 | Title: The Making of Us Author: Lisa Jewell Publisher: Atria Books; Original edition (August 14, 2012) ISBN 10: 1451609116 Pages: 416 pages Format: Galley from Netgalley.com |
About the Book: (From Goodreads.com)
From the internationally bestselling author of After the Party comes a delightfully funny, brilliantly poignant novel about three strangers who are brought together by the father they never knew. Lydia, Dean and Robyn don’t know one another. Yet. Each is facing difficult challenges. Lydia is still wearing the scars from her traumatic childhood. Wealthy and successful, she leads a lonely and disjointed existence. Dean is a young, unemployed, single dad whose life is going nowhere. Robyn is eighteen. Gorgeous, popular and intelligent, she entered her first year of college confident of her dream to become a pediatrician. Now she’s failing her classes. Now she’s falling in love for the first time.
Lydia, Dean and Robyn live very different lives, but each of them, independently, has always felt that something was missing. What they don’t know is that a letter is about to arrive that will turn their lives upside down. It is a letter containing a secret—one that will bind them together and show them what love and family and friendship really mean.
“So good that I practically inhaled it,” praised the Daily Mail (London). The Making of Us is a literary gem that will remind readers of the miracles that happen when we bring life into the world and share our lives with those we love.
Setting: London
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About the Author: (from Good Reads.com) Lisa Jewell (born 19th July 1968, Middlesex, London) is a popular British author of chick lit fiction. Her books include Ralph's Party, Thirtynothing and most recently 31 Dream Street. She lives in Swiss Cottage, London with her husband Jascha and daughters Amelie Mae (born 2003) and Evie Scarlett (born 2007). |
Related Media: – Lisa Jewell on Creating Characters
My Review: This was the first galley I have read and I was so pleasantly surprised. Making of Us is the story of three children born of the same donor father. All raised in different homes with different moms and different experiences. But moms who wanted them so much and went to the clinic to have the child then so deeply desired. Many issues are brought to mind in this story, the rights of the children to know who their father is, the right of the sperm donor to remain anonymous. The bond of family and wanting to feel like you belong and able to see yourself in your family. The desire to not feel alone in the world but connected in a meaningful way to others.
The Making of Us is emotionally charged and very believable. I loved the characters and how they change throughout the book, especially Lydia. She really blossomed once she gained confidence, felt she belonged and had family. It was good to watch Dean mature and grow as a person/father. I enjoyed how the author wrote each chapter with a different narrator. This allowed you to know the characters thoughts as well as their thoughts about the other characters as well. This technique lead to very strong character development, though this was confusing the first few chapters to get the characters straight. Luckily, I always take notes to help me get a solid understanding of the characters early on. It takes away form the story if the confusion lasts too long!
I finished Making of Us a few hours ago and I have been trying to figure out why I was so struck by this book. I think I was most struck by the emotions of the children wanting to belong or feeling like something was missing for them. But they each felt like something was missing and that was all brought together when they met their siblings. People that were like them and looked like them. The sense of belong and being a part of “Us”. The emotions of the characters are right on – a donor father or absent father the emotions to belong and be a part of “us” is so strong. It is amazing to me how siblings raised by different mothers can have so much in common – but they can, I have seen it! Making of Us is a great story about finding family and importance of family.
My Rating: 4 – really liked it! – I could have devoured Making of Us in one sitting if I didn’t need to sleep! A great emotional read about families and our need to belong.
My Rating Scale: 1 – didn’t like it; 2 – it was ok; 3 – liked it; 4 – really liked it; 5 – it was amazing
Other Bloggers Reviews :
Happy Reading!
Galley received from publisher via netgalley.com in exchange for a fair review.
Oh, this sounds super interesting! Thanks for the heads up Jen!
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