On a Night Like This

Ellen Sussman has written a beautiful story. As an avid reader, sometimes I find a book that keeps my thoughts totally fixed on the story. This is one of them. No "wandering" at all! The "lifestyle" of Blair is depicted early in the book pretty graphically. This is the only thing I would like to see changed - the author will soon learn to leave a little more to the readers' imaginations. I will eagerly await her next book - let's hope there are many "next books!"

What a marvelous book! "On A Night Like This" is anything but expected. The characters are real and heartfelt - complicated people who are fighting their way through a painful crucible. I cheered for them while feeling their sorrows. The style of "On A Night Like This" soars above - way above - the romance and chick lit it's been compared to. The mother-daughter struggles of Blair and Amanda are familiar enough, but Ellen Sussman infuses this relationship with some wonderfully wise twists. And Luke, while he earns his stripes as a jerk at times, makes for a worthy counterpoint to Blair's unvarnished emotion. The beautifully drawn California setting further enhances this sad but enveloping novel. This is a terrific read.

I cried through so much of this book but I couldn't put it down. 3 lost people found each other at a time in their lives when it was most needed. Blair, who is dying, needed to find true love for the completion of her life. Luke, who has recently been separated from his wife, needed to find unconditional and unselfish love. Amanda, Blair's 16 year old daughter, needed to learn to love someone besides Mom and to deal with the hardships of life. As the book goes on, the 3 of them bonded together in such a way that the bond would never be broken. I loved Sweetpea, the dog. She was the unselfish constant in all 3 lives and, as a pet lover, I know the importance of a pet's unconditional support. She was great!I loved it and I think everyone should read it.

Ellen Sussman's stunning debut novel features a strong heroine faced with an awful predicament. Blair Clemens, a single mother and chef in California, is dying. When Luke Bellingham, a throwback to her high-school days who is now a successful Hollywood screenwriter, comes back into her life, what will she do? Is it OK for her to reach for love, knowing it can't possibly have a traditional happy ending? In less capable hands, this could be maudlin material, but not so with Ms. Sussman. Blair is such a strong heroine, and Ms. Sussman's technique of alternating chapters between Blair's and Luke's points of view is so effective and capably done, that what could and should by all rights be tragic instead comes off as a celebration of life and love. Readers will finish this novel looking forward to Ms. Sussman's next.

This is a wonderful book. It made me cry,yet it was so uplifting. Much in the style of Elizabeth Berg (Never Change).It is the story of three lost people who find each other. Blair is dying of cancer. Amanda is her 16 year old daughter struggling with loss and then there is Luke the old high school friend who was nothing to her then and becomes everything to her now.I highly reccomend this book. Good story. Loved it.