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There are currently 18 member reviews
for The Next
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Kay D. (Strongsville, OH)
Mixed Feelings About This Book
Finished this book about 1 week ago and felt I needed to let it sink in a bit before writing this review. My mixed feelings right at completion did resolve a bit over time.
I was fascinated by the basic storyline - someone coming back as a ghost. The turmoil of the main character's (Joanna) last year of life helped provide the reason for her inability to die peacefully and instead remain here as a ghost was plausible. I really liked the chapters that were dedicated to her "haunting" episodes and the descriptions of herself as a ghost.
I liked the alternating voices in the chapters between Joanna, her daughters, her ex lover, and her ex husband to provide a full view of the events. It really allowed me to get to know them, like or dislike them based on their actions and thoughts, yet it also kept the storyline moving and plausible. I especially loved the role of Tom the dog.
Unfortunately, at times I found it a bit hard to stay focused on this book. Not sure what exactly caused that. But, overall I enjoyed this book and it did make me think. Worth reading, especially if you have any belief of life after death.
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Daryl B. (Poolesville, MD)
Meh..not my favorite.
I think it started out good, after Joanna died it progressively went downhill for me. Ned was such a flake that it was hard to believe she spent the last days of her life stalking him online and ignoring her daughters. I found Laney to be a likeable character. The last chapter or two were actually pretty good and almost didn't seem like the same author.
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Vicki C.
The Next
The basic premise of the book I found fascinating although I had a hard time enjoying it as much as I might have if the main character had been at least a somewhat likeable person. I had trouble recognizing the main character as she was described during her children's upbringing as being the same woman dying at the beginning of the book. I will say that the last ten or so pages of the book were beautifully written and well thought out. Not sure I would read another by this author.
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Eileen C. (Farmington, NY)
Death, love, and revenge
The Next is an interesting exploration of different types of love and the things that it drives us to do. The book is well written, but it is both too dark and too sweet. While I like the idea of an in-between world, I got caught up in the technical details—if there are so many ghosts and they can be seen and if they can affect the physical world, then why aren't they more of a part of everyday life? Given all this, it would be a terrific book club selection as it would, I am sure, produce a lively discussion.
