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judithdcollins's review against another edition
5.0
THE OTHER LIFE, by Ellen Meister is totally mesmerizing and spellbinding; an exploration of a young woman, a mother--of parallel universes, a crossroad, a pivotal choice, and a glimpse of the other life, what could have been?
Ellen creates a magical and an emotional thought-provoking story of Quinn, a happily married woman –a wife and mother of a six-year-old son, who is pregnant and has received some heartbreaking news about the unborn child she is carrying. She is now forced to make a very difficult choice, as is her husband. She misses her mother, Nan, an artist who committed suicide after years of depression.
THE OTHER LIFE is about returning to the road not taken and exploring the life unlived. Have you ever longed to see what happened on the other road?
Quinn needs and desires answers and is pulled to the basement of her house to the hidden door drawing her metaphorically to the other side, crossing over with a glimpse into the unknown. There are cracks in her life and foundation. Unresolved feelings with her mother's death. Will she remain on the other side?
In the other life her mother would still be alive, and she would be childless and married to a different man. Will she allow herself to be pulled toward this strong force; her mother, or stay and fight for the family she now has and the baby with an unknown future? Is she up for the battle? Has she really understood her mother's suicide, her motives, and what about the meaning of the paintings? A powerful bond of mother/daughter relationship.
Audiobook Recommendation Let me say, this is one book which I would recommend the audiobook. As an audible member, I listen to tons of audiobooks, and the narrator will make or break a book.
In this case, Meister’s clever and magical prose transports you to another level– Captivating with vivid descriptions, and the voice transcends you to an almost "dream state of mind". It was amazing how relaxed I became, hanging on to every word. I continued to rewind as so engrossing. Hillary Huber delivers an outstanding performance for a winning combination.
After listening/reading, a book, I will often rate the book, and prior to the writing of my review may reflect a few days before returning; sometimes weeks, and often forget to return:). In the meantime, I am intrigued and want to learn the inspiration behind a book, and begin researching the web for fascinating tidbits.
I would strongly encourage readers to visit Ellen’s website as she does a really good job of summarizing her books, her inspiration behind the book, and this one includes an in-depth interview with the author, trailer, Q & A, discussion questions, and reviews.
THE OTHER LIFE would make an ideal book, for book clubs and group discussions while exploring the different personalities and characters in the book. A nice celebration of life—the past and present, its messiness, overcoming grief, and the deep boundless love available when we embrace and bond together, versus taking the easy way out.
On a side note: As all my reading friends are aware, I tend to read new and advanced reading copies, as part of my blog. When doing so, I am introduced to a world of newfound authors, as I enjoy a variety of different genres.
Ellen Meister is one of those rare jewels. You fall in love with the book, the author, and her style. She writes across many genres and can be funny as heck, astute, clever, and profound and serious the next, making you want to read more of her books. Not only is she a talented author, she is such fun to communicate and connect with on Goodreads, Twitter, and other social media sites.
Working my way backwards, starting from latest and upcoming Dorothy Parker Drank Here (Dorothy Parker #2), coming Feb 24, 2015, highly recommend Read My Review and you have to read the prequel, Farewell, Dorothy Parker (Dorothy Parker #1) loving the new glamorous savvy front cover, and now we come to the book at hand, THE OTHER LIFE—A magical and enchanting contemporary novel for women of all ages. Looking forward to reading more.
Especially women-- as we move through life, we long sometimes for an escape (what is my exit strategy), whether it be through reading, writing, art, meditation, or other forms. This strong need could be brought upon by stress, grief, a difficult decision, or as we approach a certain age or milestone.
As we become older, everyone reflects back upon a crossroad in our lives, whether work or business and second guessing, which ultimately will change the course of our lives. As our beauty and youth diminish, at age 30, 40, 50, 60+, we wake up and think, "how in the heck did I wind up here?" What if?
A nice weekend escape . . .Loved the West Palm Beach, FL connection as I reside here in Urban Downtown trendy WPB in a former artist studio- historic 1920's cottage bungalow.
JDC MustReadBooks
Ellen creates a magical and an emotional thought-provoking story of Quinn, a happily married woman –a wife and mother of a six-year-old son, who is pregnant and has received some heartbreaking news about the unborn child she is carrying. She is now forced to make a very difficult choice, as is her husband. She misses her mother, Nan, an artist who committed suicide after years of depression.
THE OTHER LIFE is about returning to the road not taken and exploring the life unlived. Have you ever longed to see what happened on the other road?
Quinn needs and desires answers and is pulled to the basement of her house to the hidden door drawing her metaphorically to the other side, crossing over with a glimpse into the unknown. There are cracks in her life and foundation. Unresolved feelings with her mother's death. Will she remain on the other side?
In the other life her mother would still be alive, and she would be childless and married to a different man. Will she allow herself to be pulled toward this strong force; her mother, or stay and fight for the family she now has and the baby with an unknown future? Is she up for the battle? Has she really understood her mother's suicide, her motives, and what about the meaning of the paintings? A powerful bond of mother/daughter relationship.
