Customer Reviews

Certain Girls

5 star:		(59)
4 star:		(55)
3 star:		(46)
2 star:		(48)
1 star:		(26)

 

 

I was very excited to read "Certain Girls," the sequel to Jennifer Weiner's bestselling novel "Good in Bed," which I liked very much. Although most of the book was a lot of fun to read, the ending left me very disappointed.

"Certain Girls" takes place more than a decade after "Good in Bed." Cannie and Peter are now married and raising Cannie's daughter, Joy, who is now 13 years old. Cannie and Joy alternate chapters as narrators, and they have the kind of relationship that's pretty typical between teenage girls and their mothers. Joy thinks that her mom is an overprotective pain in the butt, and Cannie worries constantly about her daughter, especially when she notices changes in Joy's behavior. Meanwhile, Cannie struggles with the notion that her husband wants to have another baby with the help of a surrogate, and Joy eventally breaks down and reads the popular book her mother wrote 10 years ago. "Big Girls Don't Cry" is a sensationalized version of the events that led up to Joy's birth, and after reading it, Joy is so traumatized that she begins to question every aspect of her life. Eventually Joy embarks on a quest to discover the truth about her mother and herself.

At first I wasn't sure what to make of "Certain Girls." I enjoyed the first few chapters, but everything about the novel seemed so predictable and obvious. However, Weiner is a pretty fantastic storyteller, and despite the fact that I had most of the story figured out right away, I was completely drawn in by the book's characters and the emotions that they experienced, which are all unbelievably honest and relatable. As I continued reading, I thought that "Certain Girls" may end up being Weiner's best book to date...until I got to page 344!

The last 40 pages of this book SUCK! The events that unfold are so depressing and completely unnecessary. I think Weiner was trying to recreate the exact same chain of events depicted at the end of "Good in Bed," when baby Joy arrives prematurely and Cannie is unsure if her daughter will survive. I was so disappointed with the way Weiner regurgitated all those emotions at the end of this book, which was so stupid! I'm telling you, the ending of this book is what prevented me from giving "Certain Girls" a five-star rating. To be perfectly honest, a four-star rating is probably too generous of me.

I'm sure many fans of "Good in Bed" will be eager to dive into this much-anticipated sequel, and for the most part, "Certain Girls" is a very enjoyable read. However, if you want to get the most out of this book, take my advice and stop reading after Chapter 36. Trust me!

Jennifer Weiner first appeared on the fiction market with her novel, Good In Bed, a funny, smart look at modern life as viewed by a woman who's coping with stuff that the majority of women live with -- treacherous boyfriends, the constant battle with our weight, and a refreshing attitude that most of us could sympathize with.

Now with Certain Girls, more than a dozen years have passed since the events in Good In Bed. Cannie Shapiro is happily married to Dr. Peter K, and the very proud mother of her daughter, Joy. After her novel -- a thinly disguised memoir of her life -- turned into a runaway best-seller, Cannie has settled into a routine of being a mom and wife, and writing science fiction novels for teenagers under a pseudonym. Everything is going good, and that?s when the problems start.

Joy, the darling of her parents, is hovering on the brink of puberty, and worse still, her bat mitzvah the dreaded rite of passage in every Jewish girl's life when she makes that transition between being a child and an adult at the age of thirteen. But she has other things to worry about - such as not being one of the 'popular girls' such as Amber, the perfect girl at her school. She?s also at that stage where her parents embarrass her mightily, especially her mother. Toss in the fact that she also hates wearing her hearing aids, and her grades are slipping, and Joy is heading for trouble.

Especially when her Aunt Lucy - now calling herself Elle - comes to visit, intending to find Joy the perfect dress, Joy starts finding herself in a conflicting time. Now that suddenly she's being noticed by Amber and her crowd, she's losing her best friends, the twins Todd and Tamsin, and she is also reading her mother's best selling novel on the sly. Unfortunately for Cannie, Joy takes the events in the story entirely wrong, and things are starting to spiral out of control.

If all of this isn't enough, Weiner throws in other plot conflicts, such as Peter and Cannie deciding to hire a surrogate mother to have another child (those who have read Good in Bed will understand why); Bruce, Joy's no-good-nik father is back; and there are a host of other problems, including the current overindulgence in party throwing as each parent tries to outdo the rest for the bar and bat mitzvah events.

