Days of Awe

by Lauren Fox

The celebrated author of Friends Like Us now gives us a raw, achingly funny novel about a woman who, after the death of her best friend, must face the crisis in her marriage, the fury of her almost-teenage daughter, and the possibility that she might open her cantankerous heart to someone new.

Only a year ago Isabel Moore was married, the object of adoration of her ten-year-old daughter, and thought she knew everything about her wild, extravagant, beloved best friend, Josie. But in that one short year: her husband moved out and rented his own apartment; her daughter grew into a moody insomniac; and Josie--impulsive, funny, secretive Josie--was killed behind the wheel in a single-car accident. As Isabel tries to make sense of this shattering loss and unravel the months leading up to Josie's death, she comes to understand the shifts, large and small, that can upend a friendship and an entire life. Heartbreaking and wryly funny, Days of Awe is a masterly exploration of marriage, motherhood, and the often surprising shape of new love.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Book Club, Audiobook, Literary Fiction, Chick Lit, Adult Fiction

256 pages, Hardcover

First published August 4, 2015

About the author

I was born in a suburb of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, into a family full of love, support, and very little grist for the dramatic mill. I knew from an early age that I wanted to be a writer, and decided that my best bet was to make stuff up. My first attempts at fiction included a tragic story about a blind Mexican orphan, and a tragic tale about a horse who dies, tragically, in a barn fire.

By the time I got to college and enrolled in a few creative writing classes, I learned the adage, “write what you know,” and began churning out stories about the unhappy love lives of young, thin-skinned, near-sighted, sarcastic, curly haired girls. My first published short story, which appeared in a nationally distributed college magazine, used the structure of the game show Jeopardy! to trace the demise of a relationship. (I’ll take ‘the slow erosion of my self-esteem’ for $200, Alex.) I was pleased that I had finally created fiction out of my two favorite pastimes: tv-watching and borderline obsessive pining over unavailable men.

After college I moved around a bit, living in Washington, DC and then for a while back in Madison, Wisconsin, bravely conducting field research for my stories about lonely women in their twenties who can’t find a date. In graduate school in Minneapolis, I took a brief detour from fiction and began writing about my family’s history and the Holocaust, which was fun.

When I was twenty-six, I met a nice boy from Dublin who put an end to my anthropological studies of loneliness and heartbreak. Luckily, I had gathered enough material to last for a while.

I now live in Milwaukee with my husband and two daughters.

Reviews

[Elyse Walters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Update.... $1.99 Kindle Special... This was a gem of a book!!!! I’d buy it and read it in a second for the price cheaper than a cup of coffee any day - if I didn’t already own. It’s filled with emotions- much to think about - very well written!!!



“Death smashes a crater into your life, and you're left alone to sort through the ramble. But here's something else I figured out in the long months after Josie died: she would always be my wild, grieving, huge-hearted, selfish, confident, insecure, extravagant, beloved best friend.
I would define her. You think, during the worst of it, that it's the other way around, but it's not.
And here's something else I learned: you lose some people that way----fast and blinding.
But some people inch away from you slowly, in barely discernible steps.
In the end it almost doesn't matter They're just as gone."

There are many layers to this novel --- I'm still sorting through the rambles... It's the type of book that I like to take a long walk to reflect after I've finished reading. ( I can't - darn - I'm on crutches), but there is SO MUCH I love about this contemporary story.
On the surface-- everything seems straight forward... but when the reader looks deeper...
you begin to see several pertinent themes - in the areas of relationships: friendship, marriages.
Mother- daughter, grandmother--daughter-grandchild- colleagues- dating- lies- secrets- betrayal- co dependency - jealousy- anger- sadness- fear-guilt-loss- love........

When Isabel Moore first meets Josie Abrams, it's at the middle school where they are both 5th grade teachers. Isabel had said some snide remark under her breath during a staff meeting,
and Josie turns to her and says, "I MUST KNOW YOU". It was at that moment when their friendship took shape.
Josie created their friendship.. almost demanded it. Best friends forward!

"That's the way it is with certain people. They set their sights on you. They look at you straight on and they choose you, and they are dazzled by their own brilliant choice. It was the first time anyone has fallen in love with me like that. And I was powerless against it."

Throughout this novel you get to see both sides of the coin of powerless and power.

