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Jimmy's Girl
Do you ever think back on your first love? This acclaimed debut novel explores the "what if" questions that live in every woman's heart. "A tender evocation of lost love, and what it means to find it again." ( Kirkus Reviews ) "Sharp-eyed [and] impeccably detailed." ( Marie Claire ) "A sweet response to one of life's constant what-if questions." ( Booklist , starred review)
288 pages, Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
June 14, 2011
Oy. This story takes a look at Emily and James, who were high school sweethearts before they were torn apart by his enlisting in the Marines at the time of the Vietnam War. They parted unhappily, and they've both gone on to marry and have families, not with each other, but neither can forget the sweetness and purity and intensity of that first love.
Now thirty years later, Emily is prompted to make an attempt to find James, perhaps for a sense of closure. Both have been drifting along in their marriages, having lost some sense of the person they'd chosen to bind their lives to. When Emily leaves a message on James's answering machine and he calls back, they are startled to rediscover the strength of their sense of connection and of being understood. The depth of their "what if" wonderings leave them emotionally shaken. Despite knowing where such a meeting might lead, they arrange a visit to Washington DC, ostensibly to view the Vietnam Memorial and for James to share his perspective of that conflict as inspiration for Emily's paintings of that era.
The story feels pretty realistically written, and Ms. Gertler takes us into Emily and James's heads and hearts by alternating first-person chapters.
It was just ultimately painful to read though; this is why I don't prefer this type of fiction to romance--it was so clear that there was no way for them to go back in time, no way for a re-do, no way to change the course of their lives so that they could get an HEA without completely tearing apart the fabric of their lives and those of their families.
Alas, no time-travel device or other deus-ex-machina to wrap things up with a tidy bow; perhaps life is all too often like that...
Now thirty years later, Emily is prompted to make an attempt to find James, perhaps for a sense of closure. Both have been drifting along in their marriages, having lost some sense of the person they'd chosen to bind their lives to. When Emily leaves a message on James's answering machine and he calls back, they are startled to rediscover the strength of their sense of connection and of being understood. The depth of their "what if" wonderings leave them emotionally shaken. Despite knowing where such a meeting might lead, they arrange a visit to Washington DC, ostensibly to view the Vietnam Memorial and for James to share his perspective of that conflict as inspiration for Emily's paintings of that era.
The story feels pretty realistically written, and Ms. Gertler takes us into Emily and James's heads and hearts by alternating first-person chapters.
It was just ultimately painful to read though; this is why I don't prefer this type of fiction to romance--it was so clear that there was no way for them to go back in time, no way for a re-do, no way to change the course of their lives so that they could get an HEA without completely tearing apart the fabric of their lives and those of their families.
Alas, no time-travel device or other deus-ex-machina to wrap things up with a tidy bow; perhaps life is all too often like that...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 26, 2021
Skipping back and forth between 1967 and today as a 40-something mother contacts her old boyfriend. His father forced him into the Marines when he was 17 and she was 16. She wonders what her life might be had they lasted as a couple. Nostalgic, interesting.
January 22, 2018
Emily looks up her first love 30 years later.
Read
April 23, 2020Q
May 9, 2020
This book puts you right in the characters position. Such a good, emotional, heartbreaking book.
February 22, 2022
I loved this book and didn't want to put it down, yet I didn't want it to end. Highly recommend it!
February 27, 2022
Very thought-provoking with a touch of history.
July 1, 2023
It was OK but made me think of lots of things about the past and that just usually makes me sad about things I did or didn't do. Was going to recommend for book club but changed my mind.
October 10, 2009
Jimmy's Girl was a book about something we all do. We travel back in time and wonder about what if this happened, what if I did this differently, etc.
A young girl sends her boyfriend off to basic training with the Marines. After basic training the boy has become a man and he returns home and the young girl turns away from him. Jimmy (the Marine) goes to Nam where he fights for a couple of years, returns to the states, gets married, etc. Emily, the young girl gets married and has children of her own; however, she wonders what happened to Jimmy after he walked away from her in October 1967. 30 years later she searches for Jimmy and finds him.