Finally, Weiner throws in one last twist that had me howling and throwing the book at the wall. Seriously. It was one of the meanest tricks to lay on a reader, and it left the rest of the story a severe disappointment for me.

Too, there are several style problems with the story. One is the use of alternating first-person voices in each chapter, switching between Cannie and Joy. This tends to get very confusing, as it gets hard to follow as to just whom is speaking. While Weiner is able to keep the writing style frisky and full of verbal barbs and insights, her use of modern culture is going to make this a rather stale novel in about ten years or so.

Overall, I was left feeling that this was just so coincidence heavy, and contrived, that I could not really enjoy it. At best it is a three star read, and that?s rather unfortunate, as Weiner can certainly write much better than this drivel, and I have a hunch that she was being pushed into writing a sequel to her first novel. That's too bad, as with a bit more care, and some trimming could have saved this story and turned it into a truly interesting tale.

Unfortunately, this novel fits into that nebulous area that I reserve for books as a ?maybe? recommend. There is so much going on here, that when Weiner starts to wind up the story, the improbability factor starts to soar. It all comes down to how much you enjoy this author's work -- die-hard fans will read it anyway. But I would not recommend this for a first-time reader of Ms. Weiner's work.

Somewhat recommended.

I believe the biggest problem with Certain Girls is that Weiner, who created Cannie with a terrific, believable voice, did not succeed in maintaining Cannie's voice and adding an equally believable voice in her daughter Joy. Many authors of late have written novels in a multiple voice point of view. Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible comes to mind as an extraordinary novel written in this fashion. But Cannie's voice is diluted and Joy's voice is, well, certainly not that of an almost-teen. Sure, Weiner has made her whiny, cruel, self-centered, and self-possessed, but the voice just isn't right. She uses language that doesn't ring true. I can't "see" Joy as a character and the Cannie that we loved in Good in Bed does not continue to develop and grow.
And I agree with the comments about the contrived plot "twist" at the end. By trying to convince her readers that Cannie is a strong woman capable of withstanding the worst that life can throw at her, she has succeeded only in highlighting the stereotype that we're all becoming rather tired of. Yeah, we're tough and we can "take it" [sigh]. But when we read a Jennifer Weiner book, we'd rather not.

I loved, loved, loved "Good In Bed" and was so excited when I saw this one. "Good In Bed" was one of my top 5 favorite books but I'll never be able to reread it without the taint of this sequel. For those who will, despite the mediocre reviews, read this book I won't reveal the plot twist but suffice it to say that I felt exceeding emotionally manipulated. By the end of the novel I was angry and wished I'd never read the book. There were numerous points when I thought about putting it away and ending the painful attempt to try to get through it but I continued on... to my heartbreak. I should have heeded my intuition. Beyond the devastated twist late in the book... what happened to the strong, quirky and intelligent Cannie? Instead we're left with a fear driven and insecure woman who never found her way... very disappointing. Also, I recognize that all mother/ daughter relationships change during those awful teenage years but it seemed that more was being made of the situation than was warranted. All in all... VERY disappointing! Spend your money elsewhere!!

I loved Good In Bed so I was really excited to find out what happened to Cannie and Joy. This book was a disaster. I am so disappointed to find out that the happily ever after that I'd pictured turned out to be so depressing.
Were these books really written by the same author? How could you turn such a smart and fun character as Cannie into a smothering, insecure, out of touch mother?
And I agree with previous reviewers who stated that the ending was completely unnecessary and ruined the whole story.

It is a major disappointment when you finally get the book you've coveted for so long only to find out it is a flat book. I thought I could count on Weiner to provide a wonderful chick lit book that would carry me away into a different world and it is all dramatic at first, but ends with a wonderful ending.

Well, it's not this book.

I had to force myself to finish this book, which I am now kicking myself in the rear for doing so because not only was this book flat, it gave a twisted ending that really ruined the book for me. Like a lot of the reviewers in here, what in the world is she thinking? I hate wasting time on books that doesn't fly and fortunately, I don't run into that problem too often. This one ... was a waste of my time.

I didn't read "Good in Bed" though I do have a copy of that somewhere. I am almost apprehensive in picking that one up after reading this one. This book focuses on Cannie, married to a doctor, Peter, and mother of a teenager, Joy. Joy, in this book, makes me dread teenagehood with all passion. I don't remember being like her as a teen and frankly, there is no redeeming factor about Joy in this novel. And now Cannie, she is frankly one of the most wishy-washy characters I have ever read about. All she harped on was how fat she was and how scared she is that her past would come and haunt Joy.

