Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Publication
Ballantine Books (2001), Edition: First Edition, first Printing, 272 pages
Description
Fiction. Literature. HTML:BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Elizabeth Berg's Once Upon a Time, There Was You. 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. Samantha's husband has left her, and after a spree of overcharging at Tiffany's, she settles down to reconstruct a life for herself and her eleven-year-old son. Her eccentric mother tries to help by fixing her up with dates, but a more pressing problem is money. To meet her mortgage payments, Sam decides to take in boarders. The first is an older woman who offers sage advice and sorely needed comfort; the second, a maladjusted student, is not quite so helpful. A new friend, King, an untraditional man, suggests that Samantha get out, get going, get work. But her real work is this: In order to emerge from grief and the past, she has to learn how to make her own happiness. In order to really see people, she has to look within her heart. And in order to know who she is, she has to remember�??and reclaim�??the person she used to be, long before she became someone else in an effort to save her marriage. Open House is a love story about what can blossom between a man and a woman, and within a woman he… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member karieh
I am going to open with “I really enjoyed this book.” I haven’t been reading as much lately (thanks a lot 2008 Election!) and now that I can rest easy and get back to my real life…this was a good book to start with.
“Open House” isn’t a new story – it’s the story of a woman, Sam,
The story has been told before, and will be told again…but there are moments in this book that really made it stand out. The author moves the story along well, and I enjoyed the characters (though they might be a bit stock…gay hairdresser, eccentric mother, husband who finds a new young girlfriend…), but it was the small moments of brilliance that made this book for me.
Some are just funny. After Sam’s mother tries to mend her (then) teenager’s broken heart with a pair of pedal pushers…”When we were roommates in college, Rita had once asked, extremely gently, if my mother was mentally retarded, “No”, I said. “Just…Southern.” That was the only explanation I could come up with at the time. And I still make do with it.”
Some catch the reader off guard in the most honest of ways. “I wash up and go into my bedroom, intent on reading one of the new books I bought the other day. I turn back the bedclothes, and then, just like that, all the good feeling I’ve built up that day seems to drain out the soles of my feet. I stand there for a while. And then I get down on my knees, and whisper, Help me into my folded hands.”
And “I don’t hold Travis (her son) anymore, of course – not to read to him, or for any other reason, either. I wish I’d known that the last time was going to be the last time. But of course that information would have been as painful as this moment.”
And “This is my new life: I push pain away all day, and the moment I put my arms down it walks into me and has a seat.”
I like that Sam’s journey takes a realistic path. Instead of a more traditional denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance…she experiences all of the feelings at different times. As above, she can have a great day and then have that wash away in a moment. She can be experiencing waves of sorrow or guilt and still take a small piece of beauty from a moment.
“I stare wearily at the kitchen table, at the swatch of sunlight that lies over the basket of paper napkins. The pattern on the napkins is illuminated; white-on-white roses. I never saw those roses before. I have lived my life blind.”
And gradually, she takes all of these little moments, whether they come from inside or from someone else, and starts to rebuild. “Sometimes I want to say, “It’s all right. You don’t have to say that. I’m not so sad today.” But I never do. Instead, I save his confidence in me as though his words were silver dollars, knotted in a silk scarf and kept hidden in a dresser drawer.”
And although most of her emotions are focused on herself and her son…this emotional roller coaster does offer her views of those she loves that she never would have seen otherwise. Her eccentric mother? Turns out she is a woman who just like Sam, has experienced grief and pain, and who did the best she could for her children in the face of it.
“What occurs to me, now, is that what my mother had been doing all that time was weeping. With astonishing quiet. And that when she was done, she’d washed her face, fixed her hair, put on lipstick, and then gone out to the kitchen. She turned the radio on low and then made dinner so that it would be ready when it always was….But what did (she) Veronica do after she put us to bed? I wonder know. And I imagine a mother who took a mask off her face, then pushed hard into a pillow to weep for the loss of her husband, for the loss of the life she was supposed to have, for the only man she ever – I actually gasp, thinking this now – loved.”
Disguised as a painful divorce, frustrating and sometimes seemingly impossible to unwrap, this time in Sam’s life turns out to be an amazing and incredibly valuable gift.
“Open House” isn’t a new story – it’s the story of a woman, Sam,
Show More
who is blindsided when her husband asks for a divorce, who finds herself at a crossroads in her life, who is unsure what to do next, and who discovers a new side of herself with the help of old and new friends.The story has been told before, and will be told again…but there are moments in this book that really made it stand out. The author moves the story along well, and I enjoyed the characters (though they might be a bit stock…gay hairdresser, eccentric mother, husband who finds a new young girlfriend…), but it was the small moments of brilliance that made this book for me.
