Customer Reviews

Then Came You: A Novel

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I love Jennifer Weiner. Her writing is typical chick lit-but it is truly well written. Yet another great read by Weiner. Page turner with just the right amount of scandal.

I've enjoyed Jennifer Weiner's books in the past, but I found this one a little boring. I couldn't really relate to any of the characters and it was very predictable.

The story rotates through the voices of four women in each chapter, all of whom are connected to an invitro conception. Definitely an interesting topic to explore, but the writing style is a little on the fluffy side, too "Danielle Steel" for me. While Weiner has some winning descriptions here and there, the lines about "liquid brown eyes" and "rosebud lips" are hackneed if not mundane - I can't help but roll my eyes. Can she not be more original? That said, fans accustomed to her style will eat it up. The reading club questions at the end are good for discussion.

Movie to come? The story would roll into a movie quite easily. And since I can play imaginary casting director wheneve I want, I have a suggestion. He might be a bit old for it, but I would cast Colin Hanks (Travis in Dexter, Tom Hanks son)as the P.I. Call me Hollywood, we should talk!

As an aside, the (completely separate) short story that came with my copy was well done - I liked it better actually. It was worth buying the book just to read it.

This is one of those books that you want to curl up in a chair with and let the noises around you disappear.
I enjoyed this book and found that it ended way to quickly. Another hundred pages would have been great.
if you are looking for a wonderful writer, a great light read and a smile are the end of a book then this is one of them.
I have been a fan of Ms. Weiner's books since the word go and hope that others will also enjoy her literary works.

“Then Came You” is a chick flick; a lovely one, well written, humorous, displaying tremendous common sense and ethics, meanwhile anchored in reality. The traits of the characters come from their actions and statements of their friends, or people close to them. The four ladies belong to different backgrounds; they have different personalities and unwavering moral grounds.

Jules is a student at Princeton, though far from the smug (like on a movie set with impeccable actors) world she is surrounded by. She carries on unfazed by the conformities she should abide, that she publically does not dismiss (she is ashamed by what happens to her father and changes his story, upset by what she uselessly did to save him, confused and seemingly embarrassed by her sexual choices). Her core is true to herself, and although she feels obliged to play as she is requested in the world she lives thanks to her intelligence, she does that temporarily and knowledgeably in order not to become a pariah.

Annie is a candid mother of two boys, young woman who married her high school sweetheart and did not go to college. She faces poverty and struggles. She tries to do what she can – given the tools she was provided with and the confines she has accepted. She lacks the mean gene, and even though she observes her sister’s hypocrisy and the injustice that generally governs the world, she does not give in, she stays kind and gentle and lives by an inner confidence that her life is the one she has chosen.

India is the glamorous one. She comes from poverty and her past is only discovered close to the end of her story. She is the woman who treasures her body as her only asset and all she cares about is money and financial security. Through her eyes we discover how rich women live and we enjoy with her all the pampering, the expensive clothes and closets, the restaurants and delicious wonders a woman with money can enjoy. Gold digger, trophy wife, woman who immediately sees and ceases her chance, India is the woman you cannot bring yourself to hate; because when she talks about her two designer suits bought in discount shops that she rotates, and her bartering with the dentist and most of her clients (she has her small business), you feel for her, you want her no to have to do that anymore, you want her to succeed.

Bettina is the rich daughter who does not live as such. Her character is strong and untarnished, her morals are intact and she acts in the spirit of right and wrong. You come to admire her as although she cannot find her place in the world around her (her mother has left, her father has been alone and miserable, her brothers ignore her, she has no friends, she deems herself as socially inept) she goes on with her struggles. She gets a job and tries normality, she is aware of her inadequate taste in clothing but she does not change anything, she sees the ridicule surrounding her and she accepts it as inevitable. She thinks she is plain and cannot believe her happiness when she gets a boyfriend; she is beautiful by trying to convince us she is nothing but…

(...)The book is an easy read with light but enticing language that flows charmingly. You know nothing is wrong with it because you do not notice its passage, you are all of a sudden close to the end and all you care about is that it will end and all this new world you have been wrapped around in will go away. Jennifer resolves each entanglement creatively and tenderly. The outcome kept me smiling for hours later as I could not have done better. I will forget about this book most probably soon enough, however, the smile will stay, and that is all that matters in the end. (...)
To see the entire review go to allwords.ca.

You can also read my review here: [...]

The premise of this book had me hooked from the get-go. Having struggled with fertility myself, I found it interesting to read from three different aspects; the donor, the surrogate and the mother-to-be.

Jennifer Weiner's books are always a must-read for me but this one left me wanting more. After getting over my instant desire to call the nearest fertility clinic and sign up for some egg donation of my own, I found the read a bit of a struggle. Whether it was the fact that I was reading two books at once or the fact that my sister had a baby 8-weeks early while I was reading, something just didn't feel right. I enjoyed the characters of Jules, Annie, and India well enough but just felt they were very stereotypical. A snotty spoiled step-daughter, investigating her gold digging step-mother. A daughter who does all she can to help her father get through his addiction and a wife, struggling in a down-turned economy, making money for her family in the most unusual way. It just felt that these characters could have been in any book and that is not typical of Jennifer Weiner's novels.

The story line was also a bit of a struggle. I found it very hard to figure out how much time had passed between each of the story lines. One second, Jules was donating an egg and the next, India was meeting Annie. It was all very confusing.

Overall, a good book with an interesting concept. One that I was happy to be reading but felt left wanting more when I finished.

Weiner has been a favorite of mine since my first foray into her world of heroines. The women she writes of always touch me because they're so realistic, they're real honest to goodness people. I feel like I know them or could be friends with them. "Then Came You" is no different in this respect. It follows the intertwined story of 4 women, all who have their own stories and reasonings for their choices. I absolutely loved this book, I could barely put it down and I was sad to see it end. My favorite story was Annie, I just wanted to give her a hug, she seemed like such a sweet, kind hearted woman. As quite the Weiner fan, I am highly suggesting this book!