The Things We Do for Love: A Novel

Good reading

this author writes so well - superb imagination

A stand alone novel written Kristin Hannah and published in 2004, and it's currently on Amazon Kindle Store bestseller list.“There is no us, Angie,” The gentle way he said it broke her heart. This vibrant poignancy washes through this book.So it's no wonder that it's heart wrenching when Angela ‘Angie’ Malone’s 14-year old marriage ends (on page 14) to Conlan, a Seattle Times journalist. Angie leaves her job and returns to her childhood home to West End (a small town 120 miles from Seattle)."As always, Mama smelled of thyme, Tabu perfume, and Aqua Net hair spray. The scents of Angie’s youth."Here is where her close-knit DeSaria family lives going on 40 years, owns an Italian trattoria, her sisters’ marriages flourish, and where she must come to terms with life without a baby and without a husband. Months before she lost her daughter on five days old. The grief and desire to be a mother, ripped a hole in Angie and engulfed her marriage.In a flash, the reader is transported to the Pacific West Coast, into a corner Victorian house that is well-cared for and where love (and food) abound. Hannah paints the fine details, from the crucifix on the wall, to the murmur of the dinner prayers, to the scents that pervade the air. Not to be outdone though are the family dynamics, the love, devotion, exasperation felt and the parsing of character idiosyncrasies are, for the most part, realistically woven. With the recent death of her father, there’s tincture of poignant sadness, if not longing for the past, peppered here and there. Throughout the book, it is evident that this is where the author shines (to an extreme).The old adage ‘You can’t go home’ is tested, torqued, and explored when Angie decides to help out in the family run restaurant that might have to close if they can’t get in step with the times. Instead of moving in with her mother, Angie opts to stay in the beachfront cottage built by her dad. “…it was wild here. Primitive. The ocean roared… The property was covered by fallen pine needles and oversized ferns.”With complex stories, come complex journeys so enter Lauren Ribido, the other heroine of TTWDFL. A senior who attends a private, exclusive catholic school on scholarship and has the brains and determination to make it into Stanford, in hopes of becoming a journalist. The only thing missing from Lauren’s life is a stable parent. The only child of a woman who became pregnant at 17, Lauren’s mom is a dysfunctional parent. An alcoholic, hair dresser, who’s been married a few times, and is emotionally unavailable for Lauren. It’s here where a few times, I felt pulled out of the story, questioning the plausibility of this ‘perfect’ teenager and some details (even if the story was published in 2004) as well as Lauren’s self-talk, which didn’t seem authentic. But not enough to put aside the book.Lauren and Angie meet by accident, then again and they connect. Angie feels drawn to the girl, obviously in need. She offers her a job at the restaurant, much to the chagrin of Mrs. DiSaria.The main story line is Lauren has a great boyfriend, David Haynes also a senior who attends Fircrest Academy : smart, sweet, caring, athletic, present, and all it takes is one oversight to change the course of a person’s life. Lauren becomes pregnant. A huge situation that impacts not only Lauren and David but of course, Angie is there to help. Except Angie’s been through assisting a teenager girl pregnant and in need. The last time, the young lady (who had been given a place in Angie’s heart and household) who was going to let Conlan and Angie adopt her baby, decided in the end, she couldn’t.This time, it’ll be different, Angie tells herself, her family, and eventually when she reconnects with her ex-husband. But can it?Sorry, no spoilers this time around except to say that based on Angie's and Lauren's arc the ending fits the story and it's emotionally gratifying. So for reveal, if you’d like to find out, grab this book and prepare to be delighted.4.5 Stars (Rounded Up)This reviewer enjoyed this story immensely. If you’re a reader who gets into layered family drama where there’s lots of love, a few laughs, and hard work, and in the end, it’s the deeply sewn ties that bind, then The Things We Do For Love will surely please.

not a page turner but a good lazy day read

This book was certainly hard to read , at times. Its hard to see what some people have to live with, or without. To live without love, or security. But the strong find a way to survive. That's what this book is about , survival. And how when you least expect it, someone can come into your life and show you what love really looks like. This book kept me reading and interested. But like so many of Kristins' books, its hard to see these parts of life . you know you will have a good ending though.