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And Sometimes Why: A Novel
A "smart, sharply observant, even gently funny" ( The Washington Post ) debut novel of heartache and joy
Witty and surprising, Rebecca Johnson's first novel is about the unexpected links between one family and the world around them. Sophia and Darius have a well-worn marriage, two teenage daughters, and no foreseeable drama on the horizon. One morning, the two girls fight over the keys to the family car and set into motion an accident. The accident triggers a chain of events involving Harry, a still handsome B-list celebrity game-show host; Anton, a sexually repressed unemployed filmmaker; and Misty, who has reached month seven of what was supposed to be a six month campaign to make something of herself. Profoundly honest, this is a novel about the unpredictability of life, and the joy and heartache of how deeply one person's life can affect so many others.
Witty and surprising, Rebecca Johnson's first novel is about the unexpected links between one family and the world around them. Sophia and Darius have a well-worn marriage, two teenage daughters, and no foreseeable drama on the horizon. One morning, the two girls fight over the keys to the family car and set into motion an accident. The accident triggers a chain of events involving Harry, a still handsome B-list celebrity game-show host; Anton, a sexually repressed unemployed filmmaker; and Misty, who has reached month seven of what was supposed to be a six month campaign to make something of herself. Profoundly honest, this is a novel about the unpredictability of life, and the joy and heartache of how deeply one person's life can affect so many others.
320 pages, Paperback
First published February 14, 2008
8 people are currently reading
215 people want to read
About the author
Rebecca Johnson
229 books11 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews
April 12, 2012
Ok, I enjoyed the story, but what the heck?? Did Rebecca Johnson get tired of writing the book or what? I had to double check to see if I didn't download the final CD of the audiobook. but no, that's all there is. the book ends almost in the middle of a tho
July 21, 2011
This novel started out with a promising premise: The youngest daughter (Helen) of the McMartin family is severely injured in a motorcycle accident and is in a coma. Her boyfriend, who only her sister (Miranda) and friends know about, is killed in the accident. The accident is the boyfriend's fault, although he hits another car, which just so happens to be driven by Harry Harlow, the host of a ridiculously popular game show.
As the story progresses, we see the struggles that the family and Harry go through as they cope with the realities of the accident. Darius, Helen's dad, doesn't want to give up hope that Helen will some day wake up. Sophia, while she hopes for it, also tries to accept the reality that it will never happen. This leads to their separation. Miranda, preparing for her freshman year in college, eventually follows her new boyfriend to Alaska because of the struggle with Helen's condition. Harry takes a leave of absence from his hosting but eventually, due to the notoriety of the case, is released from the show.
Unfortunately, this novel introduces several extraneous characters and story lines which never really connect to the main story of the accident. I don't even want to talk about them because they are really pointless and confusing. The novel itself ends in a disappointing way, with no resolution given or suggested. I really felt that Johnson got to a point where she was tired of writing the story and then she just stopped. I remember thinking to myself at the end of the novel, "That's it?" I even looked for further pages after the last page.
As the story progresses, we see the struggles that the family and Harry go through as they cope with the realities of the accident. Darius, Helen's dad, doesn't want to give up hope that Helen will some day wake up. Sophia, while she hopes for it, also tries to accept the reality that it will never happen. This leads to their separation. Miranda, preparing for her freshman year in college, eventually follows her new boyfriend to Alaska because of the struggle with Helen's condition. Harry takes a leave of absence from his hosting but eventually, due to the notoriety of the case, is released from the show.
Unfortunately, this novel introduces several extraneous characters and story lines which never really connect to the main story of the accident. I don't even want to talk about them because they are really pointless and confusing. The novel itself ends in a disappointing way, with no resolution given or suggested. I really felt that Johnson got to a point where she was tired of writing the story and then she just stopped. I remember thinking to myself at the end of the novel, "That's it?" I even looked for further pages after the last page.
