Thanks Naomi. Montreal is a neat city, don’t you think? We like all the bike paths and water ways. I very rarely reread novels – but I couldn’t remember parts of Birdsong … so I’m glad I revisited it.

I would like to read Birdsong sometime… I’m glad it held up well for you!

Hi Ti, I’m still in Montreal — I’ll be back on Monday so I feel behind on the blogging etc. I think we felt the same way about The Female Persuasion and Sunburn. And I was impressed by Robyn Harding’s first novel though this latest one’s premise didn’t seem to call out to me as much …. but I’ll probably visit it since you liked it. I’ll check your review once you post. thx

I ended up loving The Female Persuasion but it was a slow build for me. By the end, I was liking it so much more than when I first started it. I agree that the timing of its release probably increased my love for it, as well.

Sunburn was interesting. I enjoyed it a lot but I did not like the main character at all. I hated how she used sex to get what she wanted and some of the story line seemed a bit ridiculous but nonetheless it had me turning those pages.

I just finished Her Pretty Face. Should have my review up soon. Another page-turner… quite good.

Thanks Carmen, I’m enjoying Montreal so far. Fun being here, I’m in the East! Bearskin is a novel — and sort of a suspense thriller. Quite a bit of nature is depicted in it, & it’s a bit disturbing too b/c of its bear poaching subject. And Yes, I did finally see the Borg/McEnroe movie. I enjoyed it — it is a bit interesting; they had such different personalities & tennis games — but had respect for one another’s talents. It’s a movie that might not be for everyone though, as well as The Outsider. Mostly for tennis geeks, ha. Enjoy your week.

Thanks Judy. You are probably right about schmaltz & male writers, ha / sometimes when I re-read a novel things seem a tad dated or hit me a bit differently than when I first read them. Birdsong was sort of like that (a bit schmaltzy) but still held up & I’m glad I revisited it. You’ll probably like Lippman / this was my first of hers but I could see she was on top of her form! I wouldn’t want to cross Polly.

Thanks Brian. I’m enjoying Montreal so far. Fun to be here. I agree with your assessment of the eco-thriller — it was very difficult for me to read about bear poaching — ohh it’s a terrible thing. That’s why I wanted the bad guys to really get their due. I’m very sad about the plight of wildlife around the planet. Just kills me what is going on.

Thanks JoAnn. Great comments, we read the same books! I think you’ll find Connors’ memoir good as an audiobook even though he doesn’t narrate it. Juicy stuff at times! I must say The Female Persuasion was my first Wolitzer novel and I was pretty impressed. It was entertaining! The Wife movie comes out this month — looks pretty good too.

Thanks Vivien! I always forget how hard these tourneys are! I’m in Montreal now — trying my best. Fun just to be here, back East — woo hoo! Hope our summers last forever, ha. Enjoy.

Thanks Kathy. I think you would like The Outsider … plenty of juicy stuff and stories from those tennis days. I listened to it as an audiobook which wasn’t read by Connors but it was done fairly well. Check it out if you can.