The Things We Do for Love [Paperback]

Kristin Hannah (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (2004)
• ISBN-10: 0345467515
• ISBN-13: 978-0345467515
• ASIN: B000OWA1L2
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (76 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,184,396 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kristin Hannah was born in September 1960 in Southern California and grew up at the beach, making sand castles and playing in the surf. When she was eight years old, her father drove the family to Western Washington which they called home.

After working in a trendy advertising agency, Kristin decided to go to law school. "But you're going to be a writer" are the prophetic words she would never forget from her mother. Kristin was in her third-and final-year of law school and her mom was in the hospital, facing the end of her long battle with cancer. Kristin was shocked to discover that her mother believed she would become a writer. For the next few months, they collaborated on the worst, most clichéd historical romance ever written.

After her mom's death, she packed up all those bits and pieces of paper they'd collected and put them in a box in the back of her closet. Kristin got married and continued practicing law.

Then Kristin found out she was pregnant and was on bed rest for five months. By the time she'd read every book in the house and started asking her husband for cereal boxes to read, she knew she was a goner. That's when her husband reminded her of the book she'd started with her mom. Kristin pulled out the boxes of research material, dusted them off and began writing. By the time their son was born, she'd finished a first draft and found an obsession.

The rejections came, of course, and they stung for a while, but each one really just spurred her to try harder, work more. In 1990, Kristin got "the call," and in that moment, she went from a young mother with a cooler-than-average hobby to a professional writer, and has never looked back. In all the years between then and now, she have never lost her love of, or her enthusiasm for, telling stories. Kristin feels truly blessed to be a wife, a mother, and a writer.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 5 TISSUE LISTENING, July 25, 2004

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Things We Do for Love (Brilliance Audio on Compact Disc) (Audio CD)

Able voice performer Susan Ericksen delivers a fine performance as she articulates the hopes and dreams of two women, one a 38-year-old who appears to have lost everything, the other a young unwed mother-to-be.

Angela DeSaria Malone knew early on what the years ahead would hold: love, marriage and children. This was not to be. She has undergone what for her is surely the ultimate heartbreak: she has suffered miscarriages, lost a child, been unable to adopt, and finally her marriage has crumbled.

She returns to her hometown of West End hoping to find comfort among her family and familiar surroundings. Once there she loses herself in redoing the family restaurant, and she meets young Lauren Ribido. Lauren touches Angie's heart; the girl is pregnant, deserted by her lover and ignored by her mother. She's in desperate need of love and care. Of course, Angie provides both.

An abortion is simply out of the question for Lauren. But, what can she offer a child? Would it make sense for Angie to adopt the child? Sometimes the most logical conclusions are not in the offing. Both women are swept up in life altering experiences.

Another listen that requires Kleenex on the side.

- Gail Cooke

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, December 20, 2005

By 

eb (Roseville, Ca. USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Things We Do for Love (Hannah, Kristin (Large Print)) (Hardcover)

I was looking for something to read on vacation and what a wonderful surprise! I was so pleased with this book that I am back today to buy at least 3 or 4 more by this author. I am a great fan of LaVyrle Spencer and was heartbroken when she quit writing but Kristin Hannah has a very similar style and I am so excited to have discovered her. The characters are so real and the stories so believable that you forget it is a novel. Can't wait to get my package from Amazon!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars deep relationship drama, June 26, 2004

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Things We Do for Love (Hardcover)

Angela and Conlan Malone divorce after fourteen years of marriage because she never recovered from emotional setbacks caused by her infant's death and a failed adoption. The advertising guru flees Seattle for her hometown of West End, a few hours away. In town, her recently widowed mom and her sisters welcome her home, but the siblings still hold some resentment on the special treatment their dad provided to his Princess while they slaved in the family restaurant, DeSaria's.

Since the fourth grade, Lauren Ribaldo has worked to insure she would never duplicate the loser life of her mother. When she lost her job due to cutbacks, she searched for employment to pay the rent, but high school seniors have limited opportunities. Angela needs to help the teen, finally hiring her as a waitress while she struggles to save the family business. As she helps Lauren improve her life, Angela feels she receives more back as she has the child she always wanted, though she thought it would be playgrounds for a while not fancy dates. Déjà vu will soon test the relationship between these proud folks.

Readers will appreciate this deep relationship drama starring a solid female protagonist struggling with emotional setbacks and a fine support crew that brings Angela further alive for the audience. The story line is filled with emotional excitement whether it is the restaurant, the broken link with Conlan or the growing relationship between Angela and Lauren. Fans of a five tissue box character study will enjoy THE THINGS WE DO FOR LOVE and want a future tale starring an older Lauren.

Harriet Klausner