July 5, 2013
Like Diane, I won this book in an online contest. It took me a long time to finally get around to reading it. Even though I KNOW it's an uncorrected proof, I still find myself getting distracted. I'm finding the language to be unnecessarily vulgar. If an author is vulgar throughout, I usually figure that means (s)he has a limited vocabulary and very little to say. In this book, the profanity seems to be totally random and gratuitous. I don't know why it bothers me so much. Rebecca Johnson swings from words like piss (for which she has an extreme fondness), prick, and f*** to atavistic (which she uses practically back-to-back on pages 165 & 166), vainglorious, and solipsistic, which seems equally out-of-place. It's as if, all of a sudden,she remembered that she had an education and had to use her whole vocabulary in one sentence. And really, does everyone smell like onions? I hope the edited version is better than this.
May 17, 2019
Could have been so much better. Story about how a family reacts to tragedy. No resolution. Way too much foul language and it wasn't needed and felt jarring.
April 14, 2008
A downer from start to finish, yet another family falls to pieces when one daughter is in a tragic accident. Lifetime movie quality, I have no patience for this.
November 19, 2025
I wanted to love And Sometimes Why, but ultimately, I found this to be a rather tedious and disappointing reading experience. While the core concept held promise, the execution was slow, often bordering on boring. The narrative struggled to find a consistent pace, dedicating far too much time to mundane details while rushing over moments that should have been critical turning points. Getting through the middle sections felt like a chore, leaving me perpetually waiting for the story to finally pick up.
My primary difficulty lay in connecting with the characters. I remained completely uninvested in the main characters; their motivations felt shallow, and their emotional scenes never quite earned my empathy. When stakes were supposedly high, I felt a concerning lack of concern for their fate, which severely hampered my engagement.
This lack of investment was compounded by several undeveloped characters who seemed primed for major roles but were quickly abandoned, creating frustrating plot holes. There are multiple figures introduced with intriguing backstories or secrets who vanish from the narrative or whose importance is left ambiguous. These half-formed threads felt like missed opportunities and ultimately made the world building feel incomplete and messy. The book leaves far too many "whys" unanswered concerning characters who deserved more development, or should have been completely omitted.
In the end, And Sometimes Why is a book that failed to justify its length, delivering a sluggish pace and underdeveloped subplots that prevented me from ever fully enjoying the story.
My primary difficulty lay in connecting with the characters. I remained completely uninvested in the main characters; their motivations felt shallow, and their emotional scenes never quite earned my empathy. When stakes were supposedly high, I felt a concerning lack of concern for their fate, which severely hampered my engagement.
This lack of investment was compounded by several undeveloped characters who seemed primed for major roles but were quickly abandoned, creating frustrating plot holes. There are multiple figures introduced with intriguing backstories or secrets who vanish from the narrative or whose importance is left ambiguous. These half-formed threads felt like missed opportunities and ultimately made the world building feel incomplete and messy. The book leaves far too many "whys" unanswered concerning characters who deserved more development, or should have been completely omitted.
In the end, And Sometimes Why is a book that failed to justify its length, delivering a sluggish pace and underdeveloped subplots that prevented me from ever fully enjoying the story.
February 28, 2024
I wasn't sure about reading this book after reading some pretty bad reviews. But since I bought the book and it sat on my shelf for years, I figured I might as well. I've read some horrible books that have taken me months to read because they didn't hold my interest. I read this one in six days, so I don't think it was as bad as some people did. I found it difficult to connect or even like the main characters. I don't think enough development was done in the beginning before "the tragedy" occurred. The whole family seemed like they were miserable. On one page the Mom sounds almost like she wished she could leave them all, then on the next page she says she lived for her two daughters. There was a lot of that contradiction throughout the book. I do agree with others though, about the ending. It just kinda stops, and not even with a main character. Very weird ending. Reminded me of my daughter in kindergarten. They were told to draw a picture, and the teacher told me my daughter just put down her crayon. When the teacher told her she needed to finished her drawing, my daughter said "Nope. I'm done." No wrap up with the family. Just done. I can't say I'd recommend this book, but if you decide to read it, it can be read in six days.
August 16, 2019
I am rating this book a 3/5 because I just don't know where to go with this. I'm so upset over all of it.
Let me explain.
This book has everything triggering. I don't know what the author has gone through, but one can only assume it must've been awful.
