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dr_manuela_reads's review against another edition
4.0
4/16
A fabulous read! Loved all of the characters, though Juliette got to me a little. She seamed the most winey.
A fabulous read! Loved all of the characters, though Juliette got to me a little. She seamed the most winey.
rcaivano's review against another edition
Told from 3 POVs - Tia, the young girl who is pregnant with a married man's baby, Caroline, who adopts the baby but secretly hates being a mother, and Juliette, the wife who find out her husband cheated and is trying to figure out what to do. Juliette was a little nuts, but I could understand her. Tia was a little obsessed with Nathan, and I felt bad for Caroline. It was good, not great, but I enjoyed it.
shelleyrae's review
3.0
The Comfort of Lies explores the fraught connection created between three very different women when Juliette intercepts a letter addressed to her husband and discovers that the affair he disclosed five years ago resulted in a child. Stunned, she confronts his ex-mistress Tia who confesses she placed her daughter for adoption which leads Juliette to Caroline and a confrontation that has the potential to destroy them all.
Meyers examines the complexities of relationships and the consequences of infidelity in this thoughtful family drama. I have a little time for stories that try to justify marital betrayal so I was glad to discover that the author decided to show how destructive an affair can be and the way in which repercussions often extend beyond both those directly involved and the immediate disclosure.
I felt for Juliette whose lingering feelings of hurt and betrayal over her husband's affair flare uncontrollably when she learns of the child. Even though her subsequent behaviours was a little over the top I also thought her driving need to know was a realistic reaction to her discovery.
Unfortunately I struggled to find any sympathy for Tia, her vulnerabilities did not offset her poor decisions for me. I found her obsessive love for Nathan tiresome and I thought her self pitying and narcissistic.
Caroline is intriguing, her ambiguity about motherhood and the pressure she feels she is under to get it right is a dilemma thoughtfully examined.
I thought the exploration of motherhood from varied perspectives within the novel most interesting theme. With Tia's character Meyers poses a question about her decision to relinquish her child for adoption, was it a selfless or selfish choice? Is Caroline a bad mother for not wanting to spend 24/7 in her adopted daughter's company? Is there any legitimacy to Juliette's connection to Savannah?
The questions in The Comfort of Lies are thought provoking, though the answers are mired in ambiguity. This is a well written novel and had I not found Tia so unappealing, I expect I would have found The Comfort of Lies more engaging.
Meyers examines the complexities of relationships and the consequences of infidelity in this thoughtful family drama. I have a little time for stories that try to justify marital betrayal so I was glad to discover that the author decided to show how destructive an affair can be and the way in which repercussions often extend beyond both those directly involved and the immediate disclosure.
I felt for Juliette whose lingering feelings of hurt and betrayal over her husband's affair flare uncontrollably when she learns of the child. Even though her subsequent behaviours was a little over the top I also thought her driving need to know was a realistic reaction to her discovery.
Unfortunately I struggled to find any sympathy for Tia, her vulnerabilities did not offset her poor decisions for me. I found her obsessive love for Nathan tiresome and I thought her self pitying and narcissistic.
Caroline is intriguing, her ambiguity about motherhood and the pressure she feels she is under to get it right is a dilemma thoughtfully examined.
I thought the exploration of motherhood from varied perspectives within the novel most interesting theme. With Tia's character Meyers poses a question about her decision to relinquish her child for adoption, was it a selfless or selfish choice? Is Caroline a bad mother for not wanting to spend 24/7 in her adopted daughter's company? Is there any legitimacy to Juliette's connection to Savannah?
The questions in The Comfort of Lies are thought provoking, though the answers are mired in ambiguity. This is a well written novel and had I not found Tia so unappealing, I expect I would have found The Comfort of Lies more engaging.
lauraorourke's review against another edition
3.0
This book is my nightmare. I remember back when I was engaged to Dan, waking up in a cold sweat and calling him to make sure that he still loved me and he would never leave me or cheat on me. In my dreams I would catch him canoodling with another woman or admitting to sordid affairs. Even though he is now promised to me ’til death do we part, I still have the occasional nightmare where I am not the only woman. My husband is a good man, but for some reason this fear plagues me.
