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The Late, Lamented Molly Marx
The circumstances of Molly Marx’s death may be suspicious, but she hasn’t lost her sense of humor. Newly arrived in the hereafter, aka the Duration, Molly discovers that she can still keep tabs on those she left Annabel, her beloved four-year-old daughter; Lucy, her combustible twin sister; Kitty, her piece-of-work mother-in-law; Brie, her beautiful and steadfast best friend; and of course her husband, Barry, a plastic surgeon with more than a professional interest in many of his female patients. As the police question Molly’s circle of intimates about the circumstances of her death, Molly relives the years and days that led up to her sudden endâ and takes responsibility for her choices in life.
   Exploring the bonds of motherhood, marriage, and friendship, and narrated by a memorable and endearing character, The Late, Lamented Molly Marx is a hilarious, deeply moving, and thought-provoking novel that is part mystery, part love story, and all heart.
   Exploring the bonds of motherhood, marriage, and friendship, and narrated by a memorable and endearing character, The Late, Lamented Molly Marx is a hilarious, deeply moving, and thought-provoking novel that is part mystery, part love story, and all heart.
324 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
76 people are currently reading
1770 people want to read
About the author
Sally Koslow
14 books304 followersTHE REAL MRS. TOBIAS, Sally Koslow's forthcoming novel (September 2022--Harper Perennial) is a smartly funny story about mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law who are trying to navigate personal difficulties, some of which are with another. In ANOTHER SIDE OF PARADISE, Sally Koslow brings to life the tender, torrid tale of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Hollywood love affair with the Gatsby-esque Sheilah Graham, a gossip columnist and fascinating self-invention. Her other novels include the international bestseller, THE LATE, LAMENTED MOLLY MARX, THE WIDOW WALTZ, WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE, and her debut, LITTLE PINK SLIPS, an insider’s view of the magazine industry (which she knows only too well, as the long-time editor of McCall's Magazine.) She is also the author of one noon-fiction book, SLOUCHING TOWARD ADULTHOOD. Her books have been translated into 14 languages. Sally has contributed essays and articles to numerous magazines, newspapers, websites, and anthologies, including MOMS DON'T HAVE TIME TO and ALONE TOGETHER: Love, Grief, and Comfort in the Time of Covid-19. She lives in Manhattan but was born and raised in Fargo, North Dakota.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 613 reviews
November 23, 2009
I was sure I was going to enjoy this book, figured it just to be fluffy ChickLit and end it at that.
It was more and I'm so glad.
The premise of this book is what hooked me. Molly is dead and she is looking over her life and trying to help her loved ones navigate their grief and the mystery of how she died.
Why not five stars? Well, because it is a lighthearted read and I'm trying to save 5 stars for those books that I just clutch to my chest and sigh deeply when I'm finished. You know the ones that you don't want to end and yet don't want a sequel as you know it would be ruined that way?
I would have loved more examination of the Duration. I would have loved a less tidy ending, it all seemed wrapped up in bows, and I don't think that was necessary.
Loved, loved, LOVED Koslow's writing style. Filled with wit, yet extremely wise, she had me smiling and reflecting as I read her words.
Very enjoyable read. Do I recommend it? Of course. Would I like more from this author? Definitely.
It was more and I'm so glad.
The premise of this book is what hooked me. Molly is dead and she is looking over her life and trying to help her loved ones navigate their grief and the mystery of how she died.
Why not five stars? Well, because it is a lighthearted read and I'm trying to save 5 stars for those books that I just clutch to my chest and sigh deeply when I'm finished. You know the ones that you don't want to end and yet don't want a sequel as you know it would be ruined that way?
I would have loved more examination of the Duration. I would have loved a less tidy ending, it all seemed wrapped up in bows, and I don't think that was necessary.
Loved, loved, LOVED Koslow's writing style. Filled with wit, yet extremely wise, she had me smiling and reflecting as I read her words.
Very enjoyable read. Do I recommend it? Of course. Would I like more from this author? Definitely.
October 9, 2015
I can only assume the reason I finished this book was because I didn't have a lot of extra reading time these past two weeks and I would only read a chapter at night so I was not able to fully realize that I was in the mind of the most annoying character of all time because the writing in the book was very good.
I HATED Molly Marx! What was even the point of this book? She was able to just sit up in heaven and remember what a lame life she led while missing her daughter? I really hated her. She was such a typical woman and I don't want to read about insecure beautiful talented women who ignore that their husbands sleep around, while they have their own affair with their apparently love of their life handsome work partner that they then don't choose to be with because they are married to a big fat loser! UGH! No wonder she had one friend, because she was totally LAME!
So I keep reading to find out how she died, and then suddenly we do and it is so underwhelming and then like lighting we flash to 15 years later and nothing ever came of her death! So I wonder what the author was trying to do here? I don't always need a point in a book, but I ask again...What was the point of this book? (Besides wasting my time...)
I HATED Molly Marx! What was even the point of this book? She was able to just sit up in heaven and remember what a lame life she led while missing her daughter? I really hated her. She was such a typical woman and I don't want to read about insecure beautiful talented women who ignore that their husbands sleep around, while they have their own affair with their apparently love of their life handsome work partner that they then don't choose to be with because they are married to a big fat loser! UGH! No wonder she had one friend, because she was totally LAME!
So I keep reading to find out how she died, and then suddenly we do and it is so underwhelming and then like lighting we flash to 15 years later and nothing ever came of her death! So I wonder what the author was trying to do here? I don't always need a point in a book, but I ask again...What was the point of this book? (Besides wasting my time...)
May 29, 2009
When I found out that Goodreads gave away books through their First Reads program, I signed up for as many books as I could. When I won one of the first books that I was eligible, I couldn't believe my luck.
When the book arrived, and I saw the cover, I realized that it may not have been luck that helped me to win, but an attempt at gender equality. I think that I was probably the only male who registered to win it, so they didn't have any other option but to choose me. :)
This book was not written for people like me (read: men). From the first page, I felt like I was intruding, like I had stumbled into a bridal shower or a bachelorette party. While the writing is good, and the plot is interesting, the attention to things like the clothing brands of every character in every scene, reminded me that I was not the target audience - and perhaps even that I wasn't welcome. Even though I was interested in the plot, I haven't yet been able to finish the book.
In sum: I think that this is probably a great book for people who like "chick lit" - it just isn't for me.
When the book arrived, and I saw the cover, I realized that it may not have been luck that helped me to win, but an attempt at gender equality. I think that I was probably the only male who registered to win it, so they didn't have any other option but to choose me. :)
This book was not written for people like me (read: men). From the first page, I felt like I was intruding, like I had stumbled into a bridal shower or a bachelorette party. While the writing is good, and the plot is interesting, the attention to things like the clothing brands of every character in every scene, reminded me that I was not the target audience - and perhaps even that I wasn't welcome. Even though I was interested in the plot, I haven't yet been able to finish the book.
In sum: I think that this is probably a great book for people who like "chick lit" - it just isn't for me.