As someone who has lost a close friend in a tragic accident, the ending gutted me. As someone who has lost a pregnancy, part of this book brought me back to those horrible moments. ALL of them; the before, during, and after. It takes you there.
As someone who has been in hospitals for days on end, this book takes you back to those days that only someone who has experienced it could write about. The doctors, the hope. The monotony. All of it.
The writing is cleverly sad. I loved the literary references throughout, but holy shit. I feel so sad. I had no idea the book would be so tragic. So awful.
The writing is good, possibly great. But the subject matter. . . fml. I am going to need a breather.
Let me explain.
This book has everything triggering. I don't know what the author has gone through, but one can only assume it must've been awful.
As someone who has lost a close friend in a tragic accident, the ending gutted me. As someone who has lost a pregnancy, part of this book brought me back to those horrible moments. ALL of them; the before, during, and after. It takes you there.
As someone who has been in hospitals for days on end, this book takes you back to those days that only someone who has experienced it could write about. The doctors, the hope. The monotony. All of it.
The writing is cleverly sad. I loved the literary references throughout, but holy shit. I feel so sad. I had no idea the book would be so tragic. So awful.
The writing is good, possibly great. But the subject matter. . . fml. I am going to need a breather.
September 29, 2019
Most of the book was written from the viewpoint of an extremely judgemental person. Although I believe the intention of the book was to criticize how most people think and act in today's society, the book completely had the opposite effect on me. The way that the book was stereotyping people through gender, age and race were just awful. However, the plotline was interesting which is merely the only thing that had me continue reading the book. Overall, an interesting plotline, but whatever the message the author was trying to say could've been conveyed in a better way.
August 28, 2018
The beginning started out with lots of potential, but after about 2/3 of the book, I started wondering where it was going. There were certain characters and story lines that were never fully developed and I wonder what the point of having them in there was. Also, the reactions of the family seemed sort of unrealistic to me and I didn't have any sympathy for the characters. The book had potential but just didn't turn out the way I'd hoped. Not the best book I ever read.
October 11, 2023
I almost didn't read this because of the reviews. It's been in my pile that were from work-we all share-for a while now.
I actually enjoyed it. I think people now have to have crazy action packed books, or happily ever afters.
I actually enjoyed it. I think people now have to have crazy action packed books, or happily ever afters.
January 19, 2018
The book was very interesting throughout, but there was no ending, it just stopped.
August 26, 2018
Audiobook performed by Cassandra Campbell.
Read
February 14, 2022DNF. Nothing had happened by the time I gave up, and I have no idea where things were supposed to be going.
May 11, 2022
I liked it and will look for her to write more in the future. I didn’t analyze it like some of the reviews I read here.
Read
December 11, 2023Not related to the story at all but the micro aggressions / stereotypes / racism anytime someone BIPOC was mentioned was completely unnecessary and off putting .
February 27, 2017
I thought the story had promise. I felt like too much was left unresolved at the end.
July 11, 2012
Of all the books I've read & reviewed on Goodreads, I probably disagree with the average rating of this one (less than 3 stars!) the most. After glancing at a few reviews and the rating on Goodreads, I suspected that I would not be impressed by this book, and would maybe put it in my stack to donate without even finishing it. Maybe part of it was going in with low expectations, but I really enjoyed this book.
And Sometimes Why is about the McMartin family - husband and wife Sophia and Darius, and their two daughters Miranda and Helen. Helen is in a tragic accident that, in a split section, alters the course of her whole family, and other individuals she didn't even know in life. One of these other individuals is Harry Harlowe, host of a popular game show, who was driving the other car involved in the accident. This novel is about loss, grief, feeling lost and confused, and humans trying to navigate the path their lives will take when life throws them the unexpected. It was all relatable and moving, and I sympathized with the characters, from Helen, whose life is cut short, to her parents, whose marriage is shattered by their difference of opinion over their injured daughter's care.
My favorite character, surprisingly, was Harry Harlowe, game show host. I loved the image of this impossibly handsome man who is meandering through life without any real passion or guiding principle. It was like getting to see behind the mask of celebrity to see the reality of an aimless, unfulfilling existence. I could have happily read a novel completely told from his point of view. And I was disappointed that he drops mostly out of the novel towards the end so his character is left without any real resolution.
