- Paperback: 352 pages
- Publisher: Gallery Books; Original edition (June 19, 2012)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1451655398
- ISBN-13: 978-1451655391
Book Description
In the bestselling tradition of The Friday Night Knitting Club and The Jane Austen Book Club, three women find unexpected answers, happiness, and one another with Meryl Streep movies as their inspiration.
Two sisters and the cousin they grew up with after a tragedy are summoned home to their family matriarch's inn on the coast of Maine for a shocking announcement. Suddenly, Isabel, June, and Kat are sharing the attic bedroom--and barely speaking. But when innkeeper Lolly asks them to join her and the guests in the parlor for weekly Movie Night--it's Meryl Streep month--they find themselves sharing secrets, talking long into the night--and questioning everything they thought they knew about life, love, and one another.
Each woman sees her complicated life reflected through the magic of cinema: Isabel's husband is having an affair, and an old pact may keep her from what she wants most . . . June has promised her seven-year-old son that she'll somehow find his father, who he's never known . . . and Kat is ambivalent about accepting her lifelong best friend's marriage proposal. Through everything, Lolly has always been there for them, and now Isabel, June, Kat--and Meryl--must be there for her. Finding themselves. Finding each other. Finding a happy ending.
Two sisters and the cousin they grew up with after a tragedy are summoned home to their family matriarch's inn on the coast of Maine for a shocking announcement. Suddenly, Isabel, June, and Kat are sharing the attic bedroom--and barely speaking. But when innkeeper Lolly asks them to join her and the guests in the parlor for weekly Movie Night--it's Meryl Streep month--they find themselves sharing secrets, talking long into the night--and questioning everything they thought they knew about life, love, and one another.
Each woman sees her complicated life reflected through the magic of cinema: Isabel's husband is having an affair, and an old pact may keep her from what she wants most . . . June has promised her seven-year-old son that she'll somehow find his father, who he's never known . . . and Kat is ambivalent about accepting her lifelong best friend's marriage proposal. Through everything, Lolly has always been there for them, and now Isabel, June, Kat--and Meryl--must be there for her. Finding themselves. Finding each other. Finding a happy ending.
My take on this book:
I always enjoy watching Meryl Streep movies so I was anxious to see how the author might use her movies in this novel, and was pleasantly surprised at how the movies fit into the story.
This is a story about families and the bonds that hold them together. Isabel and June find themselves drawn back to the Three Captians' Inn to hear that their aunt Lolly has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.Both women are going thru some major life issues.Their cousin Kat has been living at the Inn and often wonders if there is more to life than what she has in Maine. Lolly is a huge fan of movies so each week the women gather together to watch movies, and as they sit together watching movies they start sharing secrets that have them discovering things about themselves and each other.
Most of this book moved along at a pretty good pace, although there were a few times that it bogged down a bit. The author gives the book substance by dealing with topics that often plague families. The characters were well drawn and easy to understand, each one has their own secrets that kept me interested in knowing how their story would play out. If you enjoy stories that weave together romance, drama, and provides a satisfying ending you should check this one out. The Meryl Streep angle is an added bonus!
About the author:
A little bit about me: I live in a small town on the coast of Maine with my family--and plan to add two adorable rescue beagles to that family very soon. I've taught writing at the university level, but my favorite teaching positions have involved leading writing workshops for middle school and high school students. Watching a shy thirteen-year-old discover her voice: truly priceless. I've been a writer for as long as I can remember, and I'm the very excited author of the forthcoming novel, THE MERYL STREEP MOVIE CLUB (June 2012, Simon & Schuster).
What inspired THE MERYL STREEP MOVIE CLUB was not only my love of films and Meryl Streep in particular, but a rocky Thanksgiving many years ago. That Thanksgiving, my mother and grandmother weren’t getting along—they were arguing over whether to put garlic in the mashed potatoes, bringing up what was or wasn’t said twenty years ago—until the three of us sat down to watch The Bridges of Madison County. The discussion we had after the film, about Meryl Streep’s character’s choices, changed everything. Suddenly, we were talking, really talking, opening up, revealing pieces of ourselves. My mother and grandmother went from angry at each other to hugging each other. A Thanksgiving saved! Fast forward some years later, when I had a Meryl Streep movie marathon during a rocky time of my own, and an idea for a novel was born.
My favorite Meryl Streep movie? I love so many, but my favorite is Out of Africa. What I love about Meryl Streep (so much that I devoted my novel to ten of her oustanding films) is how exceptional she is at range--from breathtakingly serious to hilariously funny. And to be honest, I just love her face. I think she's exquisite!
I'm not only a movie fan--I'm a huge reader. My favorite books range from childhood favorites such as Anne of Green Gables and Little Women (I've always liked to think those March sisters were my own :) and current favorite authors include Anne Tyler, Elin Hilderbrand, Elinor Lipman, Marisa de los Santos, Fay Weldon, Beth Hoffman, Jennifer Weiner, Sarah Addison Allen, Jane Green, Anne Lamott, Richard Russo, Stephen King, Maeve Binchy, Claire Cook, Jennifer Crusie, Pam Houston, Elizabeth Berg, and many more. I love big-hearted, emotional novels about life and love. I also love memoirs and all kinds of non-fiction. I'm currently reading WILD by Cheryl Strayed and can't put it down.
I'd love to hear from you with any comments (and I'd love to know your favorite Meryl Streep movies). Email me any time: AuthorMiaMarch at gmail.com
A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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