Helpful Score: 2
4.0 out of 5 stars No lie...this is a good read!, June 25, 2010
By Denise "DC" (Missouri, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)
This review is from: The Lies We Told (Paperback)
Disclaimer: this book would have earned a 5-star rating from me had it not ended the way it did. I won't spoil it for anyone, but I thought that the resolution of the conflict and the way the story wrapped up was just not realistic in light of how I had viewed the characters, their personalities, and their motivations throughout the course of the novel.
Maya and Rebecca -- sisters, friends, doctors -- have a special bond that was created in the aftermath of the murder of their parents when both were teenagers. Wild and free-spirited older sister Rebecca takes on the burden of caring for and raising 14-year-old Maya when she is barely 18. Both go on to medical school and have very different lives as adult women. Maya is the quiet one; she's married to a fellow doctor named Adam, and they long for children. After suffering through a series of miscarriages, their marriage is faltering. Rebecca is deeply involved with a relief organization known as DIDA (Doctors International Disaster Aid) and lives her days ricocheting from tragedy to disaster all over the world. The sisters are very close and supportive of each other, all the while continuing to live in ways that support their self-created myth that Maya is the weak one and Rebecca is the strong one. The lies they tell each other, and the ones they hold in their hearts, are roiling beneath the surface calm of their lives.
After a third miscarriage, Maya is disconsolate. Adam is distant and shattered by a revelation that Maya makes in the doctor's office. When a hurricane hits the North Carolina coast, he signs on immediately and joins Rebecca at a makeshift airport infirmary where they are inundated with more sick and injured than they can handle. Both urge Maya to come help in the relief efforts, and against all odds, she shows up! Unfortunately, while on a transport mission, the helicopter that she is riding in crashes into a flood zone and there is no sign of her at the site.
Believing Maya dead, Rebecca and Adam become closer than ever in their shared grief. But something changes between them. Meanwhile, the injured Maya is held on a piece of land that is surrounded by water, with no way off the island, and a fear that her rescuers might not have her best intentions at heart.
The sisters learn more about themselves and then the pieces of their shared history begin to unravel as each starts a journey of self discovery. Rebecca and Maya will never be the same.
I thought the book was great until the last couple of chapters. I liked the character of Maya much more so than the persona of Rebecca -- for various reasons. I don't feel that the pat ending that the author wrote (and by the way she is one of my favorite authors) rang true and it really irritated me. I'd be interested to hear if other readers felt it was too contrived and unbelievable to them as well.
In any event, if you can get past the ending, you'll enjoy the book. I'd still recommend it.
By Denise "DC" (Missouri, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)
This review is from: The Lies We Told (Paperback)
Disclaimer: this book would have earned a 5-star rating from me had it not ended the way it did. I won't spoil it for anyone, but I thought that the resolution of the conflict and the way the story wrapped up was just not realistic in light of how I had viewed the characters, their personalities, and their motivations throughout the course of the novel.
Maya and Rebecca -- sisters, friends, doctors -- have a special bond that was created in the aftermath of the murder of their parents when both were teenagers. Wild and free-spirited older sister Rebecca takes on the burden of caring for and raising 14-year-old Maya when she is barely 18. Both go on to medical school and have very different lives as adult women. Maya is the quiet one; she's married to a fellow doctor named Adam, and they long for children. After suffering through a series of miscarriages, their marriage is faltering. Rebecca is deeply involved with a relief organization known as DIDA (Doctors International Disaster Aid) and lives her days ricocheting from tragedy to disaster all over the world. The sisters are very close and supportive of each other, all the while continuing to live in ways that support their self-created myth that Maya is the weak one and Rebecca is the strong one. The lies they tell each other, and the ones they hold in their hearts, are roiling beneath the surface calm of their lives.
After a third miscarriage, Maya is disconsolate. Adam is distant and shattered by a revelation that Maya makes in the doctor's office. When a hurricane hits the North Carolina coast, he signs on immediately and joins Rebecca at a makeshift airport infirmary where they are inundated with more sick and injured than they can handle. Both urge Maya to come help in the relief efforts, and against all odds, she shows up! Unfortunately, while on a transport mission, the helicopter that she is riding in crashes into a flood zone and there is no sign of her at the site.
Believing Maya dead, Rebecca and Adam become closer than ever in their shared grief. But something changes between them. Meanwhile, the injured Maya is held on a piece of land that is surrounded by water, with no way off the island, and a fear that her rescuers might not have her best intentions at heart.
The sisters learn more about themselves and then the pieces of their shared history begin to unravel as each starts a journey of self discovery. Rebecca and Maya will never be the same.
