Helpful Score: 20
This is possibly one of the best books I've ever read! A slide-show of stories twined around the life stories of women in a bookclub. The book takes you from the day they first met until decades later - in a hospital -waiting. Ms. Landvik use of character development is a marvel. I feel as if I not only really know these women, but I think I'm a charter member of their bookclub. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE READ THIS BOOK! You won't be sorry!
Helpful Score: 16
I loved this book. It's about women and friendship, motherhood, love & survival. Each character is interesting and Landvik shares enough of them to get you invested in who they are - even the ones you hate. Really well written. Perfect book club reading.
Helpful Score: 13
Hilarious! And sad. And a great read. My mom grew up in the neighborhood written about here and so it was great to relive some childhood memories.
Helpful Score: 11
A wonderfully charming, endearing, and funny story about five women living on Freesia Court. Their lives cross one night in winter in 1968. They form a friendship that continues to grow with their regular book club meetings.
This is a well written story and alot of fun to read.
This is a well written story and alot of fun to read.
Helpful Score: 8
Excellent woven story of 5 women that follows them throughout their lives together... makes you feel part of their lives... enjoyed tremendously!
Helpful Score: 7
LUVVED this book and the women in it. The title refers to a monthly bookclub formed by the women of Freesia Court, so designated by a scornful husband but embraced by the women. The book begins in the present but flashes back through the decades that the women have known each other. Each grows, deals with spouses, affairs, children...all the stuff the rest of us deal with. Although the cover reminds me of my mother-in-law and her friends, the Angry Housewives are of my Boomer generation. I called a friend the other day and said, "You have to read this book. You ARE Audrey!"
Helpful Score: 6
LOVED this book....a great tale of the enduring power of women's friendships and the love they share across the decades and through the births and deaths, marriages and divorces on their cul de sac.
Helpful Score: 4
What a gem of a story! This book made me a Lorna Landvik fan! I adored the characters! I think that all female book lovers will love this wonderful tale of a women's book club.
Helpful Score: 3
Reminded me of Divine Secrets of the YaYa Sisterhood, but BETTER. A book lovers book, a story for women ABOUT women, a fun, engrossing story!
Helpful Score: 3
I loved this story! I felt like I was part of this woman's group and I could not put it down! GREAT READ
Helpful Score: 3
An interesting read...kind of a chick-lit version of Marilyn French's The Women's Room (which I highly recommend BTW)...heavy on the feel-good, easy to read.
Helpful Score: 3
This was really an up lifting book. While I did shed a few tears it was well worth it. This book is about 4 ladies starting a neighborhood book club while going through the stages of life, starting in their early 20's. You get to watch their children grow up along with the ladies. I would reccomend this book to anyone and everyone for a good laugh, a couple tears, and good food ;)
Helpful Score: 2
After reading this book, I feel that every woman ought to be a part of a group such as the AHEB! Amusing, interesting, heartwarming book that appeals to women of all ages. My 82 year old Mom enjoyed it as much as I (age 56) and my daughter (age 32) did!
Helpful Score: 2
A wonderful story about friendship among 5 women that spans 30 years. Their book club, "Angry Housewives. . . " gives them a venue to share good and bad times.
Helpful Score: 2
I really liked this book. These women had a very strong friendship and I loved their book club! :)
Helpful Score: 2
an enjoyable read about a group of friends, who have formed a book club, whose friendship endures for 30+ years. i liked how each chapter was written from the point of view of a different "angry housewife". and i liked how the bookclub book of the month tied into the plot of each chapter, even though the books themselves were barely mentioned in the novel.
Helpful Score: 2
Loved it. She is one of my favorite authors and this book is one of her best. It's like Desperate Housewives and Roseanne all rolled in one...
Helpful Score: 2
Very funny and moving book. Fast read.
Helpful Score: 2
This book was great. I really loved it. I would love to form a book club just like these ladies did.
Helpful Score: 2
I found this to be a very quick read. Lot's of laughs and sorrows, the drama unfolds fast and you'll find yourself asking "Can all this happen to one bunch of ladies?" it's got it all.
Helpful Score: 2
One of the best books I've read in a long time.
Helpful Score: 2
Cute! Not as 'fluffy' as I thought it would be, so that was good.
Helpful Score: 2
Hard to put down! I loved this book.
Helpful Score: 2
Did not want this book to end. I wanted to move into the neighborhood just to see what they would do next.
Helpful Score: 1
Love this book! Tale of friendship over the years. This was the first book to start our book club that has been going on for over 3 years now.
"Laughter is the glue that holds the women of Freesia Court together -- and it is the foundation of [their] book group," says the book cover, but they have so much more holding them together--shared problems, secrets, dreams = true friendship.
Helpful Score: 1
I loved loved LOVED this book. It should be a movie, but the book will always be the best.
Helpful Score: 1
If you liked Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood and Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, then you will like this one as well. Though the book seemed a little drawn out to me, you do get relatively close to the characters - some more than others. Pretty good overall
Helpful Score: 1
I didn't want to read this, but loved it once I did!
Helpful Score: 1
Fabulous and funny book.
Got me through a bad time and helped distract me from
gloomy thoughts.
Very easy read. Wish I had friends like these women!!
Got me through a bad time and helped distract me from
gloomy thoughts.
Very easy read. Wish I had friends like these women!!
Helpful Score: 1
amazing, moving book. great read.
Helpful Score: 1
LOVED this. Much better than anything in the Ya Ya series. I want these women as my friends. Heck I want the snowball fights and the nieghborhood.
Helpful Score: 1
Absolutely delightful book. A joy to read!
Helpful Score: 1
A celebration of women's friendships over a lifetime; I found myself envying this fictional bookclub. I was pleasantly surprised at some of the weightier parts of the book, as the title sounded more 'fluffy and light'. I'd liken it to a non-Southern "Ya-ya's".
