Seven Loves

by Valerie Trueblood

Who most deeply affects our lives? Sometimes it is those who touch us briefly, even unexpectedly. For May Nilsson, these include the lover she takes in her forties; the handsome, troubled young rebel she is determined to rescue; the police officer who inadvertently plays a major role in her greatest catastrophe.


Moving back and forth in time, from May's childhood to her eighth decade, SEVEN LOVES weaves together the strands of an ordinary life made extraordinary by the complex passions that drive it.

240 pages, Hardcover

First published June 21, 2006

About the author

In 2006 Valerie Trueblood’s first novel, Seven Loves, came out from Little, Brown, receiving wide notice in print and online, and high praise from writers and critics. It was followed by a paperback edition, and was a Barnes and Noble “Discover Great New Writers” pick and one of Nancy Pearl’s "Ten Favorite Books of 2006."

She has published investigative reports on military and environmental subjects, and critical esays in The Iowa Review, the Seattle Weekly and The American Poetry Review, where she has been a Contributing Editor for many years. Her popular APR essay on the short story form, “What’s the Story,” can be found at http://www.thefreelibrary.com/What....

Her short stories have appeared in various journals including One Story, the Northwest Review, and the online journal Narrative. “The Magic Pebble” (One Story) was chosen as a Distinguished Short Story in Best American Short Stories 2005.

She grew up in rural Virginia, studied with John Hawkes and John Berryman, worked as a caseworker in Chicago and as a reference librarian at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C. She lives in Seattle and the Methow Valley.

Reviews

[Liza Prall]

What? Unbelievably disappointing, such a cute title, such a cute cover... Very rarely do I consider complaining at the movie store or resturant because something was so awful, but this one was a waste of my time. And I am still bitter. Dammit.

[Suzy]

The structure of this book is like Olive Kitteridge. There is more of an organizing theme though: 7 loves of the protagonist. But it is really just a vehicle for getting to know her and her story. She is a more likable character, and, perhaps for that reason, one to whom I could relate more. One thing I liked about the book was that things happened to her--or she did things--sometimes for no explainable reason. And, I think that that is really true to life. We are used to always delving into the "why" of everything--we've all drunk Freud's Kool-Aid--so this rings true in a refreshing way.

[Carroll Straus]

This is superb writing.No, it's not an easy read, mentally or emotionally--who wants to think of being trapped in your own mindn unable to speak? I think maybe this book will never speak to younger readers.)I have, over the past year, come to look back on my win life and ask, "how?" "why?" :when...?"

But the language? Brilliant original and creative images are woven, yet it works, it does not scream "attempt to be original". It is 100% fiction yet 100% true. It flows, it glows, it enriches.

No, don't reads this to escape--read it to experience superb writing and a superlative sense of time and place. Read it when you are 63.

[Fatin Fairuz]

I initially bought this book because of the title as well as the synopsys behind that book. However the moment i started reading this book..my mind went blank..I can't absorb every words that i read and i can't even feel the book at all. I pushed mayself to complete the book but i only managed to get up until more or less 30pages. I just really can't take it anymore and so i decided to stop!

[Jenny Moye]

I just noticed a lot of negative reviews. I guess it was not highly plot driven but more about life, marriage, relationships. I really liked it -- it felt somewhat true to me as a geropsychologist -- the piecing together of life. I really liked the nursing home chapter.

[Deanne]

It is different. About how we age and think. Outs life into perspective.

[Michele]

Disappointing, disjointed, and confusing are the words that I associate with this book. I'm an analytical person and this is an introspective book. But, I truly struggled to read it and forced myself to finish this book. And, it was harder still because I'm not sure that I even like the main character.

To me, it was one of those books that made me think, "life is too short to waste my time on this". And, the next book that didn't measure up quickly hit the discard pile fast :)

[Bob]

One of the more potently pacific northwest books I've ever read. And some really gripping language about the grief of being a parent of an addict (as well as a parent who survives their child). The jumbled structure didn't elevate things for me, though. But there was enough pleasure and promise here to check out another book by Trueblood, since I believe this was her first.

[Laura Weldon]

Although Seven Loves drags in places, it is a pleasure to read thanks to writing that opens into transcendent gems. Like this one, where the main character observes her daughter in a poorly lit restaurant. "May tried to focus on the dark eyes before her. Who would guess that behind the long lashes with their starry shadows lay a cockpit, all the switches on."

[Wendy B]

This book was awful and boring can’t believe I actually finished it..

[Jennifer Larson]

It says it's a novel, it reads more like a collection of related short stories, all well-written but some of which I found more compelling than others.

[Donna]

I liked some of this book but it was so all over it became tedious and I quit caring about the characters entirely. A shame because there was a great deal of potential.

[Patty]

I stopped into chapter 2. I had a hard time getting into it.

[Molly]

While Valerie Trueblood is a talented writer and the main character Kay had a complicated and interesting life, I found this book disjointed and confusing to read. It flip flopped too much even within chapters. The shame of it all is that I could not piece a meaning together afterwards about the book. I think the concept for the book had great potential but it was not executed effectively.

[Irwin]

I was less than enthralled by this book. Its style was pretty derivative of other similar books that came before it, and I was not convinced that the main character and her lifemates merited my time. In its favor, it is pretty harmless, with large type and fewer than 250 pages, so you can plow through it fairly quickly.

[Carol]

Some of the stories in this book were "I cna't put this down till I am finishinesd" That good! But a few others were a little confusing in time lines and number of characters. On the whole though, I recommend it. Trueblood is a talented writer to be enjoyed.

[Val]

I like Trueblood's writing and viewed this book as a series of short stories that you could read in any order and that may or may not have been related to each other. What if you took the other path that day? How differently would have things been?

[Krystie Schlicker]

I got half way through the book and just had to put it down. It was very hard to follow and I couldn't piece together the flip flopping of the stories with in the chapters. Thought it would be much more than what it is.

[Karen Mahon]

I'm still reading, but so far it's a sweet and thoughtful look back at a woman's life and some of the interesting people she's loved along the way.

[Carrie]

The story of an "ordinary life made extraordinary" by a series of intimate relationship spanning 60 years.

Put-downable. 6 out of 10.

[Cindi]

I did not make it past the first couple of chapters as I do not enjoy reading about a married woman and her love of other men outside her marriage.

[Jennie]

i couldn't get into this plot-less book at all...

[Cindi]

I was only able to read only the first 1/5th of the book because I didn't like reading about a woman's affairs during her marriage.

[Mary]

I wish I hadn't wasted my time. Weird and plotless.

[Molly]

A very nice book. Very discussable. Good for book clubs?

[Diana]

lasted until about page 180 and just couldn't take it anymore. dreadfully boring, poorly constructed and plotless.

[Michelle Cramer]

I feel like this book was all over the place. As soon as I thought I was enjoying it the story line would change. Did not like it at all!

[Lois Smith]

Interesting but curious book. Not my favorite.

[Rachel]

I'm not sure if it was the format or the writing of the book, but I just had a hard time following the story and couldn't get into it. My mom seemed to enjoy it though, when she read it.

[Jacque Sherbak]

I am not a fan of "short stories." This one did not change my position on the subject. Bought it because I was traveling for a month and needed something easy.