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Title: My Only Story by Monica Wood ISBN: 0-345-44293-8 Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 01 May, 2001 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.81 (26 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: My Only Story is a Gem
Comment: "Either people shrink with age, or short people live longer," I heard myself say the other day. Where had I heard that? Then I remembered: from Rita Rosario. The main character in Monica Wood's newest novel, Rita is a hairdresser who collects various people's hair snippets, and stores them in a glass jar, creating "a mix of love and betrayals and partings and death." This could also be said of My Only Story -- it's a mixture of love and partings and betrayals, but it is also a romance, a mystery, and a novel about coming to terms with past, making peace with the present, and forgiving and staying connected to the people. And it's a book about Rita, whom I cannot get out of my head. That's the problem with Wood's characters; I couldn't ditch Faith and Connie-- from Wood's other novel, Secret Language-either. Rita's a hairdresser; her shop looks like the sort of place people's mothers "used to take them for their grade-school haircuts." She, however, is no stereotypical Marge of Marge's Clip-n-Curl. Nor does she like it when people try to pigeonhole her based on either her job or appearance-- flashy nails and flouncy dresses. She's read Canterbury Tales, for example. She's also a healer, a Tarot card reader, and a fixer: "People come to me after the fact.... Fix what's broken, that's what I do all day long." Throughout the novel, Rita struggles to fix what is broken and to make the connection between what she thought her life was and what it actually is. Even thought I couldn't put the book down, I'm loathe to recommend this book to other readers. I want to keep Rita for myself. However, My Only Story is the kind of book worth sharing, which is why I'm recommending it to everyone I know.
Rating: 5
Summary: A wonderful, heartwarming story
Comment: I've been reading Anne Tyler for many years and love her books because she brings ordinary people to life in extraordinary ways. Monica Wood is even better! I fell in love with Rita Rosario from the moment I started chapter one of My Only Story, and I couldn't stop reading until I'd finished the book. She's smart, funny, strong, and vulnerable too. My heart went out to her and to John so many times in the book. I never expected the ending! I would recommend this book to anyone who loves Anne Tyler, Elizabeth Berg, or Christina Schwarz.
Rating: 4
Summary: Lyrical prose highlights a sadly beautiful story
Comment: The main character of this book, Rita, has experienced many losses in her 30-something years: the loss of her beloved grandmother to cancer, the loss of her infuriating older sister to a cummune, the loss of her childhood home and the town where she grew up, and finally, the loss of her marriage and related hopes for a child. Despite all this, she sees herself as a healer, and when she meets John, a lost soul, she sets out to save him. John tells Rita his "only story," his own tale of love and loss. Rita sets out on a mission to give John his life back, but somewhere along the way, she discovers that she is trying to save herself as well. Eventually, Rita makes the decision to sacrifice her own dreams in order to grant the wish of the enchanting little girl who holds the key to John's salvation.
Wood's book is beautifully written, even haunting at times; Rita's yearnings will stir up your own emotions, moving you to both anger and tears. The story is rich with originality, and the ending provides a conclusion that is both happy and sad. The one thing that prevented me from giving the book 5 stars was the transformation of Rita's character. When we first meet her, Rita is portrayed as a quirky, strong survivor type with a good head on her shoulders; there is something clearly mystical about her as well. Over the course of the story, however, Rita starts to become needy, selfish, and even a bit unhinged. Of course, this metamorphosis is partly in service of the plot, and by the end of the book, Rita is her old self again; I just found the changes to be a bit too much out-of character. However, this a minor flaw, and it does not detract from the fact that My Only Story is a rich, rewarding read.
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Title: Secret Language (Ballantine Reader's Circle) by Monica Wood ISBN: 034544907X Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 28 May, 2002 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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Title: Her Daughter's Eyes by Jessica Barksdale Inclan ISBN: 0451202821 Publisher: New American Library Pub. Date: 08 May, 2001 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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Title: Ernie's Ark: Stories by Monica Wood ISBN: 0811834611 Publisher: Chronicle Books Pub. Date: 01 March, 2002 List Price(USD): $22.95 |
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Title: The Matter of Grace (Nal Accent Novels) by Jessica Barksdale Inclan, Jessica Barksdale Inclan ISBN: 0451205758 Publisher: New American Library Pub. Date: 01 May, 2002 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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Title: Girls in Trouble by Caroline Leavitt ISBN: 0312271220 Publisher: St. Martin's Press Pub. Date: 01 December, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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