Helpful Score: 14
have you ever read a book so good that you didn't read anything else for a couple of days just to keep that feeling you get when you read a piece of literary art? This was one of those books for me.
To say I truly enjoyed it would be an understatement.
To say I truly enjoyed it would be an understatement.
Helpful Score: 8
A moving tale of a lonely old woman with many secrets looking back at her long life and a responsible kind ex-convict and the abandoned baby that connects them together. I didn't care much for the ending but the story is worth reading.
Helpful Score: 7
A beautiful, moving, well crafted novel that will leave you pondering the deeper meaning of what "family" means, and how love can grow between the most unlikely people. Savor the descriptions, the prose, and the feeling in every line.
Helpful Score: 6
A well-told story of love and redemption. I enjoyed it greatly.
Helpful Score: 6
A wonderfully written book that I liked for its story of family, love, and friendship.
Helpful Score: 5
What a lovely, lovely book. Touched my heart and funny bone. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Helpful Score: 5
This book is a really sweet story with lovable characters. It is one of those books that I miss (the characters) after I have finished it.
Helpful Score: 4
Anna Quindlen tells tales from the heart. This little novel is one of them. You will fall in love with her characters.
Helpful Score: 4
Good writing, lots of details, very poetic and thoughtful. Also a good story with good morals.
Helpful Score: 3
such a sweet, touching story. It warms your heart and makes you feel that we can find kind, loving people in our world. Lovely
Helpful Score: 3
Quindlan is a wonderful author. I loved this book.
Helpful Score: 3
I loved this book. Be prepared to be glued to your CD player--it's a great story.
Helpful Score: 2
Another "must read" by Anna Quindlen. Wonderful!!!!!!
Helpful Score: 2
Poignant story. Exquisitely and richly written. You'll want to read the whole thing in one sitting.
Helpful Score: 2
Excellent! Surprising!
Helpful Score: 2
Blessings is the swankiest house/property around. The old house has been in the Blessing family for as long as anyone can remember; and Skip, fresh out of prison, has found employment there. He also found a baby in a box left outside his apartment over the garage. Skip decides to care for the baby on his own, but is careful not to let Lydia Blessing, his employer, find out about the newborn. Lydia Blessing has lived at Blessings her entire adult life, and now she mainly lives in the past. In her eighties, she lives alone and is quite unhappy. She's not close to her only child, Meredith. She was widowed by WWII mere months after her wedding; and her best friend died years ago. Inevitably, Lydia finds out about the child, but instead of insisting the Skip leave or turn the baby over to authorities, she begins to help him care for the child and an unlikely friendship begins.
I agree with other reviewers that the book was slow to begin, but after it picked up, I really enjoyed it. The characters--especially Lydia--are well-defined. It's a story of new beginnings, which always involve re-examining the past. Both Skip and Lydia evolve over the course of the novel--Skip eager for the change; Lydia, not so much. It's a nice story and a good read.
I agree with other reviewers that the book was slow to begin, but after it picked up, I really enjoyed it. The characters--especially Lydia--are well-defined. It's a story of new beginnings, which always involve re-examining the past. Both Skip and Lydia evolve over the course of the novel--Skip eager for the change; Lydia, not so much. It's a nice story and a good read.
Helpful Score: 2
Novel of the unlikely situation in which a baby is dropped on the doorstep of a rich old lady, and is found and cared for by her servant. Defies all reality of how adoptions take place in this country, but very heart-warming.
Helpful Score: 2
I enjoyed this story. I did find it a little hard to get into in the very beginning. But I am glad I didn't give up on it. Turns into a great story of a baby left on a doorstep. And how she brings unexpected people together with a special bond. Also brings happiness to an older woman who had given up on ever finding it again.
Helpful Score: 2
This was the first book by Quindlen that I have read. I enjoyed the story and look forward to reading her other books.
Helpful Score: 2
A lovely cross-sectional look at a small town, and the influences of isolation and interaction.
Helpful Score: 1
If you've seen the tv movie, the book is better. As always.
Helpful Score: 1
Great story
Helpful Score: 1
although a bit unrealistic, a heart-warming tale
Helpful Score: 1
Another great book from Anna Quindlen.