Helpful Score: 1
What an enjoyable read! I felt like I was glancing a peak of how my mother could have spent her days while raising me. It reminded me of what I consider a nostalgic time when mothers could stay home raise their children.Also it brought home that the strength of friendships can help along the bumps that life can throw you.I could see a little of me in all the characters.I was sad when the book was finished I really wanted to stay in that circle of friends that had invited me in threw the pages of this novel.
Helpful Score: 1
This book was about a bunch of women in a book club but really ended up helping each other through life. I loved this book and got up at 4 AM this morning so I could finish it!
Helpful Score: 1
What a wonderful book! It's like sitting down with girlfriends and having a chat. I've even ordered other Lorna Landvik novels now that I'm hip to her.
Helpful Score: 1
"A lively story as delectable as a five-pound box of chocolates..." Anne d. LeClaire Laughter is the glue that holds the women of Freesia Court together - and the foundation of a book group called AHEB(Angry Housewives eating BonBons). Holding on through 40 eventful years, Faith, Audrey,Merit,Kari, and Slip will take the plunge into the chaos that inevitably comes to those with the temerity to be alive and kicking.
Helpful Score: 1
I really enjoyed this book and the characters in it. I like the fact that you followed these women and their relationships through several years so you could see how time and circumstances changed them.
Helpful Score: 1
A great story that follows 5 friends through many years of trials, tribulations, heartache and hope. A woman can be so lucky to have that many friends who are close by to help her cope with daily life.
Helpful Score: 1
A wonderful, touching tale of five women who stay together through the thick and thin of life. A great read!
Helpful Score: 1
Great! Loved every minute of it!
Helpful Score: 1
very good read about relationships over a lifetime.
Helpful Score: 1
A great summer read!
Helpful Score: 1
A fun and easy read, enjoyed by my book club whose members love to read and eat!
Helpful Score: 1
ABSOLUTELY ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I'VE EVER READ!
not only did i like the time period it was set in but the women were easy to relate to (most of them anyway) and the ones who weren't were still entertaining and brought a bit of a shock value to the book.
PICK THIS BOOK UP and you won't be sorry.
not only did i like the time period it was set in but the women were easy to relate to (most of them anyway) and the ones who weren't were still entertaining and brought a bit of a shock value to the book.
PICK THIS BOOK UP and you won't be sorry.
Helpful Score: 1
This is a delightful book and you get caught up in their lives, their neighborhood and their children. Loved it.
Helpful Score: 1
Great book. I just adored this story and the style it was written in.
And it gave me and list of books I want to read too!
Excellent story, made me want to knock on my neighbors door and see if they want to start a book club!
And it gave me and list of books I want to read too!
Excellent story, made me want to knock on my neighbors door and see if they want to start a book club!
Helpful Score: 1
I found myself caught up in this book. Excellent
Helpful Score: 1
loved it!!!!!!!
Helpful Score: 1
Five friends form the Freesia Court Book Club. Three decades, marriages, child rearing, neighborhood parties, bad husbands and great brownies pretty well sums up this novel of female bonding. It's a heart-warming story about the power of women's friendships.
Helpful Score: 1
Seems to be a very popular book!!
Helpful Score: 1
I wasn't really sure how I'd like this book since I've seen mixed reviews of it and since sometimes I can't get into a chick-lit story where the characters are older than my parents. But, the writer did a remarkable job in creating characters who you can visualize and writes a story that just compels you to keep reading. I loved how the characters all grew as individuals and didn't annoy me by remaining static and boring. It just made them come to life.
The only reason that I put this down was because I got too tired to read anymore (I started this book intending to only read a couple chapters before going to bed around 3am and I stayed up past dawn.) and got to the point where the book bonked me in the forehead when I was "just resting my eyes so I could read further". But, as soon as I got up a few hours later, I was back to the book so I could finish it.
I don't care what age you are, there is so many wonderful things about this book that it's one of the best I've read in a long time!
The only reason that I put this down was because I got too tired to read anymore (I started this book intending to only read a couple chapters before going to bed around 3am and I stayed up past dawn.) and got to the point where the book bonked me in the forehead when I was "just resting my eyes so I could read further". But, as soon as I got up a few hours later, I was back to the book so I could finish it.
I don't care what age you are, there is so many wonderful things about this book that it's one of the best I've read in a long time!
Helpful Score: 1
The author does a wonderful job of bringing you right into the neighborhood with these five "angry housewives". I loved it from cover to cover!
"Laughter is the glue that houlds the women of Freesia Court together - and it is the foundation of a book group they call AHEB (angry housewives eating bon bons). Holding on through forty eventful years, Faith, Audrey, Merit, Kari, and Slip will take the plunge into the chaos that inevitably comes to those with the temerity to be alive and kicking. This stalwart group of friends typifies a special slice of American life, of stay-at-home days and new careers, of children and grandchildren, of bold beginnings and second chances, in which the power of forgiveness, understanding, and the perfectly times giggle fit is the CPR that mends broken hearts and shattered dreams.
"Laughter is the glue that houlds the women of Freesia Court together - and it is the foundation of a book group they call AHEB (angry housewives eating bon bons). Holding on through forty eventful years, Faith, Audrey, Merit, Kari, and Slip will take the plunge into the chaos that inevitably comes to those with the temerity to be alive and kicking. This stalwart group of friends typifies a special slice of American life, of stay-at-home days and new careers, of children and grandchildren, of bold beginnings and second chances, in which the power of forgiveness, understanding, and the perfectly times giggle fit is the CPR that mends broken hearts and shattered dreams.
Helpful Score: 1
This book is one that I will read over and over again. I love the title, the characters, and the stories of their lives. You are able to really connect with them as you follow them through the good and the bad. I have recommended this book to everyone!
Helpful Score: 1
Great book! I loved it!
Helpful Score: 1
I was very surprised by this book - it was very funny and tragic. Kind of an odd mix but a great read! Highly recommended.