Writing (and reading) is one of the ways that we process our fears so it is no wonder that I was drawn to The Comfort of Lies. The story is a tangled one. Tia loves Nathan. Nathan is married to Juliette. Unbeknownst to Nathan, Tia places the child that he fathered up for adoption and Caroline reluctantly becomes her mother to please her husband. Eventually, all of these families collide to form the plot of Randy Susan Meyers’ book The Comfort of Lies.
The Comfort of Lies is completely character driven. The narrative shifts between voices and the reader is invited to see the story from multiple perspectives. The three primary female characters are given the most time in the narrator’s role while Nathan is allotted two chapters.
Because this novel is propelled by its characters, one of the biggest criticisms is that the characters aren't entirely likable, and possibly aren't even relatable. While it is true that I did not find myself intimately drawn to any of the characters, I am not sure if that in itself is a flaw. In The Comfort of Lies we are invited to see women in their most vulnerable and stressed states: as they are in love, pregnant, raising children, and in a failing marriage. Understandably, they are not the perfect shells of women we see of our friends and acquaintances on social media. This book invites us to go deeper, into their heads, until we find that we don’t like everything we learn.
Because of circumstances set in motion by one man who happens to connect them all, these three women – Tia, Juliette, and Caroline – are placed at odds with one another. All that they know to be true or have imagined to expect in life has been rocked and this novel chronicles the aftermath. Should we expect perfection? Should we expect likability?
As I read, I noticed that many of the character flaws that caused me to dislike these characters are the same flaws that I struggle with. As a mother and a woman, I struggle with selfishness and vanity. I sometimes wish I could prioritize my own passions over my role as a mother. And yes, I want to escape the job of parenting more often than I care to admit.
In light of our own flaws, can we disparage these characters for theirs? If we aren't drawn to Tia or Juliette or Caroline while we read their innermost (and sometimes quite private) thoughts, then what does that say about us, the reader? Should we blame Tia for loving another woman’s man? Should we blame Juliette for focusing on her looks when she is fighting for her husband’s attention? Should we blame Caroline for caring for other children when she has to find love for her own? Can we blame any of the women for wishing away (or giving away) their chance at motherhood?
I think any book that causes the reader to question themselves is a powerful book. The Comfort of Lies might be an easier read if one of the characters had been written as entirely good and likable, but I don’t think the novel would have been as strong that way. Randy Susan Meyers wrote an engaging, thought-provoking, well-written novel, and I enjoyed reading it. With a character-driven plot and a story-line that could come right out of the tabloids, this book is the perfect beach read.
(This book was read as part of the #MomsReading book club. Join us at http://www.mommy-miracles.com/momsreading )
Writing (and reading) is one of the ways that we process our fears so it is no wonder that I was drawn to The Comfort of Lies. The story is a tangled one. Tia loves Nathan. Nathan is married to Juliette. Unbeknownst to Nathan, Tia places the child that he fathered up for adoption and Caroline reluctantly becomes her mother to please her husband. Eventually, all of these families collide to form the plot of Randy Susan Meyers’ book The Comfort of Lies.
The Comfort of Lies is completely character driven. The narrative shifts between voices and the reader is invited to see the story from multiple perspectives. The three primary female characters are given the most time in the narrator’s role while Nathan is allotted two chapters.
Because this novel is propelled by its characters, one of the biggest criticisms is that the characters aren't entirely likable, and possibly aren't even relatable. While it is true that I did not find myself intimately drawn to any of the characters, I am not sure if that in itself is a flaw. In The Comfort of Lies we are invited to see women in their most vulnerable and stressed states: as they are in love, pregnant, raising children, and in a failing marriage. Understandably, they are not the perfect shells of women we see of our friends and acquaintances on social media. This book invites us to go deeper, into their heads, until we find that we don’t like everything we learn.
Because of circumstances set in motion by one man who happens to connect them all, these three women – Tia, Juliette, and Caroline – are placed at odds with one another. All that they know to be true or have imagined to expect in life has been rocked and this novel chronicles the aftermath. Should we expect perfection? Should we expect likability?
