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Out of the Blue
Faith has arranged a surprise party at a West London restaurant to celebrate fifteen years of marriage to her publisher husband Peter. They have a lot to be thankful for - including two teenage children and the knowledge that, at thirty-five, they've hammered out an enduring partnership that, at this age, many of their contemporaries are only just themselves embarking upon. But something is niggling at Faith. A casual, barbed comment by her bitchy magazine editor friend Lily makes her wonder whether her world is as wonderful as it seems on the surface. Peter has been behaving slightly oddly recently - but is this purely because of stress at work? Is Faith really too smug and trusting? As the kernel of unease swells and begins to burgeon inside her, Faith finds herself on a quest that leads to a shake-up of everything she holds dear - but which, in the end, enables her to reforge her life.
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First published March 5, 2001
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About the author
Isabel Wolff
37 books633 followersIsabel Wolff's ten bestselling novels are published worldwide. 'Ghostwritten', set in present day Cornwall and on wartime Java, was published in the UK in March 2014 and will be published in the US in February 2015 as 'Shadows Over Paradise'. 'The Very Picture of You' was published in the UK and the US in October 2011. 'A Vintage Affair', was an Amazon.co.uk 'Best of 2009' title and was shortlisted by the American Library Assocation for their Reading List awards (Women's Fiction). Isabel lives in west London with her family. Visit her 'Isabel Wolff Author' Page on Facebook, follow her on Twitter @IsabelWolff or visit her website, IsabelWolff.com. Thank you...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
November 20, 2018
Every single character in this book is awful. The H is a cheater. The h has the emotional maturity of a 9-year-old.
August 13, 2011
Well, this book is ridiculous. It's Red Ink Dress, which tells you it's chick lit, but really, this is pure fluff. Even embarrassing for chick lit, which is saying something. I read this floating around in the pool - it takes about 1/16th of your attention and that's it - simple language, simple plot. The main character is really not very loveable, nor is her obnoxious best friend, because, honestly, I don't think anyone is this naive and over the top. Her relationship with her dog is almost creepy. I kept thinking it was a cultural thing (it is set in the UK) but then I got over that pretty quickly and just decided it was a dumb book. But, I read the whole thing - not sure why; I think I was just so amazed at the main character's idiocy - I kept waiting for someone to tell me I was being punked and she really wasn't this annoyingly senseless. If you have a ton going on in your life and just need something to distract you with no thought involved, this is the one
September 19, 2012
Well, I was so excited to see a new Isabel Wolff title at the library, but that excitement didn't last very long.
I pondered giving up about halfway through the first, highly-annoyingly written chapter. I could not get involved in the emotional stake of any of these vapid, uni-dimensional and quite frankly, idiotic, characters in any way. Perhaps caricatures would be a better description.
The book is clearly dated with values from a previous decade....or two. The characters are naive, immature and not in the least way compelling - a huge disappointment after the very lovely heroines that Ms. Wolff developed in The Very Picture of You and A Vintage Affair.
I finished....perhaps because of my own OCD or perhaps because I held out hope until the very end that perhaps there was some maturity of vision here. I held out in fact until the very last sentence, which, true to form, reinforced all the inadequacies of the heroine all over again.
Let's hope this is a re-issue of an earlier work and that Ms. Wolff has evolved rather than devolved as a writer, the latter would be a very depressing thought.
I pondered giving up about halfway through the first, highly-annoyingly written chapter. I could not get involved in the emotional stake of any of these vapid, uni-dimensional and quite frankly, idiotic, characters in any way. Perhaps caricatures would be a better description.
The book is clearly dated with values from a previous decade....or two. The characters are naive, immature and not in the least way compelling - a huge disappointment after the very lovely heroines that Ms. Wolff developed in The Very Picture of You and A Vintage Affair.
I finished....perhaps because of my own OCD or perhaps because I held out hope until the very end that perhaps there was some maturity of vision here. I held out in fact until the very last sentence, which, true to form, reinforced all the inadequacies of the heroine all over again.
Let's hope this is a re-issue of an earlier work and that Ms. Wolff has evolved rather than devolved as a writer, the latter would be a very depressing thought.