Helpful Score: 1
Great group of women
Helpful Score: 1
This was an interesting read on one hand the book had a good story in depth emotions and realistic people but they went no where. I really stuck out reading this book with almost constant sadness and was not happy that i did so overall i woundnt recomend this book it just wasnt her best work
Helpful Score: 1
A great read. It shows what true friendship is all about.
Helpful Score: 1
The title says it all.
Helpful Score: 1
I had a hard time really getting into this one.
Helpful Score: 1
So for the past few days I have been a little in the dumps, whybecause I was reading this horrible book! Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons may possibly be the most depressing book Ive ever attempted to read. I say attempted because I only managed to trudge through 198 pages of it, and that was more than I should have.
So five women living on the same street get together and form a book club. Each has their own reason for needing this gathering because every single one of them has a horrible life! Landvik took all the negative things that can occur in childhood, marriage, and friendship and gave every single character at least one of themif not more. There was no light at the end of the tunnel, no character that you could read along with and be relived that she had a good life it was just bad bad bad. I was under the impression that this book was suppose to be funny, maybe that is why I found it so depressing but there are some things in this book that are now seared in my mind that I so with werentand the really bad thing is that these scenes added nothing to the book!
Angry Housewives was a book club selection and I can only hope and pray that the members of my club do not have, nor will they ever, the troubles these women faced on a daily basis. I do foresee a good discussion though, so at least I have that to look forward to.
So five women living on the same street get together and form a book club. Each has their own reason for needing this gathering because every single one of them has a horrible life! Landvik took all the negative things that can occur in childhood, marriage, and friendship and gave every single character at least one of themif not more. There was no light at the end of the tunnel, no character that you could read along with and be relived that she had a good life it was just bad bad bad. I was under the impression that this book was suppose to be funny, maybe that is why I found it so depressing but there are some things in this book that are now seared in my mind that I so with werentand the really bad thing is that these scenes added nothing to the book!
Angry Housewives was a book club selection and I can only hope and pray that the members of my club do not have, nor will they ever, the troubles these women faced on a daily basis. I do foresee a good discussion though, so at least I have that to look forward to.
Helpful Score: 1
Laughter is the glue that holds that women of Freesia Court together, a story of bold beginnings and second chances. A thoroughly good read.
Helpful Score: 1
A fun read, definitely a great "summer beach read". You just want this book to go on and on, and feel like you know each of the characters like a best friend by the end!
Helpful Score: 1
I really enjoyed this book. Their deep friendships all started from starting a book club and they were really there for each other throughout life. I couldn\'t put the book down.
Helpful Score: 1
good chick lit the story line is a little different.
Helpful Score: 1
Couldnt get into this book.
Helpful Score: 1
My favorite Landvik so far. If you lived during this time, or even if you didn't, you'll fall in love with these people, this place, these times.
Helpful Score: 1
Absolutely wonderful book. One of the best I've read.
Helpful Score: 1
Really enjoyed this book. It was funny, sad, and believable. The women truly cared about one another. It made me want to join a book club.
Helpful Score: 1
a favorite of mine, full of humor, hardship, and adventure. The character development is good and well-thought out, though some might see a cliche. Not a typical chick-lit novel, but much more complex. I really enjoyed reading it (twice).
Helpful Score: 1
Read this book for my book group.I liked reading about other people who were in a book group and what they were reading and what they were thinking and doing.This book brought a lot of discussion.This is a good book and I recommend it whether you belong to a book group or not.
Helpful Score: 1
Easy read.
Helpful Score: 1
A fun read..... Women in Minneapolis form a book club (e.g. title of the actual book) that spans 30 years. Chapters are cleverly arranged in chronological order and feature the Book club book and hostess -- and then updates her part of the story.
I was tempted to write down all the titles of books this fictional book club reads and try to read/reread them. Plot: Interesting stories about each woman's hopes, trials, challenges, and relationships with others in the club. All are characters you want to know more about as you go along.
I was tempted to write down all the titles of books this fictional book club reads and try to read/reread them. Plot: Interesting stories about each woman's hopes, trials, challenges, and relationships with others in the club. All are characters you want to know more about as you go along.
Helpful Score: 1
This book is a ton of fun with lots of interesting people. It is also set in my home state of Minnesota with lots of land marks you can identify with.
Helpful Score: 1
Very funny read! I loved this book.
Helpful Score: 1
I LOVED this book! It is a great story about wonderful friendships between women
Helpful Score: 1
I read this book as part of an online book club deal and I really enjoyed it. It was probably not something I would normally pick but I'm glad I read it. If you enjoy stories about close friendships between women and the happy and sad times you will really enjoy this book.
Helpful Score: 1
Fun read. 5 housewives form a book club and personal club that takes them from the 1960s to the 1990s and on many personal adventures.
Helpful Score: 1
"Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons" is most likely the best book I've read in a really long time. I loved it. I couldn't put it down. I was so engrossed by all the characters that I had to know what would happen to them as time went on. And, believe me, time goes on in "Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons" as the book spans 30 years.
"Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons" tells the stories of the women of Freesia Court who bond together and form a book club. But that's not all they form. Slip, Audrey, Merit, Faith, and Kari form friendships that span more than books. The five are there to help one another through all of life's joys and trials.
The only problem that I initially had with "Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons" was the narration style. Each chapter is narrated in first person (well, almost), by a different character. It took me a minute to catch on, but when I did, it really helped me gain a better understanding of the characters.
I highly recommend that you pick up a copy of "Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons" today. It is one of the few books I can remember that made me laugh, cry, read passages out of it to other people, and carry it with me everywhere I went.
"Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons" tells the stories of the women of Freesia Court who bond together and form a book club. But that's not all they form. Slip, Audrey, Merit, Faith, and Kari form friendships that span more than books. The five are there to help one another through all of life's joys and trials.
The only problem that I initially had with "Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons" was the narration style. Each chapter is narrated in first person (well, almost), by a different character. It took me a minute to catch on, but when I did, it really helped me gain a better understanding of the characters.
I highly recommend that you pick up a copy of "Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons" today. It is one of the few books I can remember that made me laugh, cry, read passages out of it to other people, and carry it with me everywhere I went.
Helpful Score: 1
loved this book, great story
Helpful Score: 1
Our book club selected this book. I enjoyed reading the book and the discussion was enlightening.
Helpful Score: 1
This was the first of Lorna Landvik's books that I read and I was very pleasantly surprised. I loved the way she showed the reality of the ups and downs of long term friendships between woment. She really has a way of making the reader feel as though these women are personal friends of the reader. Enjoy!
Helpful Score: 1
Really enjoyed this book, great group of women and it was fun to see the characters progress through their years. Enjoyed seeing them face challenges and grow in their relationships.
Helpful Score: 1
I am a fan of Landvik's books and this one is no exception. This book was interesting to read as you get to know all the characters in the book and thier lives. Landvik always does a great job of bringing her characters to life in her books and I think this has to be one of my favorites.
Helpful Score: 1
I loved this book. It was so interesting and added so many books to my book list. The author wrote so much and covered so many interesting plotlines! I'm definitely keeping it on my own personal shelf!
Helpful Score: 1
the best book i have read for its genre. absolutly hilarious mixed with reality that all women would be able to identify with. Excellant variation in the format.
Helpful Score: 1
very sweet, very good novel of a book club through the years. I quite enjoyed it.
Helpful Score: 1
Great book list for book clubs. A history, if you will, of the bonds formed by neighbors via a book club. Keep a tissue handy! You will laugh out loud and cry again in two minutes!
Helpful Score: 1
Absolutely loved this book! Highly recommend it. Characters are well developed and story flows smoothly, you won't want it to end.
Helpful Score: 1
This is a book about friendships. "A lively story as d electable as a five-pound box of chocolates." "It is impossible not to get caught up in the lives of the book group members. Landvik's gift lies in bringing these familiar womento life with insight and humor." This book is a great read. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Helpful Score: 1
This is a fun, mostly light read. I enjoyed being with these women and their book group. I even put some of their books on my "to read" list. Many of the books I had read many years ago. It was interesting to move through 30 years of the book club, pop culture and history that I, too, had lived.
Helpful Score: 1
This was a great read- I really enjoyed the characters; cared about their stories. Laughs and poignant stories. Plus, they were a book club!
Helpful Score: 1
The story of 5 women living in a cul-de-sac who are convinced that there is nothing good coffee, delicious desserts, and a strong shoulder can't fix. Laughter is the glue that holds them together - the foundation of a book club they call AHEB (Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons) which becomes much more. It becomes a lifeline of some sort for each woman.
Helpful Score: 1
Carefree book---great for book clubs! Loved how it followed through group through generations....
Helpful Score: 1
Hilarious; I felt like I, too, was a part of this elite book group. I read this over one weekend. Great!
Helpful Score: 1
This book is a must read for all women who have close girlfriends in their lives. This story revolves around a group of suburban housewives which begins in the 1960's and goes through their often funny and poignant moments together up to current day. There is much humor and you can't help but route for them as they discover and grow together.
Helpful Score: 1
A fun read...after wading through a few deeper books. Loved it reminded me of my friends of 50 yrs. although we never had a book club we did get tatoos in our 70's. Recommend it for sure
Helpful Score: 1
A story of long-lived friendship. Reminded me of Rebecca Wells Ya-Yas but with more developed characters and a story line that stretches over 4 decades.
Helpful Score: 1
This is a great book! I couldn't put it down!!
Helpful Score: 1
Loved it!!! A poignant and hilarious tale of five friends in a book club.
Helpful Score: 1
I wish I could find a bookclub like this.
A lovely story of 5 friends journeying through life together over the decades. A lot of fun and humor. The story is told through their book club meetings and memories. I always enjoy Landvik's books.
I loved this book. It is about a group of women who form a bookclub. It goes through the trials and tribulations of their lives and how they all rally around each other in their time of need. It has funny and sad moments. I would recommend this to anyone who loves a quick and easy read. You may find yourself and your friends in this book!
LOVED this book...a fun read thats about lifelong friends and good books...what more do you need?
I enjoyed this book, although was a slow start.
Friendship between women, frankly a wonderful read!
I honestly didn't think this was going to be a great book. I kept skipping it in my bookshelf! But...it ended up being one of the best I've ever read. Engaging, fun, sad, the works.
Great book about the friendship bond in women...these ladies go through hard times, happy times, and sad times, but remain friends for decades! Fun read.
Enjoyable in the same way that a chick flick is, and predictable in the same way, which can be comforting... just know that what you're in for is not literature.
Loved this book! Reminded me of my group of 40-50 year old friends.
This was a good read for me while on vacation. The characters were interesting and I enjoyed following the relationships of the women.
This book was a little slow starting for me, but once I got into it I could not put it down! I loved it. It was really interesting and I feel like I connected with the characters. Every woman needs friends like the Angry Housewives!
I liked this book about a group of neighbors who become friends and get involved in each other's lives.
I loved this book, the writing is fun, the story sweet and sad and strong. Having grown up in Minneapolis, I enjoyed how true the author was to the setting.
This is by far the best book I have read this year. It is the Friday Night Knitting club, but better and I rated that book 5 stars! I feel like I know these women, want what they have in the friendships with each other, but at the same time am thrilled that they were so real. They had hardships, their lives were not perfect but the relationships felt so real. I cannot recommend this book enough. I feel like I will be thinking about these characters for a long time to come.
Not my favorite, ok.
I read this book more than two years ago and I just loved it. I passed it along to so many of my friends and we all enjoyed it.