Helpful Score: 1
Fantastic book! I have read 1 other Anna Quindlen book and enjoyed them both. "Blessings" touched my heart.
Helpful Score: 1
A HEARTWARMING READ!
Helpful Score: 1
This was a wonderful story about an abandoned baby and an old woman who had to deal with her past. It was a real tender story and yet Anna had to really get down to brass tacks too.
Helpful Score: 1
To me, a bland book. But apparently the New York Times calls it a Bestseller... you decide.
Helpful Score: 1
The story of Skip Cuddy, the caretaker, who finds a baby asleep in a box in front of the house, and decides he wants to keep her. The matriarch homeowner who wants to help him, for her own reasons. The book explores how the secrets of the past affect decisions and lives in the present; what makes a person, a life, legitimate or illegitimate and who decides; the unique resources people find in themselves and in a community.
Beautifully written.
Beautifully written.
Helpful Score: 1
"Blessings" was a wonderful book to read. The story is a good one about a time past as well as the present, and about right and wrong and second chances.
Helpful Score: 1
I loved this story. It was a page turner. You want to find out what happens next to the characters. Great Read!!
Helpful Score: 1
This book is beautifully written. You end up appreciating all your "blessings".
Helpful Score: 1
This book suprised me a bit in it wasn't as sweet as I thought it would be. There was more depth and character development to this book than some other womens fiction books read lately. The "family" that is created gives strong bonds to people who might not have otherwise become close.
Helpful Score: 1
Blessings begins when, late at night, a teenage couple drives up to the estate owned by Lydia Blessing and leaves a box. In this instant, the world of the estate called Blessings is changed forever. The story of Skip Cuddy, the Blessings caretaker, who finds a baby asleep in that box and decides he wants to keep her, and of matriarch Lydia Blessing, who, for her own reasons, decides to help him. Blessings explores how the secrets of the past affect decisions and lives in the present, what makes a person, a life, legitimate or illegitimate, and who decides; the unique resources people find in themselves and in a community. This is a powerful novel of love, redemption, and personal change. A very enjoyable read. I felt very close to the characters.
Helpful Score: 1
Anna Quindlen delivers another knock-out novel about families and how their dysfunctions function. This is a wonderful story about a "born loser" who breaks out to become a man and a father. Beautifully written.
Helpful Score: 1
One thing about real life is that there are many aspects of it that are unpredictable with twists and turns over which we have no control. Life does not always turn out the way we want. Some call it fate, others call it faith.
But an authorâ¦ah, authors hold the hands of fate and faith. Where one's life is controlled by destiny, in a book one's life takes on the whims and wishes of the storyteller, thereby making it possible for endings to be just as they should (or maybe as they shouldn't), predictable sometimes and tragic others.
I love books, I guess, because life doesn't always play out the way it was intended. It is many times predictable, but often times not so much. In Blessings, you can easily predict the âcorrectâ ending: Skip falls in love with Jennifer, they raise an abandoned baby as their own in a huge estate left to them by the softening heart of a gentle old lady (who, by the way, hasn't been gentle in decades), and they live happily ever after. Now it is up to you, the reader, to hear the loud whisper of life as the author redefines it to discover if that happily-ever-after actually occurs. Or does the author allow fate to determine the outcome. It's a compelling tale of how one young girl's decision so dramatically affects the lives of so many. You MUST read Blessings and give your heart a little exercise.
But an authorâ¦ah, authors hold the hands of fate and faith. Where one's life is controlled by destiny, in a book one's life takes on the whims and wishes of the storyteller, thereby making it possible for endings to be just as they should (or maybe as they shouldn't), predictable sometimes and tragic others.
I love books, I guess, because life doesn't always play out the way it was intended. It is many times predictable, but often times not so much. In Blessings, you can easily predict the âcorrectâ ending: Skip falls in love with Jennifer, they raise an abandoned baby as their own in a huge estate left to them by the softening heart of a gentle old lady (who, by the way, hasn't been gentle in decades), and they live happily ever after. Now it is up to you, the reader, to hear the loud whisper of life as the author redefines it to discover if that happily-ever-after actually occurs. Or does the author allow fate to determine the outcome. It's a compelling tale of how one young girl's decision so dramatically affects the lives of so many. You MUST read Blessings and give your heart a little exercise.
