Customer Reviews

The Hard Way

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Let's hope that this is just the beginning of a long line of Luongo's books... and don't pigeonhole this book as chick lit -- it speaks far more to the human condition. Lucy Venier (the protagonist) is the equivalent of a modern day Everywoman -- forever searching, enlightening, living, growing, loving.

And like Lucy the emerging artist, Luongo has create an artwork, no an art gallery, of her own -- No longer confined to the traditional structure of a novel, Luongo has created a fascinating new genre yet to be named... how about `Collage in Vignettes' or `Braided Shorts'? But, no it's more than those...this new genre perfectly compliments the journey of the protagonist, from scene to scene, job to job, relationship to relationship, artwork to artwork.

A great read!

Funny, smart, touching, and superbly well written. You'll love this book, your friends will love this book. Julie has done an amazing job with Lucy - we all know a Lucy in our own lives, and you can't help but love her. I can't wait for the next book!

Lucy Venier is a good friend! Her story parallels the lives we live every day, lives that take such twists and turns with people weaving in and out and then becoming a part of us in such a subtle way.
Julie Luongo weaves a tale of the ups and downs of relationships. Lucy's family and friends, oh, and Lucy, herself, are characters that we've all known and loved. As Lucy struggles to find her truth, we laugh out loud and occasionally cringe at the choices she makes. But the development of Lucy and her relationships is a triumph and a true example of living life with gusto!
Philadelphia color looms large in this narrative. Well structured and fun to read, I plan to take the book "down the shore" and read it again.

In 1990 with the death of the family Venier's patriarch, the three female survivors, his wife and two daughters, cope differently. His spouse Margaret finds a new love Eli; his oldest daughter the married pharmacist Nancy lights candles every night; his younger offspring by almost two decades Lucy returns to journalism school.

A few years later, Lucy graduates from college. She seeks contentment in her chosen writing career and her personal relationships. However Lucy finds little happiness in terms of deciding between becoming a big city crime beat reporter, working the Web where the future lies, or following the money into advertising. On her love front, she goes through men like potato chips Over time Lucy and Nancy, somewhat estranged due to their age difference and their reaction to their dad's death begin to reconcile and then there is another second chance with Ben. Lucy may have found that elusive butterfly of life in the normally tragic third act as she wisely understands that people support those they care about even if that means acting as a compassionate bridesmaid.

In a way this is more a series of vignettes of a coming of age young woman whose choices at times hurt her, but she is the epitome of the Sinatra tune, That's Life: "Each time I find myself, flat on my face, I pick myself up and get back in the race." Readers will appreciate this wonderful character study that is a deep chick lit tale in which Lucy finds her groove THE HARD WAY, but her way.

Harriet Klausner

This being the first of Julie Luongo's books, I serously hope she writes more! This was such a great book, funny, entertaining, and easy to relate to. I hope she creates a series on these characters.

This is such a great read... a true-to-life (at least it relates to mine) acount of one woman's struggle to find peae and contentment in her life as she takes the long road to finding herself. Julie Luongo is a captivating writer and will be around for years to come. Can't wait for her next book.

First I want to say Julie is NOT a relative, even if we have the same last name. I am a fellow writer, and a fellow Luongo, and so I kept coming across her name. Maybe I would not have ordinarily picked up her book it that were not the case, but I thoroughly enjoyed it! She has a subtle sense of humor, and a great take on the strange choices young single women are facing in a post-feminist world. (Of course, is it truly a post feminist world with all its inherent sexism?) Lucy, the main character, makes various choices between career as a painter, journalist, writer and all around creative person, and the odd dating choices which present themselves, all while having to deal with the criticism of friends and family over her weight issues and why she isn't married yet. In the end, Lucy finds happiness, and you'll delight at this collection of stories which tracks into a novel, moving from first and third person and back again. I can't wait to see what Julie brings next.

The Hard Way is a book that surprised me. While I was warned that it was 'Chick-Lit', I really enjoyed it! Why? Because I got to take a peak into the mind of a woman. I actually learned some of the reasoning behind certain mistakes which women make when it comes to dating. On top of that, the characters were quite entertaining. I kept trying to picture which one of Lucy's boyfriends was similar to myself. Some of them had a few personality traits where I was like, "Geez, that could be me."
Overall, I was very pleased that I took the time to read this book. Highly recommended! Julie Luongo is an author that I will definitely look forward to reading again.

A must read! Funny, real, intelligent, and in touch with the emotional highs and lows of anyone's life experiences. Julie's Lucy connects with both men and women who've traversed the universal path to adulthood. You actually feel for her, for her angst, her crushes, her love and her desires, and her emotional and literal physical pain. The main character makes us all feel "normal" by making decisions that "set us back" and/or eventually, propel us forward into a more fulfilling life. I can't say enough about this book. Truly a fun and entertaining read.

This book passed my 'portability test' -- is the book worth dragging to work or wherever, to read during in-between moments, or does it languish by the bed for 10-minute, tired-eyes reads? (It came to work with me almost every day.)

What a fabulous start for this author. In fact, it's hard to believe this is her first published book (but it is). The character is warm, funny, believable and unbelievably human. The book is chick-lit, but not in any way shallow as some think that category implies.

I'm looking forward to more from this author. Jennifer Weiner, watch out.