I absolutely loved this book so much that I can't bare to but it up for swap! This is a must read!!!
Read this many times and each time I find it gets a little bit better. Love this book!
I enjoyed reading this book. It was a quick read and the characters were very likable. This is a great beach read as the chapters give you good stopping points and go by fast.
Written from the different points of view of a group of women who form a book club as young women, the stories of their lives through the decades unfold as each reveals elements of the plot from varying perspectives. Although somewhat predictable at times, I still found myself absorbed in these women's lives. Lorna Landvik is an engaging and insightful writer. I heartily recommend the book.
This was the best book I have read in a long time. I did not want it to end that's how much I loved it. My first time reading this author. What a treat!!
Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book about a group of friends who form a book club.It goes in & out of the lives of all the members & shows how they grow & learn from each other & are more than just members of the same club.
Loved it, loved it, loved it!!! Hated to finish...wanted to know more about these fascinating characters.
This is a great story of female friendships throughout a lifetime. I have read it many times.
This is an amazing story of five women who are neighbors in Minneapolis. They become friends and form a book club called Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons. It spans three decades of friendship, marriage, divorce, babies, grown children, secrets, growing up, you name it - it's in there. It flows effortlessly between the different women's perspectives and even provides a new list of books to check out! Each chapter begins with a book and the reason the host chose it for their book club.
My bookclub recently chose this book for our monthly meeting...and I have to say it was a hoot! We had a good time comparing all of the different characters and discussing how the book club in the book (yes, this book is actually about a book club!) is similar and different to our own. Great reading for an individual or a group!
Didn't get to this one, had to pick which ones I reallly wanted to read and post the rest.
A very good story
A fun look back at the 60's, 70's, and 80's.
Fantastic book on friends and friendship, I loved it.
this was a really great book!
This is an enjoyable book but the author takes the easy way out way too often. Their are conflicts that are resolved by the death of a character. Abuse is allowed to go on for years without interference. It's like a lifetime movie but still pretty likeable characters and a fast read.
A neat little read. Nothing spectacular about the book or story but once you start reading you kind of wonder what happens to them all throughout the years. Makes you wish you had friends like this.
If you're a Desparate Housewives fan---You'll love this book.
One of the best books I have read lately. We did this in our teachers book club. After reading this, I went back and read other books by Lorna Landvik but I don't think any others equal this one.
No wonder this book has 5 stars. It is a great read; fun to follow the women through the years.
Totally LOVED this book!!
Excellent read, very good from the beginning to the end. Great, well drawn distinct characters and true to life events, humor and all the humanity you could ask for. Landvik is an excellent writer.
I enjoyed this book. I was not expecting that the book would have such depth and was very pleased with the combination of both humor and seriousness. Definately a "chick-book" :)
Not only do I love the title of this book, I love the characters, their "stories," their love for each other and their friendship. I definitely recommend this book to everyone that appreciates the value of a great friendship.
This is one of my favorite books of all time, I cried when I finished it as I knew how much I would miss following the housewives.
This book was surprisingly outstanding. I identified with characters though I shared none of the situations. It was an emotional roller coaster ride. Light read.
This book has alot of heart. It is interesting to see how the women form relationships and how those relationships hold together over the years.
Very funny. I just love Lorna Landvik. She makes me smile and laugh at life.
Great book for my age group (50's) and could totally relate since we are all great friends also in a book club! Fun read.
I enjoyed this book and really related to the friendships of the characters as well as the different problems they all went through.
This book kept me engaged. I really like it.
I really enjoyed this book. I passed it on to my sister-in-law.
Loved this book - it made me laugh and cry! But mostly laugh. Anyone with girlfriends will love this book!
Landvik creates a memorable ensemble cast of characters as she charts the friendship of the AHEB clan over thirty years. Marriage, pregnancy, motherhood, careers, divorce, loss, and learning to accept...it's all there.
The most interesting aspect of this novel was how everything that the various characters tried to hide or sweep under the rug came to light. In some cases, others already knew and were relieved to not have to pretend anymore. In all cases, readers learned that we shouldn't be afraid to open up to the ones we love.
The most interesting aspect of this novel was how everything that the various characters tried to hide or sweep under the rug came to light. In some cases, others already knew and were relieved to not have to pretend anymore. In all cases, readers learned that we shouldn't be afraid to open up to the ones we love.
This book made me want to laugh out loud and cry at the same time!!!
Such a funny, fun book. Loved it!
A book about building community, finding common ground among vasty different people, book clubs and surviving suburbia! Quirky, heartfelt, fun.
I read this book for a book club. All I can say is DO NOT judge a book by it's cover. Obviously that was the author's whole point. I really enjoyed this book. It was a very fast easy read. The book showed the depth that women have and the incredible bond of friendship. I wish I had my own book club in my neighborhood! I'm glad it was picked as BOTM. It was a very pleasant surprise.
humorous book following a neighborhood of housewives through the decades. another two generation recommended
Soo funny. I started reading not expecting to like it at all. I couldn't put it down and finished it within the night. At the end of the book, I was longing for more...... Great great read.
This is one of those books that I didn't want to finish because I didn't want my new "friends" to go away. The characters were so real and so beautiful. One part that has stuck with me was how the one woman would wrap things up in her hair as a way to maintain some secrecy and some control.
I loved this book so much that I am buying it for both my sister and mother-in-law. This book made me laugh, cry, and everything in between. I didn't want it to end.
Never had a book make me cry so many times!
Great read!
Wonderful book about women building relationships with other women.
took me a minute to get started but when i did, i loved this book. great cast of women.
Very funny book.
I couldn't put this book down. It's as comforting as a conversation with your own best friends.
I absolutely loved this book!! I laughed outloud in several parts....particularly the tree house scene!!!!! LOL A very easy read with real life situations....very well written!
Neighbors come together as a reading club but become so much more. Touching and tender.
