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There are currently 34 member reviews
for Other People's Houses
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Shelley C. (Eastport, NY)
A Great Neighborhood
Sometimes a book just feels comfortable. It wraps itself around you like a warm shawl on a cold winter's night and makes you feel just right. "Other People's Houses", is that kind of book.
I laughed. I cried. And I felt better for having immersed myself in this world.
I want to be a part of this neighborhood. I want Frances to be my friend, or mother, or cousin.
Waxman has drawn characters that feel like they are flesh and blood, not just two dimensional. She reads people so well. Whether they're 4 or 40, male or female, she gets inside them and really knows what they're feeling at any given time or in any situation. She writes dialogue that rings true and never seems forced.
This is one of the best books I've read this year! I only hope that Waxman writes a sequel.
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Diane D. (Blairstown, NJ)
What a Neighborhood!
I really enjoyed this book, with all the things going on in Frances' neighborhood. One thing I did not like was all the "F-bombs" in it. Maybe it's because of my age, but there are a lot of other words people could use, though I notice a lot of younger women don't feel that way.
The stories of the different families were really interesting, and they show how we really DON'T know what goes on behind closed doors. I was surprised that everyone knew all about what was going on as quickly as they did. WOW!
The children's reactions should make everyone sit up & take notice, because even the littlest things will affect them, one way or another.
Something about Frances seemed to bother me. I think she was a little over the top with her involvement in everyone's lives.
I needed something light to read, and this fit that, though it wasn't quite as light as I thought it would be. The book would be a great one for book club members to discuss, and I will recommend it to our group. I can just hear it now!
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Debra C. (Vienna, GA)
Other Peoples' Houses- Makes me want to move!!!
Thank you BB and Abbi Waxman for making me smile so hard that my cheeks still hurt! Who said second novels usually disappoint? Other People's Houses is the BEST second novel ever! The story, the characters and voices, are well developed, entertaining,and will keep you turning pages wanting more. Francis, our narrator extraordinaire, is the BFF every woman needs, the mama every child want to go home with, and the gold medal winner for the wittiest comebacks ever spoken. She steers the neighborhood and her family,through the murky waters of adultery and illness, and the unsteady flood waters of soccer moms, lost and found children and love. Oh yeah, Francis also chauffeurs a mini van full of Larchmont's children to and from school in a timely manner. Grab your family, your best casserole, a blanket, and hurry on down to Larchmont Street for the BEST show in town. You won't be disappointed, and like me, you will want to either BE Francis or move to the neighborhood and BE WITH Francis. Do not miss this jewel of a book.
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Janine S. (Wyoming, MI)
Houses can be homes
Wow! This book hooked me from the first sentence. A fascinating story of people coping with their blessings and insecurities as they try to make their houses into homes, the characters are real and heart-felt. The story's impact is felt as truths are revealed as the story closes and the characters come to acceptance and understanding that having a home is more more important than the house itself. I wanted the story to go on as the characters were so interesting. A great read.
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Bill B. (Chicago, IL)
Great neighborhood!!
Abbi Waxman is a very good storyteller.
She has interwoven stories and characters from a neighborhood in a way that lets her address universal situations: fidelity/trust, being a teenager/being a teenager's mom, etc.
There are varying viewpoints and without being judgmental. An especially good presentation of viewpoints from both a guy's and woman's perception.
It's a neighborhood you'd like to live in with people you'd like to know.
I think you'll like this book. Just the right mixture of funny and serious.
Good job, Abbi. You wrote a good book.
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Sharalynne P. (Valparaiso, IN)
Other People's Houses
Thank you for sending me this book..I really enjoyed it. Liked the characters and loved her style of writing..it was fun to read. I did think the ending was predictable though.
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Mary H. (Livonia, MI)
Family
A delightful read around the holidays with the major theme of the book being families. My take away was the love that binds all of the different families in the neighborhood together despite pain, disappointment, sickness, and conflict. I appreciated how the book also relates to The Turner House by Angela Flournoy, a book of the same genre, in that they both give life to the structure of homes in which families live and love.
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