Helpful Score: 9
In less than two pages of reading, I was in love with the main character of this novel. There she was, no flaw unexposed, in all her shame and self-invalidation, and I loved her for it. Her journey from scorned wife to triumph and self-love rings with the truth of life, and her foibles will resonate with anyone who has ever had a bad hair day. If for some unfathomable reason, someone were to write my biography when I die, I want it to be Elizabeth Berg.
Helpful Score: 7
Not like Oprah's list is the be-all, end-all...but I was surprised after finishing this that it was recommended. Another far-fetched, self-absorbed story of a divorcee. She's actually quite funny, but I thought the way it all wrapped up was ridiculous. And much less about the people that roomed there, which makes the title a misnomer.
Helpful Score: 5
Anyone who has ever thought they can't go on without the one they love will adore this story. It is all about going on in the face of rejection and winning!
Helpful Score: 5
A great novel, a nice break from your typical chic lit. This book takes you through the life of Samantha following the break up of her marriage. It takes you through the journey of separation, disappointement, mothering,being mothered, and finding love again. It makes you want to laugh, and cry. It explores with amazing honesty and insight the pain of divorce and the pain of being yourself.
Helpful Score: 4
It seems to me Elizabeth Berg's books are just pleasant pieces of fluff which i cannot remember a day after i'm through. So I don't read them anymore. I will never even get through all the AMAZING books in the world, so why bother with the pointless ones?
Helpful Score: 3
Going through a similar situation as Elizabeth Berg's character, I could relate to so much in this book. It ran the full gamut of emotions, and brought back memories. Berg helped me through a very difficult time. I enjoyed the book tremendously.
Helpful Score: 3
It was OK. There really wasn't much of a story, just a poor woman whos husband left her and her thoughts about it. Surprised it made oprah's list, not much meat..okay, NO meat to the story, but great to remind you to relish your good marriage while you can!!!
Helpful Score: 3
It has been awhile since I read this book, but I remember it being one difficult to put down. It was a wonderfully written story about a woman reclaiming her life after divorce and reconnecting with her true self after many years.
Eileen W. (read4knowlegepleasur) reviewed Open House (Audio CD) (Unabridged) on + 27 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
Berg's heroine certainly get herself into trouble. Without feeling sorry for herself, she learns more about herself-including how to have a good time...Ans we can get some good laughs.
Helpful Score: 3
This was the 1st book I have ever read by this author. I went on to read others by her. I am impressed that this author seems to be able to capture and understand the woman over 40 who is finding herself. The book is very good.
Terri E. (stocktonmalonefan) - reviewed Open House (Audio CD) (Unabridged) on + 58 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
I loved this book from beginning to end, I couldn't put it down. The writing style of Ms. Berg has perfect flow and rhythm. This was the first book I've read of hers so I'm not sure how the rest are--but the writing of Open House is perfect. It gets to the heart of the matter on the first page, first line: "You know before you know, of course." This is a book about divorce and one woman's loss of herself and how she struggles to find herself again. A lot of heartache--but well worth the read!
Helpful Score: 3
This book is such an honest look at divorce and how it can affect your life totally-- then the wonderful adventure of falling in love again.
Helpful Score: 3
Funny, sad, totally engaging; like all of Berg's books, this was an engrossing story of a woman's growth that was difficult to put down.
Helpful Score: 3
Berg is one of my favorite authors. I enjoyed this book more than I thought I was going to. It starts out with the marriage ending and the author conveys this so well that I feared how dismal the story would be. She then has you share the joy of each new step as she remakes her life into something good. Beautifully done.
Helpful Score: 2
This was the first Elizabeth Berg book I read. I found it at the library, and immediately added her to my list of favorite authors. Since then I've read several of her others, but this one is still my favorite. :)
Helpful Score: 2
A cute story and a fast read. I really enjoyed it.
Helpful Score: 2
This novel is a journey of a newly divorced woman as she finds herself and possibly the true love of her live. A very quick read
Helpful Score: 2
This was my first time reading Berg.Book was a very quick easy read and I am going to read more of . Reminds me of Anita Shreve or Jodi Picoult
Helpful Score: 2
i did enjoy berg's writing style which was good because i had heard a lot of good reviews about it (which made me read it in the first place). the subject matter was good, but it's not a book that moved me or made me think about things differently. an okay read.
Helpful Score: 2
This was an interesting boook. The characters seemed like people that might live around me. Their stories were real. I enjoyed it very much.
Helpful Score: 2
This is a sweet story about life after divorce. It begins on a sad note but turns into a beautiful love story.
Helpful Score: 1
Wonderful, quick read! You feel the character's pain, but also funny and upbeat. Always a light at the end of the tunnel...
