Second Chance

April 30, 2007
Bestseller Green (Swapping Lives, The Other Woman) injects a topical note into an otherwise paint-by-numbers work. After a terrorist attack on an Amtrak train kills 39-year-old Tom, his death serves as the catalyst for changes in the lives of four estranged schoolmates he left behind in England. Reuniting at Tom’s memorial service are Holly, a former free spirit uncomfortably forced into becoming a suburban matron by her workaholic, social-climbing husband; Olivia, a lonely director of an animal shelter; Paul, a writer whose blissful marriage with his fashionable wife is marred by their inability to conceive; and Saffron, a recovering alcoholic actress secretly involved with a married Hollywood megastar. Tom’s death reignites their friendship, causes them to reevaluate their lives and sends them marching toward a concluding warm fuzzy. Green’s writing is competent, though her characters feel more like embodiments of their problems than actual people. There are few surprises, but the fairy tale ending should appease Green’s many fans.

Starred review from May 15, 2007
When a terrorist attack in America kills Tom Fitzgerald, the tragedy brings together his four best friends: Saffron, the rising Hollywood star and AA member; Holly, the lonely housewife and mother; Paul, married to a woman who longs for babies; and Olivia, the decidedly single animal lover. During his life, Tom had always kept these British friends together, and now his death sets off a series of events that transforms each of these characters. Much of the novel focuses on Holly, who was always in and out of love with Tom and whose affection soon shifts to handsome Will, Tom's younger, irresponsible brother. Green (Swapping Lives) is the author of eight other novels that exemplify chick lit, but her latest work has taken the genre's componentslife changes, romance, and finding oneselfto another level. These four are nearing 40 and, unlike her more typical characters, are dealing with issues that face those at mid-life. Highly recommended for popular fiction collections. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 2/15/07.]Anika Fajardo, Coll. of St. Catherine Lib., St. Paul, MN

Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.