Enjoyed this book about housewives who get to get together for a book club & the friendships.
Great! Lorna Landvik always makes me laugh out loud, cry and think. Only regret is that it didn't keep going!
Great read! I didn't realize the story revolved around a book club. Not as quirky as Tall Pine Polka, but I did enjoy it.
Not bad. An easy read
For any women who loves to read & loves chocolates. This is a great read about 5 women who start a book club,& friendships that last through 35 years of laugher & heartship.
I got through 40 pages, but most of my friends loved this book. I found it too girly.
Not bad, just not a keeper for me.
A wonderful story of young wives and mothers growing up and old together.
This is a very fun book that follows several ladies through the years.
FANTASTIC! Love all Lorna Landvik books!
Enjoyable, humourous, well-written. Easy to get caught up in the lives of the Freesia Court Book Group.
I thoroughly LOVED this book. My aunt has four girlfriends that she has met with each month for more than 50 years and this book so reminded me of them and how this must have been what their lives were like when they were young and their kids were growing up. Great read!!
Funny and touching story. Landvik writes just like women think.
Good book about friendships and secrets.
Ladies book club becomes a support group during a 40 year period when each lady deals with crisis and has friends who help her cope.
Both funny and wise - this is what friendship among women is all about.
I love this author. All her books are wonderful. A must read!!!
Great book! I really enjoyed the characters. Makes you appreciate the power of friendship.
Fantastic story that intertwines the lives of women who start a book club. Story travels over 4 decades, fast fun great read.
What a GREAT read!!!!!
Just got this because of the title, but really ended up enjoying it. Wonderful characters who make you laugh out loud and then feel like crying on the next page. Shows the strength of women and friendship without getting all sappy.
I thought this was just an "okay" book, didn't love it as much as I thought I would. Rather disjointed and told from multiple perspectives over a long period of time.
Very funny!
Loved this book! I hated to put it down.
I got caught up in this story and felt like I knew them all. Five friends with different backgrounds and stories meld through the years into the best kind of support group.
Five friends live through three decades of marriages, child raising, neighborhood parties, bad husbands and good brownies-and Landvik (Patty Jane's House of Curl) doesn't miss a single cliche as she chronicles their lives in this pleasant but wholly familiar novel of female bonding. When Faith Owens's husband is transferred from Texas to the "stupid godforsaken frozen tundra" of Freesia Court, Minn., in 1968, her life looks like it's going to be one dull, snowy slog-until the power goes out one evening and a group of what appear to be madwomen start a snowball fight in her backyard. These dervishes turn out to be her neighbors: antiwar activist Slip; sexpot Audrey; painfully shy Merit; and widow Kari. They become fast friends and decide to escape their humdrum routine by starting the Freesia Court Book Club, later given the eponymous name by one of their disgruntled husbands. As the years pass, Audrey and Merit get divorced, Kari adopts her niece's illegitimate baby, all five of the women find work outside their homes and they even smoke a joint together. Their personal dramas are regularly punctuated by reflections on political milestones ("First Martin Luther King, Jr., then Bobby Kennedy. As if we didn't have enough to worry about with this stupid war..."). While some scenes are touching and genuinely funny, readers of Fannie Flagg, Rita Mae Brown, Rebecca Wells and many imitators will feel that they've seen this before.
I LOVED this book!! Couldn't put it down! I wanted to BE a part of this group & their lives. I shared their tears & laughed along with them.
what a great read! You feel as if you are part of these women's lives. You feel part of this group of women. It made me long for friendships like these! A must read!Hated for it to end because I felt like I was loosing my friends.
Great book detailing the lives of women and their friendships through the years.
Great, fun book about relationships and timeless friendships. Very enjoyable and real!
My favorite Landvik book will always be "Patti Jane's House of Curl", but this one is a close second. The five women around whom the novel revolves win you over---you want to be part of the gang!
Lorna Landvik leaves you laughing and crying as she reveals perhaps the greatest truth: there is nothing like the saving grace of best friends. A highly enjoyable read!
The friendship of 5 women and the place it holds in women's lives.
I loved this book!!! I read it in two days. You become really close to the characters!!!
surprisingly good! It's not quite as "fluffy" as the title might make you think. Enjoyable read.
A book about book-lovers and how their book club becomes a loving (and life-saving, in some cases) force in their lives.
A fun read.
I really enjoyed this book. It is much better than her book The Tall Pine Polka. I could relate to the circumstances some of these women found themselves in and found myself longing to keep following them when I finished the last page. If you are going to read any book of Ladvik's, make it this one.
This is a great book, despite its title! The ending made me cry. After I read it I wanted to read all of Lorna Landviks books
I read this on vacation and it was easy to get through. Nothing too taxing on the brain but a good read with identifiable characters.
This book became my best friend.
I really loved this book. Anything written by Lorna Landvik has to be wonderful. She makes the characters come to life and seem so real. She is one of my favorite authors. I also really loved Patty Jane's House of Curls.
funny/touching. the cover doesn't do this book justice.
This book was far more serious than the title implies. Not a fluffy read at all. Once I got into this I couldn't put it down and felt like I knew these women intimately by the heartbreaking end.
Lorna Landvik has won the hearts of readers everywhere by skillfully balancing hilarity with pathos, and bittersweet insights with heartwarming truths. Now she returns to her beloved, eccentric stomping ground of small-town Minnesota where the most eclectic, and engaging group of women youll ever meet share love, loss, and laughter The women of Freesia Court have come together at lifes table, fully convinced that there is nothing good coffee, delectable desserts, and a strong shoulder cant fix. Laughter is the glue that holds them togetherthe foundation of a book group they call AWEBAngry Wives Eating Bon Bonsan unofficial club that becomes much more. It becomes a lifeline.
The five women each have a story of their own to tell. Once again Lorna Landvik leaves you laughing and crying, as she reveals perhaps the greatest truth: that there is nothing like the saving grace of best friends.