Isabel is the narrator. The other nicknames she goes by are: Iz or Izzy
You'll meet 2 married couples - history between each them and how they are connected.
Middle school teaching situations: a week-end nature trip gone wrong
Other staff at the middle school
Potential partners and lovers
Disappointments- resentments- acceptances- forgiveness-
Secrets and lies revealed
A child caught in the middle of adult problems
A mother whom one may consider thoughtful and loving- or others may think of as
inappropriate, crossing boundaries.
Thought- provoking quotes and dialogue

And... A huge question to ponder are our relationships in 'transitions'. How long are most
of your friendships? Marriages? How do you deal with 'moving on'?

This is one little powerful - enjoyable- book!
The characters will be be deeply alive in your head.
I admire an author who can write a book under 300 pages- no wasted mumbo-jumbo-
yet leaves us thinking about the story long after its ended.

Thank you to Knoph publishing- Netgalley- and Lauren Fox, ( a terrific author).

[Angela M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Isabel Moore is having her share of in your face life events . She is haunted by her past miscarriages and her best friend is dead. Her marriage is falling apart and her mother has had a stroke. She has a pre-teen daughter who is confiding in her father and not in her. I kept wondering if there could be anything else ! The story focuses on how Isabel is trying to cope . In flashbacks we learn about her childhood, the early years of her marriage to Chris and about how she and Josie become best friends.

It's sad and funny and real . Isabel's life could be any one of ours or someone we know and I felt as if I knew her. I could feel her grief and her sadness and I could understand why she doesn't always say or do the right thing . It's well written, a quick read but not a light one focusing on the curves that life throws us.

It's about marriage , infidelity, and friendships and family and both the beauty and sadness that these can bring to one's life. Nobody's perfect in this story but then who is ? And that's why it's so easy to connect with Isabel and the other characters . An enjoyable read , highly recommended . I'll need to look at her previous books as I thoroughly enjoyed Fox's writing style .

Thanks to Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group and NetGalley

[❀Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked this...review to come.


"Life goes on, for the living."

This was a delightful read for what on the contrary was also about loss and grieving, and moving on. I should preface this by saying I started out listening to the audiobook up until about the halfway mark and was a little confused at times due to the meandering thoughts so I picked up the paper version. But in listening I grew to appreciate the narrator’s voice and spunky attitude which I’m not sure would have been as easily captured while reading. The writing style really grew on me and I eventually became so hooked I could not put it down. I came to love the main character’s meandering musings, with her raw, honest and impulsive thoughts that at times took me off guard but added a lighthearted touch. Multi-layered and more character driven than plot driven, this was an introspective and complex novel on life, relationships and reflection, and everything about this book felt real. I think it would appeal to anyone who thought their life was complicated. The main character, Isabel’s life was certainly complicated with the recent loss of her best friend to a car accident. Additionally she’s feeling other forms of loss with her husband, adolescent daughter and ailing mother, all in their unique ways. It’s an emotional book in the sense the main character has a lot to figure out. Nobody is perfect. Life is complicated and so are relationships. That’s what makes it realistic and relatable though. I could relate on just about every aspect of her relationships. But life does go on. Sometimes it’s about finding a small seed of hope in a mountain of despair. The more I think about this the more I like it. For all the dark and dismal aspects there were enough lighthearted “feel good” moments contrasted to make it refreshing and I ended up being sad to see it end. This was an impulsive choice based on GR friends' reviews which ended up being a nice change of pace and just what I needed.

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Isabel Moore, a young woman in her early forties, trying to pick up the piece after her best friend's death, her husbands leaving and her daughters new not very nice attitude towards her. Very appealing characters, very accessible writing. Isabel tends to think things she should say and doesn't, and tends to say things in circumstances she shouldn't. She is so very real, flawed and vulnerable.

Her comments and thoughts, some of which I quoted in my updates, are at times absurdly amusing at other times sadly funny. Many of the lines in this book are brilliant, one wants to keep reading to see what she will say, think or do next. Plus, I really wanted things to work out for her.

This is a book about friendships, marriage, mother and daughter relationships and wanting a happy or at least a start at a happy ever ending. A very quick flowing story about events that could happen to anyone and the ways we sabotage ourselves, even with our best intentions.