Some are just funny. After Sam’s mother tries to mend her (then) teenager’s broken heart with a pair of pedal pushers…”When we were roommates in college, Rita had once asked, extremely gently, if my mother was mentally retarded, “No”, I said. “Just…Southern.” That was the only explanation I could come up with at the time. And I still make do with it.”
Some catch the reader off guard in the most honest of ways. “I wash up and go into my bedroom, intent on reading one of the new books I bought the other day. I turn back the bedclothes, and then, just like that, all the good feeling I’ve built up that day seems to drain out the soles of my feet. I stand there for a while. And then I get down on my knees, and whisper, Help me into my folded hands.”
And “I don’t hold Travis (her son) anymore, of course – not to read to him, or for any other reason, either. I wish I’d known that the last time was going to be the last time. But of course that information would have been as painful as this moment.”
And “This is my new life: I push pain away all day, and the moment I put my arms down it walks into me and has a seat.”
I like that Sam’s journey takes a realistic path. Instead of a more traditional denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance…she experiences all of the feelings at different times. As above, she can have a great day and then have that wash away in a moment. She can be experiencing waves of sorrow or guilt and still take a small piece of beauty from a moment.
“I stare wearily at the kitchen table, at the swatch of sunlight that lies over the basket of paper napkins. The pattern on the napkins is illuminated; white-on-white roses. I never saw those roses before. I have lived my life blind.”
And gradually, she takes all of these little moments, whether they come from inside or from someone else, and starts to rebuild. “Sometimes I want to say, “It’s all right. You don’t have to say that. I’m not so sad today.” But I never do. Instead, I save his confidence in me as though his words were silver dollars, knotted in a silk scarf and kept hidden in a dresser drawer.”
And although most of her emotions are focused on herself and her son…this emotional roller coaster does offer her views of those she loves that she never would have seen otherwise. Her eccentric mother? Turns out she is a woman who just like Sam, has experienced grief and pain, and who did the best she could for her children in the face of it.
“What occurs to me, now, is that what my mother had been doing all that time was weeping. With astonishing quiet. And that when she was done, she’d washed her face, fixed her hair, put on lipstick, and then gone out to the kitchen. She turned the radio on low and then made dinner so that it would be ready when it always was….But what did (she) Veronica do after she put us to bed? I wonder know. And I imagine a mother who took a mask off her face, then pushed hard into a pillow to weep for the loss of her husband, for the loss of the life she was supposed to have, for the only man she ever – I actually gasp, thinking this now – loved.”
Disguised as a painful divorce, frustrating and sometimes seemingly impossible to unwrap, this time in Sam’s life turns out to be an amazing and incredibly valuable gift.
Show Less
LibraryThing member yourotherleft
Sam Morrow's husband David has left her and their 11-year-old son, Travis, and she has come unmoored. She doesn't know what to do or who to turn to and there's no one that seems terribly fit to give her any of the help she needs. That, and she can't seem to stop desperately wanting David to come
The following weeks find Sam opening up her house and sometimes her heart to a variety of new people. There's Lydia, a friend's elderly mother who hasn't given up on love. There's King, a man who has traded in career and prestige to work odd jobs and learn to enjoy life. There's Lavender Blue who hates her real name and the world and thinks life has nothing good in store for her. There's Edward, the gay hairdresser, who brings hair styling to the table as a fringe benefit of having him as a tenant. It's this motley collection of people that will teach Sam that, even if one chapter of her life has come to an end, her life and love are far from over.
I really enjoyed Open House and was taken by surprise by Berg's writing which is surprisingly powerful in its own understated way. Berg's story helped me to understand and relate to a life utterly unlike mine, and she drew my sympathies to a narrator whose situation, while not atypical, is foreign to my own experience. Despite our differences, I related to Sam as she struggled to find her footing in a world where the familiar has been stripped away. The wrenching pain of the end of a marriage is vividly rendered, and Sam's slow healing is cathartic for both her and the reader.
Now, if you're anything like me, you've read this story or maybe watched it on TV half a dozen times. Girl gets married young, girl gives up self for husband and family. Then the husband leaves, and the woman has to pick up the pieces and rediscover herself at the same time. You've read it, but you haven't read it done this well. Berg has taken an old story and with a convincing narrator and a keen eye for emotional nuance has succeeded in making it fresh again.
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back despite her mother's and her best friend's assurances that she's better off without him. She goes through a woman's stages of grief alternately crying and shopping and determining to become a new and better person. It's not long until she realizes that she'll need a roommate or two not to mention a job to be able to keep living in the house she once shared with her husband. The following weeks find Sam opening up her house and sometimes her heart to a variety of new people. There's Lydia, a friend's elderly mother who hasn't given up on love. There's King, a man who has traded in career and prestige to work odd jobs and learn to enjoy life. There's Lavender Blue who hates her real name and the world and thinks life has nothing good in store for her. There's Edward, the gay hairdresser, who brings hair styling to the table as a fringe benefit of having him as a tenant. It's this motley collection of people that will teach Sam that, even if one chapter of her life has come to an end, her life and love are far from over.
