April 15, 2012
Then Came You: A Novel: Jennifer Weiner
This novels is told from four different female voices. Jules, a college student, ends up selling her eggs after she is recruited thinking the money will help her save her father. Annie, a young mother who married her high school sweetheart, with two young boys, a family stretching to make ends meet. India is 43, but tells everyone 38 and why not when she can pass for it, recently married to Marcus Croft, a wealth business man, and she is convinced the way to stay happy in their new marriage is to have a baby. But, Bettina, Marcus' daughter, doesn't trust India she might not be ready for the truth though.
India and Marcus hirer Annie to carry their baby and have chosen Jules egg, though they don't know that as it was an anonymous donation. While Bettina doesn't trust her new step mother and in learning about her past really isn't sure what to do with the information. While that is going on the plot follows how Jules uses the money and is growing after graduating from college. How Annie is deal with having the money for her family, but her Husband not being comfortable with her growing belly.
I really have enjoyed all of Weiner's work that I have read and this one is no exception. She builds strong characters and ties them all together, while giving each of them their own storyline which I enjoy. The plot flows easily as we learn about the past of the characters and how that effects them. She also builds amazing strong female characters that I appreciate. Yes, they are usually flawed in some way, which I think makes them relatable to the reader, but they have a strength you can admire too.
I give this book 4 stars and am eagerly waiting for Weiners next book.
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The thing I most loved about Jennifer Weiner was her character development and her ability to make you identify with and love her people, laughing and crying the whole way. This book fell far short of her usual work. While it's not a complete "cut and paste" the way Fly Away Home was, it's nowhere near what she created with In Her Shoes or Little Earthquakes. Where is the humor? Where is the depth? The heart? There are virtually no laugh-out-loud moments, but there are plenty of sex scenes, and lots of obsessing over money and clothing - which seem to be all these women care about. I didn't feel anything real coming from any of them, but I knew what they were wearing in every scene. The one exception perhaps being Kimmie - a side character who does care about other people more than status.
ReplyDeleteI would say that yes, this did have as many laugh-out-loud moments as many of Weiner's earlier works have. I think that she is dealing with a deeper issue here and relating to her character and readers on that level. She still has some of those 'lol' moment, but not as many I do agree, but I still felt as a reader I could connect to it.
DeleteI do have to disagree that all these characters cared about what money and clothing. Jules I felt didn't care much about clothing at all, she had her reasons for being concerned about money. As did Annie. India and Bettina, yes they were really focused on the money, clothing, and material objects for most of the books, but that was an area of character growth in the book. So, for me I understood it and it worked for me in this plot.
I am sorry, if you didn't enjoy this book. I have read Swim the preview of her new book and it holds potential, with more 'lol' moments again.