewife who's been recently widowed. The story unfolds Jill's journey to heal and re-brand herself from "suburban housewife-slash-merry widow*" to something new...something more appetizing to her well being.
Along the way she makes new friends, explores old relationships and somewhere in-between she reconciles who she is with who she should be and who she wants to be.
Super vague, I know. But it's meant to get you to BUY or BORROW the book from your friendly next-door book shop or library. Cool?
Moving on.
What I didn't like:
Honestly, I want to leave this blank. Only one thing bothered me, and Jill actually recognizes it in the book, so whatever. But she seemed so uppity. Because it was told in 1st-person, a lot of the times it felt like Jill judged EVERYONE. Even her daughters. Which all right, fine. But it annoyed the crap out of me.
Her realization happened pretty late, too. So maybe I'm suffering from belated damage control.
What I liked:
1. Jill and her friend, Ilene had a great relationship. Ilene isn't married, and she's a bit younger than Jill, and as a successful career woman I was expecting this she-has-this-I-don't-have-this-but-I-might-want-it vibe from Jill's narration. But after their introduction, the story moved on and their friendship was the better for it.
2. I'm totally shipping Jill and Alan. But if you want to know how that ends up in canon material, then GO PICK UP THE BOOK.
3. Jill and her daughters. Not exactly the most harmonious family, but then again who doesn't have ups-and-downs with their family? What's important to note here is that it was depicted realistically from beginning to end.
4. Jill and her career... the what's next, and how it was dealt with sans the crappy, sappy plot direction where the character triumphs over all adversity in this "AH-HA!" moment. Please.
Jill worked hard to find herself and heal herself and we got a glimpse of it on the page.
Simple as that.
If you enjoyed my summation of The Merry Widow's Diary by Susan Crosby please pick it up somewhere.
*NOTE: I didn't know what a "merry widow" was until I read this book.
My verdict:
✮✮✮✮.5
(4.5 stars)
I think, and I could be wrong AND I'm way too lazy to verify this, but The Merry Widow's Diary might be my first women's fiction title this year...
Like I said, I could be totally wrong about that. By the end of the year I tend to forget most of the books I read in the first quarter. Just sayin'.
ANYWAYS back to the book review.
So this book...was fantastic.
Really different, like I said, to anything I've read this year (unless that isn't true, memory = shoddy, folks). It was definitely different than most of the romance I've been devouring.
Understandably because the main plot wasn't romantic.
Susan Crosby's The Merry Widow's Diary follows Jill Townsend, a mid-40s suburban housewife who's been recently widowed. The story unfolds Jill's journey to heal and re-brand herself from "suburban housewife-slash-merry widow*" to something new...something more appetizing to her well being.
Along the way she makes new friends, explores old relationships and somewhere in-between she reconciles who she is with who she should be and who she wants to be.
Super vague, I know. But it's meant to get you to BUY or BORROW the book from your friendly next-door book shop or library. Cool?
Moving on.
What I didn't like:
Honestly, I want to leave this blank. Only one thing bothered me, and Jill actually recognizes it in the book, so whatever. But she seemed so uppity. Because it was told in 1st-person, a lot of the times it felt like Jill judged EVERYONE. Even her daughters. Which all right, fine. But it annoyed the crap out of me.
Her realization happened pretty late, too. So maybe I'm suffering from belated damage control.
What I liked:
1. Jill and her friend, Ilene had a great relationship. Ilene isn't married, and she's a bit younger than Jill, and as a successful career woman I was expecting this she-has-this-I-don't-have-this-but-I-might-want-it vibe from Jill's narration. But after their introduction, the story moved on and their friendship was the better for it.
2. I'm totally shipping Jill and Alan. But if you want to know how that ends up in canon material, then GO PICK UP THE BOOK.
3. Jill and her daughters. Not exactly the most harmonious family, but then again who doesn't have ups-and-downs with their family? What's important to note here is that it was depicted realistically from beginning to end.
4. Jill and her career... the what's next, and how it was dealt with sans the crappy, sappy plot direction where the character triumphs over all adversity in this "AH-HA!" moment. Please.
Jill worked hard to find herself and heal herself and we got a glimpse of it on the page.
Simple as that.
If you enjoyed my summation of The Merry Widow's Diary by Susan Crosby please pick it up somewhere.
*NOTE: I didn't know what a "merry widow" was until I read this book.
My verdict:
✮✮✮✮.5
(4.5 stars)
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