The only part of this plot that I found sort of absurd was the other daughter, Miranda. Miranda meets a guy during college orientation, and then, in the aftermath of her sister's accident, first loses her virginity to him and then drops out of school to move to Alaska to live with him in the middle of the wilderness. I thought the whole 18 year old in the wild killing foxes storyline was a bit much, and sort of unbelievable. But I suppose Johnson's point is that grief makes you do crazy things.
A very good debut novel with great characterization that, in my opinion, has not received the praise and recognition it deserves.
And Sometimes Why is about the McMartin family - husband and wife Sophia and Darius, and their two daughters Miranda and Helen. Helen is in a tragic accident that, in a split section, alters the course of her whole family, and other individuals she didn't even know in life. One of these other individuals is Harry Harlowe, host of a popular game show, who was driving the other car involved in the accident. This novel is about loss, grief, feeling lost and confused, and humans trying to navigate the path their lives will take when life throws them the unexpected. It was all relatable and moving, and I sympathized with the characters, from Helen, whose life is cut short, to her parents, whose marriage is shattered by their difference of opinion over their injured daughter's care.
My favorite character, surprisingly, was Harry Harlowe, game show host. I loved the image of this impossibly handsome man who is meandering through life without any real passion or guiding principle. It was like getting to see behind the mask of celebrity to see the reality of an aimless, unfulfilling existence. I could have happily read a novel completely told from his point of view. And I was disappointed that he drops mostly out of the novel towards the end so his character is left without any real resolution.
The only part of this plot that I found sort of absurd was the other daughter, Miranda. Miranda meets a guy during college orientation, and then, in the aftermath of her sister's accident, first loses her virginity to him and then drops out of school to move to Alaska to live with him in the middle of the wilderness. I thought the whole 18 year old in the wild killing foxes storyline was a bit much, and sort of unbelievable. But I suppose Johnson's point is that grief makes you do crazy things.
A very good debut novel with great characterization that, in my opinion, has not received the praise and recognition it deserves.
August 28, 2016
I'm sure that this book ended up on my list because I came across it years ago while working the circulation desk and the title amused me. Mostly because I know it's been on my list for years and there is another book by the same name on my list. It's not the kind of book that I ever sought out. Maybe I read a review in Vogue. That's when I would have subscribed and Johnson was a contributing editor and may have scored a little book review. I've meant to get to it forever and have checked it out about 20 times without getting to it. I got nervous when I saw the low ratings on Goodreads. All you can do is dive it.
One morning, Miranda and her younger sister, Helen, argue over who gets the car. Miranda tells her parents that she wants it to go to freshman orientation at college, a lie that she ends up following through with. Helen wanted the car for a boy, what else, but what her family doesn't know is that the boy is a man who Helen is going to break up with. The two sisters are very different. Miranda is darker, more intellectual, her father's pet. Helen is bright and sunny and living a secret adventure dating a guy who was in a band until it broke up and pretending to be older than she is. When Helen is in an accident with her ex, who had been drinking, on his motorcycle,everybody begins to question everything that came before.
This whole story takes place during the time that Helen is in a coma. Her father is hopeful while her mother cannot help but feel like it is best to let go. Miranda begins to come out of her shell. The television star whose car was hit by the motorcycle finds his success slipping away.
This is the kind of book that I love. Alternating viewpoints. A bunch of story lines that all tie together by the end. I love that"it's a small world" feeling about the book. I've seen a lot of people talking about not liking the characters but I did like them. I believed them, sometimes because I knew people like them and sometimes because I've seen characters like them and sometimes because I could see myself in them. What I liked was seeing the honest, selfish thoughts that spring up with every disaster. Helen is the sun at the center of the story who pulls everyone else into orbit.
One morning, Miranda and her younger sister, Helen, argue over who gets the car. Miranda tells her parents that she wants it to go to freshman orientation at college, a lie that she ends up following through with. Helen wanted the car for a boy, what else, but what her family doesn't know is that the boy is a man who Helen is going to break up with. The two sisters are very different. Miranda is darker, more intellectual, her father's pet. Helen is bright and sunny and living a secret adventure dating a guy who was in a band until it broke up and pretending to be older than she is. When Helen is in an accident with her ex, who had been drinking, on his motorcycle,everybody begins to question everything that came before.
