Goodreads: Julia and Michael meet in high school in their small, poverty-stricken West Virginia hometown. Both products of difficult childhoods - Julia's father is a compulsive gambler and Michael's mother abandoned his family when he was a young boy - they find a sense of safety and mutual understanding in each other. Shorty after graduation they flee West Virginia to start afresh. Now thirty-somethings, they are living a rarified life in their multi-million-dollar, Washington, D.C. home. From the outside it all looks perfect - Julia has become a highly sought-after party planner, while Michael has launched a wildly successful flavored water company that he sold for $70 million.But one day Michael stands up at the head of the table in his company's boardroom - then silently crashes to the floor. More than four minutes later, a portable defibrillator manges to jump-start his heart. Yet what happened to Michael during those lost minutes forever changes him. Money is meaningless to him now - and he wants to give it all away to charity. A prenuptial agreement that Julia insisted upon back when Michael's company was still struggling means she has no claim to his fortune, and now she must decide: should she walk away from the man she once adored, but who truthfully became a stranger to her long before his near-death experience - or should she give in to her husband's pleas for a second chance and a promise of a poorer but happier life?
Kritters Thoughts: After meeting the author and discussing the book at book club at One More Page bookstore, I can now say I love this author and this book even more. A story set near my home with two characters that throughout the book, I both loved and hated. Julia, a woman who grew up in a volatile household and was always trying to ensure that her future was better than her past. Michael, a hardworking guy who as time has passed spends more time at his office than at his home. Their communication was basically absent and their relationship was more like roommates than lovers.
I adored this story and I will absolutely refrain from spoiling such a good ending - so this may be short and sweet. At this time in my life this was a perfect read as I have recently grown accustomed to the boy being away and I have learned to fill the time with more of the hobbies that I enjoy. When our journey ends which is soon, I will have to relearn how our lives mesh and we will be able to restablish our relationship. As Julia has done, I have learned to lean on a close friend for companionship during the week (and the pup of course) I understood Julia's struggle to try to understand how to be back in a relationship and learn to trust her feelings with him.
I can't say more because I loved this book and I want everyone to go find it and read away. The writing was easy for a day at the pool or curled up indoors. It was definitely one where you sit down to read and then hours just easily pass by. A great reflection on the relationship we have and the value we must hold in building and nuturing each relationship from friends to husbands to family.
Rating:
definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row Pages: 327
Cover Challenge April-June: Springtime
Goodreads: Julia and Michael meet in high school in their small, poverty-stricken West Virginia hometown. Both products of difficult childhoods - Julia's father is a compulsive gambler and Michael's mother abandoned his family when he was a young boy - they find a sense of safety and mutual understanding in each other. Shorty after graduation they flee West Virginia to start afresh. Now thirty-somethings, they are living a rarified life in their multi-million-dollar, Washington, D.C. home. From the outside it all looks perfect - Julia has become a highly sought-after party planner, while Michael has launched a wildly successful flavored water company that he sold for $70 million.
definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row
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