I really enjoyed Open House and was taken by surprise by Berg's writing which is surprisingly powerful in its own understated way. Berg's story helped me to understand and relate to a life utterly unlike mine, and she drew my sympathies to a narrator whose situation, while not atypical, is foreign to my own experience. Despite our differences, I related to Sam as she struggled to find her footing in a world where the familiar has been stripped away. The wrenching pain of the end of a marriage is vividly rendered, and Sam's slow healing is cathartic for both her and the reader.
Now, if you're anything like me, you've read this story or maybe watched it on TV half a dozen times. Girl gets married young, girl gives up self for husband and family. Then the husband leaves, and the woman has to pick up the pieces and rediscover herself at the same time. You've read it, but you haven't read it done this well. Berg has taken an old story and with a convincing narrator and a keen eye for emotional nuance has succeeded in making it fresh again.
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LibraryThing member Bonni208
Once again, Berg does not disappoint. Each of her books I've read has a captivating story line and strong character development. We all get to know the narrator, along with the eclectic mix of people she takes on as boarders, following her divorce.
LibraryThing member raeldrele
It seems like, for a young twenty-somthing, I read a LOT of divorcee/mid-life crisis novels. This novel was worth it and kept me engaged in the story until the end. I listened to it as a playaway audio book while traveling from Seattle to Portland. There were multiple points throughout the book
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where I would giggle uncontrollablely at the story or character and then stop the playaway and explain to my husband what was so funny. Show Less
LibraryThing member punxsygal
Elizabeth Berg always gets into the hearts of her characters--real people, real situations in fiction. In Open House Samantha's husband of many years leaves her, heartbroken and lost. After a large spending spree at Tiffany's, Sam faces the cold fact that she must start to reconstruct a life for
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herself and her 11-year old son. To remain the house that has been her home, she takes in a couple of boarders. Lydia, the first boarder offers quiet, thoughtful advice and comfort. And a new friend, King, suggests that she get out, get going and get work. Sam begins to realize that she has to make her own happiness and reclaim the woman she was before she was David's wife. Berg presents fiction that contains real life lessons. Show Less
LibraryThing member tjsjohanna
While Samantha seems a little like a doormat (who would let their departing husband silence any discussion??) I like the way she slowly but surely begins to own herself - to make decisions based on what she wants - to admit to herself her likes and dislikes. I also liked it that she didn't hurt her
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child in the process. Sometimes in dealing with our own hurts, we forget about the little people we are responsible for, and I was glad that Sam didn't do that. A very affirming story. Show Less
LibraryThing member Deesirings
Such real, memorable characters. I really feel like I got to know the people in this short book about a woman's life post-divorce.
LibraryThing member orangewords
A bit predictable and difficult to get into, (I didn't connect with the protagonist for at least the first twenty-five pages), but ultimately a very good book. Moving without being cheesy, which is really saying something! A great book which deals with the topic of loss.
LibraryThing member KRaySaulis
This was a good, quick, brainless read for me. After reading Jane Eyre and a book on Buddhism this gave me something brainless. For about twenty four hours. I can't say there was anything I disliked about it, it's simply a little mainstream for me. There was nothing particularly special about it.
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Except for King. King is a great character and I wish the author had taken the time to more fully develop him. Give him more of a history, more strength. Show Less
LibraryThing member Carmenere
Open House is the story of Samantha Morrow's pathetic attempt to keep her husband from divorcing her and continue living as she and their son, Travis had come to expect. Although their marriage appeared stable to her, David, her husband, believes they have nothing in common. At the onset I must
Perhaps it is Travis' request to live with his father that is the catalyst that moves her to let go of the past. His request was heartbreaking and was the moment when I finally sympathized with Sam and began liking her just a little bit.
Could it be that what she wants in life is what her mother, Veronica had once known and boarder, Lydia has just regained? Undying, eternal love? Perhaps it is not so distant nor unattainable as she believes.
By story's end, I had grown to like Samvery much and had hope that she had found her way. Berg is such a talented writer, she can make the reader gasp and laugh in the same paragraph. She subtly turns Sam from a distressed, no talent, domestic princess into a stronger more empowered woman who can see life does not end when a marriage ends.
If this is an example of Berg's work I most certainly wish to read more.... and soon.
