The Meryl Streep Movie Club [Paperback]

Mia March (Author)

Book Description

Release date: June 19, 2012

In the bestselling tradition of The Friday Night Knitting Club and The Jane Austen Book Club, three women find unexpected answers, happiness, and one another with Meryl Streep movies as their inspiration.
 
Two sisters and the cousin they grew up with after a tragedy are summoned home to their family matriarch's inn on the coast of Maine for a shocking announcement. Suddenly, Isabel, June, and Kat are sharing the attic bedroom--and barely speaking. But when innkeeper Lolly asks them to join her and the guests in the parlor for weekly Movie Night--it's Meryl Streep month--they find themselves sharing secrets, talking long into the night--and questioning everything they thought they knew about life, love, and one another.
 
Each woman sees her complicated life reflected through the magic of cinema: Isabel's husband is having an affair, and an old pact may keep her from what she wants most . . . June has promised her seven-year-old son that she'll somehow find his father, who he's never known . . . and Kat is ambivalent about accepting her lifelong best friend's marriage proposal. Through everything, Lolly has always been there for them, and now Isabel, June, Kat--and Meryl--must be there for her. Finding themselves. Finding each other. Finding a happy ending.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A heartwarming, spirit-lifting read just in time for beach season.

—Kirkus Reviews

March’s debut is a treat for movie lovers an fans of meaningful women’s fiction. The main characters have their flaws, but are easy to relate to, and one can’t help but root for their success in life and love.

—Romantic Times Book Reviews

Consume with a bowl of popcorn and plenty of hankies.

—Publishers Weekly

In the tradition of Friday Night Knitting Club and The Jane Austen Book Club, this debut novel also has a healthy dose of Meryl Streep thrown in.

—USA TODAY

"March’s first novel is a touching story of self-discovery and the strength of family."

—Booklist

"Mamma Mia! Any romance that offers life lessons from Meryl wins on style points alone."

–USA TODAY

"In March’s debut novel, three cousins come together in the quaint Maine inn where they grew up to find solace and comfort in Streep’s oeuvre of films after each finds her life in disarray. The movies work their magic as each woman repairs her heartache in this emotional and heartwarming read."

—Woman's Day

"March's debut novel is a romantic, heartfelt read, one that will likely be pulled out of beach bags from California to the coast of Maine this summer season."

—BookReporter.com

About the Author

Mia March lives on the coast of Maine, the setting of The Meryl Streep Movie Club.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Gallery Books; Original edition (June 19, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1451655398
• ISBN-13: 978-1451655391
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (64 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #116,833 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

My next novel, FINDING COLIN FIRTH, will be published in July 2013 by Simon & Schuster's Gallery Books. It's the story of three women, connected in secret and surprising ways, who are in for a life-changing sumer when rumor has it that Colin Firth is coming to their small coastal Maine town to film his new movie. FINDING COLIN FIRTH is a spin-off to THE MERYL STREEP MOVIE CLUB, featuring the same setting and many of the characters make appearances and cameos. My favorite Colin Firth movie? It'll always be the BBC version of Pride & Prejudice, but I'm also crazy about Love Actually and Then She Found Me.

I'm also the author of THE MERYL STREEP MOVIE CLUB (June 2012, Simon & Schuster/Gallery Books), also set in Boothbay Harbor, Maine, one of my favorite towns and just about an hour up the coast from where I live. What inspired THE MERYL STREEP MOVIE CLUB was not only my love of films and Meryl Streep in particular, but the way movies can change a person and spark conversation. My favorite Meryl Streep movie is Out of Africa. What I love about Meryl Streep (so much that I devoted a novel to ten of her oustanding films) is how exceptional she is at range--from breathtakingly serious to hilariously funny. And to be honest, I just love her face. I think she's exquisite!