After reading this review and others in here, I am surprised that I even finished this book. I very rarely say that about books, so it takes a lot to get me on this two-star track. This one did it. And I am deeply disappointed since it wasn't like her others.

5/13/08

Jennifer Weiner's much anticipated sequel to Good in Bed does not disappoint, and we Jen Weiner fans have been waiting a long time for this one! When Certain Girls finally arrived, I hoped it would be as good as the first, and it is! It's possibly even better; and Good in Bed is one of my most favorite all-time books ever!

With characters old and new, grown and mature, quirky and completely believable, you'll feel as if you want to know them in real life. You can sense the angst and turmoil of 13-year-old Joy as she tries to find her place in the family; tries to learn what it is to `become a woman' as she prepares for her bat mitzvah. I fell in love with Joy, found myself wanting to comfort her, and at the same time, shake her and say, "But your mother just loves you--that's why she's so crazy!"

Cannie has grown up and while she is an overprotective mother, she just wants to do right. Sometimes she tries too hard, but again, it's just because she's a mom and she loves her daughter so much--that's why she's so crazy!

I don't need to sell Jennifer Weiner fans on this book. They already know. There are loads of touching moments, laughable moments, and some especially unexpected shocker moments in Certain Girls. You will really have a varying mix of emotions when reading, but one thing's for certain, as it is with all of Weiner's creations ... you'll come away wishing you didn't have to close the book, wishing you could just go back for a little while and hang out with the people you just read about. They're that real. They're that good. She's THAT convincing!

It's been thirteen years since Cannie Shapiro survived the humiliation of her former lover's public wrath to write her own best selling fictionalized tell all. Now she is battling with her teenage daughter over her upcoming bat mitzvah and trying to decide if she and husband Peter should hire a surrogate to carry their child. Cannie is living down her notoriety choosing to write sci-fi fiction instead. But daughter Joy is teetering on the brink of becoming an adult and just about everything about her mom embarrasses her - especially a certain book she has just discovered. When she starts acting up, she crosses the line and learns that perhaps her mom does have her best intentions at heart.

Like many readers, I loved the wisecracking character of Cannie, who had her happily ever after with the hunky diet doctor, uh bariatric physician despite the odds. Unfortunately throughout the majority of this book, that Cannie is long absent. Daughter Joy was a pain in the butt, and I found those chapters told in her voice to be somewhat boring. Readers who didn't read "Good In Bed" might be a little lost due to all the references to characters and pets that appeared in the far more original first novel. This one is just an okay read, and unfortunately she incorporates a decidedly unhappy event at the end to preclude this reader from embarking on any further adventures with Cannie.

I loved Good in Bed when it came out years ago and I was excited to see the sequel but I was very disppointed. In spite of a healthy child, a wonderful partner and a pretty easy life in the 'burbs, Cannie is still obseesed with her weight and her looks in general. It is really tedious "listening" to her on this subject. Her daughter is a whiny brat. Yes, she is 13, but not in any way sympathetic. I couldn't really connect with any of the characters in this humourless story. The one character who doesn't annoy doesn't survive! Heavens, what was the point of that? Do Cannie and her child grow or improve at all through this sludge? Nope. I nearly abandoned this book about 1/3 of the way through but persevered and really wish I hadn't. If you loved Good in Bed, I suggest you leave the story there.

I love Jennifer Weiner's books, but the last two (Goodnight Nobody and The Guy Not Taken) were in my opinion big stinkers. I was looking forward to the sequel to Good in Bed as it is my most favorite book of all time. However, while I realize Cannie is older and has greater responsbility, I think she has lost some of her sassy luster I loved so much in the first book. I also really hate her daughter. I know that at 13 being seen with your mom is supposed to be super uncool but I guess I missed that phase.

To be completely honest, I have not yet finished the book, but the fact that when I have to put it down to go to work I find myself looking forward to coming home and finding out what happens is a good sign. This book appears to be the comeback from the slump she seemed to settle into after Little Earthquakes.

I recommend this book if you like Jennifer Weiner enough to plonk down the hardcover price, but don't expect follow along the same lines as Good in Bed.