ARC from publisher.

[Esil · Rating 4 out of 5]

A high 4 stars! Once I got into Days of Awe, I felt glued to it. I didn't want to stop reading, and when I had to put it down from to time to time to deal with the real world, I felt permeated by the sad emotional charge of the book. Told from Izzie's perspective, at the beginning of the book we quickly find out that Izzie's best friend Josie died recently, that Izzie and her husband Chris are recently separated, that Josie was married to Mark, and that there are complicated emotions between Izzie, Josie, Mark and Chris. Jumping around a few time periods before and after Josie's death, slowly Izzie reveals the events leading to Josie's death and her separation from Chris. It's not the story per se that gives Days of Awe its intensity--and don't take my description to mean that this is a mystery or thriller -- it's more of a domestic drama -- it's the quality of the writing and the emotional acuity that pulled me in. Although Izzie is complicated and not necessarily always likeable, her emotions and reactions are painfully recognizable. And throughout the course of her narrative, Izzie depicts so touchingly her intense relationships with her mother Helene -- a German Jew who escaped Germany before the holocaust -- and her daughter Hannah. And there were so many times that I wanted to lift a sentence or two right out of the text and savour them because they so perfectly captured an emotion or an observation. I think I've been craving a well written and emotionally substantial book, and this one fit the bill perfectly. Not 5 stars because something unnecessary and silly happens towards the end, and generally the end didn't feel as strong as the rest of the book, but still very much worth the read. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advance copy.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can a book about grief be funny? Yes. It can be funny, and heartfelt, and nostalgic, and clever, and unbearably sad all wrapped up together. Lauren Fox pulls this off brilliantly in her new book “Days of Awe.”

On the surface, we see main character Isabel Moore face of year of grief and struggle: the death of her best friend, the demise of her marriage, the frailty of her aging mother, and the growing resentment of her tween daughter. But Fox isn’t content to let the story sit on the surface. She digs into the inner lives of her characters and exposes raw human emotion and connection – the depth of female friendships, the strength of mother-daughter bonds, the thrill of falling in love, and the pain of recognizing that love is gone.

I loved Fox’s writing style – which had me wanting to read more and more. I also loved her sense of humor. Several exchanges in the book had me laughing out loud. Other sections of the book made me cringe, only because they were so real I felt uncomfortable for the characters. I am eager to look into Fox’s other books as I enjoyed this one so much.

5 stars.

Thank to you NetGalley and Knopf for a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Cathrine ☯️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars
Processing thoughts on this his one a bit of a challenge as I was also watching the film version of Olive Kitteridge. Simultaneously watching and reading the two story lines of women unraveling was at times emotionally taxing, too revealing. The rawness portrayed was so genuine, at times tragic and humorous, moody and uncomfortable. Did I use enough adjectives? If I knew these women in real life I might say, “Too much information; I've got issues of my own."
The writing was first rate and the resolution (on both stories) very satisfying. Certainly will read more from this author.

[Ron Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lauren Fox’s new novel, “Days of Awe,” starts with a funeral, but it’s a lot more nimble than that procession to the grave would suggest. Fox is a master of emotional misdirection, and what she presents here tastes like carbonated grief, an elixir of sorrow gassed up with her nervous humor.

The whole story takes place in the shadow of mourning. Isabel Moore, the narrator, has just lost her best friend, a delightfully irreverent woman named Josie. She was a fellow middle school teacher, but, more than that, she and Isabel were comrades in the futile battle against adult pomposity. They could count on each other for a deadpan joke or a subtle eye-roll; together they curated a collection of acerbic nicknames about their nemeses and cooed over each other’s “shiny jewels of resentment.” A maker of satirical feminist art — “the Venus de Milo as a guy wearing a beer hat” — Josie was a source of perpetual delight to Isabel. “You half expected the part of the room you were in to darken as a spotlight switched on and circled her with its glow.”

But that was before Josie’s car skidded off the road and slammed into a guardrail. Now, Isabel is left staring at. . . .

To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/enterta...

[Lisa (NY) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This satisfying novel, about a middle aged woman reeling from the death of a friend and separation from her husband, went down smoothly and left me thinking.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Judaism 101---The ten days starting with Rosh Hashanah and ending with Yom Kippur are commonly known as the Days of Awe (Yamim Noraim) or the Days of Repentance. This is a time for serious introspection, a time to consider the sins of the previous year and repent before Yom Kippur.

