Imagine that your husband wrote you a letter, to be opened after his death. Imagine, too, that the letter contains his deepest, darkest secretβsomething with the potential to destroy not just the life you built together, but the lives of others as well. Imagine, then, that you stumble across that letter while your husband is still very much alive. . . .
Cecilia Fitzpatrick has achieved it allβsheβs an incredibly successful businesswoman, a pillar of her small community, and a devoted wife and mother. Her life is as orderly and spotless as her home. But that letter is about to change everything, and not just for her: Rachel and Tess barely know Ceciliaβor each otherβbut they too are about to feel the earth-shattering repercussions of her husbandβs secret.
Acclaimed author Liane Moriarty has written a gripping, thought-provoking novel about how well it is really possible to know our spousesβand, ultimately, ourselves.
I thoroughly enjoyed this quick book and would highly suggest it to people for a great vacation read. The author seamlessly weaves the stories of three very different women together at a wonderful pace. All of them are at different stages in their married life, and again, this author tackles marriage and motherhood as she did in What Alice Forgot. She delves into secrets vs. the truth and the reasons why both can be good and evil simultaneously. All three of the protagonists had qualities that made them easily relatable to the reader. The idea (mentioned in the prologue) about Pandoraβs box and the premise of ‘what if’ was an underlying theme of the book. I will continue to read Liane Moriarty’s books as she definitely writes with heart and andΒ demonstrates great skillΒ with realistic dialogue.
Quotes I liked:
She was a far better mother when she had an audience.”
– βMarriage was a form of insanity; love hovering permanently on the edge of aggravation.β
– βAnyway, werenβt women allowed to be sexist for the next two hundred years or so, until they evened up the score?β
– β(Her mother was forty years old. What could possibly be going on in her life that was so interesting?)β
– βThis Thursday night felt like adolescence: exquisitely painful and sharply beautiful.β
– βShe always pretended to herself that she didnβt let Lauren help because she was trying to be the perfect mother-in-law, but really, when you didnβt let a women help, it was a way of keeping her at distance, of letting her know that she wasnβt family, of saying I donβt like you enough to let you into my kitchen.β
βDr. Yue seemed highly intelligent because he wore glasses and perhaps because he was Asian, which was racial stereotyping, but Cecilia didnβt care. She hoped that Dr. Yueβs mother had been on of those pushy tiger mothers. She hoped poor Dr. Yue didnβt have any other interests apart from medicine. She loved Dr. Yue. She loved Dr. Yueβs mother.β
Review:The Measure by Nikki Erlick was a book I waited far too long to read. I just couldnβt stomach the idea that everyone in the world would find out their relative life span. The whole idea of this scared me but when my book club chose to read it, I dug in with enthusiasm.Iβm so glad I did. This book is more about life and how we live it, rather than about dying. Itβs told by a cast of eight characters who are deeply affected by the strings they received. The length of the string parallels the length of your life. All the characters are struggling with their results because even if he or she gets a long string, there will still be people they know will be gone soon.How the world at large handles the strings was so well done. People are switching boxes hoping it could change their destiny. Support groups are offered. Protests occur. The world is in a very different place. Much of this book made me think about the differences between fate and destiny. This story offers many intertwined connections between the characters that makes for a powerful and meaningful ending. Iβm so looking forward to whatβs next from this author. @nikkierlick @williammorrowbooks William Morrow π Would you open a box that told you how long your lifespan is?#themeasure #scifilight#bookreader #bookclubpick #goodbookfairy... See MoreSee Less