What readers think of The Book That Matters Most, plus links to write your own review.

I remember being a child, having the luxury of reading a book in one sitting, devouring it as you would a favorite meal. In adulthood we rarely get that opportunity, too many things to do, places to be, it just doesn't happen. Yet, here I am, stuck on a couch while doctors try and figure out why my hip is hurting. So, when this book arrived in the mail, I started reading in the morning and to my astonishment, read the last page that very afternoon. I could not put it down. I am a huge Ann Hood fan, so I expected to like it, the title drawing me in right away, "The Book That Matters Most". Books have always mattered to me, was this one going to matter to me? Within minutes, I found myself caring about her characters, wanting to know more about this book club that meets once a month. Each of its members was to pick the book that mattered most to them. The novel zeroed in on two central characters, and explored the themes of "love, loss, regret and redemption". A mother and her daughter, a wife and a husband, regrets of the past and a yearning to know the future. I adored this book, I treasure this book, it woke up every sense I had, leaving me sad when finishing it, only because I loved reading it so much and now I was done. I cannot praise this book enough, it will always matter to me.

I enjoyed this heartwarming story of family relationships and the impact books can have on readers. I loved the book club's theme to choose the book that matters most to you. It challenged me to think of what book I would choose. This would be a great book for book clubs. The characters are engaging and there were a couple of twists that kept my interest. This was the first book by Ann Hood that I have read and I will definitely look for more of her books.

Ava, recently divorced mother of two adult children is "desperate to fill her empty hours." A long awaited invitation to join her friend Cate's book club results in making a promise she has no idea how to she will keep. The author introduces additional baggage for Ava through her daughter Maggie, a young woman trying to write the great American novel by following Hemingway's footsteps through Paris yet only succeeding in copying his addictive and destructive ways. From tragic accidents, love affairs past and present, mysterious disappearances and slightly unbelievable circumstances Hood uses literary references radiating from the book club's selections to move her plot and characters.
Reading this novel felt like floating down a stream. There are rapids that deal with drugs, suicide and divorce amid ripples of memories and remorse. Hood has a gift of expertly inserting innuendo and intrigue peaking anticipation of either a falls or calm water. Yet at the end of the journey the fastidious tying up of all the loose ends felt almost too complete; unreal at times. While The Book that Matters Most is not America's greatest novel, there is a lot about those tomes to be learned within it. And reading it is not as great a chore as reading Moby Dick. Recommended as a fast enjoyable read for summer days or winter evenings.

Who knew there was such a thing as an exclusive book club! Ava decides to join a book club that has a spot open when her friend at the library moves her up the list. A waiting list for a book club? Ava who is divorced by her husband of 25 years is floundering with how to cope. Her daughter is in a bad place as well, in Europe at college having a relationship of sorts with an older man. So this year the book club has a theme to read, a book that matters most to you. Ava recalls a book that helped her with a tragic loss many years earlier. This book was entertaining, especially since it’s about books. Friendships, life, love and even a little mystery. A very thought provoking novel.

I always wonder if Ann Hood has had personal experience dealing with grief. As a widow myself, I find that her writing on the subject is right on.

This novel centers around the topic of loss and grief, not only as the result of death. But it also is all about the love of books and the profound impact they can have on us! How books help us heal and grow and understand life's mysteries.
I really liked this book and would highly recommend it to book clubs everywhere,

I'd give this book four and a half stars. It was a slow starter for me, but after I got into it a bit, the book grabbed me and I couldn't put it down. Although I'm glad that the book club I lead isn't organized the way the one in this book is, there were some wonderful insights on great books (and suggestions for reading lists) that could be useful to book groups. Ava's character grows and matures throughout the book, as does that of her daughter, Maggie. This novel has a mystery element and a somewhat surprising ending. I would recommend it, especially for book clubs.

Ava is a French professor at a local college and finds herself alone after her husband leaves her for a younger woman who is also a yarn bomber. This yarn bomber habit I found very funny. With Ava's two children off on their own and she struggles to find herself as she starts the next phase of her life.

Ava joins an exclusive book club and their topic for the books they will read that year is "The Book that Matters Most". She chooses a book that helped her deal with the tragic losses in her childhood.

The story also follows Ava's daughter, Maggie, who is also trying to find direction in her life with her new found freedom. It is interesting the parallels between Ava and Maggie as they search for happiness and purpose.

The interaction of the members of the book club was interesting as well as the character development of each of them as we get to know their life stories.

I am a fan of Ann Hood's books and was thrilled to be able to read this book. The story pulled me in and I especially liked the interesting twists and turns in the story. Even though I suspected how the book would end, I was never sure until I got there. The story really kept my interest from the first page. I could feel the joys and pains of the characters.

After struggling to get into this book, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it grabbed me so quietly that I almost did not notice. As I struggled through the first chapters,I kept thinking I had to finish I order to review. Then one morning, I found myself picking up this charming novel and reading because I wanted to...

I would call it an easy, uncomplicated read-- no moments that require the reader to step back and ponder--- that stuck with me for a bit after I finished. Interestingly flawed characters,well written and lovely characters. A good "sit on the porch " day read that reminded me some of Karen White's Low Country novels,

I would recommend it!