This fine novel is an exercise in introspection. It’s the musings of a middle-aged woman whose life is altering before her eyes, which causes her to pause, and redefine herself. Her best friend dies, her husband wants a separation, and her daughter is going through nasty adolescence. All the elements that previously defined who Isabel Moore is: mother, wife, and best friend.

At first I had difficulty with this novel. For me, it was sardonic and caustic. It wasn’t until we learn of Isabel’s life as a teacher, and when she went to the group therapy class with her Mother that I found the novel to be funny. This novel is billed as “witty and strikingly intelligent examinations of friendship and marriage”; it took me over 40 pages to get into the groove of author Lauren Fox’s humor. Once in the groove, I found it difficult to put down. It does beg the reader to assess how they define themselves, and if those elements came crashing down, how would you cope? How would you change your perspective?

Fox is a gifted writer as well. A favorite quote: “You lose some things because you didn’t see the darkness rushing toward you. Some things disappear because it all snuck up on you so quickly and quietly, and you weren’t paying attention…But once in a while a loss is preventable…the trick is knowing which is which.”

This is a worthy read. Lauren Fox has some interesting observations. Her characters are interesting and well developed. I’m glad I kept reading it. It’s a novel that any middle-aged woman could commiserate with.

[Larry H · Rating 4 out of 5]

They say tragedies often happen in threes, and that's precisely what has happened to Isabel Moore. Following her best friend Josie's tragic death in a car accident, Isabel's life has been further turned upside down by the imminent demise of her marriage, and the fact that her preteen daughter Hannah is starting to hate her.

"Death smashes a crater into your life, and you're left alone to sort through the rubble."

In Days of Awe , Lauren Fox examines the life of a woman who thought she had everything—a best friend who "got" her, a teaching job she loved for the most part, a family she cherished—only to discover things are not as she imagined, and in fact, things seem to be rapidly slipping from her grasp. Isabel tries to figure out where Josie's life went wrong and tries to understand what was happening in the months before her death. Were there signs she missed? Who was to blame? And shouldn't everyone's lives remain in flux until she's had the time to process the loss of Josie?

But recovering from this loss isn't all she has to deal with. She needs to figure out whether her marriage is worth fighting for, if there is a way to get her daughter to like her again, and consider whether to let someone else into her heart. But beyond that, she needs to find a way out of the rut she is in, and whether she can prevent herself from the same behavior patterns and same choices that have caused her problems in the past.

"What if you make the right choices? What if you shelve those immature and solipsistic pursuits in favor of the grown-up occupations of family and career—happily, you do it without regret, in love, looking forward—then those fall apart? You turn around and you're staring at the moonscape that used to be your life."

I found this book tremendously engaging and enjoyable, and read most of it in one day while sitting at the pool. While I didn't necessarily agree with all of Isabel's choices, I really like characters that try to diffuse difficult situations with sarcasm and humor and yet don't always correctly gauge the moods and tolerance of those around them, mainly because I do the same thing more often than I should. Even if not everything that happens is surprising, I still found myself wanting to know what happened next. These are complex, fascinating characters.

Fox is a very talented writer. How many of us have struggled with grief and chaos in our lives, wondering whether the choices we are making are the right ones, or whether we even have the capacity to change the path we're heading down? Days of Awe is moving, amusing, thought provoking, and very well written. That's a pretty great combination.

See all of my reviews at http://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blo....

[Alena · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really enjoyable read even given the book's darkness. I liked and identified with 43 year old Isabel, especially her sense of morbid humor, her Midwestern sensibility and even her self-pity. This book felt completely familiar to me, in a good way.

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Life was a tender accumulation of possessions, quickly discarded.”

Days of Awe was a surprisingly entertaining, fun read for a novel about loss. With a good combination of grief and humor, I found myself feeling sad then laughing out loud! Isabel, the main character, was someone I could well relate to.
I loved Fox’s style of writing and her many thought-provoking sentences ...in which I found myself ‘dog-earing’ several pages. It is a quick little insightful read that hooked me from start to finish.