Helpful Score: 1
Another warm and enjoyable read from Elizabeth Berg. Her characters are all so human - I can easily relate to them, and they're the type of people I'd want for friends.
Helpful Score: 1
A great story. I like how she found herself
Franchesca M. (short-angry14) -
Helpful Score: 1
Gosh, where to start? As an avid reader, there are many books out there that I love/hate or have an indifference to, but this one is special. Elizabeth Berg writes with a style that is a true pleasure to read. Reading a book, imagining its characters, picturing scenes, all those things can come from any book. Ms. Berg makes you FEEL each character, laugh with them, cry with them. I almost felt like the main character Sam was someone I knew personally, in all her imperfect glory. I was completely surprised with this book, and I loved it.
Helpful Score: 1
Open House By Elizabeth Berg
Oprah Book Club® Selection, August 2000: The narrator of Elizabeth Berg's Open House calls divorce "a series of internal earthquakes ... one after the other." She ought to know. Samantha is abandoned by her husband in the opening pages of this three-handkerchief special, and the resultant tremors keep her off-balance for most of the novel. There are practical problems aplenty, of course, including a shortage of money and an 11-year-old son to raise. But Sam's sense of emotional bereavement is far worse, despite the fact that her husband had been giving her the conjugal cold shoulder for years:
I miss David so much, yes I do, I miss the presence of another person in my bed at night, even if he doesn't touch me; the reliability of someone else being there in the morning, even if they only shave and stare straight ahead into the mirror while you lean against the bathroom doorjamb with your cup of coffee, chatting hopefully.
The loneliness in her "as constant and as irrefutable" as circulating blood, Sam begins to rebuild her life. She finds herself a job and takes in a couple of boarders to help meet her mortgage payments. (One of them, a depressed student named Lavender Blue, informs her that "life was nothing but one major disappointment after the other"--the sort of homily that Sam is understandably reluctant to hear these days.) She also starts dating, with disastrous results. Yet this comically kvetching heroine does manage to find love in the ruins, and by the time Open House winds down, it's hard not to believe that she's much better off. Throughout, Berg alternates her snappy and sappy registers like a real pro. And the conclusion, which most readers will be able to spot a mile off, seems just right--the light at the end of the post-matrimonial tunnel.
Oprah Book Club® Selection, August 2000: The narrator of Elizabeth Berg's Open House calls divorce "a series of internal earthquakes ... one after the other." She ought to know. Samantha is abandoned by her husband in the opening pages of this three-handkerchief special, and the resultant tremors keep her off-balance for most of the novel. There are practical problems aplenty, of course, including a shortage of money and an 11-year-old son to raise. But Sam's sense of emotional bereavement is far worse, despite the fact that her husband had been giving her the conjugal cold shoulder for years:
I miss David so much, yes I do, I miss the presence of another person in my bed at night, even if he doesn't touch me; the reliability of someone else being there in the morning, even if they only shave and stare straight ahead into the mirror while you lean against the bathroom doorjamb with your cup of coffee, chatting hopefully.
The loneliness in her "as constant and as irrefutable" as circulating blood, Sam begins to rebuild her life. She finds herself a job and takes in a couple of boarders to help meet her mortgage payments. (One of them, a depressed student named Lavender Blue, informs her that "life was nothing but one major disappointment after the other"--the sort of homily that Sam is understandably reluctant to hear these days.) She also starts dating, with disastrous results. Yet this comically kvetching heroine does manage to find love in the ruins, and by the time Open House winds down, it's hard not to believe that she's much better off. Throughout, Berg alternates her snappy and sappy registers like a real pro. And the conclusion, which most readers will be able to spot a mile off, seems just right--the light at the end of the post-matrimonial tunnel.
Helpful Score: 1
An okay story that you've all heard before. Divorced middle aged woman with a child who has lost herself in her marriage over the years, and has to figure out how to live and become whole again after her husband leaves. Reads quickly.
Helpful Score: 1
No wonder this was one of Oprah's Book Club books! I read this in 2 sittings. Now I want to see what else Elizabeth Berg has written!
Helpful Score: 1
Oprah's book club choice....a light, funny read.....
Helpful Score: 1
This was a quick read. A little predictable, but overall a very good book.
Helpful Score: 1
I thought that this was going to be another story about an angry, bitter, divorced woman, but it was so much more than that...I read it in one sitting!
Helpful Score: 1
This was laugh out loud funny !!!
Helpful Score: 1
Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Quick and easy read but the characters are well developed. Funny, real, kept my interest. Will look for other books by this author.
My second book by Elizabeth Berg, which someone suggested to me. It was a good story, but it didn't blow me away. Too many books lately are so amazing. This was run of the mill. Woman is shocked her husband wants a divorce, and she is trying to maintain her home with her teenage son, so she takes in roomates. There's also the best friend-female, and the best friend male-where sparks start to fly, the meddling mother, and asssorted other characters. It was an enjoyable book.