The book goes back and forth between Jimmy's perspective and Emily's perspective. There is great background of what made Emily seek Jimmy out and why Jimmy was willing to be sought out.
I REALLY enjoyed this book. It was very well written and Jimmy and Emily became real to me. The ending left me wishing for something different, but the way the book ended was more realistic of what normally happens in those situations.
A young girl sends her boyfriend off to basic training with the Marines. After basic training the boy has become a man and he returns home and the young girl turns away from him. Jimmy (the Marine) goes to Nam where he fights for a couple of years, returns to the states, gets married, etc. Emily, the young girl gets married and has children of her own; however, she wonders what happened to Jimmy after he walked away from her in October 1967. 30 years later she searches for Jimmy and finds him.
The book goes back and forth between Jimmy's perspective and Emily's perspective. There is great background of what made Emily seek Jimmy out and why Jimmy was willing to be sought out.
I REALLY enjoyed this book. It was very well written and Jimmy and Emily became real to me. The ending left me wishing for something different, but the way the book ended was more realistic of what normally happens in those situations.
April 19, 2020
I thought this book was alright. I think my main problem with it was that I couldn't relate to any of the characters. Not even a little. Emily is 47 yrs. old (I'm 23), has 4 kids (I have none), and her marriage is in a rut after 20+ yrs. (I've only been married for a year). The only thing I could identify with was we both live in Connecticut. It just wasn't a stimulating book.
All Emily can think about is the love of her life Jim, whom she hasn't seen in 30 yrs. They had a 4-month summer fling back in 1967 and she feels he's the 'one-that-got-away'. Anyway, she tracks him down and they make plans to get together, and the story goes from there (I don't want to give anything away, so I won't elaborate).
When I finished this book I thought, well, that was nice I guess, but I also felt it was kinda a waste of time. I didn't really get anything out of it. When I closed the book I thought, well, another book read, and that was that. I didn't give it another thought. A good read if your looking for a 'filler' book, but don't sit down and expect anything great...you'll be disappointed.
All Emily can think about is the love of her life Jim, whom she hasn't seen in 30 yrs. They had a 4-month summer fling back in 1967 and she feels he's the 'one-that-got-away'. Anyway, she tracks him down and they make plans to get together, and the story goes from there (I don't want to give anything away, so I won't elaborate).
When I finished this book I thought, well, that was nice I guess, but I also felt it was kinda a waste of time. I didn't really get anything out of it. When I closed the book I thought, well, another book read, and that was that. I didn't give it another thought. A good read if your looking for a 'filler' book, but don't sit down and expect anything great...you'll be disappointed.
July 21, 2013
I received this book free as an advance copy through Library Thing.
This story uncovers the vulnerabilities of youth, first love, the pain of separation and the potency of family ties. Although circumstances move the lives of young Jimmy and Emily in different directions their memories of each other remain strong.
Jimmy is scarred by his time in Vietnam as a Marine. On his return he marries and they later adopt a daughter. Meantime Emily has married and her life is tied up with children, domesticity and her art.
The story is interesting and represents the real experiences and choices of many couples who meet up again in later life. Whilst I found the writing style distracting, with long narrative sections and occasional instances of having to backtrack to clarify whose point of view it was, I believe many will enjoy the authenticity of family situations and resolutions. A good read.
ISTORIA BOOKS
ISBN: 978-0988472570
Publication date: July 2013
This story uncovers the vulnerabilities of youth, first love, the pain of separation and the potency of family ties. Although circumstances move the lives of young Jimmy and Emily in different directions their memories of each other remain strong.
Jimmy is scarred by his time in Vietnam as a Marine. On his return he marries and they later adopt a daughter. Meantime Emily has married and her life is tied up with children, domesticity and her art.
The story is interesting and represents the real experiences and choices of many couples who meet up again in later life. Whilst I found the writing style distracting, with long narrative sections and occasional instances of having to backtrack to clarify whose point of view it was, I believe many will enjoy the authenticity of family situations and resolutions. A good read.