December 28, 2015
Not my usual type of book but I am clearing out some books from my bookshelf to make more room. This book was bought for me as a present & is not my usual type of fiction. This is a typical Chick Lit novel. It was a bit of frivolous entertainment so made light bedside reading but would never be my choice of reading material. If you enjoy Chick Lit you will love this but if you like a really good story that makes you think, this is not it. I am going to pass this on to a friend who adores Chick Lit.
March 8, 2012
I was disappointed with this book. I had loved the other two books that I had read by Isabel Wolff, A very picture of You and Vintage affair. This was, I think, written earlier. I found it hard to read the way the conversation was laid out and finally skipped through to find out the predictable ending.
August 4, 2015
I usually stop reading anything below a 3/5 star rating but I was so hopeful about this one I forced myself through to the end. Pointlessly long, very confusing imagery (why is there so much emphasis on dogs?), and a very predictable but hardly satisfying plot. And tolerating all that for what? The ending plunged me into a pool of regret— completely, transparently rushed.
September 2, 2020
Mediocre chick lit. Way too long. Needed more from a book to keep me entertained.
January 9, 2019
I'm sorry but I can't understand all the negative reviews about this book, particularly those who say it is "dated". Well, it was set in the year 2000. What do we expect? Regular updates of books to include references to TOWIE and Love Island? What would Jane Austen or Charlotte Bronte think? Should we only read books published in the last year? Does women's contemporary fiction have a sell-by date? Thought not. It is of its time and I thought it was a fabulous read. It was only when I got to the last 30 pages that the significance of Lily's surname dawned on me and I then remembered the earlier scene with Faith, Lily and the school play and it clicked that it was a modern day retelling of Othello - with a few tweaks, of course.
Our storyteller is Faith, a weather reporter on a breakfast TV show. Happily - comfortably? - married to Peter, a publisher, she is out on Epiphany night at her wedding anniversary celebratory meal with friends when her best mate Lily makes a snide remark about Peter, planting seeds of doubt in Faith's mind about his, well, faithfulness. We then go through a whole year with Faith as she processes and acts on these doubts with consequences that are simultaneously amusing and sad.
I liked Faith's conversational style and found it very engaging. She and Peter married very young whilst still at university, and she has never been out in the dating arena, so I could forgive her for coming across as quite naive at times. In fact both she and Peter acted quite childishly at times but do we expect our characters to be perfect all the time? Where would the story be then?
Also part of the family are teens Katie and Matt and one of the best literary canine creations I have ever met, Graham. I'm not sure whether Faith anthropomorphised Graham or if he was just damned smart and almost human anyway. I loved Faith's relationship with Graham. Katie had a leaning towards psychology and whether she was meant to amuse or not I don't know but I found her quite astute. She was wiser than her mother, that's for sure!
As well as the goings-on surrounding infidelity, Faith and Peter finding out whether the grass is greener and the will-they-won't-they divorce, we get an inside view of working at AM-TV and all the office politics, backstabbings and character assassinations. There are many subtle witticisms that bring the book to life. Faith is called Faith for a start, and there are lots of opportunities for play on words surrounding fidelity. Weather analogies are used ad-lib but fit in perfectly and Faith goes to see Cosi fan tutti, remarks on the duplicitousness of Despina and things still don't click. Yet.
Faith and Lily are contrasts in many ways. Lily has been single all her life having had countless flings, and Whilst Faith is naive, Lily is whip-smart, manipulative, me-me-me and is the one who is really running the whole show. Faith and Peter, along with a couple of other characters are merely actors in the play she is directing. Even the magazine she edits is called Moi! I wouldn't have said the story features any twist, but it is not always as predictable as you may initially think. Fidelity is at the centre of the story but who is most unfaithful and to whom? You may be surprised.
I thoroughly enjoyed this engaging and witty character-driven read.
Our storyteller is Faith, a weather reporter on a breakfast TV show. Happily - comfortably? - married to Peter, a publisher, she is out on Epiphany night at her wedding anniversary celebratory meal with friends when her best mate Lily makes a snide remark about Peter, planting seeds of doubt in Faith's mind about his, well, faithfulness. We then go through a whole year with Faith as she processes and acts on these doubts with consequences that are simultaneously amusing and sad.
