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There are currently 46 member reviews
for Her
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Arden A. (Longboat Key, FL)
Revenge is Sweet....or is it?
Emma is a new mother, an "elderly primagravida," one of the many words and phrases in this book that turned me to my dictionary. She is overwhelmed with motherhood and "the tyranny of domesticity," and she laments that she is "lonely, but never, ever alone." Nina on the other hand, is the sophisticated, well-known artist and mother of a teenage girl, whose deviousness contrasts sharply with Emma's naivete. The novel alternates chapters written by each character, so the reader can see the events of their unlikely friendship from each perspective. The climax, or rather anti-climax, is the result of a perceived injustice, but disappointingly, the author leaves the ending vague. Perhaps the author has left it open for a sequel. Except for the ending, I enjoyed this well-written novel.
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Dorothy L. (Manalapan, NJ)
Page Turner with Flaws
Her is a gripping read from the first page. I thought the characters were all fleshed out and there was a realistic sense of aspects of current London life. I liked the alternating chapters with different perspectives. Throughout the book I was wondering WHY and this was even when I wasn't reading the book. It kept me eager to return to the novel. There are two major flaws. One is the "leave it in the air" conclusion which made me feel cheated at the end. There was foreshadowing so I was not totally surprised but think a definitive statement might have been better. The author should have done the work. And the second flaw is the disappointment I felt at the end with the rationale for Nina's actions throughout. Her revenge I think was unrealistic and there could have been better motivation for her behavior. There is a sense of evil which permeates the book and a creepiness which is disturbing. It is one book I will remember.
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Margaret M. (Venice, FL)
the mystery of nina and emma
Suspense creating a mystery starts on the first page and continues until the last page! The book is easy to read and hard to put down!
The opening chapter is a bit confusing and in general the narrative contains too many adjectives.
It is also hard to believe that Emma is does not understand what is happening and that Nina takes 23 years to extract he revenge.
I enjoyed the book but believe it would appeal to women rather than men.
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Bobbie D. (Boca Raton, FL)
Getting Even
What an ending!
Now, back to the beginning. "Her" is written in alternating chapters between Nina and Emma. Nina is an artist and appears to have a good and comfortable life with her husband, who is quite a bit older, and her teenage daughter, Sophie, from a previous marriage. We find out that Emma had some connection to Nina in the past. Emma is a housewife with a loving husband and two great children, Christopher and Cicely. Though not wealthy, their lives are good.
The author has an unusual way of telling their story. She repeats several chapters, first from one of the women and then the other. And of course, the stories change.
At first, this is a very ordinary story of two families interacting, especially the women but then, slowly, Nina manages to cause problems for Emma and then help solve them and thereby ingratiating herself with the family. We don't know what is driving Nina but we want to find out. There is an old cheap bracelet that comes into play. What is the meaning of it? Where did it come from? Does it's appearance cause any consequences? Will someone remember something? Who is "Her"?
I'm not going to give anything away. But it really is cleverly written. I especially like the way she fleshes out her characters. A good read for everyone. And, as I said in the beginning, what an ending!!!!!!
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Jeanne W. (Columbia, MD)
A nailbiter, but......
Nina and Emma are becoming friends. Emma can't understand why the sophisticated and elegant Nina is interested in her boring domestic life as a stay-at-home mum of two. Is it just a simple friendship or is there something sinister at play?
The book starts out slowly as Nina and Emma narrate alternating chapters. The creepy factor ratchets up nicely in this book as we try to figure out what, if anything, Nina is up to, but a cliffhanger ending keeps it from being 5 stars. The author is supposed to write the book; I shouldn't have to figure out the ending.
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Sharalynne P. (Valparaiso, IN)
What happened next?
As someone who at times will go to the back of the book and read the ending because I can't wait (really), I usually don't care for books that leave me hanging in the end, and this one does it big time....but I did enjoy reading it except for that and I think it would be a good book for book clubs to discuss...Nina was creepy and I kept hoping Emma would wise up before something bad happened...did it or didn't it?
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Diane D. (South Portland, ME)
I'm with HER.....
In HER, Lane delves into the enormity of how one time, one summer, one event in a person's life can continue to affect them for years to come. It was a fascinating look into family dynamics, mundane daily life, and misplaced blame. I was captivated by the characters.
