Review: Someone Like You

Someone Like You by Cathy Kelly tells these story of three women who meet randomly on a trip to Egypt and forge a friendship that proves to be lasting through both happy and trying times. Leonie is a divorced mother who decided to treat herself with a relaxing vacation. She loves her children but is also looking for the love of her life. Emma was dragged along by her overbearing parents- a father who thinks he's the end all be all of everything and a mother who caters to his every need-and she needs an escape. Hannah is an independent American expat who is done with men and focused on bettering herself and her career. Although they seem like an unlikely pairing, these women form a true bond and as their lives carry them on, they are continuously intertwined in each others lives, for better or worse.

Cathy Kelly delivers yet another wonderfully engaging, emotionally captivating novel. What I love most about Kelly's novels is the way she creates such relatable characters. Although it took me a bit to get past the exposition and really dive into the story, once I did I was fully involved in each woman's story. As I continued to read I felt like Leonie, Hannah and Emma were not only friends with each other but friends of mine as well. Kelly's descriptive writing makes it easy to feel like you are personally involved in the character's lives, allowing you to cheer them on or hoping they make the right decisions. These women are exceptionally relatable, to the point that, at times, I felt like I was reading about my own life. I have several pages dog-earred because of quotes I related to so much I wanted to remember where they were.

Cathy Kelly

A big reason for all of this is because Kelly truly has a way with words. She's skilled in knowing just how to describe situations or emotions in order to bring them to life. The stories flow without awkward transitions and each of the three story lines meld together and never feel jumbled. A few times I thought chapters ended abruptly and I had to double check to make sure the next chapter was indeed starting, but I found myself often unable or not wanting to put the book down. I wanted to dive further into the stories and see how things would unfold.

My other favorite aspect of Cathy Kelly novels is how she deals with love. Once again, I found myself entranced by the notion of love between these women and the men that are in or come into their lives. What was new for me, though, with Someone Like You, was that this novel also deals with meeting the wrong men and what that does to a women. While I was cheering on one couple, warmed by their apparent love for each other and could bask with them in the glow of finding each other; I was simultaneously hating another man for hurting one of the women and hoping that soon he would get kicked to the curb.

Someone Like You proves to be a wonderful story of how important girlfriends are, how comforting love can be and also how important finding your independence is.

Confessions and where it comes from.

I have a confession to make.

Wait, I have two.

1. Sometimes I don't feel like writing.
2. Sometimes I don't feel like reading.

I know, but I'm a writer who started a book blog. How is that possible? Well here's how: like everything else, sometimes I hit a wall and burn out for a short period of time. I'll sit down all set to write a blog post or a theatre review or crack open a new book and all of a sudden I'm overcome with an overwhelming desire to anything else.

In the case of my writing, it's usually a story of writer's block. I can't think of anything clever or funny to say or something anything at all. I get stuck and before I know it, I can't put a single word to the page. Or as the case my be, to my blog.

Then with reading, I'll get all settled in to get lost in a novel or memoir and instead I find myself extremely tired and in need of a big ol' nap.

Luckily these are only phases and as quick as they set upon me, they are over and I can't wait to connect with new characters and write out all my thoughts. Because I know, I love writing and reading; there's really nothing like becoming engulfed in a new world created in an author's mind with characters I know I'll either fall in love or loath with.

And if you ever wondered where my affinity for reading comes from, I will tell you.

From my mother.

For as a long as I can remember, my mother has been more of an avid reader than I am. Chances are, in my parent's house you will find my mom curled up on her chaise lounge or in her bed with one of many books she is reading. Her coffee table is always full of five or six or seven different books she will get through in only a matter of weeks.

And when we talk, the conversation more often than not will turn to what we are reading, recommendations we have for each other, books we've heard about and are interested in or books on our reading lists. She's always discovering new, amazing authors or fascinating books she feels I must read. So I do and I love them. I can't think of a book she's recommended to me that I haven't enjoyed. She's the reason I brought you Past Secrets and Eat, Pray, Love.

Since I was a little girl, my mom has told me (and my siblings) just how important reading is. When I was little, I read because she made me but now I read because I love it. And I learned that from her.

Considerate Writing and Reading

I was recently reading a post on ProBlogger.net and I came across this quote: "Communicating through a computer makes it very tempting to say things that we would not say in person." 

This could not be a more true statement and something I had just been thinking about. As I write my blogs, it always runs through my mind when choosing my wording or when I'm not sure if I should say something. As an writer, there's the notion of artistic license that gives me the freedom to say whatever I think or feel without having to censor my words. But then I think, "Should I censor this? Should I let my thoughts run free or should I consider something before I put it out there for all to read?" And typically, it's the latter that wins out. First, because if I said every thought that came into my head, my posts probably wouldn't make any sense as my mind tends to run pretty random. And second, sometimes, even though a thought pops into my head, I realize that maybe it doesn't need to be stated. Maybe it could be construed as offensive. Maybe it includes language I've deemed unnecessary. But whatever the case may be, it's better that the thought just stay in my head.

As the ProBlogger post said, it's so easy to say something on the computer, like with this blog, than it is in person. Because, there's no direct contact, a buffer is created between what's being said and who it's being said to. Or in the case, who's reading it. I try to always be conscious of this and never write anything I wouldn't say to someone if I was telling them my story in person. I think this is important to because it means that each word holds more meaning than if I just slapped my every musing up here. If a writer takes the time to consider their words first and really think about what they're saying, something truly meaningful and personal can be created. That's what I try to do here. Offer up my personal insights in a sincere way in the hopes that I will connect with those who read. 


My last thought on this matter is that thoughtful writing causes the reader to then consider what they've read because of that connection, and they become affected by the material. Like me with the Problogger article, I took away that quote and spent a good deal of time mulling it over. It was honest writing that I was able to connect with because it left a real impression.

For the longest time.

Remember that feeling when, on a seemingly unimpressive day at no specific point in time, you happen to meet someone and suddenly everything just....clicks? There's that butterflies in the stomach, smiling all the time, how did this happen (in the best possible way) feeling. After a sea of almost connections, he (or she) is really nice but, and meeting all the not quite right, the something's not there, the just plain wrong people.

Having just come out of the other side of a rather nasty breakup that happened at the beginning of the year, I haven't quite gotten there yet. Like Billy Joel's famous song, "I haven't been there for the longest time." I've been on a couple of dates and met a lot of almosts but I haven't had that feeling in quite some time. There was a friend of a friend's who seemed really cool while I chatted him up on a train ride home one day, so I took the initiative and asked him out. We had a nice time- he took me to a wine bar and we had continuous, interesting conversation but there's wasn't any real heat. After that, he didn't call and I didn't call. I did attend his birthday party however and was highly unimpressed with the evening's events. I knew after that that it couldn't work out. Then there was another friend of a friend's who, after hanging out a couple of times in group formation, asked if I wanted to hang out just us two. He seemed legit and nice so I said yes. Another perfectly wonderful date for gelato and a walk around the neighborhood. There really wasn't a problem- he was polite, entertaining and amiable. It just didn't work. And there's really nothing worse than wanting things to work out and just feeling nothing. When he's such a nice guy and if only you wanted him....but you don't. C'est la vie, as they say. The closest I've come to that omg, this is seriously for real this time, so excited you could pee your pants feeling is vicariously through a novel a read recently. (Is that sad? Maybe a little...oy.)

In Cathy Kelly's novel Past Secrets Maggie is living in Galway with her boyfriend of five years, Grey. It all seems to be working- they moved in together. He was charming and handsome and he was crazy about her. So she thought until she comes home early one day to (stereotypically) find him sleeping with another women, a student of his, in their bed. With all fantasies shattered, Maggie ups and moves back home to help her dad taking care of her ailing mom in Dublin. On a designated errand trip one day, Maggie stops to get gas. Not having driven in some time, she proceeds to fill up the tank with the wrong gas, causing her car to freeze. Looking for help, Maggie enters the garage and, clearly displaying her lack of car knowledge, is laughed right back out by Mr. Mechanic, Ivan Gregory.

Of course, it plays out as the typical boy-meets-girl. Boy teases girl so girl doesn't like him. Boy turns up the charm and girl starts to swoon. Boy wins girl over. But it's so much more than that. Through Kelly's descriptive and emotion-seeking writing, you can literally feel the relationship blossoming between these two. After the initial bad first impression, Ivan becomes what any (or at least almost any) woman is looking for- a champion who can protect you from the the world but who will also stand back and let you live your life that way you need to. And it's just so easy between Ivan and Maggie. I found myself cheering them on, getting excited for the way things were working out and hoping Maggie had found something I real. I even felt that "click," the same click Maggie was feeling, during their scenes. The writing is so quietly powerful that you can't not get sucked in and become personally involved and invested in these characters. It was so refreshing and fun, I didn't want to put to book down, but I also didn't want it to end.

The rest of Past Secrets is a joy as well. The characters are fully fleshed out and developed so that the reader can form personal connections and opinions to and about each. All of the story lines flow together fairly seamlessly and, while it's an easy read, it's one that will pull you right in so for a short period of time, you're moved onto Summer Street in Dublin, living right alongside these characters. And once you finish, it's a little like saying goodbye to some newly acquainted dear friends.