I liked Faith's conversational style and found it very engaging. She and Peter married very young whilst still at university, and she has never been out in the dating arena, so I could forgive her for coming across as quite naive at times. In fact both she and Peter acted quite childishly at times but do we expect our characters to be perfect all the time? Where would the story be then?
Also part of the family are teens Katie and Matt and one of the best literary canine creations I have ever met, Graham. I'm not sure whether Faith anthropomorphised Graham or if he was just damned smart and almost human anyway. I loved Faith's relationship with Graham. Katie had a leaning towards psychology and whether she was meant to amuse or not I don't know but I found her quite astute. She was wiser than her mother, that's for sure!
As well as the goings-on surrounding infidelity, Faith and Peter finding out whether the grass is greener and the will-they-won't-they divorce, we get an inside view of working at AM-TV and all the office politics, backstabbings and character assassinations. There are many subtle witticisms that bring the book to life. Faith is called Faith for a start, and there are lots of opportunities for play on words surrounding fidelity. Weather analogies are used ad-lib but fit in perfectly and Faith goes to see Cosi fan tutti, remarks on the duplicitousness of Despina and things still don't click. Yet.
Faith and Lily are contrasts in many ways. Lily has been single all her life having had countless flings, and Whilst Faith is naive, Lily is whip-smart, manipulative, me-me-me and is the one who is really running the whole show. Faith and Peter, along with a couple of other characters are merely actors in the play she is directing. Even the magazine she edits is called Moi! I wouldn't have said the story features any twist, but it is not always as predictable as you may initially think. Fidelity is at the centre of the story but who is most unfaithful and to whom? You may be surprised.
I thoroughly enjoyed this engaging and witty character-driven read.
May 14, 2024
"Out of the Blue" is like a refreshing summer rain, surprising and welcome when least expected. This novel doesn't aim to be a complex puzzle, but rather a chronicle of the everyday life of a white upper-middle-class woman: married, with children, and with a job that, although could be better paid and have friendlier hours, still fills her with satisfaction. Faith embodies the typical average woman, easy to identify due to her lack of great ambitions or malice.
During the reading, it's impossible not to compare this story with the television series "Uncoupled" (2022), given the remarkable similarity between both plots, even going as far as making the same mistakes.
However, the narrative successfully balances Faith's tranquil life with the stories of two equally intriguing female protagonists: Lily, the frank and determined friend who always goes after what she wants, and Sophie, the newcomer colleague who faces hostility from some coworkers in her new job. Although their plots are secondary, they intertwine brilliantly with Faith's, adding depth and making the narrative even more captivating.
The main theme of the novel, divorce and life after it, is approached with promise, although its development feels somewhat rushed and convenient. Personally, I would have wished for Faith to make better use of her time as a singleton, exploring the dating world more extensively, instead of limiting herself to two men whose outcomes are not entirely satisfying.
Particularly disappointing is the character of Jos, initially presented as a promising love interest who, as the plot progresses, becomes increasingly difficult to trust, diminishing the hope that he will be the chosen one.
In summary, "Out of the Blue" is an engaging read that hooks you quickly. Although some aspects of its narrative construction and its conclusion could have been improved, the protagonist and her fascinating group of friends more than make up for these shortcomings.
During the reading, it's impossible not to compare this story with the television series "Uncoupled" (2022), given the remarkable similarity between both plots, even going as far as making the same mistakes.
However, the narrative successfully balances Faith's tranquil life with the stories of two equally intriguing female protagonists: Lily, the frank and determined friend who always goes after what she wants, and Sophie, the newcomer colleague who faces hostility from some coworkers in her new job. Although their plots are secondary, they intertwine brilliantly with Faith's, adding depth and making the narrative even more captivating.
The main theme of the novel, divorce and life after it, is approached with promise, although its development feels somewhat rushed and convenient. Personally, I would have wished for Faith to make better use of her time as a singleton, exploring the dating world more extensively, instead of limiting herself to two men whose outcomes are not entirely satisfying.
Particularly disappointing is the character of Jos, initially presented as a promising love interest who, as the plot progresses, becomes increasingly difficult to trust, diminishing the hope that he will be the chosen one.