[merina rey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a contemporary novel that I just randomly picked up (while avoiding my forever long TBR pile). I’ll have to say that, even though the characters and the plot never felt fully developed, i did enjoy the story.

[Emily M · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another one of those books that I loved reading, but fell a little flat for me in the end. The prose is fantastic, and Josie's character is so vivid I felt like I knew her, this seemed like two separate books to me. And without enough of a bridge to connect the two, I felt a little confused and disoriented by the end.

Still a fun read, and very witty, Fox's commentary on marriage, parenthood, and friendship reminded me of the novels of Liane Moriarty. Though this one isn't a favorite, I'll keep Fox's other books in mind for future reads.

[Sherwood Smith]

Received from NetGalley:

I realize the dangers of reading anything into supplied author biographies, when I read what Lauren Fox wrote about herself--basically that she grew up in a happy and supportive family, then hit the emotional wall with college age unsuccessful romances--that for some people writing about the gradual disintegration of personalities or relationships is interesting. And leaving the pieces lying there is hip and moderns because that's all there is, right?

Well, I don't want to see the world that way. And I'm old enough that witnessing disintegration of anything is not interesting. In my fiction I want to see the work of re-integration, and the slow-won wisdom that can be accrued.

But this book doesn't go there. So I was left with a feeling of ennui after this, even though Fox is a sharply observant writer with a real gift for prose. Take this bit:


"Death smashes a crater into your life, and you're left alone to sort through the ramble. But here's something else I figured out in the long months after Josie died: she would always be my wild, grieving, huge-hearted, selfish, confident, insecure, extravagant, beloved best friend. I would define her. You think, during the worst of it, that it's the other way around, but it's not. And here's something else I learned: you lose some people that way----fast and blinding. But some people inch away from you slowly, in barely discernible steps. In the end it almost doesn't matter They're just as gone."

This is a story about a woman coping with grief at the sudden death of her best friend (it didn't help that in many of the frequent flashbacks I found the friend pretty obnoxious), the failure of her marriage while her daughter is just hitting puberty, with all the problems it entails. They go to couples therapy, and when the ex starts dating the therapist . . . well, I began my longing to get back to fantasy worlds.

I'd recommend this highly to anyone who like modern day fiction with a strongly secular outlook, and who enjoys stylish prose and sapient observation of human foibles.

[Greg Zimmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A novel about grief shouldn't be this entertaining. But this one is!

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh so close to 5 stars on this one. I loved everything about this book, even the sad subject matter. I could totally relate to the main character and her battle with grief. This book is real life on the page told in masterful prose. Would not have wanted to miss out on this one. Definitely recommend.

[Lynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story about grief and griefs effect on people's lives, usually leading to more grief. There are some interesting, and even funny, passes sprinkled throughout. There is even hope. I liked the writing and the unfolding of this somewhat difficult topic. Thank you Net Galley for the ARC.

[Wendy Goldstein · Rating 1 out of 5]

NOTHING happens in this book. I felt like the author was telling a story that had potential but characters/plot never got developed enough to be engaging.

[Book Concierge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book on CD read by Luci Christian

Isabel Moore’s life has been upended in this last year. Her husband moved out, her daughter has become a sullen pre-teen, and her best friend died in a tragic auto accident. Now she has to figure out who she is and what she wants in life.

This is the kind of character-driven novel I really enjoy. As Isabel reflects on past events and her relationships with best friend Josie, daughter Hannah, and ex-husband Chris, the reader comes to know her. I felt her confusion, pain, loss, loneliness, but also her joy and hope for the future. This is a woman I would love to be friends with, to laugh with, share inside jokes with, commiserate with about bad work days or a husband’s or child’s idiosyncrasies.

This is the first book by Fox that I’ve read; I’ll definitely read another.

Luci Christian does a fine job performing the audiobook. She has good pacing and really brought Isabel to life.

[Mary Lins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lauren Fox' latest novel, "Days of Awe", is the first of her novels I've read; I was lured to her by the descriptions of her witty and insightful style. I was not disappointed!

Isabel's best friend Josie (both in their early 40s), has been killed in a car crash and the story revolves around Isabel's coping with grief and guilt, along with the dissolution of her marriage to Chris, and the fracture of her long-time friendship with Josie's widower, Mark. Throughout the novel there are hints and foreshadowing of information and events of which the reader is not yet aware.

