Watermelon

When Claire Walsh Webster had her baby girl on February 15, the date was permanently etched on her mind for two reasons: it was her daughter's birthday, and it was the day her husband James abandoned her for the woman with whom he had been having an affair.To say that Claire's life was turned upside down would be an understatement. Taking herself and her baby from London to Dublin was the first step toward creating her new life. Staying in the family home with her parents and two younger sisters did little for her self-esteem, however, and for days and weeks, she languished in the bed, often forgetting to get dressed.Her younger sisters, Anna and Helen, were annoying distractions...to Claire and to this reader, but their voices did add a bit of humor to  Watermelon (Walsh Family Book 1) . Themes of betrayal, relationships, and family dynamics kept the story interesting, although it moved rather slowly for most of the story.I was rooting for Claire, as she struggled to come to terms with the major changes in her life, and I enjoyed the internal monologues she carried on in a rather comic and snarky voice. The story is narrated from her first person perspective, and it was a funny voice indeed.Would Claire manage to create a new life for herself? Would she find love again? And what would happen when James finally wanted to see her? Could his rather unexpected suggestions arouse her to take charge of her own life?I recommend this story to those fascinated by family drama and issues of female empowerment, but don't expect a fast-paced narrative or a plot that leads to any major conclusions. A fun, light read can be enough on some days, though. I liked this conclusion that Claire arrived at toward the end of the book, as she began to reclaim her life:"When happiness makes a guest appearance in one's life, it's important to make the most of it. It may not stay around for long and when it has gone wouldn't it be terrible to think that all the time one could have been happy was wasted worrying about when that happiness would be taken away?"A 4 star read.

I seldom read romance novels these days - I much prefer mysteries - but I really enjoyed this one. My only complaint is that the dialogue was sometimes a little wordy; like during conversations when the protagonist was at the same time both talking to another person yet also to herself, or maybe to the reader, anyway, several times I needed to go back and re-read a paragraph to figure out if everything was being actually said or just in her mind.And really it didn't matter once I got to know Claire (the protagonist) and got into the flow of the story. I gave it 4-1/2 stars and rounded up. It's not fine literature but I was entertained and amused, even laughed out loud more than a few times.

I picked this book up after I finished Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married. Like Lucy Sullivan, I enjoyed Marian Keyes chatty style. Reading this book feels like a chat with a friend and I found that I got to know the main character very well. Marian Keyes excels at character development.As you probably know, this story is about Claire, a 29 year old Irish woman living in London. A few hours after she gave birth, her husband James announces that he doesn't love her anymore and that he is leaving her for another woman. Devastated, Claire left London for her family in Dublin. In Dublin we experience with Claire her stages of "mourning," which seem quite accurate for a woman in her predicament. First, she wants her husband to come back to her and for everything to return how it was, then she is angry, and then she finds acceptance. As Claire goes on with her life and meets someone knew, her husband James pops back into her life and wants her back. Claire contemplates taking him back because she wants to have the perfect family and her old life back. In the end, she realizes that she cannot forgive her husband. The book is a predictable plotline, of course, but what is special about it is how Claire wrestles with her changing perception of her husband and herself. She realizes that she had placed her husband on a pedestal and she figures out that he was really not the guy she thought he was.Yes, Claire gets annoying at times. Don't we all? And aren't most poeple who go through big breakups kind of selfish and self-centered? The fact is, Claire is a very real person. She has her flaws and faults, but the reader grows to care about her.I gave this book four stars because some sections were kind of wordy and at some points (e.g. the baggage claim scene when Claire first arrives in Dublin) where it looks like the author is trying too hard to be funny. But this is a fantastic book if you are looking for a light, funny read.

When I started reading this book, I was looking for a light-hearted, clean chick-lit type book. This almost met the mark. Keyes does this bizarre thing where she goes on long tangents trying to use metaphors to give background to the emotions of the main character. It is....well, like I said....bizarre. The story moved along at a good pace. I felt connected to the main character. The odd twist at the end with the husband's character didn't feel like it made sense. The main character's response to this change in the husband also didn't make sense. She went on a long personal tangent (always with the tangents) about abortion towards the end of the book. I almost put it down and gave up at that point. I mean, really, can you stay on topic? If I wanted to hear your thoughts on abortion, I would have bought a book to that effect.I'm no better for reading this. No worse. It definitely doesn't go down as a favorite or anything close. I won't be seeking out any more books by Keyes.

Witty and fast pased. Will have you laughing from cover to cover. It a Great light read for a holiday.

I couldn't finish the book. I've read nearly 200 pages of this book but it just gets more and more boring.

El libro lo he recibido en perfecto estado. Todo muy correcto. Incluso lo he recibido antes del día que me indicaron.Es un libro muy divertido, lo recomiendo a todo el mundo

El principio de una saga que me he quedado con ganas de continuar leyendo. Creo que era el primer libro de la autora, la frescura se percibe.

On ne se lasse pas de cette famille (Claire est l'ainee des 5 soeurs) a qui il arrive toujours de sacrees epreuves...Encore une fois, on assiste a la descente, puis au retour a la realite de l'heroine, avec toujours cette bipolarite du livre : un sujet serieux, qui nous captive et qui nous fait reflechir, et d'un autre cote, l'humour de marian keyes, une famille Walsh aussi folle que possible, qu'on aimerait connaitre dans la vraie vie.Ce n'est pas le livre le plus captivant de la serie, ni le plus intense, mais il est tout aussi agreable a lire, l'auteur ne decoit pas.

je ne connaissais pas la famille Walsh, et j'avoue qu'il faut d'abord s'habituer à cette famille spéciale, "pas comme les autres".En fait il ne se passe pas grand-chose dans l'histoire, sauf qu'on arrive à connaître tout doucement la mentalité et le caractère de Claire, la protagoniste.Au fil des pages elle nous fait part de toutes ses pensées, ses doutes, ses regrets, ses espoirs, ses désirs, Forcément ça mène à quelques longueurs, ce qui ne dérange pas trop pourtant, puisqu'à la fin on voit que Claire,a évolué et est arrivée à prendre sa vie en main,