Helpful Score: 1
This was a pleasant book. A nice character study. The plot is somewhat silly, and the situations a little overblown (without giving anything away, I think I can safely say that the author manages to work in illegitmate pregnancies (2), homosexuality, bisexuality, suicide, abandonment by parent (2), depression, rejection of religious background, and racism) but still it does not reach of the depths of despair that a Wally lamb novel reaches.
Helpful Score: 1
Wonderful story and insight into the lives in the South. A GREAT read!
Helpful Score: 1
An unusual group of characters blend to create a "familly". Blessings is the name of the estate where the actio takes place. Lots of backfill in the story, but easy enough to follow.
Helpful Score: 1
This is my second Anna Quindlen and I liked this just as much as the other, which was Black and Blue. Very aptly read, this is the unexpected story of a down-in-his-luck fellow, a hardened, bitter old woman who employs him, and the foundling who brings them all back to their hearts. I hated for this to end.
Helpful Score: 1
A beautifully written novel; I found myself drawn in to the characters, and was glad to find that the author let us meet them on a deeper level.
This is a heart warming ,touching book.
Helpful Score: 1
Not my favorite Quindlen book but still interesting. I thought it dragged thru the first 3/4s of the book then wound it all up by bits and pieces for the last quarter of the book; too late for me.
Helpful Score: 1
powerful, moving. Very good read.
Helpful Score: 1
A wonderful book! I've not read any of Quindlen's previous efforts but now I must. This book features terrific character development, a slowly-revealed back story, and a plot that keeps the reader guessing. There is a very rewarding feel-good ending, but not the one that is expected! Highly recommended.
Helpful Score: 1
Blessings tells the story of Skip Cuddy, caretaker of the Blessings estate, who finds a baby asleep in a box and decides he wants to keep her, and of matriarch Lydia Blessing, who, for her own reasons, decides to help him. The secrets of the past, how they affect today's decisions and lives, what makes a person, a life, legitimate or illegitimate and who decides--these are at the cneter of this wonderful novel of love, redemption and personal change.
A well crafted story about figuring out what truely are the blessings in your life and finding out where home is. I enjoyed reading this book. There is a lot of sad/unhappy people in this book learning to come to terms with the hand life dealt them, but in the end everything mostly come out alright. There is a fair amount of symbolism in this book, not all of it I comepletely understood, but I enjoyed reading this book.
I really enjoyed this novel. It kept my attention from beginning to end but it does jump from one period in time to another back and forth.
Excellent book
I loved this book! Highly recommend reading this one!
Great story! Hard to get into but once you do it is Wonderful!
A teenage couple leaves their newborn son on the property of an estate. The caretaker decides he wants to keep her. The book explores how secrets of the past affect today, what capabilities are needed to rear a child, how generosity changes lives, and how the aged are vulnerable. This is another book that is hard to put down.
Enjoyable, easy read. Characters are likeable - good book
A teenage couple drives up, late at night, headlights out, to Blessings, the estate owned by Lydia Blessing. They leave a box and drive away, and in this instant, the world of Blessings is changed forever.
I loved this book, very real to life. It paints a really serene picture.
Oh, I enjoyed this book a lot! An excellent premise, execution, emotional level... the ending was not what I had hoped,but everything made sense the way it did turn out and I am really enjoying Quindlen's writing! I am hard pressed to say which of her books that I like the most, actually. I will definitely continue to read her work, that is for sure!
This novel begins when a teenage couple drives up, late at night, headlights out, to Blessings, the estate owned by Lydia Blessing. They leave a box and drive away, and in this instant the world of Blessings is changed forever. Skip Cuddy, caretake of the estate, finds a baby esleep in that box, and decides he wants to keep her. Matriarch, Lydia Blessing, for her own reasons, decides to help him. The secrets of the past and how they effect the decisions and lives of people in the present, what makes a person - a life, ligitimate or illigitimate and who decides; the unique resoources people find in themselves and in a community.
