Customer Reviews

Smart Women

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

Reading Smart Women is like catching up with an old friend you haven't seen in a while--Judy Blume. If you, like me grew up reading Are You There God, It's Me, Margaret and Forever, and loved those books, then you will love Smart Women. Judy Blume's writing style is so fabulous, so comfortable. There is no one else writing like her today. This is a terrific book about contemporary women and the crises they face after divorce, and, as with all other Judy Blume books, she does not disappoint. Enjoy this one, it is so easy to read, yet it's not "light reading" because it makes you think.

I grew up on Blume books like "Superfudge" and "Tales of A Fourth Grade Nothing". As a woman, I continue to grow when I read her adult books. She says what people always think but are too afraid to say. This gives you the opportunity to see what might happen if you did say exactly how you felt. (Gives you a little incentive, too!)

Thumbs up on her approach of showing each key character's point of view on the same situations. It really helps you think about how other people percieve things differently than you do.

I loved this book just as much as Summer Sisters, which I finished in one day. Smart Women took me three days, but it was well worth it. The style is much different than Summer Sisters, but just as good. I hope Blume continues to write for older readers as well as younger ones!

Smart Women is perhaps Judy Blume's most accomplished work. Indeed, the text is almost a synthesis of familiar themes and character types from Blume's earlier work. The novel deals with children coping with divorced parents, teenagers searching for self-identity, adults who are on a similar quest, and, as always, a search for love and self validation. As Blume portrays, love and life are never easy, but with patience, perserverance, and time, new beginnings can always be made. The novel almost serves as a text that tells what may have happened to Blume's other characters had we been able to see them develop outside their own texts. However, the novel is more than a mere rehashing of familiar themes. Blume effectively uses themes that she knows best and incorperates them in the novel. Blume is undoubtedly the best Children's and YA novelist this century, but her "adult" novels are where Blume is able to shine. We can only hope that Blume doesn't take as long as a hiatus working on her next adult novel as she did between Smart Women and Summer Sisters. Why Smart Women was ever out of print is a mystery. Read the novel and enjoy. The characters stick under your skin long after the last page is turned.

I recently finished "Smart Women", and I thought that it was a good book. However, I couldn't finish it as quickly as I did "Summer Sisters" and "Wifey"; the writing just didn't move as quickly. The book deals with the lives of two divorced acquaintances, named B.B. and Margo, who have relocated to Colorado after their divorces. Both women are trying to get on with their romantic lives, while raising their children. When B.B.'s ex-husband, Andrew, moves to town, and becomes interested in Margo, both women's lives become further intertwined. All the characters must now accept the new changes in their lives. I read the 1983 hardcover version of this book. Judy Blume's "Forever..." will be my next read.

In this book Judy Blume deals with the stresses of divorced families. Her story of single moms dealing with ex husbands, new boy friends, and raising kids is a true and realistic depiction of what divorced families are like. As somebody whose parents just went through a separation, I appreciated reading about all the emotions that come from having divorced parents. I felt like I could relate to the book and it made me feel better about my reaction to my parents separating. I liked how she wrote from all the different view points of all the characters. Although it was confusing at times, it did help see how both parents and children dealt with situations. These situations included getting along with your kids, dating, and remarrying. There were also other situations that the book dealt with that really kept the reader interested. I would recommend this book to divorced moms and teenagers of divorced parents.

This book is very emotionally satisfying. Margo is a very likable person, and you'll find yourself rooting for her and Andrew to find real happiness together -- despite interference from their children and ex-spouses. An excellent book for kids (older kids) to better understand their parents' divorce, as well as for parents to better understand their kids' perception of "the new person in Mom's life." The children are portrayed with sympathy and compassion.

Judy Blume is a master at exposing TRUE human emotions. No other writer even comes close.

The title of this book itself is a misnomer because the women in this story are anything but smart. I am willing to judge things based on the context of when they were written and I will allow that in 1983 this might have been an honest and true portrayal of women's lives, but in 1983 Knots Landing and Danielle Steel were popular too, which says a lot. Judy Blume has a knack for writing women in a way that is relatable and this book does nothing but diminish that talent in my opinion.

The story is narrated by two middle-aged, divorced women in Boulder, Colorado and their efforts to raise their children, live their lives, and find happiness again. One of the women, B.B. is an attractive realtor who is the envy of the other women in the town. She has a body to die for, a thriving business, a beautiful home, and a lovely daughter. From the outside looking in she leads the perfect life. In fact, the only person who can see any fault with her life is B.B. herself. And when her ex-husband moves from Miami to Boulder to be closer to their daughter, her glass house comes crashing down around her.

The other narrator is Margo. Margo is average in just about every way that you can be average. She has two children, a decent house, makes a fine living, and attends Jazzercize weekly. But Margo isn't B.B. as her teenage daughter is quick to lament. When B.B.'s husband moves in next door, it becomes all too easy for Margo to fall into bed and in love with him.

The story is also narrated alternately by B.B. and Margo's daughters. Blume has always been great at giving a voice to young women and Smart Women is no exception. One of the things I liked most about this book was her ability to step into the mind of a pre-teen and a teenager and say things that are exactly what I thought at that age. The daughters in this book have much more depth than their mothers, which was a disappointment. Again, I will allow that this book was written in 1983, but if you read some of Blume's other early works... let's say Forever and Wifey, there is no comparison. This book is just so-so. If you're a big Blume fan, then by all means read it. I did, and I wasn't terribly disappointed. But if you are into her newer works like Summer Sisters and are expecting something similar, you're setting yourself up for disappointment.

"Smart Women" was the first adult book I ever read by Judy Blume. It takes place in Boulder, Colorado, where two 40-something-year-old friends, Margo and B.B. (aka Francine Eloise Brady), deal with the aftermath of their divorces, while at the same time trying to raise teenagers, find decent men to date, and better their professional careers. However, neither one expected Margo to fall for B.B.'s ex-husband, Andrew Broder, who also happens to be Margo's current next-door neighbor. Needless to say, there's some friction between the three friends regarding this new love triangle, and one of these individuals suffers a complete nervous breakdown and has to be hospitalized.

The results consequently affect their two daughters: Sara (B.B.'s 12-year-old daughter), who becomes a nervous wreck because of her mother's emotional abuse, and Michelle (Margo's hostile 16-year-old daughter), who gets involved with one of her mother's ex-lovers. (Obviously, boyfriend/husband swamping doesn't end with just the parents.) Even though he was a little older than Michelle, I was still shocked and thought the mother should have been more forceful in separating them.

Overall, I thought "Smart Women" was a terrific book. Most of the characters were easy to empathize with, and the writing was superb. I had read many of Judy Blume's earlier children's books (like "Starring Sally J. Freedman As Herself", "Tiger Eyes", and "Just As Long As We're Together"), but I hadn't known Judy was such a talented adult writer as well. Now that I'm older and have somewhat outgrown her younger books, I wish she would write more adult contemporary novels, like "Wifey" and "Summer Sisters". Judy Blume is a fantastic writer--and still one of my favorites. I highly recommend this book, along with all of her others--adult and juvenile.

Judy Blume was always my favorite YA writer. After reading Wifey and Forever, I didn't realize she had written Smart Women. Boy, was this book great! Classic '80's women, kids and houses! I especially loved Sara and Michelle. Although from totally different worlds they came together to form a family unit. Some of B.B.'s hissy fits were a bit much, but this book was great!