I have been a fan of Quindlen's for a long time - Object Lessons is one of my all-time favorite books, and I read and re-read Living out Loud several times.
This book is about a normal American family - Mary Beth and Glen are happily married with three teenage children - Ruby, Max, and Alex. The first half of the book is about their everyday lives, and I enjoyed this part of the book. I liked Quindlen's rendering of Mary Beth's distinct relationships each with her children. I also enjoyed reading about Mary Beth and Glen's marriage: imperfect but solid.
After the family is victimized by violence, their lives take a different turn. The family has to rebuild and figure out who they are after a vicious attack. The book ended with my having the feeling that family takes many different forms and that people can be very resilient.
I'm not sure I really enjoyed the second part of this book. While the writing was excellent (it always is...), the story did not hold my attention as much as the mundane descriptions of the family's life before the violent episode. I felt like I was watching the evening news - or a made-for-tv movie - that was very dramatic but somewhat hollow.
I'll always try the next book Quindlen writes - hopefully it will be engaging all the way through.
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