I thought the book was great until the last couple of chapters. I liked the character of Maya much more so than the persona of Rebecca -- for various reasons. I don't feel that the pat ending that the author wrote (and by the way she is one of my favorite authors) rang true and it really irritated me. I'd be interested to hear if other readers felt it was too contrived and unbelievable to them as well.
In any event, if you can get past the ending, you'll enjoy the book. I'd still recommend it.
Helpful Score: 2
Dr. Maya Ward and her husband, Dr. Adam Ward want a family desperately. Unfortunately, Maya has miscarried three times and she believes in her heart that she doesnt want to try again. She wants to adopt, but Adam, an only child who grew up in a foster home, wants his own biological child, not someone elses.
Dr. Rebecca Ward is Mayas sister. She works in a lot of relief areas and is married to her career. But lately, ever since Maya lost the last baby, Rebecca keeps dreaming of one of her own. But, the man who loves her has asked for her hand in marriage, and Rebecca cant find it in herself to say yes.
When a hurricane hits the coast of North Caroline, Rebecca and Adam fly down to help. But there are so many injured children, and with Maya being a pediatrician, Adam convinces her to fly down to help. She knows their marriage has been rocky since the last miscarriage, so she agrees. Anything to smooth the waters between them.
But when a young boy is shot, he must be flew to a hospital as soon as possible and Maya is urged into the chopper to help care for the patients on the flight. Unfortunately, the plane crashes. After many days of searching, Adam and Rebecca fear Maya is dead. They use the time to comfort one another and become close.
But Maya is not dead and she has her own demons to battle on the island she is deserted on. When she returns, will all the lies she and Rebecca kept from one another over the years be exposed? And if so, what will it do to their relationship? Especially now that her sister desires her husband; a sister that can carry a baby to term.
The Lies We Told is a magnificent page turner. Two sisters whos take on life is completely opposite of one another, yet they both ultimately desire the same things. Love, acceptance, and hope are key elements in the story, with complex characters and a background story that gives clues to the present day story. Diane Chamberlain is a master of her craft. A terrific paced story with suspense, romance, and a heart-pounding ending.
Dr. Rebecca Ward is Mayas sister. She works in a lot of relief areas and is married to her career. But lately, ever since Maya lost the last baby, Rebecca keeps dreaming of one of her own. But, the man who loves her has asked for her hand in marriage, and Rebecca cant find it in herself to say yes.
When a hurricane hits the coast of North Caroline, Rebecca and Adam fly down to help. But there are so many injured children, and with Maya being a pediatrician, Adam convinces her to fly down to help. She knows their marriage has been rocky since the last miscarriage, so she agrees. Anything to smooth the waters between them.
But when a young boy is shot, he must be flew to a hospital as soon as possible and Maya is urged into the chopper to help care for the patients on the flight. Unfortunately, the plane crashes. After many days of searching, Adam and Rebecca fear Maya is dead. They use the time to comfort one another and become close.
But Maya is not dead and she has her own demons to battle on the island she is deserted on. When she returns, will all the lies she and Rebecca kept from one another over the years be exposed? And if so, what will it do to their relationship? Especially now that her sister desires her husband; a sister that can carry a baby to term.
The Lies We Told is a magnificent page turner. Two sisters whos take on life is completely opposite of one another, yet they both ultimately desire the same things. Love, acceptance, and hope are key elements in the story, with complex characters and a background story that gives clues to the present day story. Diane Chamberlain is a master of her craft. A terrific paced story with suspense, romance, and a heart-pounding ending.
Helpful Score: 1
Although I'm a huge fan of Diane Chamberlain I really didn't care for this book. It seemed very choppy to me (the plot) and I really thought the ending was unrealistic and hard to swallow as a reader. This author tends to use the same plot device again and again - brothers betraying brothers and sisters betraying sisters or friends betraying friends (all with affairs and sexual).
The plot centers around sisters Maya and Rebecca who have survived a vicious attack years earlier that left their parents dead. Both sisters are doctors. Maya is married to Adam who desperately wants a child. Maya continues to have miscarriages. When Maya joins Rebecca and Adam during a hurricane relief effort, her whole life changes when her helicopter goes down and she is presumed dead. Believing she is dead, Adam and Rebecca (somewhat predictably) grow close and begin an affair, unaware that Maya is alive and desperately trying to get home.
The plot centers around sisters Maya and Rebecca who have survived a vicious attack years earlier that left their parents dead. Both sisters are doctors. Maya is married to Adam who desperately wants a child. Maya continues to have miscarriages. When Maya joins Rebecca and Adam during a hurricane relief effort, her whole life changes when her helicopter goes down and she is presumed dead. Believing she is dead, Adam and Rebecca (somewhat predictably) grow close and begin an affair, unaware that Maya is alive and desperately trying to get home.
