Promises to Keep: A Novel [Hardcover]

Jane Green (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 2010

From the New York Times bestselling author-a momentous new novel about a family suddenly thrown together

Callie Perry is a successful family photographer living in upstate New York. She adores her two daughters, has great friends, and actually doesn't mind that her workaholic husband gets home at 9 p.m. every night-that is, when he's not traveling six months out of the year.

Callie's younger sister, Steff, on the other hand, has never grown up. She's a free spirit, living in downtown Manhattan and bouncing between jobs and boyfriends. Lately, she's been working as a vegan chef, even though she can't cook.

Lila Grossman is Callie's best friend and has finally met the man of her dreams. Eddie has two wonderful children, but also a drama queen ex-wife who hates Lila. And then there are Callie and Steff's parents, Walter Cutler and Honor Pitman. Divorced for thirty years, they rarely speak to each other.

The lives of these colorful characters intersect when they each receive a shocking note that summons them together for one extraordinary summer in Maine and changes their lives forever. This novel is about the hard choices we have to face, about having to be your parents' child long after you've grown up, and about the enduring nature of love.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Green's 12th novel, Callie Perry is a happily married photographer with two wonderful kids, a lovable sister, Steffi, and a best friend, Lila. Problems are minor: Steffi can never settle down, Lila has finally found love but the guy has a nightmare of an ex, and Callie and Steffi's divorced parents haven't spoken in 30 years. But then Callie, a breast cancer survivor, is diagnosed with a rare and incurable complication of the disease. Suddenly realizing that she has only months to live, she begins the painful process of saying good-bye. While the subject matter is intense and personal, it's far from depressing; the characters are warm, funny and realistic. Green (The Beach House) manages to create an authentic tale of a woman who truly loves her life and family and is trying to do the right thing for them before she dies. While Green breaks up her chapters with recipes (presumably because Steffi is a cook), this peculiar modern conceit in women's literature feels like a misstep. Overall, Green once again delivers an enjoyable emotional story. (June)
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From Booklist

Callie Perry seems to have it all: a handsome husband she adores, two adorable children, and a thriving business as a portrait photographer. A battle with breast cancer four years ago only made her marriage to Reece stronger, but the couple faces a major setback when agonizing headaches and a frightening blackout send Callie back to the hospital soon after celebrating her forty-third birthday. While Callie's oncologist tries to determine if her cancer has returned, her family rallies around her. Her younger sister, Steffi, a successful chef, has recently traded a fast-paced life in New York City for a quieter one in Sleepy Hollow in order to reassess her priorities. Callie and Steffi's father, Warren, has barely been able to be in the same room with their mother, Honor, since she left him; but news of Callie's plight brings him rushing to her bedside. Inspired by a friend's battle with cancer, Green's story definitely has the emotional heart and resonance to hook readers of women's fiction. --Kristine Huntley

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Viking Adult; First Edition edition (June 15, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670021792
• ISBN-13: 978-0670021796
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (74 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #346,612 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jane Green is a bestselling author of popular novels. She has been featured in People, Newsweek, USA Today, Glamour, and Cosmopolitan. She lives in Connecticut with her family.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Depressing, January 19, 2011

By 

dcbooklover (washington, dc) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Promises to Keep: A Novel (Hardcover)

I am not as big of a fan of Jane Green's books now as I used to be. Jane Green's earlier books -- Jemima J or Mr. Maybe, for example -- were what I would classify as classic, high-end "chick lit." They were generally about young, single women struggling to find their place in the world....but they were also sharp and funny and witty and heartfelt. Jane Green's fiction today is what I would classify as "women's fiction" with much more "mature" themes about marriage, infidelity, parenting, illness (probably reflecting the author's own different place in life). While there is nothing wrong with those subjects, in my opinion her writing has lost some of the sharp wit and fun of her earlier books. That said, she speaks in a voice that is uniquely hers. I think I could identify one of her novels after reading a single chapter without seeing the title page. And her characters continue to be, for the most part, very sincere and relatable. At the same time, her current books tend to be more depressing and more "inspirational" in subject matter. This book is no exception. I have no real objection to well-written books about difficult subject matters like serious illness, it's just not what drew me to Jane Green and not what I am hoping for when I pick up her books.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An "OK" release by Jane Green, August 10, 2010

By 

Kimberly Blair (MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Promises to Keep: A Novel (Hardcover)

I have previously talked about love Green's books because I can relate to her characters. No matter if she was writing about a single girl, newlywed, or happily married woman, I found bits of the character that I enjoyed. In "Promises to Keep," the author writes about three women. One a happily unattached girl, one happily committed, and one happily married. I was not able to relate to any one of them.

In this story it felt like Green forgot what made real, interesting women, and instead turned to stereotypes to create her leading ladies. Steffi meets every "single girl" stereotype there is. She's unable to keep a job for long, dates guys that are horrible for her, and floats along in life. Lila, who has given up on having children [spoiler alert]suddenly finds herself unexpectedly pregnant[/spoiler alert]. Green talks so often about how happy Callie's perfect relationship is that I start to roll my eyes. I just couldn't get behind these ladies like I had in Green's previous stories.

Although it was hard for me to get behind the female characters, I did find the peripheral characters enjoyable. The story of Walter and Honor-Steffi and Callie's parents-was adorable to watch unfold. The character of Mason-a book publisher and client of Steffi's restaurant-has an interesting story that kept me guessing throughout the book. Even though these characters played minor roles, I kept reading to find out how their subplots ended.

While I found some of Green's characters a bit off, the story she told was powerful. Once the plot started going-about halfway through the book-I was unable to put it down. The emotional highs and lows of the characters' journey grabbed me. I kept a box of tissues next to me and needed to use it frequently. Even though I often found myself unable to connect with the characters, the story was so powerful that I did end up enjoying it a great deal.

Review: I expected this book to be another fantastic Jane Green read, but that was not the case. The disconnect I felt with the main characters meant it took longer for me to get into the story. Once I connected with the plot, I found the book to be an pleasurable read.

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A tear jerker of a book, June 18, 2010

By 

Debbie's World of Books "Debbie's World of Books" (Union City, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Promises to Keep: A Novel (Hardcover)

I've only read a couple books by Jane Green and was not impressed but this book was unbelievably good! Granted I am nearly 9 months pregnant and have a toddler of my own but this book had me bawling. I was so invested in the characters and what happened to each that I almost couldn't finish the book out of fear of what would happen. Steff is your typical chick lit, flighty character and you can pretty much predict what would happen to her in the end. Still the story was written in such a way that it will keep you engaged and hoping for a happy ending for all of the main characters. Callie's husband at first had me guessing if he was going to go the route of the busy working husband who would turn out to be a cheater or a loving husband that would be there no matter what.

The other nice thing about this book was each chapter opens up with a recipe. Some of them sounded so tasty I may just have to try them out myself. Really there wasn't anything I actively disliked about this story. The only slightly negative thing I can say is much of the story is predictable but I find that true of all chick lit books. This is definitely a must read book but have a few tissues on hand.