People Magazine
Inspiring.
Entertainment Weekly
Green's many fans will revel in her interwoven plots.
Booklist
Peopled with her trademark likable, sympathetic characters, Green's latest is sure to have wide appeal.
Library Journal
An awful death brings together friends who haven't been in touch since school. Maybe they'll all get a "second chance." Reading group guide. Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
The sudden death of their close friend in a terrorist attack triggers big changes in the lives of four school friends who reunite after 20 years. When affable British-born internet mogul Tom Fitzgerald's Boston-bound train is bombed, his stunned friends get together at his memorial service in London to reflect on his, and their own, lives. All in their late 30s, the group includes journalist Paul, Hollywood actress Saffron and earthy Olivia, who runs an animal shelter. There is also Tom's longtime "best friend" Holly, a part-time illustrator and mother of two married to a rich lawyer. On the surface, their lives appear placid enough, but as they rekindle their friendship the cracks appear. Onetime womanizer Paul is happily married to Swedish businesswoman Anna, but the two are going broke over repeated in-vitro treatments that the increasingly child-desperate Anna insists on having. Olivia, in contrast, finds herself single and pregnant, and at a loss over what to do. Saffron is a recovering alcoholic carrying on a secret relationship with a married movie star she met in AA. And Holly-perhaps hit hardest by Tom's death-feels increasingly alienated from her pompous prig of a husband Marcus, and preoccupied over what might have been with Tom if the two had only acted on their attraction, and not married other people. In her vulnerable state, Holly grows closer to Tom's younger brother Will, a charming carpenter who nursed a secret crush on her when they were kids. Another crisis tightens the group after Saffron's affair is exposed, and she falls off the wagon. Then they all congregate at Paul and Anna's dilapidated rural home, for more bonding, rebuilding and assorted country shenanigans.Considering its subject matter, Green's latest (Swapping Lives, 2006, etc.) is neither morbid nor overly sentimental, with sensible and appealing characters who, for the most part, end up doing the right thing. Warm and chummy exploration of how friends can become our chosen families.
From the Publisher
Praise for Second Chance
“Inspiring.”—People
“Green’s many fans will revel in her interwoven plots.”—Entertainment Weekly
“Peopled with her trademark likeable, sympathetic characters, Green’s latest is sure to have wide appeal.”—Booklist
More Praise for the Novels of Jane Green
“Gripping and powerful.”—Emily Giffin, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“The perfect summer read.”―Kristin Hannah, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“A warm bath of a novel that draws you in...Green’s sympathetic portrayals...resonate.”—USA Today
“Warm, witty, sharp and insightful. Jane Green writes with such honesty and zing.”―Sophie Kinsella, New York Times bestselling author
“Her compelling tale reflects an understanding of contemporary women that’s acute and compassionate, served up with style.”―People
“The kind of novel you’ll gobble up at a single sitting.”—Cosmopolitan
“A smart, complex, character-driven read.”—The Washington Post
“Green’s novels consistently deliver believable, accessible, heartfelt, often heartwarming stories about real people, problems, and feelings.”—Redbook
DEC 07/JAN 08 - AudioFile
After the prologue introduces four characters, we're dropped directly into the story of their reconnecting after twenty years. Rosalyn Landor gives us a toehold by defining each person and giving us enough emotion to engage us. Her voice is breezy as Holly tells of her "perfect" life and falters as she relates Olivia's lack of success in love and commerce. As Saffron, her sentences are clipped, hinting at secrecy. Gradually, we begin to understand their shared history and their grief at the sudden death of a dear friend. As Green depicts how this event propels each to change, the story is predictable, but Landor's lively switching of viewpoints keeps the listening enjoyable. S.W. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine
