Reviews
You're sure to spy lots of pale-orange book covers at the beach this summer, as Emily Giffin releases her latest in a series of successful reads. The book has heart, meat and realistic characters., A satisfying and entertaining read. Giffin is a gifted storyteller [and] writes smart, snappy prose that elevates this novel., After five charming relationship-themed hits, Emily Giffin had a lot to live up to with WHERE WE BELONG. Luckily, the author executes with a thoughtful finesse that makes this easily her best work yet. [WHERE WE BELONG] is that special type of story that takes priority over getting to bed on time. And the payoff is well worth it., [Giffin's] novels present tough moral dilemmas all related to love. And her latest, WHERE WE BELONG, is no exception and perhaps her best yet...It's a classic Giffin tale, nuanced and messy and utterly addictive, with fully fleshed-out characters who face morally ambiguous choices that aren't resolved in neat bows., Praise for the books of Emily Giffin: "Giffin's talent lies in taking relatable situations and injecting enough wit and suspense to make them feel fresh. What Ellen learns is quietly thrilling: Sometimes, you have to do whatever it takes to be with the one you love." - People "A modern-day Jane Austen." - Vanity Fair "Giffin skillfully explores the secret workings of a young woman's heart, and the often painful consequences of one's actions." - Atlanta Journal-Constit uti on "One of the sharpest writers out there...profound, humorous, and reveals layers about a woman's deepest desires." - Arizona Republic "Thought-provoking . . . a meditation on our culture's focus on parenthood and family." - Washington Post "By avoiding easy answers, Giffin once again proves she's one of the best . . . in this thoughtful, layered, and wholly original story of a woman facing a major choice in her life." - Booklist "Smartly written. The dialogue is real [with] lightly rendered lessons about what really matters in life . . . Emily Giffin knows what she's doing." - Winston-Salem Journal "This page-turning, heartbreakingly honest debut...deftly depicts the hopeful hearts behind an unsympathetic situation." - Entertainment Weekly (Grade: A) " Something Borrowed is both hilarious and thoughtfully written, resisting the frequent tendency of first-time novelists to make their characters and situations a little too black-and white. You may never think of friendships - their duties, the oblique dances of power and their give-and-take - quite the same way again." - Seattle Times "The love-hate relationship between best friends Rachel and Darcy is sharply observed and beautifully etched." - Newark St ar-Ledger "Giffin again uses her great wit and gift of storytelling to weave a tale that's nuanced, empathetic, and, at times, heartbreaking. Matters of the heart are always complicated, and Giffin deftly shows you why." - Associated Press "Giffin's calling card has always been her ability to delve into the workings of relationships. But in her latest book, she probes deeper than ever . . . With intelligence, humor, and piercing insight, Giffin shows that in matters of love, it is possible to be right and yet so wrong." - Family Circle, Book clubs will have a field day with this one. Thorny mother-daughter relationships and secrets we keep from loved ones burn up the pages., Emily Giffin ranks as a grand master. Over the course of five best-selling novels, she has traversed the slippery slopes of true love, lost love, marriage, motherhood, betrayal, forgiveness and redemption that have led her to be called 'a modern-day Jane Austen.' With Giffin's use of humor, honesty, originality and, like Austen, a biting social commentary, this modern-day 'woman's novel' sits easily on nightstands and in beach bags. Even Austen would find it hard to put down., Giffin has a way of tugging on our heartstrings while still making us laugh out loud...[a] perfect recipe., Sharply drawn characters and finely honed sensibility add up to a story that's as bittersweet as an August evening., Emily Giffin's new novel about the legacy of adoption, WHERE WE BELONG, imagines what happens when an 18-year-old girl tracks down her birth mother...the latest in a string of provocative, imaginative novels that began in 2004 with SOMETHING BORROWED. All the characters [here] are on a journey to find 'where we belong,' and Giffin knits together their journeys with a masterly hand., WHERE WE BELONG is too suspenseful to be called chick lit and too relationship-centered to be labeled a thriller. But most readers will have little time to think of a genre for Emily Giffin's latest novel as they race through this gripping story about the reunion of a high school senior and the woman who put her up for adoption 18 years earlier., The issue about secrets isn't about keeping them. It's the reveal and its consequences. That's the challenge faced by the characters in Emily Giffin's new, briskly paced...WHERE WE BELONG. Taking a somewhat more somber tone than she did in her [previous] bestselling novels, Giffin's approach and style mature in this latest effort., Emily Giffin's WHERE WE BELONG is a literary Rorschach test. The book, while thoroughly entertaining, will also prod readers to examine choices they've made in their lives. It will compel them to muse about things they'd like to do over, to do differently, to do better...[and] gracefully examines themes of identity, family and forgiveness., Graceful and inviting prose, careful plotting and vivid characterizations...The coming together of two people who share a genetic heritage and little else is dramatically and emotionally risky. But Giffin makes the most of the opportunity, and WHERE WE BELONG had me riveted., Believable characters, [a] page-turning plot and [an] unblinking look at the choices we make as women., Emily Giffin has a wonderful way with words. [WHERE WE BELONG] is an emotionally powerful story that will ring true with women who have given a child away and with those who grew up wondering where they came from. Giffin may be working with a premise and plot that is fairly simple, but there's nothing lightweight about the emotional turbulence she creates., [WHERE WE BELONG] delivers the readable, addicting prose we have all come to love [but] delves deeper than ever before, showing that the author is capable of making her signature style work with topics beyond typical relationships. Through Marian, her daughter and the rest of those affected by Marian's decisions, the author beautifully tackles the complex issues of sex, abortion, adoption and the difficult decisions that go along with each., "In another surefire hit, [Giffin] serves up pathos, humor, and one doozy of a twist." - Entertainment Weekly "Sharply drawn characters and finely honed sensibility add up to a story that's as bittersweet as an August evening." -Family Circle "Book clubs will have a field day with this one. Thorny mother-daughter relationships and secrets we keep from loved ones burn up the pages." - USA Today "After five charming relationship-themed hits, Emily Giffin had a lot to live up to with WHERE WE BELONG. Luckily, the author executes with a thoughtful finesse that makes this easily her best work yet. [WHERE WE BELONG] is that special type of story that takes priority over getting to bed on time. And the payoff is well worth it." -Boston Globe "Emily Giffin ranks as a grand master. Over the course of five best-selling novels, she has traversed the slippery slopes of true love, lost love, marriage, motherhood, betrayal, forgiveness and redemption that have led her to be called 'a modern-day Jane Austen.' With Giffin's use of humor, honesty, originality and, like Austen, a biting social commentary, this modern-day 'woman's novel' sits easily on nightstands and in beach bags. Even Austen would find it hard to put down." - Chicago Sun-Times "Emily Giffin's new novel about the legacy of adoption, WHERE WE BELONG, imagines what happens when an 18-year-old girl tracks down her birth mother…the latest in a string of provocative, imaginative novels that began in 2004 with SOMETHING BORROWED. All the characters [here] are on a journey to find 'where we belong,' and Giffin knits together their journeys with a masterly hand." - Seattle Times "Emily Giffin's WHERE WE BELONG is a literary Rorschach test. The book, while thoroughly entertaining, will also prod readers to examine choices they've made in their lives. It will compel them to muse about things they'd like to do over, to do differently, to do better…[and] gracefully examines themes of identity, family and forgiveness." -Miami Herald "Giffin has a way of tugging on our heartstrings while still making us laugh out loud...[a] perfect recipe." -Woman's World "Breezy and fun, this is definitely one for the beach bag!" -All You magazine "Giffin's latest will make you shed a few tears and call your mom." -Ladies Home Journal
