Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Broadway Books (2003), Edition: Reprint, 368 pages
Description
Fiction. Literature. Romance. Humor (Fiction.) HTML:British sensation Jane Green delivers a sparkling tale of old friends reunited and old jealousies rekindled. Catherine Warner and Simon Nelson are best friends: total opposites, always together, and both unlucky in love. Cath is scatterbrained, messy, and�??since she had her heart broken a few years back�??emotionally closed off. Si is impossibly tidy, bitchy, and desperate for a man of his own. They live in London�??s West Hampstead along with their lifelong friends, Josh and Lucy, who are happily married with a devil-spawn child and a terrifying Swedish nanny, Ingrid. All�??s well (sort of) until the sudden arrival of a college friend�??the stunningly beautiful Portia, who is known for breaking hearts. Though they�??ve grown up and grown apart from Portia, the four friends welcome her back into the fold. But does Portia have a hidden agenda or is she merely looking to reconnect with old friends? Her reappearance soon unleashes a rollicking series of events that tests the foursome�??s friendships to the limit and leaves them wondering if a happy ending is in store. Fortunately, Cath has plenty to take her mind off Portia�??s schemes�??like her gutsy decision to leave her job in advertising to fulfill her dream of opening a bookstore. And then there�??s James, the sexy real-estate agent who keeps dropping by even after the bookstore deal is done. With his irresistible smile and boyish charm could he be the one to melt Cath�??s heart? Told with Jane Green�??s captivating wit and flare, Bookends is above all a story about friendship�??its twists, turns and complications�??and how it weathers the challenges of love, ambition, marriage, and, most of all, growing up. Warmhearted, sophisticated, and full of delicious surprises, Bookends… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member alanna1122
The lives of 5 friends over the period of a decade or so. One friend is dropped from the group and becomes a television writer then reenters their lives years later.
I enjoyed this book for the most part. I found the characters engaging - and the story well written. However I found some elements of
The book is remarkably dated - in sort of a fun way. At one point there is a paragraph long discussion comparing characters in the book to those in Ellen Degeneres' long departed sitcom and I had to wrack my memory to remember anything about that show.
All in all a good read - nice to take on a beach vacation or something like that - but IMHO could have used a stiff edit.
I enjoyed this book for the most part. I found the characters engaging - and the story well written. However I found some elements of
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the plot really too drawn out. I feel like there was an extraneous 100 pages there. There are several plots going on at once - which is great fun - but one of the main ones was so easy to see where it was going I was so frustrated it took so long to reveal. Honestly it seemed to just snail crawl towards its destination. The book is remarkably dated - in sort of a fun way. At one point there is a paragraph long discussion comparing characters in the book to those in Ellen Degeneres' long departed sitcom and I had to wrack my memory to remember anything about that show.
All in all a good read - nice to take on a beach vacation or something like that - but IMHO could have used a stiff edit.
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LibraryThing member kikilon
This one was quite a surprise. I bought it because it was cheap, and I liked teh title. It's a very good book with surprisingly deep issues towards the end. I liked the fact that the main story wasn't a romance, but how to succeed in your dream business once you dare to make the move. It's about
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friendships, and how they can put strains on your own personal life. And about worshipping a childhood diva. It's fantastic, and enjoyable by people who don't 'do' chick lit normally. Show Less
LibraryThing member verenka
Fairly typical chicklit book, lent to me by a friend. The circle of friends from Uni, the gay best friend, the successful woman in Marketing, given up on finding love after 35, etc. The only thing that kept me reading was that the main characters life dream was to open up a bookshop. The bookshop
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storyline didn't turn out to be all that exciting and it all ended with lots of drama, uni friends reunited and the token lesbian couple. Show Less
LibraryThing member rainbowdarling
I truly love this story. It addresses friendship, love, relationships as well as life with children and life as a businessperson. I love how it really feels like the people who are in the book are real people - not facsimiles designed to make us feel as if we're reading a slice-of-life story, when
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really, little of it is believable. This was a great introduction to Jane Green's works. Show Less
LibraryThing member LisMB
Nice read. I enjoyed this book, the story brought me in immediately.
LibraryThing member nyiper
I love reading Jane Green's books but this one will be remembered as a favorite. Her characters, all of them, but especially Cath and Si, are completely believable and lovable and what could be better than a book that has a bookstore in it!!
LibraryThing member kikianika
This one was quite a surprise. I bought it because it was cheap, and I liked teh title. It's a very good book with surprisingly deep issues towards the end. I liked the fact that the main story wasn't a romance, but how to succeed in your dream business once you dare to make the move. It's about
Show More
friendships, and how they can put strains on your own personal life. And about worshipping a childhood diva. It's fantastic, and enjoyable by people who don't 'do' chick lit normally. Show Less
LibraryThing member LibraryLou
When I first read this I really identified with the dream of the main character, I would love to own my own bookshop/coffee shop.
Jane Green rights great Chick Lit, perfect to curl up on the beach with.
Jane Green rights great Chick Lit, perfect to curl up on the beach with.
LibraryThing member minxy_ukusa
This is a great read, as all Jane Green books generally are and it has a nice little twist near the end. I like this one most as its also my ambition to have a bookshop.
LibraryThing member lyz94
I liked this book. It was easy to read. I also liked the fact that she was able to make her biggest dream come true. Some of the other plot was a little weird though.
LibraryThing member coyle220
I liked this book because it is a classic example of "chick lit." The group of friends share gossip and worry about their careers, fashion and love. I enjoy the British versions of these light reads more than American because the British tend to be funny instead of bitchy.
LibraryThing member jennannej
Better than Mr. Maybe by Green.
Quite a cute little story about following your dreams. Likeable characters, real world problems, and a charming love interest. Light and fun!
Quite a cute little story about following your dreams. Likeable characters, real world problems, and a charming love interest. Light and fun!
LibraryThing member donnabug
I picked up this book thinking that I wouldn't like it because it just isn't my kind of book....... but it got me and it got me good. I couldn't put this book down until I finished it! It's about good friends who would do anything for each other and it's about that fear of relationships or rather
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the fear of being hurt. It's about pursuing dreams and finding love and living through things too diffucult to think about. I loved it! Show Less
LibraryThing member hammockqueen
kept me interested. Cath and friends from college like Si and Jason and Portia get lives intertwined after 10 yrs. when Portia appears again. Bookstore and coffee nook. James the painter likes Cath. Si gets aids. I could relate to the love .in this book. a very surprise twist to the ending.
LibraryThing member sandhyas
This is a great story about true freindship and relationships. After reading the book I recalled all my friends who played even a little role in my life and made me what I am. Great great read, I didn't want the book to end.
LibraryThing member magst
Loved this book!!!! It was full of sweet lovable characters! The story line was awesome! I have re-read this book numerous times.
LibraryThing member kayceel
When a good friend from college shows up again, the dynamic of a group is thrown off and everyone must struggle to find equilibrium. A bookstore, food, TV shows, HIV and love find them.
This was an okay read.
This was an okay read.
LibraryThing member LisaMaria_C
I liked the whole idea of a novel centered around opening a bookstore/cafe and going for your dreams, but I didn't feel that aspect was central enough, or full enough of suspense and conflict. The good aspects of the book makes me wish I could rate this a tad higher, but it couldn't hold me to the
Though this is narrated first person by Catherine Warner, this had an unusually ensemble feel to it, since it's about five friends: Catherine herself, Portia, Simon and Josh who she met in university, and Josh's wife Lucy who is her business partner. Actually, that may have been one of the weaknesses, that the first person voice wasn't the best way to tell the story of this group of friends. And too often--which is also too often a danger of a weak first person--too much is told, not shown, sometimes dragging, sometimes running through events without developing so that pacing was also a problem.
Not a problem you tend to notice much because it's really a quick read. A good light airplane/beach read if you're drawn to chicklit, but nothing here makes me want to try more of the author. If many chicklits are tired soap operas, this was far too much of a cliche sitcom.
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end. I felt I had read this book dozens of times before. This was better written than most chicklit (which isn't high praise), with a heroine that was relatable--not size 0, not born with a silver spoon and not too-stupid-to-live. I did enjoy the English setting and voice. Though this is narrated first person by Catherine Warner, this had an unusually ensemble feel to it, since it's about five friends: Catherine herself, Portia, Simon and Josh who she met in university, and Josh's wife Lucy who is her business partner. Actually, that may have been one of the weaknesses, that the first person voice wasn't the best way to tell the story of this group of friends. And too often--which is also too often a danger of a weak first person--too much is told, not shown, sometimes dragging, sometimes running through events without developing so that pacing was also a problem.