I liked the book, but there were times I wanted to shake the main character! But she recovered by the end!!
from the blurb...
"When Samantha Morrow's husband leaves her and their eleven-year-old she is faced with the terrifying prospect of having to recreate her whole life.
After a few faltering steps she starts to put the pieces into place. She fends off her mother, whose idea of getting over a failed marriage is to get a pedicure and get out there dating. She opens her house to a`series of lodgers, each of them, in their own eccentric ways, helps her to see herself.
And she makes a friend, King, a graduate turned handyman, who shows her that she holds the key to her own future and happiness"
"When Samantha Morrow's husband leaves her and their eleven-year-old she is faced with the terrifying prospect of having to recreate her whole life.
After a few faltering steps she starts to put the pieces into place. She fends off her mother, whose idea of getting over a failed marriage is to get a pedicure and get out there dating. She opens her house to a`series of lodgers, each of them, in their own eccentric ways, helps her to see herself.
And she makes a friend, King, a graduate turned handyman, who shows her that she holds the key to her own future and happiness"
I really enjoyed this book. A very honest story about a woman getting a divorce and then putting her life back together. My first book by this author, but won't be my last. I would recommend it.
I loved this book. The story of Samantha's attempt to pick up the pieces of life after her husband tells her he wants a divorce is very funny. I have been divorced and remember bungling my way into dating again also. I think the characters are easy to relate to. I recommend this book to everyone.
Debra G. (missionhearteddebra) reviewed Open House (Audio CD) (Unabridged) on + 10 more book reviews
A very easy book to read that made me laugh often. Her interactions with her mother are so hilarious. I read through this book in a very short amount of time because the vocabulary and story lines are very easy to follow. While it does show that life can happen after divorce, even if you are about 40, the hope the book shares is dependent on having another person in her life. This can really leave a single person with the opposite of hope if they have no one.
This is a story about Samantha, a stay at home mom, who is devastated when her husband leaves her. Samantha now is a single mom, who has never worked but now must find her place in the world and discover who she is. Unable to afford her mortgage Sam must find roommates. The people who come into her life ,as housemates,along with her quirky mother and friend, help her realize what love is. A sweet, funny story about loving yourself to find love.
Beautifully honest, goes straight for your heart story. The main character is so real it makes you take a look at yourself. For women who are going or being through a divorce this is the book to read. It'll make you cry,laugh,hope,and think again.
For me, most of Oprah's books are too depressing but this was a wonderful read. Although Sam got socked in the stomach with the news that her husband wants a divorce, I was there cheering her on with every step she took to recover and in turn find her true self.
Love this book - adore this author.
Elizabeth Berg is always worth a read.
I loved this book. It is definetly worth keeping and rereading. The main character was so honest. I feel like I would want to be her friend in real life. I also loved King. He was a bit odd, but he was so encouraging and supportive. He is one of those rare men who build up the people around them instead of tearing them down. Such an honest book.
What a great way to pass the weekend!
Quick summary statement - Open House is a love story about what can blossom between a man and a woman and within a woman herself.
This is a nice little story. It is a rather short book so don't expect any deep character developments. Still, it is a very pleasant book to read in an afternoon.
This is the sweetest little book. Has a lovely ending, and (spoiler) and I really liked the hero in the end, despite his physical characteristics...
Very funny and realistic! Loved the characters!
I tried to read this book; I really did. It's about a woman dealing with a recent separation and a pending divorce. When I started the book, it seemed like it was going to be similar to a prime time soap opera (think "Desperate House Wives"), but I gave up reading after about a 100 pages because it didn't pick up. This poor woman wasn't blind-sided by the divorce, but didn't want it, either. She's sullen and dejected and not sure how to go on. She has a son, but his character is rather undeveloped; I get the feeling he just sulks around the house a lot and complains about life in general. It might turn out to be a good book, but it just isn't working for me. The plot is too sedentary and the characters are too whiny. Granted, it seems true to life, but I read to escape reality and found this book depressing.
Good and interesting read about a newly separated woman and mother.
Great book - this copy also has questions for a book club in the back.
Elizabeth Berg is a wonderful writer, her books automatically go on my shopping lists when they come out.
This book started out terribly depressing, and the first half made me sad. To date it is probably the most depressing book I have ever read. However, the more I read, the more I became addicted to it, and I ended up reading it in one day. I LOVED the character of King, I wanted to crawl into the book and marry him.
I love Elizabeth Berg...
From Oprah's Book Club. Includes interview with the author and book club discussion questions.
Not too bad, although I could see the ending coming a mile away.
typical oprah book club selection. mostly a womans type of book. lots of "feelings". great if you like that kind of book, i do.
