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Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Review: The Girls From Ames

Author: Jeffrey Zaslow
Pages: 352
Genre: Biographical ?
Source: TLC Book Tours
Synopsis from TLC:
As children, they formed a special bond, growing up in the small town of Ames, Iowa. As young women, they moved to eighth different states, yet they managed to maintain an extraordinary friendship that would carry them through college and careers, marriage and motherhood, dating and divorce, the death of a child, and the mysterious death of the eleventh member of their group. Capturing their remarkable story, The Girls from Ames is a testament to the enduring, deep bonds of women as they experience life’s challenges, and the power of friendship to overcome even the most daunting odds.



My Thoughts:
I truly wanted to like this book...it has everything I enjoy...friendships, the late 70's and early 80's, real stories about real women. Sounds fantastic right? I think it could've been if each chapter had been written by one of the Ames Girls. For me this was much like reading a newspaper article or even worse, a book report. I felt no connection whatsoever to any of the women and I really wanted to! I think if the story was written in first-person than I would have had a very different experience. The writing felt choppy and stilted...and unfortunately it really left me wishing for so much more. Please make sure you visit the other tour stops and get many different perspectives on this one. Just because it didn't work for me, doesn't mean you won't like it!




Thank you to TLC for asking me to be a part of this book tour.
Check out the other tour stops HERE.

29 comments:

  1. I did not like this book AT ALL. Here is my review:

    Deadly dull book, and I really wanted to like it. I thought that reading about a group of women who maintained their friendships for 40+ years would be interesting. NOT!!!!

    The telling of this tale was just deadly boring. Perhaps it would have been better as a long magazine article, but there was just not enough meat for an entire book.

    The publisher did some great marketing for this book, though. The title was on everyone's lips for the longest time. A shame it did not live up to its press.

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  2. I'm sorry to hear you didn't enjoy this book, Staci! I agree that the writing felt choppy in parts, or at least I felt that telling the stories of 11 women was quite an ambitious project and bits were bound to be missing, but all in all I thought it was a good read and Zaslow did a good job, given the scope of this project. I must admit that I did sometimes wish he'd chosen a smaller group of women to focus on, just to make the narrative tighter and more cohesive!

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  3. I wonder - do you think it made a difference that a male was attempting to portray a bunch of women and their thoughts?

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  4. Too bad that it didn't was as good as it could have been

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  5. Soryy this didn't work out for you, Staci. So disappointing when that happens, especially if it's a book that sounds as though you'd really like it.

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  6. Oh nuts! I had so hoped you would love this book and it would give me an excuse to run out and read it :)

    I think I may still give it a whirl this summer, but I will keep your comments in mind.

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  7. I'm sorry to hear you didn't like this book. I've seen mixed reviews for this one. I don't think I'll be reading it.

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  8. Sorry to see this didn't work for you. I've had high hopes for this one.

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  9. I hate when that happens--a books sounds great on paper and then turns out not so much. :(

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  10. For me, connection to characters is key. I'm sorry it didn't work for you.

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  11. oh sad, I hate when a book disappoints.

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  12. It's too bad when you get a book with so much hope and it just ends up not being what you had hoped it would be. Oh, Kathy's daughter is reading "The Help" and she really likes it.

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  13. I found that keeping track of all of the micro-friendships within the group was confusing. You're right, it did feel kind of like a newspaper article.

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  14. Sorry this one did not work for you.

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  15. that's a bummer! its sounds like it be a great book! :):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):)

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  16. I guess some books are like that. I've had this on my list but maybe I should put it at the end! :0)

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  17. I think you pinpointed the flaws in the book when you said it read like a book report or a newspaper article. The characters felt flat and unemotional, too.

    Good review of a poorly written book (IMO).

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  18. Sorry to hear you didn't enjoy this one. I read it with my book club and found the whole long term friendship thing to be really heartwarming. I guess I hadn't thought much about the writing style. I think you are right that it was a bit more journalistic in style which won't appeal to everyone.

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  19. Thanks for sharing your honest opinion on this one. It is the first I've heard of it but I've got to admit that it doesn't sound like my type of book.

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  20. Well, dang. I was looking forward to hearing that it was super. Sorry you spent so much time on a dud.

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  21. Generally speaking, I always prefer books told from a first-person perspective! Sorry this one was disappointing. My sister bought it in hardcover, liked it and then let me borrow it -- and I haven't returned it yet! Hopefully I'll get to it soon.

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  22. I've been bummed to see the mixed reviews on this one. I can see how it would probably be more interesting in the first person.

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  23. Growing up around the same time as these women, I thought this would be a fun book to read. But I keep hearing similar thoughts to yours, so I think I'll pass. What a shame.

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  24. Interesting - I didn't connect to the girls either but thought it was because I don't have friendships dating back to my youth. I wonder if I misplaced my reaction for sadness of what I don't have...

    Kuddo's to you for your honesty!!

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  25. I've heard these type of comments before about this book and it sounds like a book that has so much potential. I wonder if it being written by a male author about female friendships made an impact on the style and content. I have this book TBR and I will still read it as I love reading about female friendships but my expectations are definitely lowered.

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  26. I'm thinking this may not be the book for me!

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  27. Wow - not only do I see that the book is not as wonderful as I thought it was going to be - I see that I missed my tour date.... good grief! Guess I am jumping on this one later today.

    Thanks for the review! :)

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  28. Staci, I'm sorry this one wasn't for you. It happens :-) I think the idea of it is really good- for some reason, long term friendship over decades just fascinates me- maybe because I don't have that in my own life. Anyway, thank you for being on the tour. We really appreciate it!

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