Disappointed
It's a good story but lightly told and given the title and subject I expected more. The cover of the book shows three women and had the author limited her story to three, one of whom was dying, there would have been more opportunity for depth. Instead I felt like I was skimming along a one dimensional surface, bouncing back and forth between the lives of the five women, covering a lot of territory yet never plunging much deeper than a few layers. Had I not held such high expectations perhaps I would not have been disappointed, but I was.
Rated of 5
by Donna W. (Wauwatosa, WI)
The Art of Saying Goodbye
The book revolves around the lives of 5 women both before and after they learn that one of them has a serious illness. It is not a great storyline, and the author doesn't delve deeply enough into any of the character's lives that we form much of an attachment to them.
I kept expecting more, and never felt that I got much. At best it was just an ok read.
Rated of 5
by Mary Lou M. (N Royalton, OH)
The Art of Saying Goodbye
In my opinion, the characters lacked a true connection. Yes, Paisley was supposedly the connection to everyone, but as the reader, I never felt a connection to Paisley. Background information on the characters needed some punching up. Would not recommend this book to my book club, it might cause a mutiny.
Rated of 5
by Sarah H. (Arvada, CO)
Well intentioned, poorly executed
Unremarkable characters and prosaic writing make an interesting premise unsubstantial. There are a few poignant lines, but they seem out of context. The author's intent and honesty come through to lend the book legitimacy, making it readable just not memorable.
Rated of 5
by Judy W. (Tucker, GA)
The Art of Saying Goodbye by Ellyn Bache
If you read for character discussions or analysis, this book has more per square inch than many "beach reads". The characters, of which there are too many, are not well developed. This title would provide good discussion for a book club whose members are in their 30s and 40s. I did not enjoy the book and would not recommend it.
Rated of 5
by Mary S. (Hilton Head Island, SC)
Just Okay
I really wanted to like this book and stuck with it to the very end, but unfortunately, I knew how it was going to end after reading chapter one. The writing was simplistic and pedantic. The story line was not original. I felt as if the author wanted to tie up loose ends and provide some sort of mystery which was solved at the end. She never succeeded.
Rated of 5
by Julia A. (New York, NY)
Part soap opera, part chick-flick
The "Art of Saying Good-bye" runs a serious risk of descending into over-sentimentality or "Love Story"-like saccharine prose. However, it stops just short of that. By using one woman's death to tell the story of four other women's adult lives, Ellyn Bache manages to weave together five very different lives (more, if you count the spouses and children) into a cohesive narrative. I admit that I found the book slow-going for the first 100 pages or so, but read the final 200 in a single sitting. This is not to say the book is riveting; it is more a question of starting to care, in spite of myself, about what happened to Andrea, Iona, Julianne, and Ginger as they came to terms with Paisley's impending death. Don't come to the book expecting profound insights, but do keep an open mind about the human drama that unfolds. I can picture the film that could be made from this novel, but I can't picture either a male reader or a male film-goer finding much to identify with or enjoy, outside of a few pages devoted to stereotyped male characters.
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of 5
by Karen J. (Bremerton, WA)