The five women each have a story of their own to tell. Once again Lorna Landvik leaves you laughing and crying, as she reveals perhaps the greatest truth: that there is nothing like the saving grace of best friends.
I enjoyed this book, getting to know the characters. It spans the years and the emotions, but don't let the title fool you. It is a facetious name these women give themselves and their "book club." I just wish the author had gone a bit more into the characters reviews of the books.
This was a fun book to read. Colorful characters.
The women of Freesia Court are convinced that there is nothing good coffee, delicious desserts and a strong shoulder can't fix. Laughter is the glue that holds them together--the foundation of a book group they call AHEB (Angry Houswives eating BonBons) an unofficial club that becomes more! It becomes a life line.
A good girli girl book. You'll enjoy this read.
A good girli girl book. You'll enjoy this read.
The book is funny and tender, and I loved it. Although it is not at the top of my list of most memorable books, it left me with a good feeling, and that is a big mark in its favor. I read enough gloom and doom in my non-fiction reading to leave me not wanting too much of it in fiction.
Loved it. Stupid title, great story. It reminds me of a dear friend in her 50's and her almost life long friendships with other wonderful women. These are the friends we hope to have to love us, support us, and keep us honest.
For some reason, at the time of my life, this book was just good....a little Desperate Housewives before that show began. :)
A book about five friends and their lives through the years. I really enjoyed this book and it made me want to start a book club like theirs!
This was a good book, kinda slow at the begining but it was really funny as I read on
A group of neighborhood women get together in the 1960's to form a book club. Each woman has a different background: one is a widow who adopts a mixed-race child, one is the victim of spousal abuse, etc.
The book follows the women through several decades and details how their lives change, as well as showing the type of books that they read (again showing the changes in them).
A good story, but a little slow for my tastes.
The book follows the women through several decades and details how their lives change, as well as showing the type of books that they read (again showing the changes in them).
A good story, but a little slow for my tastes.
Funny and sad and very well written. You feel for all the characters.
Lorna Landvik at her best!
Trade Size Paperback.
I really enjoyed this book. I highly reccomend re-reading the PRologue after finishing the book (a lot of references make more sense). I am a bit young for this book so I didn't always pick up on the references to popular musicians and authors in the beginning, but I was still very interested and liked it a lot.
Loved this book. Couldn't put it down.
Great book about the power of friendship. Those who love YaYa's and Mermaid Chair will love it!
A great read!!!!! Makes you laugh and makes you cry. You don't want it to end
A group of neighboring women on a cul de sac who form friendships from a book club that last several decades, through their families' ups and downs.
If you love Desperate Housewives, you'll love this book. I sure enjoyed it.
A fun book to read
This was a good little read. I enjoyed the relationships the women had with each other as well as the different life stories. It made me want to start a book club. Overall it was a entertaining book.
WHAT AN ENJOYABLE READ - I'D RECOMMEND IT FOR PURE ENTERTAINMENT AND FUN
Back cover is slightly torn in corner. But otherwise great shape.
As a member of a book club with many of my friends, I found this book to be very entertaining and a true reflection of the sounding board that my book club often is. It is a great story.
A story of true friendship. A group of women - Faith, Audrey, Merit, Kari, and Slip - form a book club. They take turns picking a book to read and get together to discuss it. This book goes from 1968-1998 so we "see" it all - the world changes before our eyes and so do their lives. Each woman has a story to tell, some take longer than others to share their story, but we do finally hear them all. Some of them get divorced along the way and we hear about it BUT ultimately this is a story about the women and how their friendship helps get them through. I liked how the book is laid out. We have sections with the years; we have chapters "told" by each woman. A nice read with wonderfully strong characters.
A delightful story of a book club through the years.
Terrific and fun book about the different lives of a group of women in a nieghborhood who share their joys and losses of their lives. Light and fun to read. I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would.
I loved this book; very hard for me to put down!
I really enjoyed this book. I read it in one day.
LOVED this book! The characters are real, with strengths and flaws, and their enduring friendship makes for a great story.
Chick-lit, but a very good read. Covers a lot of years of an enduring friendship between five very different women. Good vacation book.
I couldn't get past the first 40 pages. I found it dull and didn't connect with the characters.
Five women organize a book club that lasts through new babies, divorces, back-to-college years, and grown up children. As they read they discover themselves and the depth of their lives.
Great read about friendships formed during a book club!
Very good "chick book" about lasting friendships through thick and thin
very cute story about a womans book club through the aqes.
This was a great start-up book for our book club and sparked lots of get-to-know-you discussion!
easy read. great for by the pool or lazy weekends
I've read a couple of her books and this one is the best. A wonderful book about a group of women and how that group and the friendships that develop empower them to change. It is funny, wry, sad, a hundred emotions at once. A book you won't want to put down.
This is Landvik's best since "Patty Jane's House of Curl". It explores the lives of five women over a number of years. I think it does a nice job of revealing the intensity and love of close friendship among women.
I loved this book...the characters were real, the situations funny, sad, tragic, inspiring...a book of true friendship.
This was a bookclub book last month and one of our favorites! Great read!
Hysterical!
I thought it would be like Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood. It isn't quite as good, but I was glad to spend some time with these characters.
This is a good read with some good characters.
Loved it, Loved it, Loved it! I read it on vacation with my entire family & it was everyone's joke to make up different names for the book.
It got high marks from my book club.
I really liked this book; I read it completely over a weekend spent camping!
Loved It..
A funny look into a group of neighbors who form a book club and the paths their lives take. Made me laugh out loud and cry two minutes later. Keep your tissue handy!
A little fluffy and over extended but a fun travel/beach read.
I really enjoyed this book. It is a book about woman and the realtionships they make. Very funny in parts and touching in others.
I LOVED this book. It was a really story about all different types of women and the trials of their lives. Well written and a fast read without being "too easy."