As I read, I noticed that many of the character flaws that caused me to dislike these characters are the same flaws that I struggle with. As a mother and a woman, I struggle with selfishness and vanity. I sometimes wish I could prioritize my own passions over my role as a mother. And yes, I want to escape the job of parenting more often than I care to admit.
“Motherhood was little more than a series of repetitive commands and tasks these days.” (Chapter 6 – Juliette)
In light of our own flaws, can we disparage these characters for theirs? If we aren't drawn to Tia or Juliette or Caroline while we read their innermost (and sometimes quite private) thoughts, then what does that say about us, the reader? Should we blame Tia for loving another woman’s man? Should we blame Juliette for focusing on her looks when she is fighting for her husband’s attention? Should we blame Caroline for caring for other children when she has to find love for her own? Can we blame any of the women for wishing away (or giving away) their chance at motherhood?
I think any book that causes the reader to question themselves is a powerful book. The Comfort of Lies might be an easier read if one of the characters had been written as entirely good and likable, but I don’t think the novel would have been as strong that way. Randy Susan Meyers wrote an engaging, thought-provoking, well-written novel, and I enjoyed reading it. With a character-driven plot and a story-line that could come right out of the tabloids, this book is the perfect beach read.
(This book was read as part of the #MomsReading book club. Join us at http://www.mommy-miracles.com/momsreading )
octavia_rsr's review against another edition
1.0
* Warning! I cuss...a lot...that is all*
I read this book in four hours, and I can think of a dozen things I could have done with my time, such as:
*Get my wisdom teeth pulled
*Cleaned out that closet
*Done this pile of laundry that is threatening to eat me while I sleep
Incase you couldn't tell by my list (⬆) I am not a fan of The Comfort of Lies.
When I received this book for review I was excited to "clean my palate" and read something different. With that being said I am VERY picky when it comes to my contemporary reads. Too much drama and I'm left bored and rolling my eyes at the pure stupidity of it all. Too little drama and I find my mind wandering and the story never truly sinking in. So of course I looked The Comfort of Lies up to get a feel for it. I read the amazing blurb on Goodreads, I didn't immediately reply to the request, I even read a few reviews on Goodreads just for good measure. I was a little hesitant, since I believe married men are a absolute no-no, but I wanted to read and like this book. Instead I sit here at my computer at 2a.m. with a migraine the size of the Mississippi, and my seriously-pissed-off face on.
I won't bothering going into what the book is about (the blurb is spot on) and the blurb told me I was going into a book with three seriously fucked up women, so that didn't bother me, but for there to be so little growth and development from page 1 to page 323 I was seriously disappointed.
Tia was probably the most messed up of the three. You would think that a woman with a degree in Psychology and who works with elderly people everyday to work out their emotions would be able to see her owns problems. She was a very dependent, self-dememing woman with a ridiculous low value of self worth. I'm a "no judgement" kind of person, but she had put every single ounce of her happiness into a man, and not just any man, we are talking a married man with kids. There is actually a point in the book where she tells Natan that everything she did is for him. Down to cleaning her house! And just when I think a little space from Nathan will help here, 5 years go by and she tries to jump this mans bones while in her kitchen! Then to top it off she has the nerve to have a drinking problem.
Lets move on to Juliette before my migraine gets any worse.
Juliette was just straight up crazy. I get that her husband cheated on her and then withheld a huge piece of information from her, and I pray to never know how she felt, but I understand. HOWEVER! I am a firm believer that if you forgive someone you forgive them completely, you DON'T forgive them just to throw it up in their face later because you're being a insecure dumbass. She hid Tia's letter to Nathan for TWO freaking month's before confronting him about it, and during those two months she drove herself, her friend/business partner, her children and her husband nuts. I just wanted to jump in the book and hit her repeatedly. That is your HUSBAND! If you have a problem that effects your marriage, wether it be switching the soap you use to having a love child you need to sit with your husband and sort that shit out. Communication is key in any and every relationship and I just felt that she was letting her overly active imagination cloud her judgement on something that not only effected her and Nathan but those kids too. She was dramatic as hell too. Not "As the world turns" dramatic but Joan Rivers dramatic, everything had to be this big show, just look at how she played that final scene.
