Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons by Lorna Landvik

It's the first post for the contenders in the running for the 2014 Book of the Year!

Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons by Lorna Landvik is actually my 2nd book read this year, but the first book (We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates) only got 2 out of 5 stars, so it didn't make the cut. This year, only books ranking at least 3 stars will be eligible for the bracket and only books ranking at least 4 stars will be reviewed on the blog.

So let's talk about this book!

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This book has been a long time coming. It was actually recommended to me by Patti over two years ago. I then bought it at a thrift store last year for 65 cents...and placed it on my nightstand...and let it collect dust. I don't know why I did that. I really did want to read it. I was interested in it from the beginning. Yet for some reason I tucked it into a drawer and let it sit there for almost a year. Ridiculous.

But maybe it was just patiently waiting...waiting for me to need a good book. As with last year and the year before, and the year before that, my first read of the year was a dud. (Okay, technically it was my third book last year, but it was read before the 10th of January, so I'm counting it.) I hate that!

Anyway...the point is that I really needed a good book. I was honestly starting to worry that I was never going to finish that first book and no way was I going to be able to get to my book goal for the year at that rate. THIS was a good book. Thank goodness.

Within the first two pages, I was in love with this book. The characters right of the bat reminded me of characters in The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. When the book introduced Kari, I pictured Ellen Burstyn. With Slip, it was Fionnula Flanagan. Though the character similarities didn't continue throughout the book, the joy that I found in reading it did.

I found every emotion in this book. I was happy, I was sad, and boy howdy (yes, I said it) I was pissed at Merit's husband. I hated him so much. I wanted to strangle him. Just a serious ass. I still hate him. Should I continue on?

I was happy most of the time, but there was also a lot of sadness in this book. My heart was heaviest for Kari in the beginning. She was substantially older than the other girls, she was widowed, and she had been unable to have the children she wanted. All I kept thinking was, "why does she have to have all this heartache? It's not fair." But I didn't just feel for Kari. I felt for a lot of others in this book, too.

There were so many well developed characters in this book. They became almost real to me. My only issue? I could NOT keep all those darned children straight. I still have a hard time knowing Slip's sons from Audrey's.

Last night, I stayed up reading late into the night just to finish. That's my hallmark for a good book. I sacrificed sleep for this people! And I had to be up early, too! It was worth it. It was a good book.

When I finished, I was torn. Initially I was upset with the ending. I felt like I had been cheated, like it shouldn't be ending yet. But after I calmed down, I realized that I was only upset because I wanted more. I didn't want these wonderful characters to go away. I wanted to live next door to them. In reality, the story ended just when it should have. It was settled. I just wasn't ready to say good-bye yet. That is the sign for a great book. It was a great book.

And so...as is only fair for a great book...Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons by Lorna Landvik gets...

 5 out of 5 stars. 

Read it.