Open House

I loved and was exasperated by Sam and her self hurting antics probably because I saw myself at times in my life.

I usually read all of the books Oprah picks for her book club. I read them because i teach English and it is expected of me to talk literature in public (PTA meetings etc)People read Oprah's books so I feel like I need to also. Most of the books help pass a rainy Sunday afternoon but other than Toni Morrison, I personally don't find many of them to be well written. So I picked this book up expecting it to be okay. I have not read anything else by Ms.Berg and I have to say I was completely surprised! It was short, but the characters were wonderful. She did a great job of capturing the different emotions that each family goes through during a divorce. Wonderful teen portrayal. Ms. Berg creates beautiful language and has the wonderful ability to vary sentence length and make the reader wonder is he/she is reading or listening to music. One of my favorite scenes describes the main character, Sam, having dinner with a man that she is (finally) comfortable with. He prepares a dinner at his home, sets a beautiful table and when she sits down she says "This is my favorite restaurant". I felt bad that i had never thought to say this to my romantic husband who often brings me breakfast in bed. (but i can steal it! he hasn't read the book!) If you like beautiful language, you will love this book. If you have been through, or are going through a divorce, it will give you strength!.

I have always enjoyed reading anything by Elizabeth Berg -- she is a wonderful writer who has an amazing ability to capture emotions in such a way that you know EXACTLY what the characters are feeling. And this book is no exception -- it was fantastic! I just read it straight through, and as is the case with all her books, I was sad when it ended! There were many places throughout the book where I was laughing out loud and re-read certain passages over and over because they were so well-written! I'm thrilled for Ms. Berg that this is an Oprah selection, so that she will get the attention she deserves for her gift of writing! I highly recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of Elizabeth Berg, and anyone who isn't yet will be after this (and then you can go back and discover all her other gems!)

What do you do when your husband decides he doesn't want you anymore? You start to analyze EVERYthing -- especially yourself. That's what Samantha does -- as she agonizes her way to a new life. This is a fun book. And the characters are a hoot. Omigosh, this lady can write! The dialogue is so natural and realistic, I found myself reading it out loud, and it always rang true. It only took a few hours to read, and I must say it gave me a lot of laughs. (It's not a farce, by any means. It's really quite gentle and warm.) There were several real surprises in the book, too -- not plot twists, but weird characters popping up or really odd job situations or just a smack-on-the-button remark. Here's one that hit me for some reason: She's trying to help her son with his math homework, which reminds her of how she didn't understand geometry in high school, and she remembers taking her midterm: "I passed the time by drawing designs for evening gowns on the back of the exam; everything on the front of the page only annoyed me." I don't know what it is, but it has that magical something. My advice: Join me in looking up every book she's written, because this is worth our time! .

Once again Elizabeth Berg has created a woman I want to meet, I love this woman! Samantha holds her own while struggling to maintain a normal life and provide a loving home for her son Travis in the midst of recovering from having the rug pulled out from under her feet and figuring out where to go from here. These characters are so real it's amazing, what a talent Ms. Berg has! Samantha manages to make me laugh with her "so very real" internal dialogue even as she is on the edge of utter despair. . . I can't say enough good things about this writer!

Elizabeth Berg is my favorite author, hands down. I don't think there is anyone more talented at putting words together to form the most breathtaking sentences. Her latest book is no different. However, "Open House" also has to be one of the funniest books I have ever read! I never pegged Berg as a humorist, even though there are a lot of ironic moments in her writing. But this book made me laugh so hard I almost peed in my pants. I found the chapter on Thanksgiving especially funny- I laughed for a half an hour, cracking up so hard I was crying. And there is a special treat for martha Stewart fans in the book, as well :).You have to be a talented writer to mix comedy and heartbreak as well as Berg does. For those worried about this being another woman-as-victim book (man leaves woman after several years of marriage, woman survives shame and loss of identity, finds new love with strapping, younger man who also happens to be her gardener, etc)- fear not. There is not an ounce of that in this book. "Open House" is funny, insightful, and will not leave you putting the book down in disgust.I really thought Elizabeth Berg may have lost her touch with "Until the Real Thing Comes Along" (her last book) but I have regained my faith in her. She's such an amazing writer. While "Pull of the Moon" and "Range of Motion" are my all-time favorites, this book is one I will be sending to friends and family- male and female alike.Buy it- you'll love it in every way.