Audiobook Recommendation Let me say, this is one book which I would recommend the audiobook. As an audible member, I listen to tons of audiobooks, and the narrator will make or break a book.
In this case, Meister’s clever and magical prose transports you to another level– Captivating with vivid descriptions, and the voice transcends you to an almost "dream state of mind". It was amazing how relaxed I became, hanging on to every word. I continued to rewind as so engrossing. Hillary Huber delivers an outstanding performance for a winning combination.
After listening/reading, a book, I will often rate the book, and prior to the writing of my review may reflect a few days before returning; sometimes weeks, and often forget to return:). In the meantime, I am intrigued and want to learn the inspiration behind a book, and begin researching the web for fascinating tidbits.
I would strongly encourage readers to visit Ellen’s website as she does a really good job of summarizing her books, her inspiration behind the book, and this one includes an in-depth interview with the author, trailer, Q & A, discussion questions, and reviews.
THE OTHER LIFE would make an ideal book, for book clubs and group discussions while exploring the different personalities and characters in the book. A nice celebration of life—the past and present, its messiness, overcoming grief, and the deep boundless love available when we embrace and bond together, versus taking the easy way out.
On a side note: As all my reading friends are aware, I tend to read new and advanced reading copies, as part of my blog. When doing so, I am introduced to a world of newfound authors, as I enjoy a variety of different genres.
Ellen Meister is one of those rare jewels. You fall in love with the book, the author, and her style. She writes across many genres and can be funny as heck, astute, clever, and profound and serious the next, making you want to read more of her books. Not only is she a talented author, she is such fun to communicate and connect with on Goodreads, Twitter, and other social media sites.
Working my way backwards, starting from latest and upcoming Dorothy Parker Drank Here (Dorothy Parker #2), coming Feb 24, 2015, highly recommend Read My Review and you have to read the prequel, Farewell, Dorothy Parker (Dorothy Parker #1) loving the new glamorous savvy front cover, and now we come to the book at hand, THE OTHER LIFE—A magical and enchanting contemporary novel for women of all ages. Looking forward to reading more.
Especially women-- as we move through life, we long sometimes for an escape (what is my exit strategy), whether it be through reading, writing, art, meditation, or other forms. This strong need could be brought upon by stress, grief, a difficult decision, or as we approach a certain age or milestone.
As we become older, everyone reflects back upon a crossroad in our lives, whether work or business and second guessing, which ultimately will change the course of our lives. As our beauty and youth diminish, at age 30, 40, 50, 60+, we wake up and think, "how in the heck did I wind up here?" What if?
A nice weekend escape . . .Loved the West Palm Beach, FL connection as I reside here in Urban Downtown trendy WPB in a former artist studio- historic 1920's cottage bungalow.
JDC MustReadBooks
cathyatratedreads's review against another edition
4.0
A lovely book. Meister throws several balls into the air and keeps them going around without dropping one. She captures the feelings of grief over loss of a parent, the fear over having a child with a disability, the love between parent and child, and issues of mental illness so beautifully. I wasn't sure what direction she would end up going with the story, but I was satisfied with what she did choose to do.
Read my full review, including a rating for content, at RatedReads.com: https://ratedreads.com/other-life-fiction-book-review/
Read my full review, including a rating for content, at RatedReads.com: https://ratedreads.com/other-life-fiction-book-review/
mmc6661's review against another edition
4.0
Fast read ! Loved her writing style. I wish the end was more conclusive but it fit with what she wanted you to take from the story I believe. Will be looking forward to reading her again.
tiffbaker's review against another edition
3.0
Sad. More about the main character dealing with the death of her mom vs. the baby. And not enough closure for me. But I liked it.
zellm's review against another edition
1.0
This book was just not well written, and considering that it also had an awful plot, one star was the only logical option. From Quinn's selfish actions the whole way through, to her decision at the end, she was just an utterly unlikable and unsympathetic character. She consistently chooses poorly, and has to be convinced into better decisions by other people, then at the end does what she wants anyway. She's self-pitying, consistently jeopardizes her existing life, and her husband and son deserve far better than her.
sheila_p's review against another edition
4.0
I loved the premise of this story, it had great potential for a really interesting, thoughtful story. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to its potential. The author allowed the story to follow predictable paths and use emotional traps to hold onto the reader. The book is a great starting point for discussion. Everyone has, at one time or another, wondered what their life would be like if they had chosen differently at a major crossroads. If you had the opportunity to discover the answer could you resist following the path?
mmz's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
christiek's review against another edition
2.0
This book was enjoyable enough, but after I crossed the middle, the longer I read, the less I liked it. For the most part I was okay with the plot points, but I did not find that Meister addresses Quinn's motivations well enough. Sure, she told me what they were and they seemed likely enough, but I certainly didn't feel them. I came to understand that she had a close relationship with her mother, but when the reader needs to feel that closeness to find Quinn's yearning to be compelling, I had the impression that they had a poor relationship.
ancmeredith's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0