Customer Reviews

The Answer Is Yes

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

From the thoroughly engaging cover design, to the last loopy course description at the Institute of Affirmation, I loved everything about this book. I normally do not fall for uplifting and positive books, (I tend toward obsessed, psychotic themes as a rule) but Sara Lewis captures me. She manages to present characters who at first glance seem nice and easy, but gives them such a warm depth that they stay with me. (Her previous book But I Love You Anyway still has me pining for a cozy, drive through copy shop geared towards moms with small children!) Unlike the earlier post who forgot everything after reading it, I find myself coming back to some of the ideas months after I read the book. I was prompted to write a review because I just sent The Answer is Yes to a friend who needs to hear YES and I remembered reading a dismissive review when I first ordered it. I felt I should speak up for those of us on the other side. It is a lovely book that worked its way into my heart. Let it work its way into yours.

I became aware of this book through a radio essay by the author about her efforts to promote her books. She deserves the recognition! I love books with great character development and in "The Answer is Yes" the reader gets to know the main character the same way she gets to know her friends, a little bit at a time. We are casual acqaintences first and close friends later. But we are always enganged and committed to these characters. This book may not have received the attention it deserves because it is about personal issues more than about political or social issues, but the personal isssues are ones that are important to most of us. You should read this book and so should Oprah.

Sara Lewis has this great writing style - so immediately immersible, light, funny, and reassuring. I liked this book so much that I went back and got Heart Conditions and But I Love You Anyway. Do yourself a favor and read them all. I don't usually read "light" books...more typically I'm a fan of more heavy, "literary" stuff. However, I'm glad I discovered this author. Now, I only wish she'd write more, since I've exhausted her supply! There's also something inherently comforting about her writing. I love curling up every night with the familiar characters before I go to sleep. Just a terrific, absorbing read! And, actually, I think But I love You Anyway is my favorite book of hers...i'm still not finished with it, though, so that could change...read them all!

This is definitely a book that I will re-read again! It has such an uplifting beat to it and it was hard for me to put it down just to go to work!

It's about Jenny Brown on a search to find fulfilling happiness with her life. All she wanted was: A happy marriage, a job she loves and a reunion with her birth mother.

This book takes you on a journey as she discovers what really matters in life. She falls into directing a play at a local school by accident (let's say, the job was thrown at her!) and discovers herself in the process. She had just moved from Cambridge to California, feeling lonely as her husband worked in a lab 24/7, and hates her job as a loan officer. She stumbles into the Institute of Affirmation, an adult education center offering oddball courses such as Homecooking for Pets and so on. The friends that she has made, the discoveries she realized and lessons learned all tie up neatly in this book.

It is a great affirmative read ~~ and Jenny is like each one of us. After all, we all have gone throughs jobs where we hated it, a dull, staid marriage and a feeling of not belonging anywhere. This book does make you stop and think about where you are going in life and what you want to do with it. I'm not saying that it is a philosophical book ~~ but it does make you think a little harder than some of the other books you may have read. It's a rare jewel of a book that can do that!

This book is a perfect addition to anyone's library!

A likeable lead character really helps. Jenny is a young (early 30s) woman who has moved to California with her scientist husband. He's wrapped up in his career and spends all his time at the lab. She has a job at a bank she hates and loses early on. She ends up discovering a nearby adult education school -- the School of Affirmation -- that offers a variety of wacky classes in a closed elementary school. The slogan of the school is The Answer is Yes -- it's about affirmation and exploring possibilities. Molly ends up involved in putting on a play -- her husband doesn't know why she won't go get another job, although they really can manage without her income. I don't want to give away too much of the story, because a lot of things happen. Good characterization and intriguing ideas make this a good read. Each chapter begins with a course description at the School of Affirmation: for example, a class on rewriting your childhood (denial is not such a bad thing!)

I look forward to readind more by this author.

One of the amazing things about this book is how the author conveys, through the eyes of the heroine, a reality that is never static, never easy to pin down one way or the other. When things are going badly, Jenny sees bad omens everywhere, and misconstrues her own pessimistic misinterpretations as immutable fact. But later, when the clouds break, she sees a different reality, less clouded by her own misery and pessimism. Capturing that shifting of reality on paper, and enabling the reader to see and live all this through Jenny's eyes, is quite a task, and I admire how effortlessly Lewis accomplished this. In addition, the quirkiness of the characters and the setting add an edge of humor that keep the themes of abandonment and emotional isolation from becoming overwhelming. An especially poignant read for adoptees.

Reading a novel by Sara Lewis could put just about anyone in a great mood. Without sounding like a New Age self-help book, she's managed with THE ANSWER IS YES to show how Jenny Brown gets past doubts in her marriage and doubts about herself and her future just by keeping an open mind, following her instincts, and holding on to hope. From when Jenny first stumbles upon the Institute of Affirmation, the adventure she embarks upon to produce positive changes in her life is more interesting than an action novel. I NEVER STOPPED READING. It's too bad that everyone can't visit the Institute of Affirmation, but there's no doubt reading a novel by Sara Lewis can produce just as much warmth and generate as much self-confidence. I've probably given away half a dozen copies of THE ANSWER IS YES to friends in need of encouragement. I'm certain I've handed out just as many copies of her previous novel, BUT I LOVE YOU ANYWAY. And I'm absolutely positive I'll be buying her next novel -- probably many copies.

What a wonderfully written story! I enjoyed reading this book from start to finish. It was an easy going, relaxing novel with characters that you care about. Sara Lewis has definitely became one of my new favorite authors!

Leave your cynicism at the door, ignore the improbability of it all, and just enjoy this book.

is the real star of this book by author Sara Lewis. Lewis uses fiction to present positive, self-help ideas that do make you feel good about reading her works. When you are done, you still like or love the book, despite the fact that you can't believe her heroine would wind up on the wrong side of a love triangle. Jenny's such a heroine -- you don't know why she resists the pull of the "Institute of Affirmation" for so long, and step by step, you long for her to find independence from a relationship that is all wrong for her. Even though the plot
twists in ways you might not want, the book is worthy because the quirky idea behind the adult school is just too good to ignore!

The Institute encourages anybody to teach a course that will give a positive skill to the participants. Fees are minimal, and the prerequisite is that the instructor believes in what he or she is teaching. The key to the tone and culture of the school are the course catalog descriptions, which are the frontspieces of every chapter. A couple of them, which will make you smile, include:

""Diary In Reverse -- Wouldn't you love to look back at your thoughts on your twelfth birthday, remember what you did three days before your wedding? It's not too late! In this class you'll have the opportunity to work backward from today and create diary entries for your grandchildren to cherish. Can't remember? We'll show you how to invent days you'll be happy to share! Who's going to know? 6 Wednesdays, 7-9 pm.""

""Bad Habits Support Group -- Are you a seriously messy and disorganized person? Join a group and spend some quality time with others like you! For one peaceful hour a week, don't fight it! Lay your burden down. We promise not to try to change or improve you. Sundays 2-3p.m.""

Just the laughs from these and other courses alone will make you smile through the book. And, although Jenny is somewhat one dimensional, you'll find yourself in her corner, and recalling this read with great fondness!