This whole story takes place during the time that Helen is in a coma. Her father is hopeful while her mother cannot help but feel like it is best to let go. Miranda begins to come out of her shell. The television star whose car was hit by the motorcycle finds his success slipping away.
This is the kind of book that I love. Alternating viewpoints. A bunch of story lines that all tie together by the end. I love that"it's a small world" feeling about the book. I've seen a lot of people talking about not liking the characters but I did like them. I believed them, sometimes because I knew people like them and sometimes because I've seen characters like them and sometimes because I could see myself in them. What I liked was seeing the honest, selfish thoughts that spring up with every disaster. Helen is the sun at the center of the story who pulls everyone else into orbit.
February 13, 2013
And Sometimes Why has been on my bookshelf for quite sometime and this year I am participating in the TBR Pile Challenge so this will help me with that. This is also my honest review.
This is the story of two "families" going through a really tough time. We meet Sophia and her family who consists of her husband Darious and two daughters Miranda, and Helen. The other family is actor Harry Harlow and his wife Catherine. I do not want to spoil the book for anyways so I will say this, somehow these two familes cross eachothers path and theres a tragedy that we will watch them work through.
I very much enjoyed this book I enjoyed seeing all the characters evolve in their life, I liked watching them change some for the better some for the worse. We met Sophia who is a mother of two and a wife and we watch her kind of live her life questioning everything she does. We watch her husband Darious use his smarts to try and help one of his daughters. We also see both of there daughters, two completely different people go down two completely different and scary roads.
The second family is much different from the first. We meet Harry who is an actor and is in between jobs and this is causing problems in his marriage to his wife Catherine, who we do meet in the book but we don't really know much about her so I can't say much about her.
Something I enjoyed about the book but at the same time did not like is how many different point of views were in the book. Now don't get my wrong I love switching it up a little bit in the story because that is what keeps a book interesting but there were some point of views in the story that I did not understand nor did I think were necesary. For example on the set of Harry's show there was a camera man named Anton I'm not going to tell you what happens to him but there are random chapters in the story that are all his point of view which confused me because he really didn't have anything to do with the story.
Overall the book gets a 4 out of 5 stars because I enjoyed the characters and the authors writing. I'm hoping to be able to read more of her work in the future.
This is the story of two "families" going through a really tough time. We meet Sophia and her family who consists of her husband Darious and two daughters Miranda, and Helen. The other family is actor Harry Harlow and his wife Catherine. I do not want to spoil the book for anyways so I will say this, somehow these two familes cross eachothers path and theres a tragedy that we will watch them work through.
I very much enjoyed this book I enjoyed seeing all the characters evolve in their life, I liked watching them change some for the better some for the worse. We met Sophia who is a mother of two and a wife and we watch her kind of live her life questioning everything she does. We watch her husband Darious use his smarts to try and help one of his daughters. We also see both of there daughters, two completely different people go down two completely different and scary roads.
The second family is much different from the first. We meet Harry who is an actor and is in between jobs and this is causing problems in his marriage to his wife Catherine, who we do meet in the book but we don't really know much about her so I can't say much about her.
Something I enjoyed about the book but at the same time did not like is how many different point of views were in the book. Now don't get my wrong I love switching it up a little bit in the story because that is what keeps a book interesting but there were some point of views in the story that I did not understand nor did I think were necesary. For example on the set of Harry's show there was a camera man named Anton I'm not going to tell you what happens to him but there are random chapters in the story that are all his point of view which confused me because he really didn't have anything to do with the story.
Overall the book gets a 4 out of 5 stars because I enjoyed the characters and the authors writing. I'm hoping to be able to read more of her work in the future.
January 30, 2009
I recently read the article "Holding on to Luke" that the author, Rebecca Johnson, wrote for the New York Times. It had me in tears to read of that journey and the painful end of a life. I read the article because I had won her book (an unedited copy)in an online contest and wanted to know more about her.