Not a problem you tend to notice much because it's really a quick read. A good light airplane/beach read if you're drawn to chicklit, but nothing here makes me want to try more of the author. If many chicklits are tired soap operas, this was far too much of a cliche sitcom.
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LibraryThing member ABShepherd
This book felt a little long and I kind of felt like I lived a year in the life of the characters, day by day, but overall the story was good and I enjoyed it.
LibraryThing member wareagle78
Good "chick lit" set in London. Story revolves around a group of college friends and their lives after several years on their own. I enjoyed it.
LibraryThing member whybehave2002
Great story of friendships and keeping them as our lives change.
LibraryThing member Circlestonesbooks
“But as our eyes adjust to the gloom, lit by a solitary light bulb in each room, Lucy and I gasp, because the only thing this place is, it could ever have been, is a bookshop.” (Quotation page 70)
Content:
They are friends since University: Cath, Si (Simon), Josh and stunning Portia. While
Theme and genre:
This is not a book about literature and bookshops, but about friendship that lasts from the lighthearted student’s life to the different circle of life of adults who have to earn money, start a family and want to live their dreams. It is about misunderstandings and the fact that dealing with problems is easier if one has friends for support.
Characters:
Cath, the main character, is single and happy with it, a little bit messy, but really cares for her friends, especially for Si, as he needs her. She just has to learn to trust herself and take care for her own happiness. Si is the perfect best friend as he loves to go shopping and is very good company. Lucy is an optimistic, loveable person and every character, such as Babysitter Ingrid, is special and well developed.
Plot and writing:
This romantic story is written in the first person and told by Cath and is located in Hampstead, London, with interesting, precise descriptions of the surroundings and the urban lifestyle in busy London. There are some foreseeable and some unexpected twists as serious topics are entwined in the story.
Conclusion:
A romantic, easy to read story about friendship, love, dreams and life – and about a bookshop. Entertaining, but with some lengths, because main protagonist Cath is just too indecisive in her behavior, with her thoughts circling almost endlessly around her fear to fall on love. I would have enjoyed to read a little bit more about the bookshop, café and its customers.
Content:
They are friends since University: Cath, Si (Simon), Josh and stunning Portia. While
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Portia has left to find her own way, Lucy, married to Josh, perfectly fits into the circle. Cath, successfully working for a London advertising agency, has an almost lifelong dream, to open a bookshop including a café and Lucy loves to cook and bake. Together they find a shop that had been empty for a long time, but is just perfect for them. Soon Bookends is open and running. Cath is very close to Si, her best friend, but while Si is trying everything to finally find the man of his life, Cath is sure that she definitely is not made for relationships. Maybe meeting kind, understanding James, their estate agent and a very talented painter, could make her rethink the advantages of her single life. Then Portia is back and with her exciting times. Theme and genre:
This is not a book about literature and bookshops, but about friendship that lasts from the lighthearted student’s life to the different circle of life of adults who have to earn money, start a family and want to live their dreams. It is about misunderstandings and the fact that dealing with problems is easier if one has friends for support.
Characters:
Cath, the main character, is single and happy with it, a little bit messy, but really cares for her friends, especially for Si, as he needs her. She just has to learn to trust herself and take care for her own happiness. Si is the perfect best friend as he loves to go shopping and is very good company. Lucy is an optimistic, loveable person and every character, such as Babysitter Ingrid, is special and well developed.
Plot and writing:
This romantic story is written in the first person and told by Cath and is located in Hampstead, London, with interesting, precise descriptions of the surroundings and the urban lifestyle in busy London. There are some foreseeable and some unexpected twists as serious topics are entwined in the story.
Conclusion:
A romantic, easy to read story about friendship, love, dreams and life – and about a bookshop. Entertaining, but with some lengths, because main protagonist Cath is just too indecisive in her behavior, with her thoughts circling almost endlessly around her fear to fall on love. I would have enjoyed to read a little bit more about the bookshop, café and its customers.
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LibraryThing member reelpersona
This is one of the cutest stories I've read ever. It doesn't disappoint.
LibraryThing member StefanieGeeks
As a fan of Green's Jemima J, I read this book soon after it's pub date in 2002. This romance is as much about friendship as it is about the #hea. This is a love story for booklovers, set in London and perfect for those who enjoyed Hulu's original series Four Weddings and a Funeral.
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2000
Physical description
368 p.; 5.2 inches
ISBN
0767907817 / 9780767907811