Helpful Score: 1
Diane Chamberlain is one of those special kind of authors. You know, the ones where you love every book you've ever read by them. Yep, she is.
The Lies We Told is so interesting from the very beginning. The author alternates chapters between the two sisters, Rebecca and Maya, as she tells their story. I really liked the behind the scenes in disaster relief from Rebecca's chapters and I loved everything about Maya and Simmee's story. The two settings and back rounds were so different for each sister, it was almost like reading two books in one. It was so easy to get totally lost in the book and wanting to keep reading to find out what happens next. The ending was perfect and it was an excellent book overall! If you haven't read a book by Diane Chamberlain yet, go out and get one ASAP!
http://sheenathebookgeek.blogspot.com/2011/11/book-review-lies-we-told-by-diane.html
The Lies We Told is so interesting from the very beginning. The author alternates chapters between the two sisters, Rebecca and Maya, as she tells their story. I really liked the behind the scenes in disaster relief from Rebecca's chapters and I loved everything about Maya and Simmee's story. The two settings and back rounds were so different for each sister, it was almost like reading two books in one. It was so easy to get totally lost in the book and wanting to keep reading to find out what happens next. The ending was perfect and it was an excellent book overall! If you haven't read a book by Diane Chamberlain yet, go out and get one ASAP!
http://sheenathebookgeek.blogspot.com/2011/11/book-review-lies-we-told-by-diane.html
I am a huge fan of Diane Chamberlain but I didn't enjoy this book like I have her others. While the book is well written, I didn't care for the story itself. In particular, I hated the way the book ended. It seemed forced and didn't fit with the rest of the book. With a story full of drama and angst, the ending was unemotional and left me feeling disappointed. It just didn't seem believable to me.
OH MY GOSH! I've read nearly every one of Diane Chamberlain's novels and loved them all. So well written and complex. She draws you in and never lets you go. I sometimes think there is a similarity in her books but then I realize that while the setting or relationships may be similar they are so only in that they hit a chord - right in your heart and in your head too! Upon a further review of all of them, I must say each is a gem in and of itself. She is a Southern Belle and so it makes sense that her settings are usually in the South. She is more comfortable there! But, "The Lies We Told" is different. It is truly an amazing story. You can read reviews of the story itself elsewhere. Let me just say that it is about two sisters, each with a devastating secret from their childhood. They are very different and each handles the secret, and her life, in very different ways. A major catastrophe(not unlike Katrina)sends their lives into a tailspin. How each handles herself in this situation unfolds throughout the book with each sister given alternating chapters for her own side of the story. I loved it! Couldn't put it down until the last page sadly came into view! Fortunately I was recovering from major surgery at the time and could read it through pretty much uninterrupted! I highly recommend this book (and other Diane Chamberlain novels) to readers of all types of fiction. There is something there for everyone. Thank you Diane Chamberlain! Please keep writing!
Another great book by Diane Chamberlain, I think the ending could have been a little better, but the over all story was fantastic
I have been a fan of Diane Chamberlain for several years, but I was not a big fan of this one. :(
I love Diane Chamberlain's books, but I was surprised by the ending. All in all, I did enjoy it . Keep 'me coming Diane!
I really liked this!! I couldn't put it down and I was pleasantly surprised by the epilogue. Diane Chamberlain never disappoints!
My first book by this author and I found the plot was enjoyable but predictable.
Maya and Rebecca are close, loving sisters, both physicians, Rebecca, kind of wild, doing her thing in Doctor's International Disaster Aid, and Maya happily married to Adam, down to earth, and trying to get pregnant after a number of miscarriages.
Maya is talked into joining the DIDA when twin hurricanes hit North Carolina at once and many
hurt and dying residents had to be rescued.
Maya's helicopter crashes; Adam and Rebecca think she is dead and they console each other while an attraction grows and almost culminates in an affair.
In the meanwhile, Maya is rescued and her part of the story develops with an interesting twist.
I did not like the ending, it is not realistic, disappoints and left me with a bad feeling. blah
Maya and Rebecca are close, loving sisters, both physicians, Rebecca, kind of wild, doing her thing in Doctor's International Disaster Aid, and Maya happily married to Adam, down to earth, and trying to get pregnant after a number of miscarriages.
Maya is talked into joining the DIDA when twin hurricanes hit North Carolina at once and many
hurt and dying residents had to be rescued.
Maya's helicopter crashes; Adam and Rebecca think she is dead and they console each other while an attraction grows and almost culminates in an affair.
In the meanwhile, Maya is rescued and her part of the story develops with an interesting twist.
I did not like the ending, it is not realistic, disappoints and left me with a bad feeling. blah
