Once upon a time in the little town on the Oregon coast, there were four Lindas—all in the same first-grade classroom. So they decided to go by their middle names. And form a club. And be friends forever. But that was 47 years and four lives ago. Now a class reunion has brought them all—the New York lawyer, the empty nester, the frustrated artist, and the aging starlet—together again in their old hometown, at a crossroads in their lives. They’re about to explore the invigorating reality that even the most eventful life has second acts…and there’s no statute of limitations on friendship.
As Young As We Feel: A Novel (The Four Lindas)
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From the Back Cover
Is there room in one little hometown for four very different Lindas to reinvent their lives … together?
Once upon a time in a little town on the Oregon coast lived four Lindas—all in the same first-grade classroom. So they decided to go by their middle names. And form a club. And be friends forever. But that was forty-seven years and four very different lives ago. Now a class reunion has brought them all together in their old hometown—at a crossroads in their lives.
Janie is a high-powered lawyer with a load of grief. Abby is a lonely housewife in a beautiful oceanfront empty nest. Marley is trying to recapture the artistic free spirit she lost in an unhappy marriage. And the beautiful Caroline is scrambling to cope with her mother’s dementia and a Hollywood career that never really happened. Together, they’re about to explore the invigorating reality that even the most eventful life has second acts … and friendship doesn’t come with a statue of limitations.
About the Author
Melody Carlson’s books for adults, children, and teens—150 and counting—have won numerous awards (such as the Gold Medallion and Rita), climbed the best-seller charts, and touched thousands of lives. Melody lives with her husband, Chris, in the Pacific Northwest, near their two grown sons.
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More About the Author
Melody Carlson has written around 200 books for teens, women and children. That's a lot of books, but mostly she considers herself a "storyteller." Her books range from serious issues like schizophrenia (Finding Alice) to lighter topics like house-flipping (A Mile in My Flip-Flops) but most of the inspiration behind her fiction comes right out of real life. Her young adult novels (Diary of a Teenage Girl, TrueColors etc.) appeal to teenage girls around the world. Her annual Christmas novellas become more popular each year. She's won a number of awards (including the Rita and Gold Medallion) and some of her books have been optioned for film/TV. Carlson has two grown sons and makes her home in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and yellow Lab dog. To find out more about Melody Carlson, visit her website at http://www.melodycarlson.com/
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
31 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Christian Soap Opera Sort Of Book....,
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This review is from: As Young As We Feel: A Novel (The Four Lindas) (Paperback)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
After reading just one chapter of this book, I concluded it was either self-published, or belonged to a genre that was unfamiliar to me. Reading the back of the book cover, I discovered it was the latter. The book is listed as "FICTION/Christian/General", or what is known as the "religious fiction" genre, I believe. It's not overly religious nor particularly judgmental. What it is, however, is written in an amateurish manner, which was surprising since the back of the book states Ms. Carlson has written 150 books! "As Young As We Feel" just reads like it was a beginner's attempt at writing a novel. After reading a few more chapters, I strongly felt I was not going to be able to go on reading.
The writing was the type where the author has a lot of messages and observations about life that she wants to get across to her readers. Hence, the characters seemed to basically exist to relay all of those messages and observations. Also, even though there was the interesting storyline that all the girls go back to first grade together, there was little about their childhoods and friendships, because they weren't actually that close. At some point while reading, however, the characters grew on me enough that I wanted to see what happened them; thus, I did finish the book. I am giving it three stars, instead of two, because I imagine it might be considered an interesting novel in the "religious fiction" genre...although I don't know that for sure...and don't intend to find out...the writing is just too simple for me.
18 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
OK, wish it were better written,
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This review is from: As Young As We Feel: A Novel (The Four Lindas) (Paperback)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
In my 6th grade class there were 3 Lindas, not 4, so I am in the same generation as the protagonists. Obviously the premise held a lot of appeal for me. However, the writing let me down. The characters felt like they were composed of plot points and did not seem like real people. According to the back of the book this story is classified as Christian fiction, not a genre I particularly enjoy. However, I really think if I were not informed that this is Christian fiction, I wouldn't recognize it as such. There are a few rather out-of-character references to prayer and church, but other than that it is pretty straightforward fiction.
It is a quick read and held my attention, but I didn't really buy the ending in which (spoiler alert) all 4 Lindas end up back in Clifden. Three of them relocate from big cities because they long for the charm of a small town. Oh, and they have new men in their lives. It's pretty contrived. If I cared more about these characters I would want to know how many of them actually stick around longer than a year or so. I'm sorry to say I was disappointed.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
For every woman in her fifties,
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This review is from: As Young As We Feel: A Novel (The Four Lindas) (Kindle Edition)
I enjoyed this book very much. It took the action a little while to develop but the basic premise is a great one- four childhood friends brought back together in their fifties renew their friendships and their lives. As a woman who grew up when "Linda" was one of the most common names (we didn't have many names back then) I can easily imagine the scenario of four friends named Linda (my class had four Susans instead.) As a- heaven forbid- middle-aged woman today I can thoroughly relate to the places in which the Lindas find themselves. I'm looking forward to the sequel and certainly hope the Kindle version will come at a reasonable price. In the meantime I'm going to buy the paperback edition of this first book for my best friend Linda!
I gave it four stars instead of five mainly because I think it took the story too long to get interesting. One of the downsides of having four main characters is the time it takes for the reader to become interested in all four, and this book does suffer from that basic and almost inevitable flaw. For the readers who tend to shy away from "Christian Fiction", don't worry, there is very little to scare you off and nowhere is the style preachy.
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