Which brings us to our final character. Caroline. She was a workaholic woman, who never wanted to be a mom, but adopted to make her husband happy. Hold up. She does realize this is a human being right? It's not like some cat you found, you can't get bored or tired after 6 months and then give it back. Not only that but Caroline actually made me fear for Savannah/Honor. She actually started having dreams about Savannah/Honor and her husband Peter dying so she could have some quiet. But don't worry, there wasn't a explosion or pain, so that makes that train of though completely acceptable.
Then you take this long drawn out, running in circles plot, with these insane (literally) characters and I am left with a book that had me, upset and questioning what was accomplished. Does Tia have the strength to realize that men and alcohol isn't the key to her happiness, or the way to make decisions? Will Juliette step off the crazy bus and realize that her marriage is going to require hard-work and communication for it to work? Is Caroline going to get a one way ticket to a padded room with a jacket that lets her hug herself? I'm not sure how Juliette and Tia will turn out but there was a small crack of light at the end of the tunnel for Caroline, and I hope she can get it together and do what is best for that little girl.
I read this book in four hours, and I can think of a dozen things I could have done with my time, such as:
*Get my wisdom teeth pulled
*Cleaned out that closet
*Done this pile of laundry that is threatening to eat me while I sleep
Incase you couldn't tell by my list (⬆) I am not a fan of The Comfort of Lies.
When I received this book for review I was excited to "clean my palate" and read something different. With that being said I am VERY picky when it comes to my contemporary reads. Too much drama and I'm left bored and rolling my eyes at the pure stupidity of it all. Too little drama and I find my mind wandering and the story never truly sinking in. So of course I looked The Comfort of Lies up to get a feel for it. I read the amazing blurb on Goodreads, I didn't immediately reply to the request, I even read a few reviews on Goodreads just for good measure. I was a little hesitant, since I believe married men are a absolute no-no, but I wanted to read and like this book. Instead I sit here at my computer at 2a.m. with a migraine the size of the Mississippi, and my seriously-pissed-off face on.
I won't bothering going into what the book is about (the blurb is spot on) and the blurb told me I was going into a book with three seriously fucked up women, so that didn't bother me, but for there to be so little growth and development from page 1 to page 323 I was seriously disappointed.
Tia was probably the most messed up of the three. You would think that a woman with a degree in Psychology and who works with elderly people everyday to work out their emotions would be able to see her owns problems. She was a very dependent, self-dememing woman with a ridiculous low value of self worth. I'm a "no judgement" kind of person, but she had put every single ounce of her happiness into a man, and not just any man, we are talking a married man with kids. There is actually a point in the book where she tells Natan that everything she did is for him. Down to cleaning her house! And just when I think a little space from Nathan will help here, 5 years go by and she tries to jump this mans bones while in her kitchen! Then to top it off she has the nerve to have a drinking problem.
Lets move on to Juliette before my migraine gets any worse.
Juliette was just straight up crazy. I get that her husband cheated on her and then withheld a huge piece of information from her, and I pray to never know how she felt, but I understand. HOWEVER! I am a firm believer that if you forgive someone you forgive them completely, you DON'T forgive them just to throw it up in their face later because you're being a insecure dumbass. She hid Tia's letter to Nathan for TWO freaking month's before confronting him about it, and during those two months she drove herself, her friend/business partner, her children and her husband nuts. I just wanted to jump in the book and hit her repeatedly. That is your HUSBAND! If you have a problem that effects your marriage, wether it be switching the soap you use to having a love child you need to sit with your husband and sort that shit out. Communication is key in any and every relationship and I just felt that she was letting her overly active imagination cloud her judgement on something that not only effected her and Nathan but those kids too. She was dramatic as hell too. Not "As the world turns" dramatic but Joan Rivers dramatic, everything had to be this big show, just look at how she played that final scene.