July 2, 2009
Have you ever wanted to be a fly on the wall while your friends and family, loved and loathed, talked about you and your possible murder? This is the adventure of Molly Marx. She allows us to join her from the fly on the wall perspective in the present, but also offers us glimpses into past scenes from her life as well. I was afraid this was going to be heart-wrenching like Lovely Bones, but it was nothing like it at all. Especially in regards to how the author deals with the scene of Molly's death -- Sally Koslow only gives it to us when we're ready, and when Molly's ready to tell us. The characters were colorful, the story was chuckle-worthy at times, and Molly was far from perfect. I liked this book, and will pass it on the recommendation. Warning: If you're a 30-something Jewish girl from New York, you might find members of your own family lurking in these pages!
If you want to read more of my reviews, or would like to suggest a book for me to read/review, please visit me:
http://alisons-bookmarks.blogspot.com/
If you want to read more of my reviews, or would like to suggest a book for me to read/review, please visit me:
http://alisons-bookmarks.blogspot.com/
March 10, 2019
Enjoyed this book just as much when I read it a second time - loved the writing style and character development. Fun fast read that is great for a book club discussion when you don’t want something too heavy.
February 23, 2013
Let me start by saying Molly Divine Marx, the main character in Sally Koslow's book, The Late, Lamented Molly Marx, is someone I will NEVER forget. I was fascinated with her from the moment I learned the premise of the book - that she'd be dead during the reading. I was so heck-bent on reading this book, that when Sally suggested that either her Little Pink Slips or her With Friends Like These titles might be better suited to my 52 chick lit book challenge, I said (politely), "Nope. Gotta get my hands on Molly. I just have to." I was desperate.
Back to the dead Molly Marx. I'm not spoiling anything here for prospective readers. The first line on the back cover of the book reads: The circumstances of Molly Marx's death may be suspicious, but she hasn't lost her sense of humor. And the opening sentence in chapter one reads: When I imagined my funeral, this wasn't what I had in mind. If you've never read a book in which the main character is dead, I recommend you do. It's quite an interesting ride.
Reading a book with a dead main character put me in a precarious situation because I lose myself in books all the time - so I was pretty dead for the four days it took me to read this book. Not a hunched-over, flesh-eating zombie dead, not a spooky, scary ghost in the corner dead, but a dead person, nonetheless. I drove my carpools, fixed dinner, ate spoonfuls of Nutella when no one was looking, all while secretly pretending I was dead and on a quest with Molly to unravel the circumstances of her untimely death by the Hudson River. And I have to say, being dead was kind of fun. For one, Molly met very likable characters in the afterlife and she observed people and circumstances in her Earthly life with a quiet and frank sense of humor that made you feel it was okay, (I guess?) just a little bit, that she had passed on. Or at least, I read feeling a sense of acceptance that Molly had passed. Not that she deserved what had happened to her, but that the writer handled the prose in such a way that you found it okay to be reading about Molly's death.
Except, of course, during those gut wrenching scenes with Molly's loved ones - especially Annabel, Molly's daughter, only four-years-old at the time of Molly's death, who played with a babydoll that wouldn't wake up. OUCH. Crying while reading some of the passages, I kept thinking of my own children and kept saying to myself, "Oh no, oh gosh, that's so sad, oh gosh, kill me now." As if I wasn't dead already.
Lucky for me, Molly was spending her time in a place called the Duration, which allowed her to peek in on loved ones, even listen to their thoughts. This presented a delicious study in narrative point-of-view and for this reason, I highly recommend this book to writers of all genres. And for readers, this is something you should all discuss during book group. I have to believe any writer would find it challenging at times to tackle a storyline with a dead main character. This writer does it brilliantly.
Okay, about that point-of-view. Let's see if I can tackle this accurately. And please, if I goof-up, leave a comment and let me know. Okay. Here's my take: Molly was the narrator of this story, told with a first-person "I" point-of-view. But because Molly was dead - she was also privy to other characters' thoughts - so she was also omniscient, something not typically found in first-person narratives because the main character is usually alive and unable to hear other people's internal thoughts. So this has to be a "first-person omniscient" story? Did I get that right? I hope so. Because the writer, Sally Koslow, might read this book review someday and she's a teacher of creative writing at Sarah Lawrence College - so I don't want to get this wrong or my grade might suffer! If reading Koslow's The Late, Lamented Molly Marx leaves you wanting more first-person omniscient, I recommend The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.
The timing of this book in my personal life could not have been more meaningful. During the four days I was reading this book, I celebrated Ash Wednesday, a beautiful time in the Catholic church marking the 40 days before Easter, a time in which the faithful become especially aware of our own human mortality and the redemptive gift of life everlasting through Christ's death and resurrection. As I received the imposition of the ashes, the priest recited a passage from the third chapter of the Book of Gensis: Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return. The following day was Valentine's Day and I was so grateful for my husband and children, to be alive with them to celebrate Valentine's Day, when Molly and so many others are denied the privilege. And today, as I write this book review, I have loving thoughts of my father-in-law who we miss very much, and who would celebrate his 91th birthday today if he was still with us. Although, I suspect, he is. Happy Birthday, Poppy.
Thank you, Molly. For everything you taught me during the reading of this book. I was crying so hard at the beautiful closing of your story, my own daughter went and got my husband up from a nap telling him, "Dad, something's wrong with Mom. You better go check it out." And yes, I agree with you 100%, Molly, when you told your readers throughout the book this beautiful sentence, your mantra: I will always be Annabel's mother.
Yes, Molly, you are.
Go to my "Chick Lit Chit Chat" blog for a complete book review on this AWESOME book. URL: julievalerie.com
Disclosure: A copy of the book was provided in exchange for an honest review.
Back to the dead Molly Marx. I'm not spoiling anything here for prospective readers. The first line on the back cover of the book reads: The circumstances of Molly Marx's death may be suspicious, but she hasn't lost her sense of humor. And the opening sentence in chapter one reads: When I imagined my funeral, this wasn't what I had in mind. If you've never read a book in which the main character is dead, I recommend you do. It's quite an interesting ride.
Reading a book with a dead main character put me in a precarious situation because I lose myself in books all the time - so I was pretty dead for the four days it took me to read this book. Not a hunched-over, flesh-eating zombie dead, not a spooky, scary ghost in the corner dead, but a dead person, nonetheless. I drove my carpools, fixed dinner, ate spoonfuls of Nutella when no one was looking, all while secretly pretending I was dead and on a quest with Molly to unravel the circumstances of her untimely death by the Hudson River. And I have to say, being dead was kind of fun. For one, Molly met very likable characters in the afterlife and she observed people and circumstances in her Earthly life with a quiet and frank sense of humor that made you feel it was okay, (I guess?) just a little bit, that she had passed on. Or at least, I read feeling a sense of acceptance that Molly had passed. Not that she deserved what had happened to her, but that the writer handled the prose in such a way that you found it okay to be reading about Molly's death.
Except, of course, during those gut wrenching scenes with Molly's loved ones - especially Annabel, Molly's daughter, only four-years-old at the time of Molly's death, who played with a babydoll that wouldn't wake up. OUCH. Crying while reading some of the passages, I kept thinking of my own children and kept saying to myself, "Oh no, oh gosh, that's so sad, oh gosh, kill me now." As if I wasn't dead already.
