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Review: The Divorce Party


Entertaining with a twist, honest, a must read
Laura has offered two more copies of The Divorce Party. If you are interested in winning a copy, please send me an email with ‘The Divorce Party’ in the subject line along with your address. I will select a winner at random on Weds, June 17th.
Thank you Laura Dave for sending me a copy to read, and a few copies to giveaway!

This is the perfect weekend/summer book and as you will read below, I love reading books that I might see in the movie theater. I had a quiet weekend and the weather was perfect for sitting on the deck, relaxing and reading.

A quick, fast paced book about two women… Maggie is in love and excited to meet her future in-laws. She and her fiancĂ©, Nate, head home to attend Nate’s parents ‘divorce party’. This is the perfect background to learn about the family, the secrets (so many secrets), regrets, closure and moving forward. The Divorce Party is Maggie and Gwen’s story (her future MIL). You become a character in the book as you turn the pages, wondering how it will end. You will enjoy the ending (so many books end flat, not this one).

Have you read this book? If yes (or when you do) here are some questions for you:
- Do you get along with your in-laws? Maggie is building a relationship with her future in-laws and as you read the book the author makes you feel the struggles that Maggie will face for years to come.

- Maggie learns so much about the man she is marrying the weekend of the divorce party and starts to questions herself. Would you run the other way if you were Maggie or gamble on love and the possibilities of companionship, etc?

Laura answers a few questions:

Tell us a little about yourself: I am 31 years old and am now officially a California girl. I moved to Los Angeles last August, but in many ways, I feel like I just arrived. I live with my boyfriend in West Hollywood, and am working on my new novel, which I am really enjoying. I am also co-writing a screenplay for DreamWorks with a great screenwriter named Gwyn Lurie. Gwyn is also currently adapting The Divorce Party for Universal Pictures and Jennifer Aniston. I am so excited about that!
Do you write daily?
I do. Or, I should say, I try to! I write most mornings from 8-1. It helps that I love coffee, and I write at my favorite coffee shop near my apartment. In order to get my coffee, I have to also get to work!

What was it like getting your first novel published? I have a bit of a horror story on that front. I wrote the first 200 pages of London Is the Best City In America while I was in graduate school in Virginia. A week after I finished school, I moved back to New York, spilled water on my computer and lost the entire thing. That wasn’t a good day to say the least. But, in many ways, it has turned out to be a blessing—because, in that moment, I learned that I was going to keep writing no matter what. I sat back down at the computer, and started again. A year later I had finished London. The only part that lasted from the first draft was the first three pages.

What do you think of the electronic book (kindles and such)? I am a book girl—I love how books look and feel, and love curling up with a great book in my hands. That said, I have friends that love their kindles (love them!), and—as a rule—I am for anything that gets people excited about reading.

What is one tip that you can share with aspiring writers? My number one tip is to remember that what makes you a writer is that you write. It’s not how many books you’ve gotten published, or stories you’ve sold. It’s about sitting down every day and telling the stories that matter to you. This is great news, in my opinion, because then our only responsibility is to keep doing just that. Figure out a way to keep showing up for your work—figure out how to make your writing a real part of your life—and the rest will take care of itself.

What are you reading now? I am reading a fantastic novel called Secrets To Happiness by Sarah Dunn. It is such a pleasure to discover a book that you don’t want to put down. This is one of them for me.

Lastly, share one or two of your all time favorite novels read, excluding classics: I love this question. And I’d have to say that The Feast of Love by Charles Baxter and The Lost Legends of New Jersey by Frederick Reiken are perpetually at the top of my list. They are both about love and family and relationships and marriage. And, at their centers, they each have a main character who you can’t help but fall in love with. I highly recommend both.
Just for fun:
Favorite Season: I am a July baby, which may be why I love summer so much. Pretty much from Memorial Day to Labor Day, I’m smiling!

Morning or night: Night. I like to think I get better as the day goes on. (I know I’m a mess when it starts!)

Favorite ice cream flavor: Haagen Daz Cookies and Cream Ice Cream. Hands down.

If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go: Fiji and New Zealand. I am told that you need to devote three weeks if you are able to head to that region of the world. So I would doubly look forward to the trip: first because there is nowhere else I’d rather visit, and second because that would mean I had a three week vacation on the horizon!

Type: Fiction, 246 pages, Trade paperback

Synopsis:
Laura Dave is widely recognized as an up-and-coming talent in women's fiction. Now, with her characteristic wit and warmth, she captures a much-discussed cultural phenomenon that has never been profiled in fiction before—divorce celebrations. Set in Hamptons high society, The Divorce Party features two women—one newly engaged and one at the end of her marriage—trying to answer the same question: when should you fight to save a relationship, and when should you let go?An insightful and funny multi-generational story, this deeply moving novel is sure to touch anyone whose heart has weathered an unexpected storm.

Reviews:
I love The Divorce Party for so many reasons. It is funny, absorbing, and heartwarming – like having a glass of wine with your most insightful friend – Emily Giffin, author of Love the One You’re with
A revealing, honeest portrait of how love binds u together – and drives us apart… I love this book! – Kate Jacobs, author of The Friday Night Knitting Club