"Days of Awe", is an allusion to the days in the Jewish calendar preceding the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur; everyone is going to be atoning for something before this story ends. But the promised wit and humor are here; Chapter Five consists of a hilarious description of a fifth grade field trip that goes from hysterically funny to quite sobering.

Fox is particular funny and poignant when exploring the traditionally fraught mother/daughter relationship. Both Isabel and her daughter, Hannah, are only children with extremely loving, yet quirky-to-the-point-of-embarrassing, mothers. Isabel's mother, Helene, who with her parents escaped the Holocaust by fleeing to America, can never forget the family members left behind to perish. The novel is set in Milwaukee, so there are a lot of German-Americans around for Helene to be suspicious of. Isabel hides behind her sardonic wit and ready sarcasm.

Isabel is the first person narrator of the story and it soon becomes clear that both Isabel and Josie are occasionally a-holes. This didn't bother me in the least, but if you are a reader that needs to like the protagonist, you might find yourself irritated with her throughout. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed this story and will look for more Lauren Fox.

[Lorilin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Days of Awe is a story about 40-something-year old Izzy Moore, a woman struggling to cope after her best friend, Josie, dies in a random (and somewhat mysterious) car accident. Her inability to deal with her friend’s death has put extra strain on her already strained marriage, and, eventually, her husband decides to move out. To top it off, Izzy’s fragile emotional state has also hurt her relationship with her tween daughter, Hannah, and the two seem to be slowly, but resolutely, moving away from each other. So, suffice it to say that Izzy is in transition, and, in the story, she basically has to find a way to pick up the pieces of her shattered life and build something new with them.

As a character, Izzy is undoubtedly endearing. She is honest and genuine, almost sweetly childlike in her battered and vulnerable state. And she’s funny! Clever, caustic, irreverent, bold, and also slightly odd. I loved her. Sure, she was lost and unfocused--sometimes even a bit whiny and obnoxious, truthfully--but I was rooting for her. I so wanted her to find some peace and happiness.

The problem, though, is that Izzy’s internal life doesn’t go anywhere in this story. Izzy doesn’t progress. She doesn’t grow. She never becomes better or wiser or smarter. Instead, she thoughtlessly reacts and reacts and reacts to almost every little thing life throws at her, leaving basically no room for reflection. She never stops wallowing.

I understand that sometimes life is like this; sometimes we are stuck. Sometimes we wallow. And I was happy to support Izzy’s melancholy at the beginning of the story, but, by the end, I wanted more. By the end, I wanted to grab her by the shoulders and say, “You’re better than this, Izzy! Stop hiding and deflecting and making jokes about your feelings like a child. Be brave, and live your real life, for God’s sake. Why choose to be a despondent mess?”

Ultimately, I so wish Fox had developed Izzy into a character that was less adolescent and more thoughtful and mature. While I was initially intrigued by Izzy's likability and complexity as a character, as well as the premise (and mystery) of her situation, she surprisingly and unfortunately never evolved past her whiny and self-absorbed despair. As is, the last half of Days of Awe ended up being a disappointment.

Check out more of my reviews at www.BugBugBooks.com!

[Patti · Rating 2 out of 5]

Isabel Moore, in her early forties, is an elementary school teacher in Milwaukee. Her best friend has died, she is recently divorced, and her adolescent daughter is going through the usual angst with life. Basically, Isabel is sad and trying to pull herself out of depression. This is not a plot driven book, the main events are laid out right at the beginning and the rest is a focus on Isabel's internal struggles and some poor discussions she makes in an attempt to pull herself out of her mid-life crisis. The decisions aren't overly destructive, just a bit insensitive in that she tries to use other people to feel better, and causes a couple scenes with old friends when they try to move on with their lives. I really liked the interactions with Isabel's mom, as it showed our parents have been through a lot of our experiences and can help put things in perspective.

While the events she experiences are sad, I found myself only slightly sympathetic with Isabel's character. Sounds bad, but I didn't even like the enigmatic and wild friend she was mourning. I just didn't connect, except in some instances with raising girls and the heartbreak that can entail. Due to the disconnect, I didn't feel invested in the story.