Lucky for me, Molly was spending her time in a place called the Duration, which allowed her to peek in on loved ones, even listen to their thoughts. This presented a delicious study in narrative point-of-view and for this reason, I highly recommend this book to writers of all genres. And for readers, this is something you should all discuss during book group. I have to believe any writer would find it challenging at times to tackle a storyline with a dead main character. This writer does it brilliantly.
Okay, about that point-of-view. Let's see if I can tackle this accurately. And please, if I goof-up, leave a comment and let me know. Okay. Here's my take: Molly was the narrator of this story, told with a first-person "I" point-of-view. But because Molly was dead - she was also privy to other characters' thoughts - so she was also omniscient, something not typically found in first-person narratives because the main character is usually alive and unable to hear other people's internal thoughts. So this has to be a "first-person omniscient" story? Did I get that right? I hope so. Because the writer, Sally Koslow, might read this book review someday and she's a teacher of creative writing at Sarah Lawrence College - so I don't want to get this wrong or my grade might suffer! If reading Koslow's The Late, Lamented Molly Marx leaves you wanting more first-person omniscient, I recommend The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.
The timing of this book in my personal life could not have been more meaningful. During the four days I was reading this book, I celebrated Ash Wednesday, a beautiful time in the Catholic church marking the 40 days before Easter, a time in which the faithful become especially aware of our own human mortality and the redemptive gift of life everlasting through Christ's death and resurrection. As I received the imposition of the ashes, the priest recited a passage from the third chapter of the Book of Gensis: Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return. The following day was Valentine's Day and I was so grateful for my husband and children, to be alive with them to celebrate Valentine's Day, when Molly and so many others are denied the privilege. And today, as I write this book review, I have loving thoughts of my father-in-law who we miss very much, and who would celebrate his 91th birthday today if he was still with us. Although, I suspect, he is. Happy Birthday, Poppy.
Thank you, Molly. For everything you taught me during the reading of this book. I was crying so hard at the beautiful closing of your story, my own daughter went and got my husband up from a nap telling him, "Dad, something's wrong with Mom. You better go check it out." And yes, I agree with you 100%, Molly, when you told your readers throughout the book this beautiful sentence, your mantra: I will always be Annabel's mother.
Yes, Molly, you are.
Go to my "Chick Lit Chit Chat" blog for a complete book review on this AWESOME book. URL: julievalerie.com
Disclosure: A copy of the book was provided in exchange for an honest review.
November 17, 2009
Spoiler Alert!!!It was interesting that 'everyone' killed her. She killed herself by having an affair thereby leaving her self open to the 'actual' killer. Her husband by allowing the actual killer access to his family. Her lover by having the tenacity to contact her even after she wanted out of the relationship. Her mother -in -law by not being satisfied with her sons choice of a wife and introducing him to another woman. In any one of these characters had made a different choice she wouldn't have died.
April 22, 2009
Molly Divine Marx is dead!
But that's just the beginning of this book. Molly is in her "Duration". Duration= being able to see your friends, family, etc. and hear their thoughts, yet not be able to do anything to contribute to what they're thinking, feeling, etc. (a little reminiscent of The Lovely Bones). With her guide "Bob" she is able to navigate through this new state of being and is able to flit from one person to another as they try to solve the mystery of her death.
The story starts at Molly's funeral and shows us how her husband, daughter, parents, sister and friends are all affected and are coping with her untimely death. Oh yea, and of course, the investigator who is handling her case and is trying to decipher whether her death was an accident, suicide or murder.
Through flashbacks we are able to read about Molly's relationships with her husband (who is quite the cheater and a very despicable character) and then there's Luke (the man that Molly was in love with). We are able to relive some of the best moments as well as some of the mistakes she made in her life.
I absolutely - hands down - adored this book. I thought Molly was such a lovely narrator. She was just so funny, likeable and so full of life - that it was sad to think that she was dead from the start of her story. Ms. Koslow's characters are well-developed and singularly distinct with little quirks and flaws that make them real. This is one of those rare books that draws you in and you feel as if you are experiencing it rather than just reading it.
Was Molly in such a slump in life that she couldn't find any other way out of her situation other than to kill herself? Or was she murdered? You'll have to read this gem of a book to find out - but I will warn you, this book isn't so much about solving a mystery as it is about relationships. I enjoyed this very much and I highly recommend it.
But that's just the beginning of this book. Molly is in her "Duration". Duration= being able to see your friends, family, etc. and hear their thoughts, yet not be able to do anything to contribute to what they're thinking, feeling, etc. (a little reminiscent of The Lovely Bones). With her guide "Bob" she is able to navigate through this new state of being and is able to flit from one person to another as they try to solve the mystery of her death.
The story starts at Molly's funeral and shows us how her husband, daughter, parents, sister and friends are all affected and are coping with her untimely death. Oh yea, and of course, the investigator who is handling her case and is trying to decipher whether her death was an accident, suicide or murder.
Through flashbacks we are able to read about Molly's relationships with her husband (who is quite the cheater and a very despicable character) and then there's Luke (the man that Molly was in love with). We are able to relive some of the best moments as well as some of the mistakes she made in her life.
I absolutely - hands down - adored this book. I thought Molly was such a lovely narrator. She was just so funny, likeable and so full of life - that it was sad to think that she was dead from the start of her story. Ms. Koslow's characters are well-developed and singularly distinct with little quirks and flaws that make them real. This is one of those rare books that draws you in and you feel as if you are experiencing it rather than just reading it.
Was Molly in such a slump in life that she couldn't find any other way out of her situation other than to kill herself? Or was she murdered? You'll have to read this gem of a book to find out - but I will warn you, this book isn't so much about solving a mystery as it is about relationships. I enjoyed this very much and I highly recommend it.
March 16, 2011
Molly Marx died, but she doesn't know how. She doesn't pass on, though--she is still on Earth, watching over her family, friends, and her young daughter. She starts at her funeral and then relives different memorable times from her past. From her objective standpoint, Molly is able to see the truth of her relationships and what kind of person she is. At the same time, police are attempting to figure out the circumstances surrounding Molly's death.
It was a little hard for me to relate to Molly when I was reading this book. While I liked her character and point of view, I could not really relate to her life--socioeconomically, having an affair, or having children. (oh, and obviously not being dead. Kidding!) This might sound ridiculous because who needs to relate to the protagonist to enjoy a book, right? I think this is only the case for me in a few instances, one of which is chick lit or women's fiction. I found her narration very funny and witty from the get-go but it didn't hold up for the entirety.
Overall, I feel like this book is well-written and more interesting than most popular women's fiction out there. And I see that Target even picked it up for their limited collection of books. Brava Sally Koslow!
I won this ARC from the Goodreads Giveaway program. Thanks to the publisher!
It was a little hard for me to relate to Molly when I was reading this book. While I liked her character and point of view, I could not really relate to her life--socioeconomically, having an affair, or having children. (oh, and obviously not being dead. Kidding!) This might sound ridiculous because who needs to relate to the protagonist to enjoy a book, right? I think this is only the case for me in a few instances, one of which is chick lit or women's fiction. I found her narration very funny and witty from the get-go but it didn't hold up for the entirety.
Overall, I feel like this book is well-written and more interesting than most popular women's fiction out there. And I see that Target even picked it up for their limited collection of books. Brava Sally Koslow!
I won this ARC from the Goodreads Giveaway program. Thanks to the publisher!