In summary, "Out of the Blue" is an engaging read that hooks you quickly. Although some aspects of its narrative construction and its conclusion could have been improved, the protagonist and her fascinating group of friends more than make up for these shortcomings.
March 6, 2022
Superficial at times…
I would have given this book a 3.5 rating if possible. There were parts I enjoy and others that made me roll my eyes. Peter cheats on his wife of fifteen years. If he could have kept the affair from her, he would have. Faith, his wife, would probably have forgiven him if he hadn’t slipped and said he couldn’t promise it wouldn’t happen again. And so begins the fight. I don’t think Peter ever thought his wife would throw him out while she filed for divorced.
Peter continues his fling while Faith meets a new man. But through it all they both still love each other. Peter’s relationship has him being henpecked, something he hadn’t planned on. He can’t seem to get away even though he wants to go home. Faith knows something is wrong in her new relationship but can’t figure out what’s wrong.
The superficial part is the way they talk to each other. It’s reminds me of a high society movie where everyone air kisses and gives fake hugs. While I consider myself to have a good vocabulary, there were several words I had to look up the definitions. It was interesting to do this the first couple of times but got irritating as I read on.
It was an interesting read. I enjoyed many parts of the book yet have no desire to ever read it again nor do I plan on reading other books by this author. That may sound snotty but wanting to read a book again and other books by an author is true indicator on how much I love a book.
I would have given this book a 3.5 rating if possible. There were parts I enjoy and others that made me roll my eyes. Peter cheats on his wife of fifteen years. If he could have kept the affair from her, he would have. Faith, his wife, would probably have forgiven him if he hadn’t slipped and said he couldn’t promise it wouldn’t happen again. And so begins the fight. I don’t think Peter ever thought his wife would throw him out while she filed for divorced.
Peter continues his fling while Faith meets a new man. But through it all they both still love each other. Peter’s relationship has him being henpecked, something he hadn’t planned on. He can’t seem to get away even though he wants to go home. Faith knows something is wrong in her new relationship but can’t figure out what’s wrong.
The superficial part is the way they talk to each other. It’s reminds me of a high society movie where everyone air kisses and gives fake hugs. While I consider myself to have a good vocabulary, there were several words I had to look up the definitions. It was interesting to do this the first couple of times but got irritating as I read on.
It was an interesting read. I enjoyed many parts of the book yet have no desire to ever read it again nor do I plan on reading other books by this author. That may sound snotty but wanting to read a book again and other books by an author is true indicator on how much I love a book.
March 11, 2024
J'ai trouvé l'héroïne très attachante. Les personnages sont hauts en couleur même si j'ai trouvé que Lily était un peu trop cliché.
TW : grossophobie (dans un passage des personnages font des commentaires atroces à propos de l'héroïne qui perd du poids et devient plus jolie alors qu'elle n'arrive plus à manger car elle est déprimée. A aucun moment on ne reviendra là-dessus pour approfondir.
TW : homophobie mais, a contrario du traitement de la grossophobie le sujet est plus développée. Les propos homophobes virulents sortent de la bouche d'un personnage odieux qui sera défini au final comme tel. Plusieurs personnages homosexuels apparaissent : 3 hommes (2 gentils, un infidèle de première et 1 femme qui est vraiment présentée comme un personnage positif.
Je suis contente d'avoir lu ce livre rien que parce que je me suis réellement attachée à l'héroïne mais je le déconseille si vous avez envie de juste vous détendre. La couverture le décrivait comme drôle et désopilant. Je n'ai pas beaucoup ri... voire pas du tout. Il était simplement intéressant du point de la relation entre les personnages et de l'évolution de ceux-ci.
TW : grossophobie (dans un passage des personnages font des commentaires atroces à propos de l'héroïne qui perd du poids et devient plus jolie alors qu'elle n'arrive plus à manger car elle est déprimée. A aucun moment on ne reviendra là-dessus pour approfondir.
TW : homophobie mais, a contrario du traitement de la grossophobie le sujet est plus développée. Les propos homophobes virulents sortent de la bouche d'un personnage odieux qui sera défini au final comme tel. Plusieurs personnages homosexuels apparaissent : 3 hommes (2 gentils, un infidèle de première et 1 femme qui est vraiment présentée comme un personnage positif.
