Ellyn Bache

Not a real pick-me-up, but it was easy to read, interesting and engaging. Reminiscent of "The Wednesday Sisters" by Meg Waite Clayton, it follows five women through 10 years. Written in the present, the story reveals the inner thoughts and workings through a series of flashbacks from each woman's perspective. When Paisley falls ill, they are all shaken from their comfortable roles into new roles with which all are unfamiliar.

While this was an entertaining book, I was not as invested in the characters as I was in "Wednesday", and would recommend the Waite Clayton book before picking this one.… (mehr)

This was a book that I really liked although I was not sure that I would. I thought it might be a bit too morbid but it was a beautiful story.The story has been built around an experience in the author's life. It concerns the women of Brightwood Trace one of whom (Paisley) has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and is fading fast so we know the end of the story. She is the leader of the group, the bright and vivacious one that all the others look too. Each of her friends gets to tell part of the story and fill in some of their background, even Paisley. Each of them reacts to Paisley's illness in their own way and in relation to where they are in their life. As Paisley gets to tell a little of her story we see the influence she has had on all the others. I could relate to the characters, and I loved some of the little detailed experiences told in the story. Well worth a read… (mehr)

I liked the story revolving around Paisley and her terminal illness and how she and her friends deal with the cancer. The cancer brings out the best - and sometimes the worst - to each of Paisley's friends. It is interesting to see how the author develops the characters and how the characters react and act upon the news of Paisley's diagnosis. While some of the characters come across as selfish and self-serving, the author has hit the gamut of emotions and reactions that come along with finding out that a close friend is going to lose her life to an ugly disease. While the plot stretched thin in some areas, the characters were pretty much spot on and I would recommend this story as it does not shy away from realistic characters or death.… (mehr)