May 6, 2012
Occasionally, a book grabs your attention and holds it over you, daring you to go to sleep, clean your kitchen, do anything that takes you away from its riveting plot. This is not that book.
The Late, Lamented Molly Marx tells the story of a woman who died mysteriously in a bike accident (the details are fuzzy throughout), and her journey following her friends and relatives in the aftermath. The reader meets her philandering jerk of a husband, her perfectly perfect best friend, her beautiful daughter, the trashy other woman, mother in law from hell, and so on. The only character who seems remotely relatable is the detective, but the reader is never really sure if he's a genius or a bumbling idiot. In the end, the reader learns the true events the night of Molly Marx's passing, but it's unsatisfying and tossed at you like a minor, useless detail the author was forced to include.
I have owned The Late, Lamented Molly Marx for several years, having read a glowing review of the book in a women's magazine. I've started it and put it down numerous times. This last time, I was determined to finish it and get it off my "to read" shelf. I found myself wanting to skip entire pages and paragraphs of text, just to wade through the mundane, useless details and get to the end. I have to say, I feel relief that it's finally read rather than actual satisfaction in the conclusion of the story.
The Late, Lamented Molly Marx tells the story of a woman who died mysteriously in a bike accident (the details are fuzzy throughout), and her journey following her friends and relatives in the aftermath. The reader meets her philandering jerk of a husband, her perfectly perfect best friend, her beautiful daughter, the trashy other woman, mother in law from hell, and so on. The only character who seems remotely relatable is the detective, but the reader is never really sure if he's a genius or a bumbling idiot. In the end, the reader learns the true events the night of Molly Marx's passing, but it's unsatisfying and tossed at you like a minor, useless detail the author was forced to include.
I have owned The Late, Lamented Molly Marx for several years, having read a glowing review of the book in a women's magazine. I've started it and put it down numerous times. This last time, I was determined to finish it and get it off my "to read" shelf. I found myself wanting to skip entire pages and paragraphs of text, just to wade through the mundane, useless details and get to the end. I have to say, I feel relief that it's finally read rather than actual satisfaction in the conclusion of the story.
June 23, 2016
This book is narrated by pretty, young Molly Marx who died or was murdered at the age of 35. She is now in "Duration", a place you are after death which allows you to visit your family and friends. You can hear what they say, see what they do, know what they are thinking and feeling but you can't let them know of your presence. You are in "Duration" for a certain amount of time and then you move on. This book is both humorous and sad. I enjoyed it very much.
June 20, 2019
I don't know why I liked this book so much, I just thought it had a lot of heart.
November 2, 2020
This book was really fantastic. Well-written with character flaws and suspense. Molly is a great character constantly peppering humour in with her observations of her current and past life.
Many readers wonder: What is the purpose of this book? Pure entertainment.
Many readers wonder: What is the purpose of this book? Pure entertainment.
September 14, 2016
Zanimljivo postavljena priča o životu jedne žene iz perspektive te iste žene, ali nakon njene smrti.
Molly Marx umrla je u nesreći pri vožnji biciklom. Ubojstvo, nesretan slučaj ili pak samoubojstvo? To je na istražitelju Hicksu da utvrdi. Sama Molly ne sjeća se baš detalja tog dana svog života (svoje smrti?), ali zato budno prati živote svih ostalih ljudi u njenom životu, želeći vidjeti kako će nastaviti bez nje. Tu je, prije svih, njena obožavana kći Annabel, njen prevarantski suprug Barry, njen ljubavnik Luke, njena najbolja prijateljica Brie; a tu su i njeni roditelji, njena pomalo luda sestra Lucy, njena svekrva-iz-pakla Kitty, i još mnogi drugi. Prateći njihove živote, Molly se prisjeća i vlastitog, a ne može se i ne zapitati: je li stvarno netko od ovih ljudi ujedno i njen ubojica?
Na prvi pogled na ovu knjigu, očekivala sam chick-lit, a ne baš istragu ubojstva. No ova istraga ubojstva ipak nije baš tipična - pratimo ju iz perspektive pokojnice, a k tome je i nevjerojatno duhovita. Krimi-chick-lit? Zašto ne?
Način na koji Molly priča o svom životu zabavan je i duhovit, a sama se Molly prema svom životu često odnosi autoironično, ili s dobrom dozom sarkazma. Zanimljivo je vidjeti kako se u jednu sliku uklapa toliko različitih ljudi, koji zapravo nikada ne bi bili unutar istog okvira bez Molly - ona je ono što ih sve povezuje.
Likovi su raznoliki i zanimljivi, i u svakom je od njih moguće pronaći neku osobinu koja će vam se svidjeti - čak i u ženskaru Barryu. Naravno, neki su i antipatični (Stephanie!), neki više, neki manje, ali o svima je njima jednako zabavno čitati. Najviše mi se svidjela Brie i Mollyna sestra Lucy, dok mi se sama Molly većinom svidjela, ali njena povremena neodlučnost i nesposobnost da djeluje i učini ono što je odlučila da će učiniti su me također znali i iživcirati.
Priča je također zanimljiva. Nije ispričana kronološki, već je ispresijecana raznoraznim događajima iz bliže i dalje Mollyne prošlosti, što ju ujedno čini i nekako dinamičnijom. Jedini dio priče koji me malo razočarao bio je kraj (koji vam, bez brige, ne mislim otkriti), jer je način na koji je priča završila ispao nekako blag i, zapravo, bez nekog značajnog događaja. Otprilike kao da je priča tekla prema određenoj očekivanoj kulminaciji, ali je na kraju ta kulminacija izostala. No moram reći da kraj svejedno ima smisla, samo bih voljela da je mrvicu drugačiji.
Ako volite chick-lit, a htjeli bi probati nešto novo iz tog žanra, isprobajte Mollynu priču o njenoj vlastitoj smrti. Zabavit će vas i nasmijati, a ima tu i detektivskog posla za odraditi, ako vas to veseli. (Usput, nije lako pogoditi što se desilo - ja nisam uspjela. Možda vi budete bolji u tome.) ;)
Molly Marx umrla je u nesreći pri vožnji biciklom. Ubojstvo, nesretan slučaj ili pak samoubojstvo? To je na istražitelju Hicksu da utvrdi. Sama Molly ne sjeća se baš detalja tog dana svog života (svoje smrti?), ali zato budno prati živote svih ostalih ljudi u njenom životu, želeći vidjeti kako će nastaviti bez nje. Tu je, prije svih, njena obožavana kći Annabel, njen prevarantski suprug Barry, njen ljubavnik Luke, njena najbolja prijateljica Brie; a tu su i njeni roditelji, njena pomalo luda sestra Lucy, njena svekrva-iz-pakla Kitty, i još mnogi drugi. Prateći njihove živote, Molly se prisjeća i vlastitog, a ne može se i ne zapitati: je li stvarno netko od ovih ljudi ujedno i njen ubojica?
Na prvi pogled na ovu knjigu, očekivala sam chick-lit, a ne baš istragu ubojstva. No ova istraga ubojstva ipak nije baš tipična - pratimo ju iz perspektive pokojnice, a k tome je i nevjerojatno duhovita. Krimi-chick-lit? Zašto ne?
Način na koji Molly priča o svom životu zabavan je i duhovit, a sama se Molly prema svom životu često odnosi autoironično, ili s dobrom dozom sarkazma. Zanimljivo je vidjeti kako se u jednu sliku uklapa toliko različitih ljudi, koji zapravo nikada ne bi bili unutar istog okvira bez Molly - ona je ono što ih sve povezuje.
Likovi su raznoliki i zanimljivi, i u svakom je od njih moguće pronaći neku osobinu koja će vam se svidjeti - čak i u ženskaru Barryu. Naravno, neki su i antipatični (Stephanie!), neki više, neki manje, ali o svima je njima jednako zabavno čitati. Najviše mi se svidjela Brie i Mollyna sestra Lucy, dok mi se sama Molly većinom svidjela, ali njena povremena neodlučnost i nesposobnost da djeluje i učini ono što je odlučila da će učiniti su me također znali i iživcirati.
Priča je također zanimljiva. Nije ispričana kronološki, već je ispresijecana raznoraznim događajima iz bliže i dalje Mollyne prošlosti, što ju ujedno čini i nekako dinamičnijom. Jedini dio priče koji me malo razočarao bio je kraj (koji vam, bez brige, ne mislim otkriti), jer je način na koji je priča završila ispao nekako blag i, zapravo, bez nekog značajnog događaja. Otprilike kao da je priča tekla prema određenoj očekivanoj kulminaciji, ali je na kraju ta kulminacija izostala. No moram reći da kraj svejedno ima smisla, samo bih voljela da je mrvicu drugačiji.
Ako volite chick-lit, a htjeli bi probati nešto novo iz tog žanra, isprobajte Mollynu priču o njenoj vlastitoj smrti. Zabavit će vas i nasmijati, a ima tu i detektivskog posla za odraditi, ako vas to veseli. (Usput, nije lako pogoditi što se desilo - ja nisam uspjela. Možda vi budete bolji u tome.) ;)
March 14, 2015
Molly Marks je mrtva.
No ovdje tek počinje njena avantura. Zapela u Trajanju te promatra ljude s kojima je bila povezana tijekom života: malenu kćerku, uspješnog ali nestašnog supruga, sestru blizanku, neugodnu svekrvu i – neodoljivog ljubavnika. Svi se oni na različite načine nose s gubitkom i prihvaćaju neminovne promjene koje su im poremetile živote a ona ne može učiniti baš ništa.
Također, pokušavaju saznati kako je Molly umrla – njeno je tijelo nađeno kraj rijeke te ne znaju je li bila ubijena, počinila samoubojstvo ili jedostavno stradala nesretnim slučajem. Ni ona sama se ne sjeća tog detalja. Knjiga je dijelom pisana u sadašnjosti gdje Molly promatra traganje za odgovorima, a dijelom se prisjeća prošlosti te nam prepričava sve događaje koji su doveli do njenog nesretnog braka, pronalaska ljubavnika i neslaganja sa sestrom. Također, dobivamo sjajan uvid u više perspektiva što dodatno produbljuje karakterizaciju i čini priču realnom – koliko god neobično zvučalo s obzirom na činjenicu da nam je priča sam duh.
Unatoč tome u njoj nema ničeg tužnog i depresivnog – Molly nas vodi kroz životne situacije, teške i lake, uz dosta optimizma i nade. Možda nakon čitanja opisa očekujete dramu ili pak krimić, ali ovo je chick-lit u punom sjaju. Izuzetan naglasak treba staviti na vještinu kojom je radnja napisana pa nevjerojatan splet događaja dovodi do smrti predivne Molly Divine Marx.
Ovu knjigu možemo shvatiti na više načina. U jednu ruku slavi život, pripovijeda o prihvaćanju sebe, o prihvaćanju odgovornosti, dok s druge strane ukazuje na to koliko su neki događaji i ljudi bitni te ih treba cijeniti (dok još možemo). U šarmantni glavni lik, samu Molly, lako ćete se zaljubiti. Prikazana je realno, kao simpatična osoba koja griješi i nije savršena ali je dobra u duši, pa lako prirasta srcu. Toliko da ćete poželjeti da je još uvijek živa – da vam je prijateljica koja živi u susjedstvu jer njen lik se savršeno uklapa u tu viziju. Dame, navalite na ovaj potpuno drugačiji chick-lit protkan misterijem, ne ćete ostati razočarane!
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No ovdje tek počinje njena avantura. Zapela u Trajanju te promatra ljude s kojima je bila povezana tijekom života: malenu kćerku, uspješnog ali nestašnog supruga, sestru blizanku, neugodnu svekrvu i – neodoljivog ljubavnika. Svi se oni na različite načine nose s gubitkom i prihvaćaju neminovne promjene koje su im poremetile živote a ona ne može učiniti baš ništa.
Također, pokušavaju saznati kako je Molly umrla – njeno je tijelo nađeno kraj rijeke te ne znaju je li bila ubijena, počinila samoubojstvo ili jedostavno stradala nesretnim slučajem. Ni ona sama se ne sjeća tog detalja. Knjiga je dijelom pisana u sadašnjosti gdje Molly promatra traganje za odgovorima, a dijelom se prisjeća prošlosti te nam prepričava sve događaje koji su doveli do njenog nesretnog braka, pronalaska ljubavnika i neslaganja sa sestrom. Također, dobivamo sjajan uvid u više perspektiva što dodatno produbljuje karakterizaciju i čini priču realnom – koliko god neobično zvučalo s obzirom na činjenicu da nam je priča sam duh.
Unatoč tome u njoj nema ničeg tužnog i depresivnog – Molly nas vodi kroz životne situacije, teške i lake, uz dosta optimizma i nade. Možda nakon čitanja opisa očekujete dramu ili pak krimić, ali ovo je chick-lit u punom sjaju. Izuzetan naglasak treba staviti na vještinu kojom je radnja napisana pa nevjerojatan splet događaja dovodi do smrti predivne Molly Divine Marx.
Ovu knjigu možemo shvatiti na više načina. U jednu ruku slavi život, pripovijeda o prihvaćanju sebe, o prihvaćanju odgovornosti, dok s druge strane ukazuje na to koliko su neki događaji i ljudi bitni te ih treba cijeniti (dok još možemo). U šarmantni glavni lik, samu Molly, lako ćete se zaljubiti. Prikazana je realno, kao simpatična osoba koja griješi i nije savršena ali je dobra u duši, pa lako prirasta srcu. Toliko da ćete poželjeti da je još uvijek živa – da vam je prijateljica koja živi u susjedstvu jer njen lik se savršeno uklapa u tu viziju. Dame, navalite na ovaj potpuno drugačiji chick-lit protkan misterijem, ne ćete ostati razočarane!
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August 13, 2009
I almost didn't pick this up, because I thought it would be like The Lovely Bones. While that's one of my favorite books, its difficult subject matter wasn't one I was in the mood for. But this is a lighthearted, chick lit version. Molly Marx starts out the book already dead, observing her funeral from the Duration. She's a great narrator and will reel you in from the first page. The story goes back and forth between Molly in the Duration and Molly's past - how she died, and then her life as it was before and leading up to her death. So as Molly follows her loved ones and the investigator as he tries to find out what happened, we're right there with her. My big complaint with the book is that her choices didn't make sense. Why she didn't leave Barry the first time she caught him really bothers me - if he was doing it then (this happens early on in the book, so it's not much of a spoiler), she should have known then there wasn't hope for him - and this was proved later on. The end jumped ahead too much/too quickly, but it was also a kind of nice epilogue.
October 4, 2012
Molly Divine Marx has departed her life and has become an observer. She has a finely tuned BS meter and uses it on the ones she loves and the person in charge of figuring out just what happened to her. Did she commit suicide? Did someone murder her? Was she run of the road on purpose while bike riding?
I thought this book was ok. Molly was interesting at first, spying on her former life, trying to bring comfort from the after life to her daughter and best friend. But after a while it was a little tedious to read about Molly and her rendezvous with her lover, her philandering husband and her family trying to pick up the pieces of the life she exited from too early. Also, her mother in law was a piece of work who was just too much at times, can someone be that conceited? I think if this hadn't been a book club choice I could have easily put it down and not picked it back up.
I thought this book was ok. Molly was interesting at first, spying on her former life, trying to bring comfort from the after life to her daughter and best friend. But after a while it was a little tedious to read about Molly and her rendezvous with her lover, her philandering husband and her family trying to pick up the pieces of the life she exited from too early. Also, her mother in law was a piece of work who was just too much at times, can someone be that conceited? I think if this hadn't been a book club choice I could have easily put it down and not picked it back up.
July 26, 2017
For a spontaneous grab off an end cap display at the library, this was a nice surprise. Nothing too deep, just a good, original solid story.
August 1, 2019
4 stars. This was fun and decently well-written, typical chick lit. Narrator Molly is the ghost of a woman who died suddenly at age 35 in suspicious circumstances. Molly the Ghost is super likable--Molly the living person slightly less so. I liked the characters in this story and how they were portrayed. A few were all-good (Molly's parents, her friend, the detective, the nanny), a few were NOT good (the mother-in-law, the Ho), a few kept you guessing (the men in the story, Molly's sister) but most were believable and interesting.
I loved the book "Remember Me" by Chistropher Peck and this is basically a remake of that book's plot (probably unintentional and certainly a unique take so not plagiarism).
But Remember Me ended better in my opinion.
What I didn't like: The Afterlife which could have and should have been fun was dull. The ending was mostly safisfying but not enough to keep the story from being sad. Didn't like the unnecessary emphasis on weight--this isn't a Body Positive book. Didn't like the assumption that all women have or should have many friends. Didn't like the alternating chapters between Living Molly and Ghost Molly--too disorienting.
Bottom line: great airplane/beach/pool book. Very easy to get into and enjoyable.
I loved the book "Remember Me" by Chistropher Peck and this is basically a remake of that book's plot (probably unintentional and certainly a unique take so not plagiarism).
But Remember Me ended better in my opinion.
What I didn't like: The Afterlife which could have and should have been fun was dull. The ending was mostly safisfying but not enough to keep the story from being sad. Didn't like the unnecessary emphasis on weight--this isn't a Body Positive book. Didn't like the assumption that all women have or should have many friends. Didn't like the alternating chapters between Living Molly and Ghost Molly--too disorienting.
Bottom line: great airplane/beach/pool book. Very easy to get into and enjoyable.
December 7, 2019
Our book club just read this book and we all loved it!!
A novel about relationships that has mystery, humor and drama all mixed together. I dare you not to love Molly Marx’s!!
A novel about relationships that has mystery, humor and drama all mixed together. I dare you not to love Molly Marx’s!!
January 8, 2019
I actually loved this book, I was skeptical when I started it, but it was written in a way that really keeps you captivated. I didn’t have the plot figured out until the very end which often I know who did well before it’s revealed. The main character was very likable!
June 22, 2014
2.5 stars.
The short version:
1. I spent the whole book wondering, Am I supposed to care about this? but I kept going because I cared enough, apparently, to want to know how the case was resolved. Only then -- silly me, thinking crime fiction would function like crime fiction -- the case isn't really resolved. So, no, then; I guess I wasn't supposed to care about this.
2. In sum: Bridget Jones stars in Gone Girl x The Lovely Bones. Usually I'm hesitant to say that Book X is just like Book 1 meets Book 2; I try very hard to judge books on their own merits. But, well, The Late Lamented Molly Marx didn't have a lot of its own merits, so here we are.
The long version:
Like Bridget Jones, Molly Marx is pretty but not gorgeous, intelligent but not genius, unexpectedly talented at an artsy creative job that exists for about 5 people in the entire world, (excessively?) fond of clothes and home decor and shopping, (excessively?) concerned with her social status among her peers (rich NYC mommies), inexplicably attractive to gorgeous and highly desirable men. She's also insecure (which leads to some questionable decisions) because she has to be accessible to female readers without being intimidating. However, Bridget's decisions don't have permanent negative repercussions and everything works out okay for her in the end, while Molly's decisions have led to (1) a tangled mess of an ill-advised marriage further complicated by the presence of offspring, (2) an affair with a lot more promise than the marriage, and (3) her untimely demise. Also, Bridget is funny, while Molly is (I think) supposed to be, but isn't.
Like Gone Girl, TLLMM sets up a mystery regarding the fate of a rich blond NYC woman stuck in a too-hasty marriage collapsing under the weight of secrets and apathy. If, after first meeting the would-be spouse, readers' "STAY AWAY!" alarms weren't already sounding, a wise twin sister is there to warn us that spouse-y is bad news. Unfortunately, wise twin sister doesn't control her temper very well, so characters tend not to listen to her. I realize TLLMM was published several years before Gone Girl; TLLMM isn't borrowing anything from Gone Girl. Rather, they both make use of stock characters and plot tropes -- it's crime fiction, after all -- but where Gone Girl is taut, tense, and urgent, TLLMM is not; and that's because...
(ahead: mildly spoiler-y if you haven't read the book jacket, The Lovely Bones, or Gone Girl)
...like The Lovely Bones, TLLMM is way too slow and meandering. It covers an oddly long time period in which not much happens (surely the detective would have been reassigned to newer cases after a year with no real leads?). Characters do stuff that mostly doesn't matter to the unfolding of the case, and consequently doesn't matter much to me. The non-urgency is (I think) supposed to reflect a bigger message about the differences between life (rushed, insular, obsessed with minutiae) and the afterlife (slow, expansive, don't-sweat-the-small-stuff): our dead heroines realize that what matters in the long run isn't what happened to them in a single bad moment, but rather what happens to the people they love over a lifetime. But this perspective is at odds with crime fiction, whose entire point is to build tension and solve a crime. To construct a case and then, at the last minute, deprive readers of a resolution to that case betrays the readers.
(Interestingly, Gone Girl also denies readers the promised retribution. The difference between The Lovely Bones and TLLMM on the one hand, and Gone Girl on the other, is that in the former, the denial feels like a cop-out: it's an opportunity to unleash a little schlocky philosophizing. Whereas in the latter, the denial is one last shocking surprise that, in hindsight, is perfectly in keeping with the characters: it adds to, rather than detracts from, the crime in question.)