While I loved her truthful article on the loss of her son, I did not love this book. For me, it was just too much all over the place. Characters popped up and disappeared shortly after or were not really fleshed out enough. The lady with the rats is one character I just didn't get. What was the point of that whole storyline? I assume it made it into the finished product but I am not sure. I didn't like the character of Harry at all and I found Sophia, the mother, to be too contrived. I did not feel her grief in this story at all and the way she just took off to another city...well I just didn't get it.
I was really hoping to like this book as the premise of it was indeed thought provoking but I just did not relate to the characters at all.
While I loved her truthful article on the loss of her son, I did not love this book. For me, it was just too much all over the place. Characters popped up and disappeared shortly after or were not really fleshed out enough. The lady with the rats is one character I just didn't get. What was the point of that whole storyline? I assume it made it into the finished product but I am not sure. I didn't like the character of Harry at all and I found Sophia, the mother, to be too contrived. I did not feel her grief in this story at all and the way she just took off to another city...well I just didn't get it.
I was really hoping to like this book as the premise of it was indeed thought provoking but I just did not relate to the characters at all.
October 7, 2013
This is basically the story of a teenaged girl who is involved in a road accident, ends up in a coma, and then the family and other assorted characters are left to muddle through with the uncertainties associated with such a tragedy.
I liked the variety of characters and the varied storylines & points of view of those surrounding "the accident", but the problem was that the book as a whole was too disjointed. Some of the characters were quite interesting, but they really had nothing to do with the overall plot of the story. Why were they written in & what was their purpose? So much of this story had an "unfinished" feel to it, including the ending, which was very abrupt & open-ended, and once again, didn't really "flow" well.
Though this novel had lots of potential, it ultimately missed the mark for me. What sort of saved it, in this particular case where I read the audiobook version, was that the reader (Cassandra Campbell) was very capable & that added somewhat to the enjoyment factor.
I liked the variety of characters and the varied storylines & points of view of those surrounding "the accident", but the problem was that the book as a whole was too disjointed. Some of the characters were quite interesting, but they really had nothing to do with the overall plot of the story. Why were they written in & what was their purpose? So much of this story had an "unfinished" feel to it, including the ending, which was very abrupt & open-ended, and once again, didn't really "flow" well.
Though this novel had lots of potential, it ultimately missed the mark for me. What sort of saved it, in this particular case where I read the audiobook version, was that the reader (Cassandra Campbell) was very capable & that added somewhat to the enjoyment factor.
April 18, 2008
I never heard of Rebecca Johnson before, and it turns out she's a former New Yorker columnist and this is her first novel. I picked the book up because the Pottstown Library didn't have any of the 7 or so books I was looking for. It was on the new books shelf. I judged a book by its cover...and blurb. This time I picked a winner.
It was clever, unexpected, and a little sad. it tells the story of several different people in L.A. and how all of their lives are affected/intertwined because of a tragedy. Because each chapter jumped into the life of another person, it didn't get boring or predictable. At the turn of the page you're looking at a seemingly happy family, game-show host, virgin college freshman, or filmmaker. Kind of like flipping channels.
In the end it seems like each character grew over the course of the pages, and I'm still thinking about that.
A good, quick read for any of you gals...
It was clever, unexpected, and a little sad. it tells the story of several different people in L.A. and how all of their lives are affected/intertwined because of a tragedy. Because each chapter jumped into the life of another person, it didn't get boring or predictable. At the turn of the page you're looking at a seemingly happy family, game-show host, virgin college freshman, or filmmaker. Kind of like flipping channels.
In the end it seems like each character grew over the course of the pages, and I'm still thinking about that.
A good, quick read for any of you gals...
December 5, 2012
I've found that I thoroughly enjoy many first novels but this one didn't make the cut. There was nothing wrong with it except that it really was just rather a mishmash about a family to which a tragedy happens and then what develops from there. Have read many of these types of stories and most were more interesting than this one. Luckily it was a quick read because I really did not like or care about any of the characters.