ISTORIA BOOKS
ISBN: 978-0988472570
Publication date: July 2013
January 8, 2014
This is not something I'd ordinarily pick up, but my grandma found it at a library book sale and I decided to give it a try.
I would not recommend this book. While the story idea had potential, the way it was executed was exhausting and boring. Many sentences were short and choppy and repetitive. I was not at all surprised to find that the author is a journalist. Many of the details weren't believable, which was very annoying. The way I was supposed to believe, for example, that Jim, a hardened marine approaching fifty, describes his young daughter as wearing "pink seersucker" shorts. Right. Details are important to me because they give a story its believability, its life. Details are abused here.
Content-wise, the story alternately bored and depressed me.
I would not recommend this book. While the story idea had potential, the way it was executed was exhausting and boring. Many sentences were short and choppy and repetitive. I was not at all surprised to find that the author is a journalist. Many of the details weren't believable, which was very annoying. The way I was supposed to believe, for example, that Jim, a hardened marine approaching fifty, describes his young daughter as wearing "pink seersucker" shorts. Right. Details are important to me because they give a story its believability, its life. Details are abused here.
Content-wise, the story alternately bored and depressed me.
August 12, 2012
Emily Hudson is married with four teenage children. Jimmy Moran is married with an adopted daughter. Emily and Jimmy were in love when they were sixteen and seventeen, before Jimmy was shipped off to Vietnam. They lost touch, but never fell out of love with each other. When Emily can't stand the memories anymore, she seeks out Jimmy. And finds him. The writing in this book seems a little formal; the chapters are told by alternating characters, but both sound the same. The story itself, however, is incredibly well-done and emotionally suspenseful.
April 3, 2007
A woman looks up her first boyfriend, 30 years later, under the guise of doing research for a series of Vietnam War era paintings. Both are unhappy in their marriages, still love each other, but can't stay together. The story reveals their lives and the circumstances surrounding the summer they met.
March 16, 2009
A wife and a mother of four between her daily duties finds herself thinking about James, the guy she fell in love with when she was sixteen. But when she wants to meet him again, they both risk their lives. Good read.
January 25, 2010
This book was good. It is about your first love. It is about misunderstandings and regret and the concept if you could have changed just one thing.
It is about that one complete and beautiful love and not being able to have it and accepting that fact.
It is about that one complete and beautiful love and not being able to have it and accepting that fact.
November 19, 2009
Ever wonder what happened to the one thatgot away? Well so did she and she found him and this is the story. She was married with 4 kids and he was also married and the rest you'll just have to read.
May 5, 2010
This was a great book. There are only two books that Stephanie Gertler has written. She has a very realistic look at marriage. In this book a girl and guy get together and meet after thirty years and other marriages. I would like to read this book again sometime.
March 3, 2012
Every girl remembers her first true love. This love is interrupted by the Vietnam War. Now in a seemingly unloving humdrum marriage Emily Hudson has many questions about her first love.
The question is posed "can you gather emotional salvation by reaching back 30 years?"
The question is posed "can you gather emotional salvation by reaching back 30 years?"
August 14, 2016
Looking back at a first love from a "remember when?" and "what if?" perspective. Told from the point of view of both Emily and Jimmy, this is a realistic and bittersweet look at what is, and what might have been.
April 17, 2008
easy read about first love refound
Read
August 28, 2008F Ger
August 14, 2009
Very sweet
July 20, 2010
Despite the unfaithfulness involved, this is a very sweet story. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 30, 2012
About halfway through this book I wasn't sure I would finish it - but I did and it got a little better. Still not a book I would recommend unless you want something so-so for a beach read.
May 15, 2012
Adult love story about 1st love, reunited after both are emaried to other people
September 6, 2013
Glad it was free. The main characters rely annoyed me. Not that I couldn't understand them, I just grew tired of their whining. It was okay.
July 4, 2016
A book of young love lost then found again 30 yrs later and all that happened in between,
May 21, 2018
Wonderful!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews