Gathering Roses

Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for Reader Views (8/07) Lori met Nick during her college internship at a radio station; she worked closely with Nick, the morning DJ. He was an enigma, a challenge, something to acquire. His demeanor was cold and unemotional. Lori always pushed herself to extreme limits, always wanted to attain the unattainable. After she got it, she usually found she no longer wanted it, feeling that if she could achieve it, then it must not be good enough. His aloofness was what made Nick attractive to her; he was the unattainable. Lori saw Nick as a challenge and she would go to any length to acquire him. Nick has health problems which influence his dark outlook on life. "Gathering Roses," by Ellen Weisberg, is a story for young adults. She successfully describes the lives of young professionals and the struggle they face in today's world. Women face struggles with self-image and isolation. These are situations young women endure, but keep hidden, preferring not to talk about them. Ms. Weisberg demonstrates how technology, the internet and email have an impact on the daily life of the characters. There are email messages throughout the book from Lori and her friends. They add humor and insight to the storyline. While email may be quick and easy, it has its own set of communication problems, it does not allow you to hear a person's voice or see their face so that you can judge their emotions. This is a very contemporary, coming-of-age story. Lori is coming to accept who she is. I could see her growing and maturing throughout the book. This is a book of relationships; it steps beyond the issue of gender and reaches to the heart of interaction. Ms. Weisberg is a very talented author. I recommend "Gathering Roses" to young adults.

Gathering Roses merges the timeless concepts of love, self-image, the need for security, to belong and feel loved, while also looking for adventure, something that lifts us beyond the mundane. These basic and timeless themes are woven into the recent and perhaps fleeting superficial elements of modern society, comprising shift work, career flexibility, mobility, and the wide cross section of people we inevitably meet along the way. Making full use of modern communication media, the increasing use of emails to maintain and drive relationships is explored effectively to illustrate the deeper feelings of the characters involved by creating opportunities for people to communicate in a time frame that allows rapid responses, but with more time to articulate responses than face to face conversation allow, and with less of the etiquette restraints of social gatherings. The opportunity to fully articulate ones darkest and most intimate feelings are thus allowed to fully expand. I found the emotional confessions astonishingly vivid and empathetic. The author displays an exemplary depth in understanding human feelings. At times the story goes very close to the bone and is therefore a welcome addition to modern literature for readers looking for a sign that they are not alone in this chaotic modern world. I found myself caught up in the development of the relationships, and really wanting to know how on earth the heroine would escape the trap(s) she found herself in. The development and resolution of these problems are managed in a masterfully subtle fashion, in a way that reflects the outcome of so many relationships and segments of our lives.

This is an entrancing book. I usually read for 30 minutes before bed, but found myself unable to stop with Gathering Roses. I read the whole book in two nights. The main character, Lori goes through many conflicting feelings but throughout remains true to herself. The ending is heartwrenching. A must read!!!

This book is GREAT! I loved reading the IMs between Lori and Nick and I could just feel her pain and can relate to the push-pull dynamic of their relationship. I also enjoyed Rutherford's dark and bleak emails. I was sad to have finished it so quickly as I felt like I really knew the characters. I highly recommend this book to all!

this book! Funny, but gut wrenching in it's ability to capture those hard-to-describe feelings we all get when dealing in both romantic and non-romantic relationships, this book is absolutely worth every penny.