A touching book with lyrical descriptions, Blessings chronicles the unlikely convergence of several people through a single event which causes the gradual eroding of barriers. Struggling to reconcile their individual pasts and class differences, the characters struggle to transcend their insecurities and the unspoken judgments of others. A quick and enjoyable read.
I did not enjoy it as much as her others but it was still a good read with decent writing.
What a nice surprise to find a book that I couldn't put down! I recommend it for anyone who loves to read.
Started out a little slow but as I got into it all I wanted to do was read read read. The ending was not at all what I expected. If you find it slow as well stick with it. You won't be disappointed.
This is the story of Lydia Blessings, an elderly woman who lives alone in a large house. She has a gardener and handyman, Skip, who lives in an apartment above the garage. She also employs a cranky maid, Nadine.
One night Skip finds a newborn baby lying in a box on his doorstep. He wants to keep the baby so he attempts to hide her from everyone. But soon Lydia and Nadine find out about the her. Eventually they begin to see their lives transformed by the influence of this tiny creature. Lydia especially finds her own heart softening and begins to relive past memories of her own childhood as well as her daughter's.
The message I found while reading this book is the old adage that "no man is an island" or "it takes a village".
Lydia has become a recluse but upon learning about the baby she watches Sip as he goes about his work with the baby attached to him. The more she watches, the more she opens up. And as she begins to open up her world enlarges and she becomes not so distant.
I really enjoyed this little novel and had a very warm and fuzzy feeling after the read.
One night Skip finds a newborn baby lying in a box on his doorstep. He wants to keep the baby so he attempts to hide her from everyone. But soon Lydia and Nadine find out about the her. Eventually they begin to see their lives transformed by the influence of this tiny creature. Lydia especially finds her own heart softening and begins to relive past memories of her own childhood as well as her daughter's.
The message I found while reading this book is the old adage that "no man is an island" or "it takes a village".
Lydia has become a recluse but upon learning about the baby she watches Sip as he goes about his work with the baby attached to him. The more she watches, the more she opens up. And as she begins to open up her world enlarges and she becomes not so distant.
I really enjoyed this little novel and had a very warm and fuzzy feeling after the read.
Blessings is a beautifully written book about two characters whose lives become intertwined by the abandonment of a newborn. The book addresses issues of class and can people really change the economic class into which they are born. One main character is a miserly older woman who feels "the world has lost its compass." Throughout the book, she becomes melancholic and evaluates her life or rather not living her life due to societal demands. Towards the end, she observes "what a soft patina the passage of time gives." It is only with the passage of time, is she able to figure out some of the secrets of her upbringing and come to grips with family ties. The other main character is a young man who wants to improve his circumstances and do the right thing in spite of an impoverished, dysfunctional background. The novel is short at only 226 pages. It is a great read without being overtly philosophical, it compels one to think about the meaning of life and relationships.
I love every book Anna Quindlen has written. I am always drawn in by her characters and the life lessons her books reveal, this book is no exception.
Loved this book! It was an easy read, and I couldn't put it down.
Great Book....One of my favorite authors. Loved this story
A baby is dropped off on the Blessing estate, and the caretaker finds her and wants to keep her, while Lydia Blessing, the owner of the estate, helps him for her own reasons. The lives of both of them, as well as the mother, are changed.
I really liked this book and could not put it down
pleasant read and keep me turning the pages
I am sorry first off to all that have written and said GREAT things about this book. It was an absolute waste of time. I wanted this books for WEEKS it looked so great.....it isn't
It jumps around so much I can't even pay attention to it. I was so sick of it after 100 pages I wanted to just throw it. But I finished it and the end was a horrible dispointment, the guy (by the way) was protrated horribly wrong. I am sorry but seriously DONT WASTE YOU TIME. I read it in less the three hours.. and what a waste of three hours it was.
It jumps around so much I can't even pay attention to it. I was so sick of it after 100 pages I wanted to just throw it. But I finished it and the end was a horrible dispointment, the guy (by the way) was protrated horribly wrong. I am sorry but seriously DONT WASTE YOU TIME. I read it in less the three hours.. and what a waste of three hours it was.