Which brings us to our final character. Caroline. She was a workaholic woman, who never wanted to be a mom, but adopted to make her husband happy. Hold up. She does realize this is a human being right? It's not like some cat you found, you can't get bored or tired after 6 months and then give it back. Not only that but Caroline actually made me fear for Savannah/Honor. She actually started having dreams about Savannah/Honor and her husband Peter dying so she could have some quiet. But don't worry, there wasn't a explosion or pain, so that makes that train of though completely acceptable.
Then you take this long drawn out, running in circles plot, with these insane (literally) characters and I am left with a book that had me, upset and questioning what was accomplished. Does Tia have the strength to realize that men and alcohol isn't the key to her happiness, or the way to make decisions? Will Juliette step off the crazy bus and realize that her marriage is going to require hard-work and communication for it to work? Is Caroline going to get a one way ticket to a padded room with a jacket that lets her hug herself? I'm not sure how Juliette and Tia will turn out but there was a small crack of light at the end of the tunnel for Caroline, and I hope she can get it together and do what is best for that little girl.
robinhigdon's review against another edition
3.0
disliked most of the characters and the content of the story, but was well written
emmyrandomreport's review against another edition
3.0
It was interesting; however, this was a little dry. Relationships in this book came off either cliche or dry to the point they stopped being people and stayed on page. Interesting concept.
shelbyjo's review
4.0
I've been wanting to read this for awhile now, and finally got the chance this weekend. The story pulled me in right away...I wanted to know more about Tia, Juliette, and Caroline. As I read I ended up liking each character in different ways.
I liked the overall idea for the book, but I think it was lacking a little bit in execution. It seemed to go along at one level the whole book...I didn't feel there was a big climactic moment or an exciting ending. I am giving it 4 stars, though, so it definitely wasn't a bad book or anything.
I also loved that it was set in the Boston/Jamaica Plain area. My sister lived in JP for a little while, so it was fun to read something set there.
I liked the overall idea for the book, but I think it was lacking a little bit in execution. It seemed to go along at one level the whole book...I didn't feel there was a big climactic moment or an exciting ending. I am giving it 4 stars, though, so it definitely wasn't a bad book or anything.
I also loved that it was set in the Boston/Jamaica Plain area. My sister lived in JP for a little while, so it was fun to read something set there.
kellyhager's review
5.0
This is one of those books that garnered a great deal of buzz before its release date and so I knew I wanted to read it. And then fortunately I was approved for it on Netgalley. (I like it when a plan comes together.)
Because I'm adopted, I always love books that deal with that subject and while this book isn't really an adoption book per se, it's also running all through the plotline.
I think this is one of those books that's almost like a Rorschach test for how you see yourself because you're probably in one of these characters. And I'm not sure what good it says about me, but I think that I'm probably most like Caroline. (Don't worry; I don't have kids.) But all three of these women are, in their own ways, extraordinary.
This is the kind of book that's almost impossible to put down. While it's a very specific story, it's also universal. These women could be us, or our friends or sisters. We all have complicated relationships and we all have trusted people we shouldn't have.
This is such a wonderful book, the kind that you won't want to put down. It's not always a fun world to be in (there's a lot of anger and a lot of sadness here) but it's one of the most captivating worlds I've seen.
Highly recommended.
Because I'm adopted, I always love books that deal with that subject and while this book isn't really an adoption book per se, it's also running all through the plotline.
I think this is one of those books that's almost like a Rorschach test for how you see yourself because you're probably in one of these characters. And I'm not sure what good it says about me, but I think that I'm probably most like Caroline. (Don't worry; I don't have kids.) But all three of these women are, in their own ways, extraordinary.
This is the kind of book that's almost impossible to put down. While it's a very specific story, it's also universal. These women could be us, or our friends or sisters. We all have complicated relationships and we all have trusted people we shouldn't have.
This is such a wonderful book, the kind that you won't want to put down. It's not always a fun world to be in (there's a lot of anger and a lot of sadness here) but it's one of the most captivating worlds I've seen.
Highly recommended.