Customer Reviews

Second Draft of My Life : A Novel

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I'll admit that I'm an unabashed Sara Lewis fan, and was thrilled to see that she had a new book out. SECOND DRAFT OF MY LIFE is sure to delight readers of her previous titles, and should attract new fans as well (these lucky folks will have three other novels and a book of short stories to catch up on!).

The heroine of the book is Charlotte Dearborn, a talented but unsuccessful author whose novels got great reviews, but never caught on with the general public. Finally, Charlotte declares that she's through writing fiction (AND through with her unsupportive boyfriend). She gets a job teaching grade school. The book is primarily about her trials and tribulations as a teacher. While I've never been a teacher, Charlotte's ups and downs in the classroom seemed amazingly true to life. She also crosses paths with a number of potential Mr. Rights who all seem to turn into Mr. Wrongs.

SECOND DRAFT doesn't sugarcoat Charlotte's despair -- in fact, it's a pretty dark book compared to the much more lighthearted THE ANSWER IS YES and BUT I LOVE YOU ANYWAY. If there's a flaw, it's that the ending seems TOO upbeat compared to what has come before, and I didn't quite buy it. However, if you're looking for a fun summer read that's well-written as well as just plain entertaining (according to the bio at saralewis.com, the author has written for the New Yorker AND Mademoiselle!), check out SECOND DRAFT OF MY LIFE.

Charlotte Dearborn has published 5 novels but has not reached the success level she had hoped. She decides teaching 1st grade will be much more rewarding. Molding young lives, working with friendly co-workers (rather than the lonely life of an author) will be the life she wants.

Up until the first day, this seems like a good plan......

Trying to keep control of a group of children (and some mothers) is not as easy as she thought. And the other teachers don't seem to accept her as she had hoped. Maybe this teaching stuff isn't as easy as she had thought.

There are very few books written about teachers (I don't know why) and with this one, we get a bonus - she reflects on her publishing experiences too.

It's a GREAT book! Some reviewers have commented on the ending saying it doesn't fit. But the more you think about it (and you will), the more you will appreciate it.

Now that I've finished the book I'm sending it to my daughter in Texas - she's a teacher and a very good writer herself.

I really like Sara Lewis and think that many women of all ages can relate to her books. In "Second Draft of My Life", her heroine is a forty two year old writer named Charlotte, who is determined to leave her life as a writer to become an elementary school teacher.

Would-be novelists can learn a lot from the fictional Charlotte. So many writers believe that getting their first book published is the end of the rainbow. Charlotte's had five published, and the book realistically shows the fight to get distribution, publicity, sales and a movie tie-in. Perhaps Lewis speaks autobiographically, since she's been successful in getting published, but less so in terms of sales and notoriety.

While Charlotte is changing professions, and coping with the real world of teaching young children, a challenge for the not-so-faint of heart, she's also given up a romance that was going nowhere and attempting to find a meaningful relationship.

Although Lewis has the ability to see inside many angles of a woman's thought process and struggle through the everyday ups and downs of life, and although her gentle humor is heartwarming and charming, overall, this particular novel didn't succeed with me.

Throughout the first 225 pages, Lewis successfully gives us the ups and downs of Charlotte's attempt to start over. You become invested in what she is doing, and what decisions she will make to tinker with the path she's put herself on. And though you know there will be a happy ending, you're not prepared for the speed at which a simplistic idea that Charlotte sort of falls into, turns it all around for her, buttoning up all her loose ends, and doing a 180 degree turn....all in the last 75 pages of the book. Too many answers in too little time...Lewis seems to tire of the story and want to wrap it up fast.

Try other books by Lewis before you read this one, and you will see her skill in the art of writing for and about women.

It's rare that a book really lifts your spirits, but this one does and then some. I was feeling really down in the dumps when I started this one, but by the end I was really motivated to take the first step towards achieving my goals.

This is such a great book because it is both painfully realistic - the protaganist hasn't figured out what to do with her life, all her romantic prospects are distinctly unimpressive and she's losing the battle of the bulge - and at the same time it's also uplifting and inspirational (especially the ending, which is totally unexpected and utterly charming).

I can't wait to read more by this author. If she isn't huge now she deserves to be. Sara Lewis is simply amazing.

The best writing in this book appears at the beginning of each chapter, when Lewis depicts a crushing disappointment in the life of a writer. It's an effective narrative device. Otherwise, it's pure tedium. Most of the positive reviews seem to come from teachers, but for those of us who aren't teachers, the novel seems just a diary of sitcom situations in the classroom, most of which are entirely predictable and with repetition, become boring. Dialogue should move the plot forward, not simply function as an exchange. I read a lot of domestic reality/women's fiction, and almost never put a book down-- especially one I purchased, but this is one that went back on the shelf.

While this plot of book was charming in its own way, I'd have to admit that I was greatly disappointed by the story itself. The author made teaching in a public school seem like an undesirable profession and that in the end, anyone could do it (as long as they put on "frumpy" clothes and took on a Martha Stewart-type persona). It does not seem like the author has ever had any classroom experience because her portrayal of this profession was both unrealistic and stereotypical. I would not recommend this book to anyone in the field of education.

How I enjoyed this book! It was a comfortable, genuine companion for me this past summer week...like taking a walk on the beach with a old friend. I was especially touched by Ms. Lewis's subtle descriptions of being single, e.g., on page 124(the description of the daily activites of the unmarried female relative). Charlotte is lonely, perhaps; unfulfilled, certainly--but she is not self pitying nor does she seem like a victim. Charlotte will be sure you laugh before you sigh. And, there is a celebration of individuality that you will never forget! What a great read.

Sara knows how to talk to all of us. She lets Charlotte do the talking this time. Frustration, hope, humor, it's all there. She makes you love her while you want to give her a little shake sometimes. If we could only see ourselves the way others see us. When you finish this book you will see the value in Sara, Charlotte and yes, the value in you.

Second Draft of my Life is another example of why Sara Lewis is my favorite author. When I finished this book I felt that I had found a new friend in Charlotte Dearborn. I love the way the book is written from Charlotte directly to me, as if she's letting me in on her most private thoughts. The characters are so real that we can see people we know in each one.

Second Draft of my Life is a MUST read. It would be a shame to miss out on meeting such an interesting person.

The book is insightful regarding the travails of being published as a professional writer. But the description of Charlotte's "new" life is dull, resulting from uninspired writing. The book lacks sparkle, and is plodding as it documents Charlotte's "out of school" life with her sister and her family, or with the boy she tutors and his parents, all of whose characters are undeveloped. Before the "light" goes on in Charlotte's head, she is trying to dress in the casual manner adopted by gradeschool teachers in California, with "fun" accessories such as book ear-rings (who wears book ear-rings?) The "before" Charlotte is middleaged, overweight and eats junk that is routinely available in the gradeschool (is the writer sending a message to her childrens' teachers?) How she changes is the plot of the book. I found it trite, and will forget it quickly. However, if you want a book that isn't demanding and only takes 3 hours to read on a wet afternoon, this will do.