A timeless story of hitting bottom and rising again but told in beautiful heart-touching prose. I loved it.
I loved this book. I have been divided for three years so I can totally relate. I think people who have not been divorced or have not gone through a major change in their life may not appreciate it.
I think this will be one of my all time favorite books. I love Bergs writing style and especially connected with the main character in this one.
In this superb novel by the beloved author of Talk Before Sleep, The Pull of the Moon and Until the Real Thing Comes Along, a woman re-creates her life after divorce by opening up her house and her heart. It is a love story about what can blossom between a man and a woman, and within a woman herself.
Loved it! Great characters and story.
Wonderful!
Very hard to believe.
great book and on oprah's book list..wonderful quick read...
NOthing exciting here. Pretty predictable story telling. Usually Oprah book club choices are a lot better than this was.
This was the first book written by Elizabeth Berg that I've read and I must say that I'm hooked to her writing and look forward to reading her other books.
OPRAH BOOK CLUB
In enjoyed this book, although it was, at times, sad, it was really about a woman becoming her own after having lost herself in a marriage trying to become the person he needed her to be.
Good quick read and very predidctable. May remember this was a Lifetime channel movie with Christine Lahti...
Great Elizabeth Berg book.
This is the best Oprah Book Club book that I've read. I really liked it, enough to rate it a 4 out of a possible 5.
what a great book. really makes you think!!
The emotions of a woman surprised by her husband's leaving and asking for a divorce. Good read.
Open House is the story of one woman's struggle to come to terms with devorce. Dating again. Building a new life. All are familiar themes in separation and devorce, but that doesn't mean Sam is prepared for any of them. Lots of insight to how things are with woman going through a devorce. Good Book.
This is the story of a woman whose husband asks for a divorce. She is left with a young son and how she copes with the divorce; dating, room mates, jobs, etc.
A woman survives the trauma of divorce- when it wasn't her choice. Touching book
This book is funny, sad and sometimes heartwrenching.
This book was a great easy read. Elizabeth Berg has amazing insight into the lives of woman that spans the country in my opinion.
An easy, quick read.
Good book... easy to read... quick to finish. Nothing real deep, but enjoyable just the same.
Story of one woman's struggle to come to terms with divorce.Heartwrenching and funny at times.About bringing up a child, dating again and building a new life.
Like this. Oprah picks good books.
Oprah's Book Club! Great story about a woman recreating her life after divorce.
Great book good reading
Easy read. Good story.
I really enjoyed this book. I was surprised when it hit home a few times.
This book made me smile and laugh. The I was hooked from the begininng. Fun Read!
The story of one woman's struggle to come to terms with divorce...Berg's graceful prose is laced with clear-eyed insights about the way conventional wisdom colors our perceptions...Her account of how Sam learns to...get in touch with her own needs and feelings is deft and inspiring.
The details and emotions in OPEN HOUSE are sometimes heartwrenching, sometimes hilarious.
Smart, funny, and satisfying...Bringing up a child on your own. Dating again. Building a new life. All are familiar themes in separation and divorce, but that doesn't mean Sam is prepared for any of them.
The details and emotions in OPEN HOUSE are sometimes heartwrenching, sometimes hilarious.
Smart, funny, and satisfying...Bringing up a child on your own. Dating again. Building a new life. All are familiar themes in separation and divorce, but that doesn't mean Sam is prepared for any of them.
This story moved along at a good pace and has some great characters. I like this author.
Ialways enjoy an Elizabeth Berg novel. She picks some very good issues and they read quick!
Berg's tale of a 40-something woman dealing with the end of her marriage has many moments of clear insight, but the main character spends way too much time weeping over her fate.
Not my favorite by Elizabeth Berg but worth the read - was an Oprah book club choice.
A middle age woman with a pre teen find her power after her husband decides she is not enough for him.
I found myself cheering the main character!
Quick easy read. Good story about a woman going through divorce and rediscovering herself. Nothing earthshattering here, just a nice predictable little book.
A woman's struggle coming to terms with divorce, bringing up a child on her own, dating again, building a new life. Smart, funny, and satisfying. A joy to read, for Berg's graceful writing and sharply drawn characters, perhaps like people you and I know. - Cover blurb
Samanthas husband has left her, after a spree of overcharging at Tiffanys, she settles done to reconstruct a life for her and her 11 year old son. He eccentric mother tries fixing her up with dates, but the more pressing problem is money. To meet morgages payments she begins taking in borders
Oprahs book club
Oprahs book club
Excellent story!
I really liked this book. It's not very long and it had a good story.
I didn't like this book at all.
Another excellent book by the author of "Talk Before Sleep" and "Range of Motion".
Great read! I ennjoyed this book.
nice-quality HB edition of this Oprah's Book Club pick!
This book is in excellent condition!
Great condition.
