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A review by yangyvonne
The Breakdown Lane by Jacquelyn Mitchard
1.0
Julieann and Leon Steiner are having trouble in their marriage. When their third child is born, Leon seems to hit the pinnacle of his "hippie crisis". Within a few years, he leaves in search of fulfillment, with the promise of a return. Then, Julieann is diagnosed with MS and Leo can't be found. the two oldest, Gabe and Caroline, go in search of Leo and find him with a new family (woman, baby and another on the way) at a commune. Leo must come back and deal with his family, but he is not the hero they had hoped for. In the end, Julieann finds her prince in a wealthy doctor and each of the kids find their own identity.
The book has a good style, with alternating "journal" entries of Julieann and Gabe. I like how Leo didn't save the day, but Julieann marrying her old boyfriend doctor was a bit cheesy. Aurora (the youngest) could have been a dog - she never said or did anything. I also felt the the author threw-in all kinds of "extras" (Gabe having a learning disability, Julieann's best friend being a lesbian - who adopts an Asian baby, etc.). I'm not sure of the message here.
The book has a good style, with alternating "journal" entries of Julieann and Gabe. I like how Leo didn't save the day, but Julieann marrying her old boyfriend doctor was a bit cheesy. Aurora (the youngest) could have been a dog - she never said or did anything. I also felt the the author threw-in all kinds of "extras" (Gabe having a learning disability, Julieann's best friend being a lesbian - who adopts an Asian baby, etc.). I'm not sure of the message here.