The Jane Austen reference on the back cover drew me in, and I can’t say I’m disappointed. Enjoying Emma and Persuasion seemed somewhat counterintuitive at the time, and Grownups was similar, only more so. What had I to do with a fat, widowed older woman? Not much, really, but I still cared about her. That’s the genius of Tyler’s writing: characterization, dialogue, and motives spun with nuanced authenticity that convinces you without seeming to try. The conversations were so good I didn’t notice them. Likewise, the central premises, deftly developed. Has Rebecca become a person she doesn’t like? Domestic drama is seldom this fascinating.

My wife recently read this, and in a fit of post-final exams euphoria, I dove in. The Jane Austen comparisons on the back cover made me curious. The verdict is still out.

All done. I found the main character pretty pitiful. I guess I’m not that interested in a middle aged woman who thinks that her only chance to “find herself” is to look up the ex-fiance she dumped decades earlier.

I started this book recently. No opinion yet.

Maybe I’m just not in the right mood for this particular book but I just can’t go on with it.