This is reminiscent of 'Where the Heart Is.' You feel for the plucky, down on their luck characters. The young man's redemption and determination, his commitment to truth, and his openness to love, make for a warm and satisfying story. His ability to engender to love of an old woman and a little baby, as well as his own love interest, are charming. One of Quindlen's best, I think, and very easy to listen to on CD.
short and sweet,a nice story
A desperate teenage couple drops a newborn on the doorstep of Blessings and a caretaker finds it. A heartwarming bond forms between a baby girl and an unlikely father with the help of Mrs. Blessing. Heartwarming and sad at the same time, and it was a great read!
Wonderful book. Make you cheer for the underdog.
Skillfully written, but it didn't grab my attention.
"A well told story of love and redemption" The Washington Post Book World.
Another reviewer wrote "Savor the descriptions, the prose, and the feeling in every line." That is exactly what I did, since this has such great characterization, which seems to be Quidlen's gift to her readers. A moving story that is well told. One of my favorites! D.
The past has an impact on the present only as much as you allow it. Two people become far more than they can be through an interesting relationship with each other and with a new baby. The two people are not the baby's parents, nor are they related to each other. A quick read that I enjoyed and am happy to pass on.
One of her best......a real "keeper". Touches the heart.
Wow! I loved this story. I could not only see it, but smell it, hear it, and especially feel it. It was so full of rich detail and emotion. I didn't want it to end.
Great author with a great story.
this was a great book. I love the story it tells and I think it has a lesson that is important for everyone. One of my favorites that I remember long after I have read it.
One of Quindlen's best, BLESSINGS is the story of a baby dropped off at an estate and kept there, raised with love and caring.
Short and very sweet! I really loved this one.
Short and very sweet! I really loved this one.
Very enjoyable story of love and family. Well written!
Wonderful book. The first time I had read this author. After finishing the book, I looked for other books by Quindlen....always a sign the book was good. Great characters and wonderful story line...moves right along.
"A well-told story of love and redemption." - Washington Post Book World
I loved this story. It hit deep within my heart. It made me feel as if I was part of the story...so well written and the narrator was wonderful. I know I will always "feel" this story.
The CD narrative was great. Although the story and plot were awsome, I found the writing of this particular Quindien story tedies at times. Several times I wanted to give up, but suddenly the story would become quick paced again.
The story revolves around an infant who was left on the doorstep of a wealthy family.
The characters are well developed, and the story is not predictible.
The ending is unexpected, and definately is not a cookie cutter mystery. I recommend it if you can deal with the lags.
The story revolves around an infant who was left on the doorstep of a wealthy family.
The characters are well developed, and the story is not predictible.
The ending is unexpected, and definately is not a cookie cutter mystery. I recommend it if you can deal with the lags.
An unusual yet captivating story of love and commitment.
Loved how this story unfolds. Listened in my car and couldn't wait for next day's commute and see what happens next.
I couldn\'t put this book down till i was finished. Great read
sweet story, a bit predictable, not anna's best work in my opinion
Amazon.com
The plot of Anna Quindlen's novel Blessings is constructed on the same model as E.T.: adorable orphaned creature is found by unlikely caregiver who against his or her better judgment falls in love with the little beast, while all the while, the authorities loom in the background, threatening to take the foundling away. In Quindlen's book, however, the foundling in question isn't an alien, but a squalling baby left at Blessings, a vast estate owned by an ancient, crabby matriarch named Lydia Blessing. By a fluke, the baby's parents abandon her by the garage rather than at the front door, and so she is discovered by Skip Cuddy, Lydia Blessing's newly hired handyman, who happens to be an ex-con. The plot proceeds from there in fairly E.T.-like fashion, minus the Reese's Pieces and flying bicycles. Skip, Lydia, and the baby they name Faith form a surprisingly loving and sustaining, albeit temporary, family unit.
