Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #755174 in Books
• Published on: 2003-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 368 pages

Customer Reviews

A dramatic, comedic, and real look at friendship + love!
I'm a sucker for a romantic comedy, and after Bridget Jones's Diary, I became eager to read more books in that genre. When I picked up Bookends by Jane Green, I was looking for a light, fun read, but what I received was a novel that would not let me put it down. Bookends is hilarious, witty, and full of tension and drama, and characters that you will love...and some you might not like all that well.

In Bookends, the reader is introduced - by way of narrator, Catherine "Cath" Warner - to a group of friends who meet in school and though individually different as night and day, they become a tight clique of trusted friends. That is, until the ever-beautiful Portia - the friend thought to be the sun in the clique's universe - destroys friendships that were meant to last forever.

Fast forward ten years where we find Cath and lifelong friends, Josh and Lisa, and her best friend, Si, living and loving in their early-thirties, in London. Si, the sweet, adorable, and gay love of Cath's life spends most of his time in friendly counsel with Cath regarding the lack of men in their lives, and discussing how each deals with that situation in their own way, whether it's Cath's refusal to believe she wants a man in her life, or Si's ability to lower his standards, for fear of living alone.

Just as everyone's life seems to be on track, a blast from the past in the form of an older and more self-indulgent Portia, pops back into the group's tight circle and in an instant, lives are shook up, adulterous innuendoes are cooked up and friendships are tested.

I have to say, this book is a wonderful read. I fell in love with the main character, Cath, and her feelings on friendship and love. Green does a great job in creating characters that you want to care about, characters that you can feel and even relate to. I think readers will be thoroughly and happily surprised that there is more to this book than pure entertainment. I finished this book with tears in my eyes because I felt a connection with Green's characters and I felt moved by the way Green deals with some heavy subjects in this novel.

I would definitely recommend Bookends - love the title - to those who want a fast read with a lot of bite and wit.

Shon Bacon of SisterDivas.org
http://www.sisterdivas.org

Fabulous read
When I began reading this book, I thought 'uh oh, another 30 somethings' - I couldn't have been more wrong. The characters - and I mean practically each and every one - stand out, and really have just that - character. The story is full of twists and turns and what's more is they're actually believable. Regardless of your views, ie whether you're a staunch conservative or bleeding heart liberal - the storyline here will appeal to all. The book itself is full of humour, real day to day issues that we all deal with (like eating a WHOLE cinnamon cake and bemoaning the fact afterwards!). The author has a refreshing way of actually 'talking' to her readers and that in turn enables the reader to relate to her, as the main character. This is the first of Jane Green's books I've read and if it's an example of how good her others are, then I will look forward to discovering a new author. Enjoy, it's great.

Bookends
WOW!! A fantastic gripping read. You can really get into this story and imagine its you and your friends. Once you start on this book you will find it almost impossible to put down. I read it in 3 days and did not want the story to end. Full of surprises and clever twists. I would recommend this book to everyone.