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admit I despised "Sam". Totally dependant upon her husband she comes across as needy, prejudicial, impetuous and insecure. I found her unsuccessful attempts to draw her husband back into her life and their home were absolutely pathetc. Author, Elizabeth Berg, has me believing that a long, hot contemplative bath will somehow cleanse Sam of her sorry self and take control of ther situation - alas, it does not. Perhaps it is Travis' request to live with his father that is the catalyst that moves her to let go of the past. His request was heartbreaking and was the moment when I finally sympathized with Sam and began liking her just a little bit.
Could it be that what she wants in life is what her mother, Veronica had once known and boarder, Lydia has just regained? Undying, eternal love? Perhaps it is not so distant nor unattainable as she believes.
By story's end, I had grown to like Samvery much and had hope that she had found her way. Berg is such a talented writer, she can make the reader gasp and laugh in the same paragraph. She subtly turns Sam from a distressed, no talent, domestic princess into a stronger more empowered woman who can see life does not end when a marriage ends.
If this is an example of Berg's work I most certainly wish to read more.... and soon.
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LibraryThing member bibliophileofalls
Good book, fast read. All about divorce and separation.
LibraryThing member artikaur
Quite an entertaining read, this book takes an honest look at one woman's life as she struggles to come to terms with her impending divorce. A nice short read.
LibraryThing member janiereader
Elizabeth Berg is one of my favorite authors due to her strong character development and compelling story lines. This book while not my favorite, is quite good. Samantha finds her long marriage coming to an end, and is struggling to come to terms with her husband's choice. Samantha sets out to
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begin a new life for both herself and her so. In the process she begins to rediscover herself. Show Less
LibraryThing member Dmtcer
What happens when your husband leaves and you have to make a living all on your own? It can happen...and sometimes it turns out better than imagined.
LibraryThing member tmbcoughlin
easy read. a woman, sam, who does not work and has an 11 year old son has just separted from her husband by his choice. You have a window to her steaming thoughts as she deals with her anguish and moving on with her life shortly after the separation along with her gaining independence and
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self-esteem. It was a little difficult at first to embrace the main character; I, being the same age as the character, felt out of touch with her. Once I realized the book takes place in an earlier time (copy right 2000), I was better able to accept her position. Show Less
LibraryThing member eliza_jane
I love this book! You are drawn into the story of a newly divorced mother, Samantha, as she struggles with raising her son and finding herself. Lessons are realized when Samantha rents a spare bedroom in her house to an elderly widow. Samantha must learn how to cope with her new reality or lose
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what little family she has left. Show Less
LibraryThing member KAPaulsen
I borrowed this book from one of my best girlfriends who likes to read sad, sad novels. After the first few chapters, I wondered how she came to give me the recommendation of the book being "stellar." Seeing the book's relationships unfold between Sam and her mother, her husband David, friends new
I would recommend this book for readers who like most of Oprah's Book Club books. Potentially a non-recommend for someone who has gone through a painful divorce, as some parts of the book are rather raw.
Once I got through the first third of the book, it went along smoothly and was an interesting read.
Overall: Slow start with a few story-line bumps along the way that I did not care for, but a good story of survival, rolling with the punches and life changes that shape who we are, no matter how much we resist.
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and old, her son and multiple tenants was interesting. It had me looking introspectively at all my relationships, current and past, and thinking about the different life events that have shaped each one.I would recommend this book for readers who like most of Oprah's Book Club books. Potentially a non-recommend for someone who has gone through a painful divorce, as some parts of the book are rather raw.
Once I got through the first third of the book, it went along smoothly and was an interesting read.
Overall: Slow start with a few story-line bumps along the way that I did not care for, but a good story of survival, rolling with the punches and life changes that shape who we are, no matter how much we resist.
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LibraryThing member Brandie
Okay book for me. I can see why others would like it. Berg is a fabulous writer, but this book was so far from me and my life that it was just okay.
LibraryThing member BinnieBee
Berg has done it again! Written a book with wit and sensitivity with a sense of reality to it. I loved it!
LibraryThing member lincroft
I found the main character maddening. Her whining was tiring. It got better toward the end but only because she found a replacement male. I didn't like this book.
LibraryThing member readingrat
A moving story of the journey to wholeness of a woman whose sudden abandonment by her husband of 20 years upends her whole world.
LibraryThing member chewbecca
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.
LibraryThing member clarkera
Nice, easy read. Quite amusing, but nothing of great substance.
LibraryThing member humanart
I started reading Elizabeth Berg a few years ago as a lark. Her books require little thought, go fast and are light and well-written.
Her latest, _Dream when you're feeling blue_, about sisters during WWII did not meet her light but engaging standard.
Her latest, _Dream when you're feeling blue_, about sisters during WWII did not meet her light but engaging standard.
LibraryThing member nevacampbell
Love E. Berg. This story was beautiful, funny, and full of finding out about who a person really is.
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2000-07-11
Physical description
272 p.; 5.46 inches
ISBN
0345435168 / 9780345435163