Dear Emily

To Love Again #55

by Fern Michaels

At forty, all Emily Thorn has to show for twenty years of marriage is a Federal Express letter from her doctor husband that begins "Dear Emily" -- and ends their life together. After putting her own life on hold to pay for his medical school, she believed him when he told her that someday she would have everything she could ever want. What she got was overweight, out of shape and dumped. Emily slims down and starts over -- opening up a successful chain of fitness centers. She finds herself involved with two men, one of whom is kind and compassionate, the other unpredictable and alarmingly sensual. Now, to keep her hard-won independence and balance it with truly fulfilling love, all she has to do is choose the right one.

Genres: Romance, Ebooks, Fiction, Contemporary

Audio Cassette

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Fern Michaels isn’t a person. I’m not sure she’s an entity either since an entity is something with separate existence. Fern Michaels® is what I DO. Me, Mary Ruth Kuczkir. Growing up in Hastings, Pennsylvania, I was called Ruth. I became Mary when I entered the business world where first names were the order of the day. To this day, family and friends call me Dink, a name my father gave me when I was born because according to him I was ‘a dinky little thing’ weighing in at four and a half pounds. However, I answer to Fern since people are more comfortable with a name they can pronounce.

As they say, the past is prologue. I grew up, got a job, got married, had five kids. When my youngest went off to Kindergarten, my husband told me to get off my ass and get a job. Those were his exact words. I didn’t know how to do anything except be a wife and mother. I was also a voracious reader having cut my teeth on The Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, Cherry Ames and the like. The library was a magical place for me. It still is to this day. Rather than face the outside world with no skills, I decided to write a book. For some reason that didn’t intimidate me. As my husband said at the time, stupid is as stupid does. Guess what, I don’t have that husband any more. Guess what else! I wrote 99 books, most of them New York Times Best Sellers.

Moving right along here . . . Several years ago I left Ballantine Books, parted company with my agent, sold my house in New Jersey that I had lived in all my married life and in 1993 moved to South Carolina. I figured if I was going to go through trauma let it be all at one time. It was a breeze. The kids were all on their own at that point. The dump was a 300 year old plantation house that is listed in the National Registry that I remodeled. Today it is beyond belief as are the gardens and the equally old Angel Oaks that drip Spanish moss. Unfortunately, I could not get my ghost to relocate. This ghost has been documented by previous owners. Mary Margaret as we call her, is “a friendly”. She is also mischievous. It took me two weeks to figure out that she didn’t like my coffee cups. They would slide off the table or counter or else they’d break in the dishwasher. I bought red checkered ones. All are intact as of this writing. She moves pillows from one room to the other and she stops all the clocks in the house at 9:10 in the a.m. at least once a week. When the Azaleas are in bloom, and only then, I find blooms on my night stand. I have this glorious front porch and during the warm months I see my swing moving early in the morning when the air is still and again late in the day. She doesn’t spook the dogs. I always know when she’s around because the five of them line up and look like they’re at a tennis match. As of this writing we’re co-habiting nicely.

Most writers love what they do and I’m no exception. I love it when I get a germ of an idea and get it down on paper. I love breathing life into my characters. I love writing about women who persevere and prevail because that’s what I had to do to get to this point in time. It’s another way of saying it doesn’t matter where you’ve been, what matters is where you’re going and how you get there. The day I finally prevailed was the day I was inducted into the New Jersey Literary Hall of Fame. For me it was an awesome day and there are no words to describe it.
I’ve been telling stories and scribbling for 37 years. I hope I can continue for another 37 years. It wasn’t easy during some of those years. As I said, I had to persevere. My old Polish grandmother said something to me when I was little that I never forgot. She said when God is good to you, you have to give back. For a while I didn’t know how to do that. When I finally figured it out I set up The Fern Michaels® Foundation.

READ FERN MICHAELS' FULL BIOGRAPHY HERE: http://www.fernmichaels.com/biography/

Reviews

[Sherry Grussing · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was horrible. I've read Fern Michaels before and have enjoyed her writing, but I couldn't even finish this book. Not only were the characters not believable, but the writing itself wasn't up to par. I kept thinking, "No one talks like that." I do not recommend this book.