One thing that did stand out for me was on page 277 when Sophia (the mother) was living in New York and tries to reach her husband from whom she is separated to tell him a funny story but he didn't answer the phone and there was no one else she could call who would really understand. She then thinks..."maybe that was the real problem with being so alone in the world; if there is nobody to share the small stories, the series of unconnected moments that, taken together, constitute a life, how do you know you exist?" I thought this was a very poignant sentiment.
One thing that did stand out for me was on page 277 when Sophia (the mother) was living in New York and tries to reach her husband from whom she is separated to tell him a funny story but he didn't answer the phone and there was no one else she could call who would really understand. She then thinks..."maybe that was the real problem with being so alone in the world; if there is nobody to share the small stories, the series of unconnected moments that, taken together, constitute a life, how do you know you exist?" I thought this was a very poignant sentiment.
May 4, 2010
One thought struck me near the end of the book. Sophia McMartin, after a tragic accident happens to her family and has strained her marriage, has moved to New York to deal with the issue on her own. She has a funny encounter and tries calling her husband in LA to share the story with him. He is not at home to answer the phone, but she has this thought: "Maybe that was the real problem with being so alone in the world, if there's nobody to share the small stories, the series of unconnected moments that, taken together, constitute a life, how do you know you exist?"
The book starts out with a scene that happens often in most families...the teenage daughters argue over who gets to use the family car. A decision is reached, but a chain of events happens that changes this families lives in ways they never expected.
A pretty quick and easy read of a debut novel by this author.
The book starts out with a scene that happens often in most families...the teenage daughters argue over who gets to use the family car. A decision is reached, but a chain of events happens that changes this families lives in ways they never expected.
A pretty quick and easy read of a debut novel by this author.
December 31, 2011
I thought this book was interesting. This book was about a family and their family's drama. In addition breakfast together was mandatory in the McMartian family. Besides that they have not idea how permanently their family will be affected by a decision made around the breakfast table one morning. However when Sophia and Darius say goodbye to their teenage daughters one average morning. They don't ever think that because of the choice they made at the table that one of there daughters will have a terrible accident which is Helen and Miranda will meet a boy because these events will change their lives forever. Overall I thought this book was good and when you read this book it shows you how quickly life can change. Besides that I would recommend this book if you want to read about family drama and the issues they face.
November 21, 2008
This was a book that I picked up at the library with no previous knowledge of the author. It is a story of a family and a talk show host and a cameraman and how their lives intersect, entwine and collide. The character of the mother was very interesting to me, I found her observations truthful and painful. There have been some times in my life when I felt so connected to the path that I was on and other times when I just feel lost. It is nice to be reminded that all of those feelings lead you to the person you are now.
December 1, 2015
Perhaps I'd rate this one a 2.5-2.75. I was left wondering why. Why bring up and devote a chapter or two to a character that isn't fully developed dangling at the end like a participle or a chad? Why leave an unsatisfying ending on a story about closure? Why spend so many pages on flashbacks and parenthetical observations? The deeper issues of love, marriage, and loss are interesting and kept me reading. I shed a tear or two. I chuckled. Overall, it was not the same book I started reading because it didn't end the way I needed it to. Meh.
March 25, 2008
meh. I read this in about a day and a half when I was sick with the flu... it was an easy and moderately entertaining read, not bad but certainly not terrific. I might even venture to say that it was a bit sappy and contrived for my taste. but then again, I was feverish so who knows what was really going on.
also, it wasn't particularly memorable... I'm having a difficult time even remembering the plot and I only read it two weeks ago. don't bother.
also, it wasn't particularly memorable... I'm having a difficult time even remembering the plot and I only read it two weeks ago. don't bother.
April 23, 2008
Well written but ultimately - soap opera shallow. Interesting characters are ignored, relatively dull ones focused on. I don't feel like at the end we know MORE about the family, or how they've changed or if they've changed at all.
At the same time, as harshly as I sound condemning this book - it wasn't a bad book. I enjoyed reading it. I just can't recommend it as more than a decent book to pass the time.
At the same time, as harshly as I sound condemning this book - it wasn't a bad book. I enjoyed reading it. I just can't recommend it as more than a decent book to pass the time.
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