A review by ispeakbooknerd
The Oysterville Sewing Circle by Susan Wiggs
3.0
You may think you know your best friend inside and out, but the truth is you probably don't. This is the case for Caroline Shelby, when she discovers her best friend and fashion model Angelique dead of a drug overdose in her apartment. This occurs shortly after Angelique and her two children had moved in after she'd had some sort of domestic disagreement and showed up at Caroline's door with a black eye and her kids. Now she's dead. And Caroline is left as guardian for her two young children. Not knowing what to do, Caroline heads home to Oysterville, Washington, and immediately, before even arriving at her parents' home, runs into her best friend/first love, who is now married to the woman who was her childhood best girl friend. She's terrified about raising these kids right and about the career she left in tatters in New York City.
As with most women's fiction, our main character, Caroline, is a character you will root for. She certainly has depth in the sense of history and background story. The other main characters, Will and Sierra, do as well. However, these characters could be even more developed, I was left wanting in that department. The reader can definitely root for them, but the balance of virtues to flaws seems skewed. I find this to be quite common with women's fiction and romance books. They are definitely likeable, but just don't feel real to me.
The story was interesting enough to grab me, but didn't have the tightest grip on me. Admittedly, I feel a touch guilty for this because one of the main themes of the book is addressing the ever-important issue of domestic violence. I really respect the author for including this theme.
There were interspersed chapters from Caroline's past tossed about in the middle of the book, and this made the tale feel disjointed and clunky. The book's ending does not come about by a smooth transition, nor does the ending feel at all realistic.
Overall, this is a heartwarming tale, albeit slightly unglued from reality. It's nice to see karma do its thing, and heaven knows I enjoy a story about a woman reinventing herself after difficulties. I'd recommend to fans of women's fiction and romance.
As with most women's fiction, our main character, Caroline, is a character you will root for. She certainly has depth in the sense of history and background story. The other main characters, Will and Sierra, do as well. However, these characters could be even more developed, I was left wanting in that department. The reader can definitely root for them, but the balance of virtues to flaws seems skewed. I find this to be quite common with women's fiction and romance books. They are definitely likeable, but just don't feel real to me.
The story was interesting enough to grab me, but didn't have the tightest grip on me. Admittedly, I feel a touch guilty for this because one of the main themes of the book is addressing the ever-important issue of domestic violence. I really respect the author for including this theme.
There were interspersed chapters from Caroline's past tossed about in the middle of the book, and this made the tale feel disjointed and clunky. The book's ending does not come about by a smooth transition, nor does the ending feel at all realistic.
Overall, this is a heartwarming tale, albeit slightly unglued from reality. It's nice to see karma do its thing, and heaven knows I enjoy a story about a woman reinventing herself after difficulties. I'd recommend to fans of women's fiction and romance.