Je suis contente d'avoir lu ce livre rien que parce que je me suis réellement attachée à l'héroïne mais je le déconseille si vous avez envie de juste vous détendre. La couverture le décrivait comme drôle et désopilant. Je n'ai pas beaucoup ri... voire pas du tout. Il était simplement intéressant du point de la relation entre les personnages et de l'évolution de ceux-ci.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 5, 2024
Esta novela no me ha aportado gran cosa, me ha parecido extremadamente larga para la historia que cuenta y la historia en sí me ha parecido demasiado ligera. Había leído antes otras dos novelas de la autora y una de ellas me había gustado bastante, por lo que esperaba mucho más de esta.
Como he mencionado, la trama es extremadamente ligera. Una historia de rupturas, engaños, traiciones y reconciliaciones. Una historia en la que no sucede gran cosa y en la que tienen que pasar muchas páginas para que suceda algo relativamente interesante.
En cuanto a los personajes, me han parecido poco profundos y no he llegado a empatizar con ninguno de ellos.
En definitiva, una lectura con la que, como mucho, podrías aspirar a pasar el rato; aunque, sinceramente, recomiendo mejor pasarlo con otra.
Como he mencionado, la trama es extremadamente ligera. Una historia de rupturas, engaños, traiciones y reconciliaciones. Una historia en la que no sucede gran cosa y en la que tienen que pasar muchas páginas para que suceda algo relativamente interesante.
En cuanto a los personajes, me han parecido poco profundos y no he llegado a empatizar con ninguno de ellos.
En definitiva, una lectura con la que, como mucho, podrías aspirar a pasar el rato; aunque, sinceramente, recomiendo mejor pasarlo con otra.
February 3, 2022
Leí este libro pensando que sería una lectura que me ayudaría a desconectar y realmente cumple con esa función, pero no ha sido lo que yo me esperaba.
No he conectado nada con la historia ni los personajes y la mayoría de plot twist me han parecido demasiado previsibles. Esto ha hecho que al final lo termine por saber cómo acaba la historia (o más bien, confirmar como acaba), pero no me ha enganchado para nada como suele pasarme con este tipo de novelas.
No he conectado nada con la historia ni los personajes y la mayoría de plot twist me han parecido demasiado previsibles. Esto ha hecho que al final lo termine por saber cómo acaba la historia (o más bien, confirmar como acaba), pero no me ha enganchado para nada como suele pasarme con este tipo de novelas.
July 20, 2024
I enjoyed this book. Clearly not my favorite by Wolff, but I liked the main character, even though she's portrayed as a very naive woman which is a bit too much sometimes.
I didn't really enjoy the supporting characters (cheating husband, jealous and self-centered best friend, the "boyfriend", Faith's colleagues...,).
I didn't really enjoy the supporting characters (cheating husband, jealous and self-centered best friend, the "boyfriend", Faith's colleagues...,).
January 17, 2026
Was looking for a fun, fast read. Nope, not it. Nothing fun about cheating but it was fast because I had to skim a lot of it just to get it done! I also see thatvit was published close to 20 years ago which may be why it felt so dated as well.
July 20, 2017
Married couple encounters issues with their marriage, he strays, she strays, leads to happily ever after. Funny at times, real at others. A fine and easy beach read
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 24, 2017
J'ai passé un excellent moment avec ce livre ! C'est un très bon chick list !
August 4, 2017
A quick read, but a bit depressing/aggravating and predictable down to the happy ending. Not my favorite by Wolff.
September 24, 2018
2.5 stars
February 29, 2020
Chick-lit and quite predictable, but not so bad that did not finish it. Had amusing moments.
August 20, 2021
Au début je pensais que l'histoire était simpliste mais je me suis laissée prendre au jeu et j'ai dévoré le livre
November 22, 2022
had to push myself to read it. dnf'ed. honestly I just got bored or whatever idek
September 7, 2025
Me ha parecido muy lento y con una historia un poco plana y previsible. Aunque no está mal escrito
October 14, 2025
Malisimo y genial. m costo 1€ en ciu
December 1, 2014
Out of the Blue is a story about Faith, a meteorologist for an early morning news show who finds out her husband of 15 years has had an affair. The book follows Faith through the year as she follows the complicated steps of finding herself, divorce, new relationships, and relationships that have changed.