I'm not only a movie fan--I'm a huge reader. My favorite books range from childhood favorites such as Anne of Green Gables and Little Women (I've always liked to think those March sisters were my own :) and current favorite authors include Anne Tyler, Elin Hilderbrand, Elinor Lipman, Marisa de los Santos, Fay Weldon, Beth Hoffman, Jennifer Weiner, Sarah Addison Allen, Jane Green, Anne Lamott, Richard Russo, Stephen King, Maeve Binchy, Claire Cook, Jennifer Crusie, Pam Houston, Elizabeth Berg, and many more. I love big-hearted, emotional novels about life and love. I also love memoirs and all kinds of non-fiction. I'm currently reading WILD by Cheryl Strayed and can't put it down.

I'd love to hear from you with any comments (and I'd love to know your favorite Meryl Streep movies). Email me any time: AuthorMiaMarch at gmail.com. And please visit my website: http://www.miamarch.com

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars "Maine" lite April 26, 2012

By celticsfan34 VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

"The Meryl Streep Movie Club" will remind many readers of J. Courtney Sullivan's recent bestseller "Maine," with its similar cast of multi-generational, female-centric characters and picturesque coastal Maine location. "Meryl Streep" is ultimately much fluffier a read, however, although it does touch upon serious life topics such as infidelity, terminal illness, and single parehthood. Three cousins reunite at a Maine inn to help their mother/aunt through chemotherapy; all three young women are pondering major life decisions involving marriage, parenthood and careers. Author March wisely allows each women to resolve her particular issues fairly sensibly (although I could have done without the exasperating search one character makes for her son's father, which results in a conclusion both far-fetched and predictable). As personal problems wax and wane throughout a New England summer, the women converge regularly to watch Meryl Streep films and discuss parallels between movies and real life. This plot device worked well in some areas but seemed a bit contrived in others.
"The Meryl Streep Movie Club" is a light, entertaining read, not without substance. Female characters are well-drawn and likeable despite their flaws. My only reservation with this deftly-written novel is that each of of the main characters ends up having a very attractive man waiting in the wings - one-dimensional hunks with intense eyes and sculpted abs - ready and eager to sweep her off her feet. These guys seemed to fall right out of stock romance novels and keep "Meryl Streep" firmly in female fantasy-land.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Meryl Streep movies May 7, 2012

By Amy Leemon VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Unexpected circumstances bring three women home to their Aunt Lolly's inn on the coast of Maine. Lolly needs to see them and each of them is at a turning point in her life. Isabel has a marriage in deep trouble, Kat is facing difficult questions from her 7 year old son and Kat is torn between pleasing her aunt or following her own dreams. But returning to the inn brings back many painful memories for each of them.

To ease the tension, they start a movie night and the star they pick to watch is Meryl Streep. And then they discuss the movie they've watched - The Bridges of Madison County, Heartburn, Defend Your Life and Kramer vs. Kramer to name a few. They learn about themselves during these discussions and even start to understand the directions their lives have taken.

This is a great story of love, family, movies - and Meryl Streep.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Enjoyable! August 24, 2012

By Corey A. Doyle VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

This novel is told from varying viewpoints, which doesn't usually work when so many different views are handled (there are 4) but in this novel they seem to flow together effortlessly and make this novel all the more better. Lolly is the owner of the Inn and her daughter, Kat, helps her run it. Her two nieces, June and Isabel, grew up at the Inn after their parents death and visit infrequently. Everyone is called home for a meeting with Lolly whom seems to have no feelings and is a cold woman. The only time anyone sees a bit of emotion from Lolly is when she's watching movies, especially ones featuring her favorite actress Meryl Streep.

I found myself surprised with how much I enjoyed this novel and how much I cheered all 4 of the women through their various stories. The story is well told and the messages don't get TOO lost in the changing viewpoints. It did take me a bit to sort out who-was-who but once I did it was an easy read. The only real downfall I had with the book was how it was a little over the top the "lessons" these women learn through the book while watching the different movies. It was a tinge on the after school special lines for me. Beyond that though, I really loved this book and hope to see more from this author in the coming years. I would even enjoy a sequel to this novel to see where these girls continue to go. Things are tied up at the end but there is always more to the story :)