Really funny and heartwarming.
so so. My bookclub loved it. Best discussion they had in a while.
Fun read. Well written.
A lively story as delectable as a five-pound box of chocolates....a thoroughly engaging chronicle of friendship and the substantive place it holds in women's lives. You will get caught up in the lives of Faith, Audrey, Merit and Slip. This group of friends depicts a special slice of American life. It bold beginnings and second chances, in which the power of forgiveness, understanding, and the perfectly timed giggle fit is the CPR that meds broken hearts and shattered dreams.
Wow! Got me on the first page and I couldn't put it down. The story of 5 women going through life all based around a book club. I cried, I laughed and I connected in some way with each of these women.
The women of Fressia Court are convinced that there is nothing good coffee, delicious desserts, and a strong shoulder can't fix. Laughter is the glue that holds them together - the foundation of a book group they call AHEB (Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons), an unofficial "club" that becomes much more....
This stalwart group of friends depicts a special slice of American life, of stay-at-home days and new careers, of children and grandchildren, of bold beginnings and second chances, in which the power of forgiveness, understanding, and the perfectly timed giggle fit is the CPR that mends broken hearts and shattered dreams. (from back cover)
I loved this book! Great characters, interesting, funny, touching, but not too "light-weight." The story covers many years of their lives and you really get to know them as 3-dimensional (realistic) people.
This stalwart group of friends depicts a special slice of American life, of stay-at-home days and new careers, of children and grandchildren, of bold beginnings and second chances, in which the power of forgiveness, understanding, and the perfectly timed giggle fit is the CPR that mends broken hearts and shattered dreams. (from back cover)
I loved this book! Great characters, interesting, funny, touching, but not too "light-weight." The story covers many years of their lives and you really get to know them as 3-dimensional (realistic) people.
Great read. I had a hard time putting it down.
One of the best books I have ever read!!! These neighbor ladies form a book club and become very close friends. This book chronicles the changing roles of women in United States in a very unique way. LOVED IT!!!
I wasn't able to get into this book. Maybe you will have better luck. :o)
A really good 'chick flick' book.
All about a neighborhood book club that spans over 30 years.
Fabulous book. Dedicate a day to yourself and read this cover to cover!
Fabulous, funny, touching, heartwarming.!!!!!!!
The women of Freesia Court are held together for 40 year with laughter and tears. This group depicts a special slice of American life.
I just couldn't make it through this one. I gave up.
Good chic pick.
Five friends live through three decades of marriages, child raising, neighborhood parties, bad husbands and good brownies-and Landvik (Patty Jane's House of Curl) doesn't miss a single cliche as she chronicles their lives in this pleasant but wholly familiar novel of female bonding. When Faith Owens's husband is transferred from Texas to the "stupid godforsaken frozen tundra" of Freesia Court, Minn., in 1968, her life looks like it's going to be one dull, snowy slog-until the power goes out one evening and a group of what appear to be madwomen start a snowball fight in her backyard. These dervishes turn out to be her neighbors: antiwar activist Slip; sexpot Audrey; painfully shy Merit; and widow Kari. They become fast friends and decide to escape their humdrum routine by starting the Freesia Court Book Club, later given the eponymous name by one of their disgruntled husbands. As the years pass, Audrey and Merit get divorced, Kari adopts her niece's illegitimate baby, all five of the women find work outside their homes and they even smoke a joint together. Their personal dramas are regularly punctuated by reflections on political milestones ("First Martin Luther King, Jr., then Bobby Kennedy. As if we didn't have enough to worry about with this stupid war..."). While some scenes are touching and genuinely funny, readers of Fannie Flagg, Rita Mae Brown, Rebecca Wells and many imitators will feel that they've seen this before.
The women of Fresia Court are convinced that there is nothing good coffee, delicious desserts, aned a strong shoulder can't fix. Laughter is the glue that holds them together - the foundation of a book group they call AHEB (Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons), an unofficial "club" that becomes much more. It becomes a lifeline.
Great characters, fun read.
fun, light reading!!
A fun read, hard to keep track of characters at times but a nice story about friendship that leaves you longing for this type of lifetime friend.
yes I liked it
The book is a story of the lives of a group of women who became friends, that were in a book club and also
neighbors. It is interesting due to all the different
lives of each of the gals. The discription on the book
cover is very good outline of the story.
neighbors. It is interesting due to all the different
lives of each of the gals. The discription on the book
cover is very good outline of the story.
I really enjoyed this book. For the over 50 year old woman. It was like a family saga, only the instead of family it was about 5 women who lived on a cul de sac and had a love for reading. The book told of their trials and tribulations, some funny, some sad. It was about friendship and the joys and sorrows that these women shared.
I really enjoy this quirky author - each book is a gem!
I really enjoyed this book. It follows several friends over about 30 years time as they live their lives and meet monthly for a book club.
Dearly loved this book. Time passes and flows with every page. Characters are well written and fleshed out. Stupendous.
Love, Love, Love this book! What a great book about enduring friendships!
A terrific story of friendship.
Elisabeth M. (lookingforhiscoming) reviewed Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons on + 3 more book reviews
I could not get interested in this book. It was not what I was looking for. I don't feel right giving it a rating.
National bestseller
A fun read especially if you are a Lorna Landvik fan!
Engaging, Funny and entertaining
I was late to the party of reading this book, but I am so glad I did get around to it. This is and Outstanding Novel of Friendship and Its Importance to Women. It is not chic lit but it is a fast and compelling read. I almost quit when I started and the characters seemed more my mom's age than my own, but there is something for everyone in the characters of this book. And who doesnt love a book with a "book club" theme?
good book
i like this book it's good
A fun read.
From the cover: "A lively story as delectable as a five pound box of chocolates...A thoroughly engaging chronicle of friendship and the substantive place it holds in women's lives." Anne D. LeClaire,author of Leaving Eden.
