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There are currently 38 member reviews
for The Resurrection of Joan Ashby
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Diane H. (Leawood, KS)
Totally Engrossing
This is an amazing book! If I could think of other superlatives to describe it, I would use them.
The book drew me in immediate and I was constantly in awe of Wolas' superb mastery of the English language.
There are stories within stories and all, ultimately, come back to Joan Ashby: author, wife, mother and searcher of inner peace and happiness.
The reader is caught up in the family life of Joan and all it entails. She struggles with her feelings for Martin and her sons, Daniel and Eric, and fights against losing her personal identity.
I loved this book and am amazed that it is a debut novel by Cherise Wolas. There has to be more!!!
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MW
Great Debut Novel by Cherise Wolas
Wow. The Resurrection of Joan Ashby by Cherise Wolas was an incredible novel. I was blown away by how beautifully her writing captured a family's tumultuous journey together spanning several decades of time. Joan Manning, a wife and mother, redicovering her former self, Joan Ashby, a famous writer, who has for years been hidden from the world-- a story so many women can relate to in their own way but yet a story so unique. I highly recommend this book!!
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Dorothy L. (Manalapan, NJ)
A Good Read
I really liked this book. It is extremely well written especially for a debut novel. I liked the stories within the story. I think it would be good for my book club but might take two meetings because there is so much to discuss. The only criticism I have is that I thought it might have been edited a bit better. It definitely could have been shorter especially if targeted for book club discussions. I would recommend it though because it is different and well written.
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Patricia G. (Dyer, IN)
The Writer's Life
My strongest takeaway from this novel is the abyss that exists for a writer between his/her creative life and his/her everyday life. I had never considered the tremendous tension which must pull any artist back and forth, mentally and physically, between these two seemingly irreconcilable worlds. Joan Ashby Manning must "die" and be "resurrected " in order to find a place for herself which allows freedom and integrity. But the cost is great.
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Maggie R. (Canoga Park, CA)
A Captivating aread
In the midst of gorging on Wendell Berry's port William novels, I made time to meet Joan Ashby. Whiplash ensued. This long, well crafted novel , the life of a woman I didn't warm up to but found fascinating, was a quick read due to the urge to observe her in action at work and in private life. The weak link for me were her short stories and excerpts of her novels which did not seem worthy of the accolades and awards they won. This is a spacious and unhurried book, well worth reading.
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Sarah H. (Arvada, CO)
So much more than it seems
This book requires your full engagement and commitment and it is absolutely worth it. Wolas tackles an otherwise ordinary topic in an extraordinary and engaging way that speaks not only to women's changing roles and motherhood, but to the writer in all of us, to the hidden or forgotten gifts in all of us. The stories woven throughout are so creative, so well written, that I find myself wanting more. This book was an ambitious undertaking and does not disappoint.
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Sandra H. (St. Cloud, MN)
A woman's identity
"The Resurrection of Jane Ashby" asks several important questions about how a woman identifies herself.
Joan Ashby sees herself as a writer whose life should focus on and revolve around her writing. Her first two books were wildly successful. Then she falls in love with a man who is equally serious about his own career. When they marry, they both agree that career tops family. Then Joan becomes pregnant. After their son is born, Joan puts her writing in second place. And she finds motherhood wonderful after she locates a delightful young woman to care for him and who becomes someone who takes over the chores of the family. When a second child enters the family, Joan's responsibilities change. Her writing suffers but her husband's reputation as a surgeon continues to grow Life becomes complicated and Joan must make choices she never dreamed she would have to make.
This book forces readers to look at what they value and what they have accepted or refused to do in their own lives. It is therefore a book made for discussion--one that book clubs should read. Unfortunately at 500 pages many clubs will find it a hard sell.
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