Maybe, at a meta-textual level, The Late Lamented Molly Marx, is a subversion of the (tired? overdone?) chick-lit and crime fiction genres. I guess that's interesting from an English Lit 101/Popular Culture Studies perspective, and if I were still an undergrad, I'm sure I could write 2000 words on the ways that TLLMM succeeds and/or fails at this task. But it's been a long time since I was an undergrad, and the reasons I read have changed. I want to be transported into someone else's story and to feel connected to that story in some way; deconstructing the text is an entertaining parlor game, but, if I don't also feel connected to the story, it's not worth the time investment.
The short version:
1. I spent the whole book wondering, Am I supposed to care about this? but I kept going because I cared enough, apparently, to want to know how the case was resolved. Only then -- silly me, thinking crime fiction would function like crime fiction -- the case isn't really resolved. So, no, then; I guess I wasn't supposed to care about this.
2. In sum: Bridget Jones stars in Gone Girl x The Lovely Bones. Usually I'm hesitant to say that Book X is just like Book 1 meets Book 2; I try very hard to judge books on their own merits. But, well, The Late Lamented Molly Marx didn't have a lot of its own merits, so here we are.
The long version:
Like Bridget Jones, Molly Marx is pretty but not gorgeous, intelligent but not genius, unexpectedly talented at an artsy creative job that exists for about 5 people in the entire world, (excessively?) fond of clothes and home decor and shopping, (excessively?) concerned with her social status among her peers (rich NYC mommies), inexplicably attractive to gorgeous and highly desirable men. She's also insecure (which leads to some questionable decisions) because she has to be accessible to female readers without being intimidating. However, Bridget's decisions don't have permanent negative repercussions and everything works out okay for her in the end, while Molly's decisions have led to (1) a tangled mess of an ill-advised marriage further complicated by the presence of offspring, (2) an affair with a lot more promise than the marriage, and (3) her untimely demise. Also, Bridget is funny, while Molly is (I think) supposed to be, but isn't.
Like Gone Girl, TLLMM sets up a mystery regarding the fate of a rich blond NYC woman stuck in a too-hasty marriage collapsing under the weight of secrets and apathy. If, after first meeting the would-be spouse, readers' "STAY AWAY!" alarms weren't already sounding, a wise twin sister is there to warn us that spouse-y is bad news. Unfortunately, wise twin sister doesn't control her temper very well, so characters tend not to listen to her. I realize TLLMM was published several years before Gone Girl; TLLMM isn't borrowing anything from Gone Girl. Rather, they both make use of stock characters and plot tropes -- it's crime fiction, after all -- but where Gone Girl is taut, tense, and urgent, TLLMM is not; and that's because...
(ahead: mildly spoiler-y if you haven't read the book jacket, The Lovely Bones, or Gone Girl)
...like The Lovely Bones, TLLMM is way too slow and meandering. It covers an oddly long time period in which not much happens (surely the detective would have been reassigned to newer cases after a year with no real leads?). Characters do stuff that mostly doesn't matter to the unfolding of the case, and consequently doesn't matter much to me. The non-urgency is (I think) supposed to reflect a bigger message about the differences between life (rushed, insular, obsessed with minutiae) and the afterlife (slow, expansive, don't-sweat-the-small-stuff): our dead heroines realize that what matters in the long run isn't what happened to them in a single bad moment, but rather what happens to the people they love over a lifetime. But this perspective is at odds with crime fiction, whose entire point is to build tension and solve a crime. To construct a case and then, at the last minute, deprive readers of a resolution to that case betrays the readers.
(Interestingly, Gone Girl also denies readers the promised retribution. The difference between The Lovely Bones and TLLMM on the one hand, and Gone Girl on the other, is that in the former, the denial feels like a cop-out: it's an opportunity to unleash a little schlocky philosophizing. Whereas in the latter, the denial is one last shocking surprise that, in hindsight, is perfectly in keeping with the characters: it adds to, rather than detracts from, the crime in question.)
Maybe, at a meta-textual level, The Late Lamented Molly Marx, is a subversion of the (tired? overdone?) chick-lit and crime fiction genres. I guess that's interesting from an English Lit 101/Popular Culture Studies perspective, and if I were still an undergrad, I'm sure I could write 2000 words on the ways that TLLMM succeeds and/or fails at this task. But it's been a long time since I was an undergrad, and the reasons I read have changed. I want to be transported into someone else's story and to feel connected to that story in some way; deconstructing the text is an entertaining parlor game, but, if I don't also feel connected to the story, it's not worth the time investment.
June 17, 2018
Three feels harsh, but I can't quite give this one the "I really liked it" of a four. I never quite came to care about the characters, although Koslow does eventually come around to painting them all in a sympathetic light. What drew me to the end was just wanting to find out what happened to Molly at the beginning.
May 31, 2023
Clever concept of what happens to us after death. Witty but insightful and thoroughly engaging mystery as well!
March 25, 2017
I thought this was a really fun book, and I breezed through it quickly. It is on the higher end of three stars.
I really enjoyed the premise. Molly Marx, mid-thirties (think Reese Witherspoon), wife to epitome of absentee husband, father, and workaholic doctor (think cute doctor-lead from Royal Pains), mother to an adorable four year old, twin to a dramatic time bomb (think Katherine Heigl), best friend to a glamorous lawyer (think CeCe from New Girl), lover to a sexy photographer (think Josh Duhamel), and daughter in law to the worst mother-in-law possible (think Jane Fonda) has died. And no one really knows how. She finds herself in the afterlife, watching her family and friends mourn her death, move on, and try and figure out the how and why of her death (a mysterious biking accident). We also get to follow the detective in charge (think Tyler Perry) as he gets closer and closer to what happened to her.
If this sounds like a murder mystery, that's not quite right. It is more of a saga of a woman trying to figure out the ABCs of her short life. It is a really interesting perspective to always have Molly's point of view and listen to her thoughts and interjections as she listens in on the conversations of those she was closest to. And the story really unfolds nicely. The current action is interspersed with some of Molly's flashbacks, so we simultaneously get to hear the story of Molly's life up until the time of her death and the story of how her death has affected the people she left behind as they try and figure out what happened to her. It's really funny to get glimpses into sides of her family and friends that Molly couldn't see when she was alive, and her reactions to them after she's dead. Her lover's failure to move on, her sister's inner downward spiral, her best friend's refusal to quit carrying her torch, and her husband's eventual rebound with a snarky suburbanite (think Jessica Biel).
I really enjoyed the characters and thought each one had quirks and nuances that made them each very realistic. I was able to see both good and bad character traits in each one, and liked that there were no cookie-cutter caricatures that are present in most murder-mysteries. As a whole, I liked this book a lot and thought it was fun, even if it was a tad bit cozy for my taste. There was nothing shocking or awe-inspiring, or allowed for deeper thinking, but as an escapist piece of chick lit, it served its purpose.
I really enjoyed the premise. Molly Marx, mid-thirties (think Reese Witherspoon), wife to epitome of absentee husband, father, and workaholic doctor (think cute doctor-lead from Royal Pains), mother to an adorable four year old, twin to a dramatic time bomb (think Katherine Heigl), best friend to a glamorous lawyer (think CeCe from New Girl), lover to a sexy photographer (think Josh Duhamel), and daughter in law to the worst mother-in-law possible (think Jane Fonda) has died. And no one really knows how. She finds herself in the afterlife, watching her family and friends mourn her death, move on, and try and figure out the how and why of her death (a mysterious biking accident). We also get to follow the detective in charge (think Tyler Perry) as he gets closer and closer to what happened to her.
