Book Summary and Reviews of How to Walk Away by Katherine Center

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Betty Taylor

Very Relatable Relationships
I will admit that this was a book that I did not want to like. Yes, that is right – I did not want to like it. It seemed to be pure romance – no mysteries, no murders, no other story line than pure romance. But it hooked me! That, to me, a sign of good writing. The characters drew me in. They entertained me. They made me feel such a variety of emotions. I pretty much knew how most of the story was going to go, but I still enjoyed the ride.

Life had been so perfect for Margaret. She was beautiful and had a handsome charming boyfriend who was soon to propose to her. She had landed her dream job. But then her life changed, and nothing would ever be the same again. Margaret now faces obstacles she has no idea how to contend with.
Beyond the romance, this book is about not giving up on yourself, or others. It is about your loved ones not letting you give up on yourself. It is about finding the strength in yourself to carry on. There is a quote I am sure will be popular from this book – it is quoted several times. “When you don’t know what to do for yourself, do something for somebody else.” Great advice when you are consumed with self-pity and/or overwhelmed. Get outside yourself and look at others. Sometimes this will help you forget – even if only for a moment- that others suffer too. Others also feel isolated and helpless. And sometimes when you aren’t looking Love finds you.

The dynamics of the relationships are very relatable. There’s the boyfriend who wallows in self-pity himself and can’t “man up”. It can’t be complete without the domineering mother who steamrolls her way through her daughters’ lives.

My favorite part of the book was the bond between Margaret and her sister Kitty. There had been a rift in the family and Kitty had had no contact with any of her family for the last three years. But she returns to be at Margaret’s side. Kitty is the kind of sister you want, you need, when you are at your lowest. No matter how dark things got Kitty could make Margaret laugh.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the advance copy of the book.

Sandi W.

family, love and relationships...
First, I must admit that I am not much of a romance reader. I do enjoy a cozy or fluff book from time to time, but prefer they are mystery related, not romance related. However, I will admit that I did enjoy Katherine Center's style - even though there was more romance in this book than I enjoy. I think she developed her characters well and had a sufficient story line.

My reason for reading this book was that I plan to read her next book Things You Save in a Fire for a group. Not having read Things You Save in a Fire yet, I assume that some of the same characters will carry over. I came across a 'bridging' short story between the two books and decided reading How To Walk Away was probably advantageous.

This novel says a lot about family, love and relationships. It centers on Maggie, who has lost the use of her legs in an accident - which leads to the loss of everything important in her life. As she spends a month in the hospital she renews her relationship with her sister, finds out scathing news about her mother, and suffers through a scowling, barely talking physical therapist. By the time she is ready to leave the hospital, Maggie is looking at life differently. Things appear brighter, but is it enough to build a life on?