Certain Girls: A Novel
by Jennifer Weiner
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Book Reviews of Certain Girls: A Novel
Book Review: Love both Cannie and Jennifer Weiner
Summary: 5 Stars
This is an incredible book, a follow-on to Weiner's first book, Good in Bed (which focused the main character, Cannie, in the wake of a failed relationship and surprise pregnancy). It picks up twelve years after the ending of Good in Bed, with Cannie struggling to deal with her now-teenage daughter. Jennifer Weiner manages to write a book that I feel is closely personal to my own life almost every time she picks up a pen (or keyboard). I feel a definite kin-ship with Cannie in particular (except for the Jewish part) and I laughed and cried along with her in this book and in Good in Bed. Jennifer Weiner's books are simultaneously very "meaty" in terms of subject matter and light on the mind in terms of readability. I tend to dislike books and authors that are trying too hard to be serious and substantive. Jennifer Weiner's books strike the right balance between substantive and fun. Her writing, and her characters, are just incredibly genuine and feel real rather than fictional.Book Review: Great book, just watch out for the ending...
Summary: 4 Stars
Jennifer Weiner's book 'Good in Bed' was a great read; so I decided to give Certain Girls a shot. This novel did not disappoint. Weiner writes the book from two perspectives- One is from a mother, Cannie's, vantage point and the other is from her soon-to-be teenage daughter, Joy's, point of view. I loved how well the author tapped into the pre-teen angst with Joy. It took me back to what it's like to be that age and go through the awkwardness and anger of being a young girl and how that makes relating to your parents (ESPECIALLY your mother) so hard. This book covers so many aspects of the mother-daughter relationship and how it grows and changes over time. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Cannie, Joy, their family and the progression of their lives as Joy grows up and eventually becomes a woman the day of her bat mitzvah. I highly recommend this book; just be sure to have some kleenex nearby because there is a sad, unexpected twist at the end of the book.Book Review: Good but not THAT good
Summary: 3 Stars
I've been a huge fan of Weiner's work since the very beginning and I consider "Good in Bed" as one of my all-time favorite books, but Certain Girls just falls horribly short. The plot twist at the end was a horrendous thing to do to readers and more than anything it felt forced and unnatural, like Weiner needed to fill the pages with SOMETHING. It just didn't work.
Cannie's spirit is all but lost in this sequel and I couldn't believe some of the things she put up with from her own daughter. I liked the transition between Joy and Cannie, but it could have really benefited from headers to let us know who was who, like Patrick Sanchez did in "The Way it is"
Joy's character is believable at first and I liked that Weiner dealt with how the book effected Joy but her shenanigans became less and less believable as the chapter wore on and her random cross-country trotting pretty much deaded it for me.
Book Review: Doesn't quite measure up to it's Prequel
Summary: 3 Stars
"Good in Bed" is one of my favorite books; when asked for book recommendations, it's always up there on my list. So I was more than excited to find that Jennifer Weiner had written a sequel. What a disappointment. This character that I so loved - Cannie - I found her annoying, unlikeable, and a far cry from the character I fell in love with the first go-around. She's flawed...we can relate...I get that, but instead of empathizing with her with her struggles with her daughter, I found myself rolling my eyes and cringing at her every word.
And maybe I've read too many Jodi Picoult books lately...but I'm so tired of these depressing endings. So many books I read lately I feel make a point of NOT having a happy ending.
I did not hate this book, but it was definitely disappointing. I won't be recommending this to anyone.
Book Review: Candid Joy
Summary: 5 Stars
I have read almost all of Jennifer Weiner's books. My mother and grandmother read them while I was growing up, and eventually I just started grabbing them out of their beach bags and purses. Certain Girls was one of my all time favorites. "Good in Bed" was not one of my favorites, and I was slightly skeptical of "Certain Girls."
It is now one of my favorite books. The beautiful thing about Weiner's writings is she takes the every day events of life, the sad, the happy, the difficult, and turns them into stories that captivate, and allow the reader to explore walk "In Her Shoes". For any mother and daughter, this book does an excellent job of capturing a true to life vision of the complex relationship. I loved this book, and would recommend it to anyone. The ending is a little difficult, but is extremely worth the read.