If this sounds like a murder mystery, that's not quite right. It is more of a saga of a woman trying to figure out the ABCs of her short life. It is a really interesting perspective to always have Molly's point of view and listen to her thoughts and interjections as she listens in on the conversations of those she was closest to. And the story really unfolds nicely. The current action is interspersed with some of Molly's flashbacks, so we simultaneously get to hear the story of Molly's life up until the time of her death and the story of how her death has affected the people she left behind as they try and figure out what happened to her. It's really funny to get glimpses into sides of her family and friends that Molly couldn't see when she was alive, and her reactions to them after she's dead. Her lover's failure to move on, her sister's inner downward spiral, her best friend's refusal to quit carrying her torch, and her husband's eventual rebound with a snarky suburbanite (think Jessica Biel).
I really enjoyed the characters and thought each one had quirks and nuances that made them each very realistic. I was able to see both good and bad character traits in each one, and liked that there were no cookie-cutter caricatures that are present in most murder-mysteries. As a whole, I liked this book a lot and thought it was fun, even if it was a tad bit cozy for my taste. There was nothing shocking or awe-inspiring, or allowed for deeper thinking, but as an escapist piece of chick lit, it served its purpose.
July 14, 2012
Somehow I have managed to snag, I kid you not, 5 books in the last month that have either a Jewish theme or a bunch of Jewish characters. Is this a sign? I'm not sure.
But this book was interesting. Best book ever? No. Good read? Sure. I can't remember where I heard of it, but I think it was from Jen Lancaster's summer reading list. But I can't be sure. All I know is that this was on my to-read post it note and I can now throw that note away. :)
Anyhoodle.
So this book is about Molly Marx who you learn right away is dead. It's interesting because while she's learning the ropes about being dead she can watch in on her friends, family and daughter from above. Not only does she now have a blatant "bull shit detector" but she can read minds basically. How she dies is evident- it was a biking accident but she doesn't know how it happened. Or doesn't remember. So while she's looking down she's trying to figure out what happened to her.
You learn about her slut husband who cheats on her basically from the word go, how she gave birth alone, how she falls in love with another man but feels guilty, and ultimately- how she died. It was interesting. It wasn't one of those books that I had a hard time putting down, but it was one that would be interesting for a book club.
I was fascinated because although her husband cheats on her, she doesn't/won't leave him. Even though she falls in love with another man and has an affair with him. It's relatable in the way that you feel how she is torn between these two men. It's not that her husband is abusive, but he just can't keep it in his pants. But the other man well, he loves her. Passionately. And I think that if it were me, I might struggle with that too.
So if you are looking for something that isn't super heavy but just a fun read- this is a good choice.
But this book was interesting. Best book ever? No. Good read? Sure. I can't remember where I heard of it, but I think it was from Jen Lancaster's summer reading list. But I can't be sure. All I know is that this was on my to-read post it note and I can now throw that note away. :)
Anyhoodle.
So this book is about Molly Marx who you learn right away is dead. It's interesting because while she's learning the ropes about being dead she can watch in on her friends, family and daughter from above. Not only does she now have a blatant "bull shit detector" but she can read minds basically. How she dies is evident- it was a biking accident but she doesn't know how it happened. Or doesn't remember. So while she's looking down she's trying to figure out what happened to her.
You learn about her slut husband who cheats on her basically from the word go, how she gave birth alone, how she falls in love with another man but feels guilty, and ultimately- how she died. It was interesting. It wasn't one of those books that I had a hard time putting down, but it was one that would be interesting for a book club.
I was fascinated because although her husband cheats on her, she doesn't/won't leave him. Even though she falls in love with another man and has an affair with him. It's relatable in the way that you feel how she is torn between these two men. It's not that her husband is abusive, but he just can't keep it in his pants. But the other man well, he loves her. Passionately. And I think that if it were me, I might struggle with that too.
So if you are looking for something that isn't super heavy but just a fun read- this is a good choice.
October 18, 2010
Another 3.5 that I have rounded up instead of down. The choice of which way to go seems to narrow down to how well written the book is. Those that, in spite of any problems I have with the story, are written well or have incorporated unique and creative themes or characters always rise to a 4. Those whose writing was just run of the mill or whose characters are nothing out of the ordinary, round down to a 3.
With this book, the writing, the character and situation were interesting and delightfully written. The mystery was superb, so well done that not until the very last minute could the murderer be discovered. The on-going story was what bothered me. A husband whose philandering is obvious, deliberate and uncaring with a wife who intentionally and consistently looks the other way and pretends everything is wonderful just grates on me to the point of insanity. All the "if I would have acted differentlys" come into question in a big way as the story develops. Maybe in that there should be understanding, it does play towards the who-done-it aspect. For me, however, it just uncovered an indecisive woman who chose not to take hold of her own life and demand it be better and lost that life because of it.
With this book, the writing, the character and situation were interesting and delightfully written. The mystery was superb, so well done that not until the very last minute could the murderer be discovered. The on-going story was what bothered me. A husband whose philandering is obvious, deliberate and uncaring with a wife who intentionally and consistently looks the other way and pretends everything is wonderful just grates on me to the point of insanity. All the "if I would have acted differentlys" come into question in a big way as the story develops. Maybe in that there should be understanding, it does play towards the who-done-it aspect. For me, however, it just uncovered an indecisive woman who chose not to take hold of her own life and demand it be better and lost that life because of it.
December 2, 2012
This is chick lit at its finest. Descriptive, detailed, with a heart and soul. The author gave us a great plot - I will only give away what is in the title, Molly Marx is dead. But rather than a who dunnit, it's a who did me? The story is written primarily from Molly's perspective, as she watches the world go on without her. We also get to know her friends and family, see their lives and read their thoughts. There is plenty of time to see Molly alive, adorable, loving and imperfect, as well as Molly watching the investigation into her death, murder, accident. Molly isn't alone as she watches what came after. She is instructed by her guide, Bob, in what we might call the hereafter, but those who are there call The Duration. As in, we're here for the Duration. Did I love that some of it took place in parts of the NY I know well, including what might have been the building where I lived in Manhattan, as well as my Los Angeles haunts? A resounding yes. But nothing could have prepared me for the gut-wrenching tears that left me flailing helplessly during the final chapter of the book. Above all else, this stylish and frothy book is about love.
February 15, 2010
I use the library like a candy store and make lots of impulse purchases. Many are disappointing but once in awhile I find a gem like this one. I'd never heard of Sally Koslow (mcCall's editor) or this book but I fell in love with the main character immediately. Molly has just died when the book begins, leaving behind her husband and young daughter. There's some mystery about her death, was it an accident, was she murdered, did she go off the bike path intentionally. The mysterious circumstances propel you into the story but soon the characters and their interaction take over and even though you find out what happended, by that time you really don't care that much. Not all the characters are as well developed as Molly but I really liked her. Anabel, her daughter, is as well developed at Molly and her reaction to losing her mother is heart-breaking and rings so true. I would not recommend this book for anyone with young children (Melissa) but I really did like it a lot.
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