Women on the Edge of a Nervous Breakthrough

by Isabel Sharpe

Book Overview

Welcome to Kettle, Wisconsin, a town where everyone knows nothing bad ever happens. Enter Lorelei Taylor-notorious, glamorous, and hot off a not-guilty murder verdict that stunned the nation. To the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0061140554
• ISBN13: 9780061140556
• Release Date: February 2007
• Publisher: Avon Books
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 0.66 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.4" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Reading this book was a terrific use of my time!

I loved living in this world of women who are young, old and in between and who are not all unrealistically rich and/or ultra skinny and model-beautiful....these woman are very real and very fun. I enjoyed Sharpe's witty, observant, and genuine style. I especially liked the little surprises along the way...a character action or comment or situation I hadn't expected. A previous reviewer made a recommendation I'll second: Get this book for you, but also get copies for your friends. It's a great girlfriend book. Looking forward to Sharpe's next book coming up soon!

A great read!

I'm a "historical" gal and I don't usually roam into contemporary romance but this book was beautifully written and totally engrossing. Sharpe has a way of starting out with archetypes we can all recognize and then filling out those characatures until they are three-dimensional, complex human beings. This book has an intensely visual quality - I could really SEE the characters, the way they looked, the way they moved, the tone of their voices. The humor is sharp and laugh out loud funny throughout the book but that is mixed with such a poignant sense of the way our lives often don't end up where we thought they would. I have two suggestions: (1) do not start reading this book late at night because you won't be able to put it down and will be a mess the next morning and (2) buy two copies and give one to your best friend because you are going to be dying to talk about this book with someone when you read it.

Wow!

Being familiar with Isabel Sharpe's wit and noting that some of the reviews called it a comedy, I was expecting to laugh--and I absolutely did. I also winced, cried, empathized, held my breath and continued to think about the characters long after I'd read the last sentence (when you get the book, make sure you don't overlook the epilogue information in the back!) Sharpe doesn't shy away from writing about seriously flawed characters. Her "heroine" (although that's too simplisitc a description for Vivian) can be over the top and at times even self-destructive, but she remains throughout a complicated character that you root for. Even Sarah, who I would probably want to smack in real life, tugged on my heartstrings, especially in her attempts to be a good mom to her difficult teenage daughter an to ultimately change her own life. And Erin's story blew me away. If you're looking for the escapism of books that feature characters who are distinctly "good" or "bad" without much of the gray area in between or character growth, then this isn't the book for you. But for anyone else, it's a definite keeper!

Funny, poignant, moving, a keeper

Women on the Edge of a Nervous Breakthrough is special and deserves a head's up, so others can know about the wonderful story within the covers of this book. I identified with each and every character as if part of them could have been part of me. I knew people like the people in Kettle, I still know people like them. Sharpe's insight into human behavior and her ability to draw on their personalities to create characters so real and vibrant, plus her own special sense of humor and adding that to her talent for penning a story, is magnified in Breakthrough. I couldn't put it down and I recommend this book to everyone and would also suggest that they get an extra copy to give as a gift. Women on the Edge of a Nervous Breakthrough is a keeper.

A Must-read and a Keeper

Women on the Edge of a Nervous Breakthrough is a simply fabulous book. The characters are wonderfully drawn, I feel as if I've visited the setting, Kettle, Wisconsin, and the stories of these three women touch the heart. The surprises in the twists and turns of the story continue right up to the last words. Sharpe's voice is energetic and the writing is flawless. This book gets my highest recommendation.