rwidiani's review against another edition
4.0
bagus, tp rada berat bukunya. baru nyadar, kalo biasa baca buku bahasa inggris, rasanya gak enak baca buku terjemahannya...
bprinter's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
susanatwestofmars's review against another edition
1.0
Maybe in the time before this book was even set, books like this were the rage. Four friends and a kitchen sink of problems (domestic violence and terrorism, cancer, sexual harassment, LGBT discrimination, infidelity, murder, and more) equals literary success.
And okay, this was originally published in 2001, so it's bound to be horribly out of date by today's standards. But that doesn't account for the inaccuracies and nonsense in these pages. You don't prosecute your best friend's boss and then turn around and defend the kid of a different best friend; the two types of law are vastly different. That's why there are people who specialize in prosecuting sexual harassment and people who specialize in criminal defense law.
If a man has a PFA taken out against him, he would be arrested if he sat in a courtroom in which his ex-wife was called to testify in a trial. And yes, PFAs are worth less than the paper they are printed on in terms of protecting a victim's life-- until you have a repeat offender who is held accountable for his actions. But these characters were so stupid, they let the guy into the house, didn't call the cops, and weren't horrified when he encouraged his three children to abuse his wife IN FRONT OF THEM.
The characters weren't just stupid, they were impossible to like. They were stereotypes: the beauty queen who had nothing in her life other than that one moment. The pudgy, average woman who did pudgy, average things and had kids who were inexplicably polar opposites. The skinny, gorgeous woman who quested for fame and fortune and whose narrative never failed to emphasize all the new luxury items she was surrounding herself with.
Blech.
I can go on. How most of these 500+ pages were summary, not scene. How the writing was perfunctory at best, including one of my all-time favorites: "Sorry," she apologized.
Guess what? The word "sorry" shows me her apology. Don't inform me of what you're showing me.
Just.
Don't.
Ugh... what a train wreck of a book. This is one of those reads that absolutely wasted my time AND insulted my intelligence.
And okay, this was originally published in 2001, so it's bound to be horribly out of date by today's standards. But that doesn't account for the inaccuracies and nonsense in these pages. You don't prosecute your best friend's boss and then turn around and defend the kid of a different best friend; the two types of law are vastly different. That's why there are people who specialize in prosecuting sexual harassment and people who specialize in criminal defense law.
If a man has a PFA taken out against him, he would be arrested if he sat in a courtroom in which his ex-wife was called to testify in a trial. And yes, PFAs are worth less than the paper they are printed on in terms of protecting a victim's life-- until you have a repeat offender who is held accountable for his actions. But these characters were so stupid, they let the guy into the house, didn't call the cops, and weren't horrified when he encouraged his three children to abuse his wife IN FRONT OF THEM.
The characters weren't just stupid, they were impossible to like. They were stereotypes: the beauty queen who had nothing in her life other than that one moment. The pudgy, average woman who did pudgy, average things and had kids who were inexplicably polar opposites. The skinny, gorgeous woman who quested for fame and fortune and whose narrative never failed to emphasize all the new luxury items she was surrounding herself with.
Blech.
I can go on. How most of these 500+ pages were summary, not scene. How the writing was perfunctory at best, including one of my all-time favorites: "Sorry," she apologized.
Guess what? The word "sorry" shows me her apology. Don't inform me of what you're showing me.
Just.
Don't.
Ugh... what a train wreck of a book. This is one of those reads that absolutely wasted my time AND insulted my intelligence.
juniperusxx's review against another edition
4.0
Oikein mainiota luettavaa, trillerimäisen juonen lisäksi kirja naisista, ystävyydestä ja äiti-tytär -suhteista, oikeastaan naisen elämästä kokonaisuudessaan. Vaikka hahmoja oli paljon, Fielding kykeni luomaan heidät lukijalle eläviksi ja toisiinsa sekoittumattomiksi. Suosittelen niille lukijoille, jotka pitävät psykologisesta jännityksestä ja ihmissuhteiden kuvauksesta.
maecave15's review against another edition
4.0
Wow. This book is a page turner. It is about four women who grew up together and are close friends but their adults lives are not what they wanted. Each has her own problems and mortifying secrets. It is narrated by one of the characters, you don't find out until the end which character it is though. It has plenty of twists to keep you on the edge of your seat. I love this book and am glad to own it.
courtneyinthemoon's review against another edition
5.0
Quite possibly my most favorite book written by Joy. I enjoyed the story of these women so much that I read it three times. As always Joy keeps you very entertained with the characters and their stories. Quite the page turner.
bookish_wanderer's review against another edition
4.0
This book is not that much of a chick-lit if you ask me, or at least not a funny and happy one.
It narrates the lives of four friends long time friends, who shares pretty much everything. They all face difficulties in their marriage or family life, but something even worse will turn their world upside down and destroy the friendship they had.
Entertaining, with a somewhat intense atmosphere and an interesting plot.
It narrates the lives of four friends long time friends, who shares pretty much everything. They all face difficulties in their marriage or family life, but something even worse will turn their world upside down and destroy the friendship they had.
Entertaining, with a somewhat intense atmosphere and an interesting plot.
emilyenrose's review against another edition
2.0
Certainly didn't age well, but it was good enough to keep me reading to find out the ending.
miss_jakobs32's review against another edition
3.0
3/5
Four friends go through life's trials and tribulations together. I thought it was a bit long and not too much happened. Usually in Joy Fielding's books, more happens.
Four friends go through life's trials and tribulations together. I thought it was a bit long and not too much happened. Usually in Joy Fielding's books, more happens.
More...