The writing was quite lovely and there were some nice quotes. However, the narrative just felt a little recycled and stale...like a story that has been written time and time again. I understand it's because these are common life experiences, especially for women who might want to start over. However, I've read novels that spoke to me in a more interesting and nuanced way. One such book with an unlikable protagonist is the teacher from Claire Messud's The Woman Upstairs (strange parallels even though that character was unmarried and without children). She made you cringe but there was this draw to find out more and become invested in her life. I feel bad, but don't think this book will be particularly memorable in a few months.

[Gayle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full review at: http://everydayiwritethebookblog.com/...

Days of Awe by Lauren Fox is one of the best books I have read so far in 2016.

Isabel Moore is a fortysomething teacher in Wisconsin facing loss on a number of levels. Her best friend Josie died a year ago in a car accident. Her marriage has fallen apart and her husband Chris has moved out. Her daughter Hannah has hit adolescence and is pulling away. And she's still grieving a series of miscarriages that denied her the second child she always wanted. Sounds like a real downer, huh? Parts of it are very, very sad. Izzy's grief is so real, and its debilitating effect on her life is pervasive and relentless.

But I loved Days of Awe. First, Fox is a beautiful writer. The plot meanders from present to past frequently and fluidly, layering in Izzy's memories of her funny, complicated best friend and her happy marriage with the much bleaker reality she is currently living. This is not a book to skim or race through, but rather one to savor so as not to miss a single of Fox's words. She has a very keen eye for little details that make her scenes so perfect that you feel like you are living them.

Second, Izzy is so sarcastic and funny that even though she has flaws and makes mistakes, I just loved her. I want to hang out with her. (I figure Lauren Fox must be equally as funny and sarcastic as her heroine - how can a writer not be as funny as her funny characters? She came up with their jokes.)

Ultimately Days of Awe about the unexpected ways in which our lives can change - suddenly, gradually, with or without our involvement - and how to come to terms with those changes. It's sad but so poignant. I just loved this book!

Go read it.

PS. I should have known I would like this book when I saw that it was blurbed by Christina Baker Kline, Jennifer Close and J. Courtney Sullivan!!

[Kristina Anderson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Days of Awe by Lauren Fox is the story of Isabel Applebaum Moore. Her best friend, Josie Abrams, just passed away, and Isabel has to go on with her life. Isabel and her husband, Christopher Moore are separated (though they sometimes have quickie sex). Their daughter, Hannah is not getting along with Isabel. She has hit the temperamental tween years (eleven going on twelve). Isabel has to find a way to get over her grief from losing her best friend and the dissolution of her fifteen year marriage.

Mark Abrams, Josie’s husband, grew up with Isabel (and were best friends for many years). Isabel actually introduced Mark and Josie. Isabel tries to stay in contact, but it is hard when Mark quickly moves on with his life. When he gets a new girlfriend that Isabel cannot stand, they see even less of each other. Her ex-husband, Chris also moves on with his life (with their therapist) and does not understand why Isabel is having such a hard time.

Days of Awe tells the story of Isabel coping with life in the year after her friend’s death. She also reminisces about her life (childhood, college, her marriage, etc.). The book just rambles on and on until the end of the book (I did not ever think I would get to the end). I am sorry, but I really did not like this book. It is told in the first person point-of-view with Isabel spewing verbal vomit. I give Days of Awe 1 out of 5 stars. I did not even like any of the characters in this book (especially Isabel). I do not like giving books low ratings, but Days of Awe deserved it.

I received a complimentary copy of Days of Awe from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The review and opinions expressed are my own.

http://bibliophileandavidreader.blogs...

[Lori L (She Treads Softly) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Days of Awe by Lauren Fox is a very highly recommended novel about loss and change. What Lauren Fox presents us with is a year in a woman's life; a year of loss when her world and family is changing dramatically.

Isabel Applebaum Moore and Josie Abrams met as teachers at Rhodes Avenue Middle School and quickly became best friends. Izzy even introduced Josie to her childhood friend, Mark, and he and Josie married. But now Josie has died in a car crash, leaving a hole in Izzy's life. She is understandably full of grief, but on top of this, her world begins falling apart. Izzy's marriage to Chris becomes full of stress and Chris moves out, into his own apartment. Their 11 year old daughter Hannah, who is also mourning Josie, must now deal with her parent's separation. Added to this is the fact that Izzy's mother who lives nearby, has had a stroke and Izzy can see that she is aging.