[Pam · Rating 2 out of 5]

As advertised. The lead character is shallow and awful. Two stars instead of one because it was an easy read.

[Jasmin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first Fern Michael's book I ever read. And since I loved it so much, Fern Michael's was a constant pick in what I would read.

Dear Emily touched me in many ways possible. I cried with Emily. I celebrated with her too. I connected with her. I felt her pain. In a way, I could say I could understand and relate with her.

Emily received a letter from her Doctor Husband Ian, breaking up with her. She sacrificed so much for him, like ironing his dozens of white shirts and working and putting her studies aside so that Ian could finish medical school. Ian would promise that as soon as he finishes his studies, Emily could go to school, but then when he finished, he told Emily that she should wait some more and they should put up a clinic and wait two more years until business is established. Emily hastily agreed. But then when the business was established, a constant spring of promises to be broken were made, until Emily was old. Her studies were far at hand. Emily was very sacrificing, but still, Ian broke up with her, through a letter.

But this book is very inspiring. Read it and witness how Emily would turn her life around :)

[Kristi Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fern Michaels is 1 of my most favorite authors! Loved this book! The things we do for love, I think a lot of us can relate to this book or know someone that has gone thru some similar things as Emily did. Then to hit your low point and pick yourself up and not only help change your life, but to help others along the way. To find love again with a good man willing to wait for you to find yourself and what you want your future to be and with whom.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once I picked this book up I didn't want to put it down until I finished it! A heart warming story about a young wife who gives up her dreams to help her young husband finish medical school, become a doctor, then open up several clinics. Her life is on hold longer than she thought it would be. As happens in fairy tales, her married life does not turn out the way she envisioned it. Her dreams of going to college, having a career, and becoming a mother are put on hold as her husband puts his needs first. "Dear Emily...." is how the letter he writes to her begins, a letter than ends one chapter in life and allows many other chapters to be written. Scared and clueless, she now has the opportunity to find out who she is; and learns it's what's inside of her that counts. She need not be defined by her marriage status, her weight, her looks. How she handles this change in her life is amazing. She rents her house out to other women and they bond, become business partners and best friends. She goes away to a retreat in the mountains and learns, with the help of some very unconventional nuns, what is really important in life. The retreat sounded enticing enough I want to find out if such a retreat actually exists. She loves, she looses, she becomes adventurous, she befriends and helps other women, she decide what is important to her. And she does all this with aplomb. I wish I had an Emily in my life; reading this book I knew she was the kind of women I would want in my circle of friends.

[Lana · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the night before her wedding, after working exhausting hours as a waitress, Emily receives a letter from her fiance, Dr. Ian Thorn. He tells his Dear Emily that the day will come when all her sacrifices on his behalf will pay off for them. Only a few more years. Inevitably, one year of exhaustion leads to the next and the next as Ian finishes school, residency, establishes a practice, expands, etc. Each time Emily sees an end to her her long, exhausting days, Ian will have a new request for his Dear Emily that adds more years of hard work. Emily grows middle aged, fat, disillusioned, still keeping her life on hold for Ian. Then he leaves. The story of how Emily builds a life for herself, becomes financially secure, builds loving friendships, and gradually becomes her own person is one fraught with with missteps, insecurity, and help from her friends. For any woman who has started over at middle age, this story will resonate with meaning.

[Emily · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this several years ago but decided to read it again. For a book that's about a mistreated wife taking her life, looks, and independence back......it's pretty demeaning towards women. After re-reading Dear Emily (and because I have the same name is the only reason I ever picked it up!), I felt all it did was tell women that they aren't worthy of love unless they stay thin, their faces made up, and be walked all over. Thumbs down.

[Pauline Press · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific

This was another Great book from Fern Michael's
Kept me in all the way
I loved all the characters and made me wish I had friends like them
Made me wish I could find a man like Ben and consider falling really in love again
I recommend this book to everyone a love story without severe love scenes
Enjoy

[Alisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Clearly I read this many years after it was published, it is quite outdated now.
But even so, it was pretty horrible.
People dont talk like these characters, the main character was irritating and although I know it was meant to follow her growth but truly this story just made her more and more awful.

[Maggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad about a woman who works her socks off to put her husband through medical school and he treats her badly then leaves her when she is middle aged and fat – about her fight back – quite self centred but ok

[stacie · Rating 2 out of 5]

the book that never ends, or so that is how it felt. There was no consistent theme throughout the book. First, we have the story of Emily and Ian, then Emily losing weight, then her getting a business, then her and Ben, her and Matt....

I tried to like this book, but it was boring!

[Julie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don't recommend, even for a beach read. It's so ridiculous and far fetched. Who spends one day researching a business then invests their life savings in it? Plus the business is just dumb. I'm shocked this gets so many stars.

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hated this book, main character is so selfish beyond taking care of her own mental health. The first incident of her leaving I could respect, by the last incident I was hating her.

[Kiki Z · Rating 1 out of 5]

What the fucking hell did I just read? This book is a mess and a total disaster.

[Kelly P · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring

[Sherri Palmer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my kind of read. Felt like all 3 parts were 3 times too long. Dated read as well.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy read about how far you can go in life if you believe in yourself and have the courage to speak your heart. I had a hard time relating to Emily because I would never be the woman to bend over backwards for a man. The plot went along nicely until the middle where all of a sudden religion and god were thrown into the mix and Emily became all indecisive again. In the end it works and I was satisfied with the ending but all in all this book was not my type of read.

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is not the book to read if you've ever been abused before. Michaels writes like she understands how abusive relationships happen, but her perception of what is a healthy one is lacking, as is her conception of what constitutes healthy body proportions. Further, I cannot abide the dehumanization of men any more than I can women, and that theme is rampant throughout this book.

2 stars because there were passages when I cared for some of the characters.

[Judith Doyel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring Reimergence

Emily is drug down by her Dr husband who wears her down always wanting more commitment time and effort from her as he builds his fortune and dreams, always breaking his promises to her and postponing her dreams and desires, then leaves. How she and her new friends work and succeed make the book a great read.

[Karen Kovac · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not the most scholarly work ,but I really enjoyed this book...as the journey with major character was “a trip” ....at times believable, and I’d want to slap her up side the head...but unbelievable most of time . I enjoyed her moxie and slapping HERSELF upside of the head for being so stupid....I think I can relate to that part ....wish I could relate to the millionaire part .

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Strong character development with believable and interesting characters. The storyline was on point. This storyline shows emotional abuse and the pain it causes. it's at it's finest and shows how it messes with you for years. Loved the recovery. The narration grabs you and maintains your interest.

[Meagan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I made it 60 percent of the way through before I gave up. There are too many good books out there to waste time on one that just drags on and on like this one does. The main character is so insufferable, self centered, boring, and one dimensional that I can't bring myself to even care what happens to her for the rest of the book. Don't waste your time.

[Marilyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dear Emily was a true joy to read. All of Emily's journey in life was an endurance until she finds all she is looking for. It's great to find the vulnerable, broken, determination, friends to family welcomed into her life and truly doing for others. I would recommend this book for an exciting ride with Emily.

[Margaret Starr · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book although it took me a bit of time to understand the writer’s style. But once I engaged myself in the storyline of Emily and her life I was able to settle in. For me, it was inspirational to recognize that life‘s wishes don’t always fall into place as you want. And, that’s OK.

[Phyllis Saunders · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

4 stars for Dear Emily. What does a woman do when her husband, the love of her life, sends her a letter by FedEx to say he has left, sold their medical clinics, and that she can keep the houses, which are mortgaged. Oh yes, he won't ever be coming hone again.

[Jeanne Dembenski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun read

Finally a story of friendship and love for us older readers. Learning that life throws curves, Emily certainly makes a success of her life. Finally after lots of trial she finds her best self and the love that has been right there all along.

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't like Ian at all although he did kind of redeem himself, more of less. He really did a number on Emily and it took years to "get on with life". I am glad I read this book. It was a good lesson on what to do/not do when you are in a relationship. I will read more of Fern Michaels.

[Muriel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emily Thorn goes from being verbally abused by her husband to reinventing herself by starting a string of fitness centers and finding the real love of her life.

[Nancy Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dear Emily

I loved every line of this book. It had everything one could ask for. I would recommend this one to everybody.

[Tena Valentine · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was good, but I have read her books that I liked better.