(12/6/2005)
I wasn't even going to write a review of this book until I saw the review by Beth referring to the fact that Jennifer Anniston & Brad Pitt had purchased the rights....and then I thought to myself...."Dear God in heaven, reading that may dissuade people from reading this totally fabulous book, how can I prevent such a thing?" I'm sure JA & BP are ever so smart, in their own ways....but, if I had read such a thing (review) before reading this book, well, I might not have read it.
I started reading with high expectations, and they were met....the story swept me up from the get go and, I'm almost ashamed to admit, I fell in love with Henry early on. But, and I would take this as a huge compliment to the author, I was not in the least jealous of Clare. In fact, I loved her, too!
The characters were fantastic, the plot, well thought out, the setting made me want to visit Chicago & the Great Lakes area. The only criticism I can muster is that the secondary (or even beyond secondary) characters perhaps should have been played down or, less well-defined. Some of the characters were distracting, especially the 'extraneous' members of Clare's family - but only because they were not given more time to develop.
All in all, this book rates an A+ from me, despite Brad & Jen!