Izzy's overwhelming sadness as she grieves the loss of her friend is understandable, but soon it becomes clear that she is grieving for much more than this one unexpected death and her changing family. She is grieving for the past that her mother, a Holocaust survivor, never talks about except in hints. She is grieving for the lost children of all the miscarriages she has had. She is angry at Mark for seemingly moving on way-too-quickly to a new relationship with a woman who is the antithesis of Josie. She is struggling with her previously adoring daughter suddenly turning into a teen with an attitude and insomnia.

Izzy has been a dutiful daughter, wife, mother, and best friend. These relationships have defined who she is for years. Now Izzy must come to terms with who she really is, as well as some secrets about Josie that she been unable to face.

In Izzy, Fox has created an amazing finely layered character. She can be darkly funny, acerbic, and quick witted. She feels things deeply, passionately, but not always openly. When she does comment, she has a unique voice and an individual perspective on everything. Her struggles are universal. Her relationships are all in transition. She is seeking atonement, undertaking an introspective look at her life during this year. (The title is a nod to the Jewish Days of Awe.) I totally understood much of what she was experiencing and the depth of emotion that Fox manages to convey is very true to life.

The writing in Days of Awe is exquisite, literary, and it perfectly depicts an incredible character whose whole life is in transition. This book had me staying up way too late to finish it, the sign of a compelling story combined with great writing. I had one quibble with it: the ending was way too pat for the rest of the book. Many people liked it though, so this feeling is personal - and based on personal experience. I won't say more, but it did knock it down a star for me, until I decided I liked everything else about Days of Awe way too much to go that low.

Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of Knopf Doubleday for review purposes.

[Tara - runningnreading · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Knopf and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this novel; you can read my full review here: http://wp.me/p4EAyf-1qO

Have you noticed that when someone dies most people encourage friends and family to "think about the good times" or remember the pleasant things about their experience of the individual? Similarly, I've never been to a funeral where there were disparaging comments made about the deceased; I think people assume that would be "disrespectful." During my tenure as a clinical chaplain, I discovered that this is all for show; friends and families experience a wide range of emotions and, at some point, usually think about those things that they might not have loved about their loved one.

"Some details you keep to yourself; you polish them up in private, smooth, shiny jewels of resentment that you save for when you might need them."

Author Lauren Fox demonstrates, in a highly entertaining and relatable manner, the struggle to preserve "the good times" when Isabel loses her best friend, Josie; not only do readers experience Isabel's struggle, but also that of those around her who have also been impacted by Josie's death.

Before you begin thinking that this is a depressing, melancholy read, let me assure you it is not; Fox's writing is so descriptively raw, sarcastic and full of dark humor that you will find yourself captivated by the hilarity within the tragedy. I was completely drawn to Izzy and the way she chooses to deal with the tough situations with which she is faced.

[Sarah Obsesses over Books & Cookies · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book about friendship, mourning, loss, parenting and accepting your life. It was good, a little dry but good like champagne. Lauren Fox throws a little bit of everything so as not to make something too sad- because despite it being about the death of a best friend, it's not sad. It's more real because obviously you'd grieve and you'd do a self assessment wondering what the hell life is about if you can't share your thoughts with your friend anymore--but then one day you might not be mourning so much anymore or then there's the day that you might not think of her at all and then you'd be guilty but also logic would kick in and then "life goes on" would cliche itself into your brain and you'd laugh.
So the book has it's moments of levity.
It was the ending that I didn't think warrant 5 stars. It's not even a big deal but still.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

While reading Days of Awe by Lauren Fox, I was late to bed, late to work, and completely preoccupied with Izzy, a woman conflicted, yet also completely perceptive in how her mind and heart is handling all that is happening in her life, second guessing everything, her husband's polite exit from their marriage and home, her daughter on the cusp of being a teenager in years, but very much there in attitude, and her best friends sudden death in a car accident. The story unfolds slowly as we come to learn how quickly a life can change, and how we must never get to the point of thinking we know who anyone truly is, including ourselves, but to keep ourselves open, to keep living, laughing, and loving.
I loved Days of Awe.