I wish I had more to say about the synopsis of this book. Unfortunately, those two sentences pretty much sum it up. After the first 50 pages, I considered putting the book down. Then I decided, okay, I'll read another 50 and maybe it'll get better. I got to 100 pages and thought "Well.... maybe just a little more." At around 150 pages, I put it down for over a week. Then I picked it up again, and at about 200 pages, or roughly halfway through the book, I decided that I was just going to get it finished so I could find out how it ended.
It's rare that I dislike a book as much as this one. The last time this happened was probably when I read Lord of the Flies roughly 2 years ago. I kept thinking it would get better, though it never did, until I reached the point of just wanting to know the ending.
My main problem with this book was the characters. Faith was SO whiny in the beginning, and throughout the book she was naive to the point of ignorance. She completely accepted everything anyone told her at face value. For example, at one point she realizes her twelve-year-old son has a brand new laptop. When she asks him where it came from, he CLEARLY isn't being straight with her, but when Jos chimes in and says he got it for her son, she just totally accepts that. Then there's Lily who was portrayed as this high class, highfalutin woman, and yet she was supposedly best friends with mid-class Faith. Jos was this oddly demanding man whom everything about him came off as extremely fake. Peter was probably the most "real" of them all, and even he had issues.
The relationships between the characters never felt real. Any time Faith tried to find answers about something from someone, she practically fed them a way to lie to her. The dialogue when she is confronting Peter about the affair is absurd. The majority of the conversations Faith and Jos have during their relationship feel fake and forced. Honestly, the only interactions that felt real at all were the work politics that Sophie had to deal with, and that was just an aside to the overall story.
I'm not even going to discuss the fact that NO SCHOOL WOULD EVER LET A TWELVE YEAR OLD PLAY THE STOCK MARKET FOR THEM. It's not worth my time.
All in all, this book was pretty terrible. It was almost a DNF for me several times. I can't think of anyone I would recommend this to, which is rare.
I wish I had more to say about the synopsis of this book. Unfortunately, those two sentences pretty much sum it up. After the first 50 pages, I considered putting the book down. Then I decided, okay, I'll read another 50 and maybe it'll get better. I got to 100 pages and thought "Well.... maybe just a little more." At around 150 pages, I put it down for over a week. Then I picked it up again, and at about 200 pages, or roughly halfway through the book, I decided that I was just going to get it finished so I could find out how it ended.
It's rare that I dislike a book as much as this one. The last time this happened was probably when I read Lord of the Flies roughly 2 years ago. I kept thinking it would get better, though it never did, until I reached the point of just wanting to know the ending.
My main problem with this book was the characters. Faith was SO whiny in the beginning, and throughout the book she was naive to the point of ignorance. She completely accepted everything anyone told her at face value. For example, at one point she realizes her twelve-year-old son has a brand new laptop. When she asks him where it came from, he CLEARLY isn't being straight with her, but when Jos chimes in and says he got it for her son, she just totally accepts that. Then there's Lily who was portrayed as this high class, highfalutin woman, and yet she was supposedly best friends with mid-class Faith. Jos was this oddly demanding man whom everything about him came off as extremely fake. Peter was probably the most "real" of them all, and even he had issues.
The relationships between the characters never felt real. Any time Faith tried to find answers about something from someone, she practically fed them a way to lie to her. The dialogue when she is confronting Peter about the affair is absurd. The majority of the conversations Faith and Jos have during their relationship feel fake and forced. Honestly, the only interactions that felt real at all were the work politics that Sophie had to deal with, and that was just an aside to the overall story.
I'm not even going to discuss the fact that NO SCHOOL WOULD EVER LET A TWELVE YEAR OLD PLAY THE STOCK MARKET FOR THEM. It's not worth my time.
All in all, this book was pretty terrible. It was almost a DNF for me several times. I can't think of anyone I would recommend this to, which is rare.