Quindlen wrings a remarkable amount of pathos from this somewhat simple setup. One of her strengths as a writer is the quietness she brings to her story; family secrets of paternity and lost love are buried deep in the narrative, hidden in descriptive paragraphs where they subtly zing us with their news. Her ear is good, too: we believe Skip and his bad-boy friends when they're shooting the breeze. Best of all is her flair for observation. The book wouldn't work at all if she couldn't make us feel Skip and Lydia's amazement at the small joys of a baby ("The deep pleat in the fat at her elbow made her arms look muscled"). Here is a book that lives up to its title.
The plot of Anna Quindlen's novel Blessings is constructed on the same model as E.T.: adorable orphaned creature is found by unlikely caregiver who against his or her better judgment falls in love with the little beast, while all the while, the authorities loom in the background, threatening to take the foundling away. In Quindlen's book, however, the foundling in question isn't an alien, but a squalling baby left at Blessings, a vast estate owned by an ancient, crabby matriarch named Lydia Blessing. By a fluke, the baby's parents abandon her by the garage rather than at the front door, and so she is discovered by Skip Cuddy, Lydia Blessing's newly hired handyman, who happens to be an ex-con. The plot proceeds from there in fairly E.T.-like fashion, minus the Reese's Pieces and flying bicycles. Skip, Lydia, and the baby they name Faith form a surprisingly loving and sustaining, albeit temporary, family unit.
Quindlen wrings a remarkable amount of pathos from this somewhat simple setup. One of her strengths as a writer is the quietness she brings to her story; family secrets of paternity and lost love are buried deep in the narrative, hidden in descriptive paragraphs where they subtly zing us with their news. Her ear is good, too: we believe Skip and his bad-boy friends when they're shooting the breeze. Best of all is her flair for observation. The book wouldn't work at all if she couldn't make us feel Skip and Lydia's amazement at the small joys of a baby ("The deep pleat in the fat at her elbow made her arms look muscled"). Here is a book that lives up to its title.
Decent story of what makes a family.
Late one night, a teenage couple drives up to the big white clapboard home on the Blessing estate and leaves a box. In that instant, the lives of those who live and work there are changed forever. Skip Cuddy, the caretaker, finds a baby girl asleep in that box and decides he wants to keep the child . . . while Lydia Blessing, the matriarch of the estate, for her own reasons, agrees to help him. Blessings explores how the secrets of the past affect decisions and lives in the present; what makes a person or a life legitimate or illegitimate and who decides; and the unique resources people find in themselves and in a community. This is a powerful novel of love, redemption, and personal change by the Pulitzer Prizewinning writer about whom The Washington Post Book World said, Quindlen knows that all the things we ever will be can be found in some forgotten fragment of family.
A newborn infant, abandoned at a remote country estate, brings changes, love, and heartbreak to the young handyman who discovers her, and to the reclusive woman whose life has faded to a collection of memories.
Another great Anna Quindlen book.
Book Description: Teenage couple drops off a child at the Blessing estate. The caretaker and the matriarch of the estate agree to keep the child and take care of it. "Blessings explores how the secrets of the past affect decisions and lives in the present; what makes a person or a life legitimate or illegitimate and who decides; and the unique resources people find in themselves and in a community."
Late one night, a teenaged couple abandons their newborn baby at the garage door of "Blessings", an estate inhabited by the elderly Lydia Blessing and her young handyman, Skip Cuddy.....
I found the ending to be a let down. I like a happy ending.
Late at night a teenage couple drives up to the estate owned by Lyidia Blessing and leaves a box. The story of Skip Cuddy, the Blessings caretaker, who finds the baby asleep in the box and decides he wants to keep her, and for reasons of her own matriarch Lydia Blessing, who for her own reasons, decides to help him.
Blessings begins when, late at night, a teenage couple drives up to the estate owned by Lydia Blessing and leaves a box. In this instant, the world of the estate called Blessings is changed forever. The story of Skip Cuddy, the Blessings caretaker, who finds a baby asleep in that box and decides he wants to keep her, and of matriarch Lydia Blessings, who, for her own reasons, decides to help him, Blessings explores how the secrets of the past affect decisions and lives in the present; what makes a person, a life, legitimate or illegitimate, and who deides; the unique resources people find in themselves and in a community.
