From Publishers Weekly
Bestseller Green (Swapping Lives, The Other Woman) injects a topical note into an otherwise paint-by-numbers work. After a terrorist attack on an Amtrak train kills 39-year-old Tom, his death serves as the catalyst for changes in the lives of four estranged schoolmates he left behind in England. Reuniting at Tom's memorial service are Holly, a former free spirit uncomfortably forced into becoming a suburban matron by her workaholic, social-climbing husband; Olivia, a lonely director of an animal shelter; Paul, a writer whose blissful marriage with his fashionable wife is marred by their inability to conceive; and Saffron, a recovering alcoholic actress secretly involved with a married Hollywood megastar. Tom's death reignites their friendship, causes them to reevaluate their lives and sends them marching toward a concluding warm fuzzy. Green's writing is competent, though her characters feel more like embodiments of their problems than actual people. There are few surprises, but the fairy tale ending should appease Green's many fans.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
--This text refers to an alternate
Hardcover
edition.
From AudioFile
After the prologue introduces four characters, were dropped directly into the story of their reconnecting after twenty years. Rosalyn Landor gives us a toehold by defining each person and giving us enough emotion to engage us. Her voice is breezy as Holly tells of her perfect life and falters as she relates Olivias lack of success in love and commerce. As Saffron, her sentences are clipped, hinting at secrecy. Gradually, we begin to understand their shared history and their grief at the sudden death of a dear friend. As Green depicts how this event propels each to change, the story is predictable, but Landors lively switching of viewpoints keeps the listening enjoyable. S.W. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine--
Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
--This text refers to the
Audio CD
edition.