October 11, 2007
Faith Smith appears, at the beginning of the novel, to have it all…she has a job she likes (not loves, but it doesn’t matter much to her anyway), well-adjusted children (maybe even a little too well-adjusted), and loving dog, and a happy marriage. When her marriage begins to crumble, Faith’s world starts spiraling out of control. I enjoyed this book because, unlike a lot of stories about relationship difficulties, this one is not overly predictable. Faith tries her best to be a tough lady, but really is a person who needs the security that a stable marriage provided for her for seventeen years. The outcome here comes as both an unexpected and welcome surprise, as Faith gradually realizes what is best for her. This can be attributed to Wolff’s writing—the characters all develop easily and naturally. As Faith begins to set out on a new phase of her life, her past becomes more and more “ideal” to her. Wolff doesn’t seem to “force” Faith to be too harsh or to severe. Faith’s story and persona seemed realistic, something that cannot be said all that often about contemporary fiction.
September 13, 2012
This was a long book that took me a little while to get through...but I really loved it. It tells the story of a modern day marriage breakdown between Faith and Peter. They were very young when they got married (20) and face a marital crisis when they're 35, just after their 15th wedding anniversary.
The litmus test for books for me revolves around the charatcers. Are they believable? Can I relate? Do I genuinely care what happens to them? And, most of all, do I miss them when the book is finished? For me, the answers to all of these questions was Yes for this book. I really felt for the main charaters, Faith and Peter, their kids and especially their super intelligent dog, Graham. These charaters are far from perfect and actually make some pretty big mistakes. But, it's all believable and I still cared for them. I've made a lot of mistakes too (although thankfully not the same ones as Faith and Peter did!) and it just added dimension to their characters.
This is the second book I've read by Isabel Wolff and I'll be looking for others.
The litmus test for books for me revolves around the charatcers. Are they believable? Can I relate? Do I genuinely care what happens to them? And, most of all, do I miss them when the book is finished? For me, the answers to all of these questions was Yes for this book. I really felt for the main charaters, Faith and Peter, their kids and especially their super intelligent dog, Graham. These charaters are far from perfect and actually make some pretty big mistakes. But, it's all believable and I still cared for them. I've made a lot of mistakes too (although thankfully not the same ones as Faith and Peter did!) and it just added dimension to their characters.
This is the second book I've read by Isabel Wolff and I'll be looking for others.
July 5, 2011
I enjoyed most parts of this book. The author clearly states that the main character is naive, but she drew a very fine line upon which to walk. The character was so naive and blatantly blind and stupid at times that it was hard to stomach. However, if you could convince yourself to read her actions and thoughts as your own inner narrative, I can see what the author was trying to accomplish. All of us have some self-doubt regarding aspects of our lives. If our thoughts were written out verbatim we'd all seem a bit nuts at times. It was just rather a lot to wade through.
Overall, the story held my interest, even if it was predictable in places. Will definitely try another novel by this author. As this was my first one, I'd like to try one or two more to see if all her characters are similarly written.
Overall, the story held my interest, even if it was predictable in places. Will definitely try another novel by this author. As this was my first one, I'd like to try one or two more to see if all her characters are similarly written.
September 20, 2012
Sometimes it hurts me to give my thoughts about a favorite author, especially when I've read books by that author that I loved...I read two other books by Isabel Wolff and really liked them, however, I can't say that about this book. I really tried to like it but I just couldn't get into this book. The characters are unreal, with no redeeming qualities. I kept reading thinking that it would get better, but it never did. It really was a great disappointment...I can't believe this book was written by the same author that wrote, "A Vintage Affair" and "The Very Picture of You." Those two books were such lovely books and I really liked them.
May 21, 2014
Out of the Blue was published in 2001 and is the follow on book from Minty Malone. Faith and Peter Smith have been married for 15 years. In their early thirties, they married very young and unlike most of their friends of a similar age who are just starting out having a family or just newly married, Faith and Peter have two lovely teenage children. During a surprise anniversary dinner celebration which Faith has arranged for Peter, her long time best friend of 25 years, Lily, makes a suggestive comment about Peter which sets Faith's alarm bells ringing about his fidelity. Faith's doubts set her and Peter off on a bumpy road which takes alarming twists and turns.
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