Good read, but I like pretty much anything Elizabeth Berg writes. I can't relate to the concept of being divorced, but I can relate to the feeling of being lost and wanting to find yourself.

I like the idea of a woman taking in boarders and learning something from each of them as she starts a new life. It’s too bad there wasn’t more of this central to the book and the characters weren’t more subtly drawn. One thing did become clear when reading the author interview at the back. For a novel published in 2000, the timing and attitudes didn’t seem to fit together. It turn out she wrote it and then shelved it. As a novel about the early 90s it makes a little more sense.

I am pretty much crazy over this book

I read "Open House" by Elizabeth Berg for the first time four years ago. I discovered her books at the library and read all of Berg’s titles available there, then purchased some additional titles as well. I’ve now read all of her books except, oddly considering my profession, her book on writing, which I haven’t finished yet. A few weeks ago, I decided to purchase paperback editions and re-read a few of Berg’s books. I started with Open House.

I’ve just now gone to Berg’s site to grab a short synopsis, and see that Open House was published by Random House in 2000. This novel was the author’s first (written), but not the first she had published. Here is the synopsis from Elizabeth-Berg.net.

A woman whose husband has moved out decides that, rather than selling their house, she will keep it and rent out rooms to boarders. This novel, which was an Oprah pick, is about finding the gifts inside yourself that you've ignored or not been aware of. It emphasizes the fact that sometimes it takes a tragedy to get you to the best place you can be.

Here is mine:

When husband David leaves Samantha after many years of marriage, Sam first reacts by imitating Martha Stewart in an attempt to create the perfect home for her and her 11-year-old son, Travis. When this soon wanes, Sam, determined to keep the family home, opens the doors of her house and the doors of her heart to a few strangers and a man named King, who has a degree in astrophysics and works for a temp agency. Sam starts working there, too, and as the book progresses, Berg weaves the story of how a person’s heart can heal and open to the beauty of the world around them once again, even when they are so profoundly changed by circumstances that they may feel unrecognizable to their former selves. When Sam faces what she thought she once longed for, and makes a surprising decision, some readers may recognize having been faced with a similar dilemma as time marches on and our old dreams boomerang back in our faces, challenging our new desires.

Open House is not simply my favorite Elizabeth Berg book; it is one of my very favorite books ever. This is because it is well-written, well-woven, and I can relate to much of the storyline. My first marriage lasted about the same length as fictional character Samantha’s. My boys were about the same age as Sam’s son, Travis. I, too, had to figure out how to earn money, how to handle a life that had suddenly changed in what felt like every single way, how to parent pre-teen sons and in that process re-invent myself, or find myself, or just grow and change, like many people do. But this commonplace process takes extraordinary strength, I believe (not compared to humanity but compared to what we might have been called upon before to have), and Berg seems to think so also. She blends strength and a fragile sensitivity into the character of Sam (as well as King), and this makes the main character someone you would want as your best friend; someone you want to be happy and to be loved.

As a writer, I find it impressive that in the 241 pages of Open House the author has created endearing characters and a story that touched me so deeply because as I read it I thought, Yes, that! I did that same thing. I felt that same way. This is the magic of Berg’s writing, in this book and in others. If you haven’t yet discovered her books, start with one of her many titles soon.

Note: This is not a paid review, nor a requested review, and I have never worked with Elizabeth Berg, though I have liked her Facebook page.

~Janice Phelps Williams, writer, illustrator at www.janicephelps.com
Author of “Open Your Heart with Pets: Mastering Life through Love of Animals” (Transformation Publishing 2012)

I was having trouble settling on a book after so much dense school reading, so I decided to let Oprah guide me. This book is kind of like advanced chick lit. The prose is simple and honest, and somehow very comforting. Ideal if you want to spend a weekend lying on the couch with some sort of snack food, but still sophisticated enough to not induce that "I just watched a marathon of The Bachelor" feeling.

A sweet, easy read. Likable characters; laughed out loud in some parts. Sometimes it’s nice to read a book where you can just enjoy it and not have to think too hard.

Samantha is devastated when her husband, David, leaves her. This is the story of how she copes--her initial reaction to go on a spending spree, her decision to have boarders stay in her home to supplement her income, her attempt to get a job, her experiences in dating, and how she mothers her teenage son. The beginning of the book has Samantha not thinking clearly, not knowing what she wants, and acting in a neurotic manner. As Samantha tries to find out who she really is outside of her failed marriagee, she often acted like she had absolutely no common sense. Although some of it could probably be a normal reaction to a life-changing event, her behavior often seemed too extreme.

I liked some parts of the book and some of the minor characters, but I really could not connect well with the main character. I read Elizabeth Berg's The Year of Pleasures, and found that to be a much better book with the same theme of divorce.

I didn't really care for this book. I understand how devastating a divorce can be, but was thoroughly irritated by how pathetic Sam became (at one point even throwing herself at the very man who abandoned her and her son). I could've really gotten behind this character and cheered for her if she had pulled herself up, quit feeling sorry for herself, and strived to create a new life for herself. She did eventually do that but I still felt that she was letting life happen to her rather than living life. Also, while reading the book, you get the sense that the time span is over several months, when actually the whole book takes place inside of a couple of months.

So basically, if you nothing else to read, then by all means curl up with this book. It is a quick and easy read, but not one that will compel you or leave you wanting more.

I love this author so much! So rich in emotion. I love the way her characters find happiness and fulfillment by creating circles of friends who become family.

I was so pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book.

This was a horrible book, I had to give up. I couldn't finish it. The protagonist was so pathetic, I was embarrassed for her and she's a fictional character!! Lol. A complete waste of time!!

Well this is a sweet little book about life and relationships built around an everyday woman going through a divorce. I listened to this book on audio over the course of two days and it was the casual conversations in the story that made it so enjoyable. I have always felt that in novels (and in film) it takes a talent to be able to craft a conversation between two women that feels real and natural. Elizabeth Berg does this in spades.

Sam is in her mid 40s with a preteen son, when her husband, David goes through a midlife crisis and decides that he does not want to be married anymore. He buys a condo, gets a girlfriend, and packs a bag, leaving Sam and her son, Travis behind. This is where you learn to love Sam. You sit with her on her sofa while she eats way too much junk food, watches reality tv, and searches the personal ads (cause those were around in 2001) for someone to date. Sam has to get roommates in order to keep her house, which is where the heart of the book comes in. The cast of characters that live with Sam are eccentric and life affirming.

After finishing this book, it is perfectly fine. Just okay. I don't think I will be recommending it to anyone necessarily but there isn't anything wrong with it either. A light read that passes the time in the company of complex and kind characters.