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Every woman remembers her firsts: Her first kiss. Her first lover. And her first time contemplating an affair...
Each Friday morning at the Indigo Moon Café, Jennifer, Bridget and Tamara meet to swap stories about marriage, kids, and work. But one day, spurred by recent e-mails from her college ex, Jennifer poses questions they've never faced before. What if they all married the wrong man? What if they're living the wrong life? And what would happen if, just once, they gave in to temptation...
Soon each woman is second-guessing the choices she's made—and the ones she can unmake—as she becomes aware of new opportunities around every corner, from attentive colleagues and sexy neighbors to flirtatious past lovers. And as fantasies blur with real life, Jennifer, Bridget and Tamara begin to realize how little they know about each other, their marriages, and themselves, and how much there is to gain—and lose—when you step outside the rules...
Praise for Marilyn Brant's According to Jane
"A warm, witty and charmingly original story." —Susan Wiggs, New York Times bestselling author
"An engaging read for all who have been through the long, dark, dating wars, and still believe there's sunshine, and a Mr. Darcy, at the end of the tunnel." —Cathy Lamb, author of Henry's Sisters
"This is a must-read for Austen lovers as well as for all who believe in the possibility of a happily-ever-after ending." —Holly Chamberlin, author of One Week In December
A weekly coffee clutch, three friends and a loaded question "what if we married the wrong man?", the three find themselves at a crossroads as they examine that question, it's implications and the solutions, and all of a sudden Friday Mornings at Nine take on a whole new meaning.
Ms. Brant gives us three women, friends who are very different in some ways and made from the same mold in others. She brings us her story line that could be easily overheard at any Starbucks or Seattle's Best coffee houses in the country or for that matter around the world. The author digs deep into emotions as she has her three protagonists examine their lives through new eyes and as this is happening her audience will experience the same gut wrenching emotions because the mirror she's using goes deeper than skin deep and the answers are just as hard as the questions. The three protagonists give stellar performances as they show us the good, bad and ugly of their lives. Her other characters from the co-stars to the bit parts are all essential to the telling of the story and all fit nicely in their places. This is not a romance but there are love stories entwined through out the novel. We get a good dose of family drama from the adults and child's prospective. I felt the dialogue could have flowed more easily and if it had the distractions of having to re-read a few sections could have been avoided, it didn't disrupt the enjoyment of the read just made for a few distractions.
So if you like your novel with more substance, you will enjoy this one., if you like family drama this is right up your alley, if you like exhibiting emotions while you read be prepared to run the gamut on this one.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted November 30, 2010
This book was great from beginning to end. I loved the three ladies (and the men in their lives) and their journey through the fall/winter. This is the perfect book to read while wrapped up in a blanket by fire (or on the beach). Without giving away too much, I am so happy where all three ladies ended up at the end of the book. Even though they are experiencing the same issue at different points of their marriage/family and end up making completely different choices from each other, the book has you wanting more until the very end. Oh how I wish I had a Friday morning coffee group! I highly recommend this book and can't wait to read other books by Marilyn Brant.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.This wonderful followup to Marilyn Brant's debut novel, According to Jane, does not dissapoint! Tamara, Bridget and Jennifer meet every Friday morning at the Indigo Moon Cafe for coffee and gossip on their surburban lives. One day, Jennifer tells her pals that she's been in contact with her college sweetheart and this sets the plot in action. Soon, all three women are wondering if the lives they are living are the ones they're meant to have and begin to ask themselves the eternal question: is the grass really greener on the other side?
I have to say, of all the characters, Tamara was the one I was most rooting for. Her only son has just left for college and she's stuck in a loveless marriage with a man who seems to ignore her. I so identified with her empty nest syndrome!
This book is excellently written and all three stories end with an entirely satisfying conclusion. This is women's fiction at it's best!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted September 29, 2010
I loved Friday Mornings at Nine. I think every woman will identify with the three heroines - Bridget, Tamara and Jennifer. These friends aren't stock characters or cardboard cutouts. Their lives felt totally real, each fresh and unique thanks to Brant's eye for detail. In her hands, the premise -- three friends flirting with the idea of having an affair -- rises well above cliche. This story isn't about infidelity. It's about the choices we make, about the truths we share with our friends, and the secrets we keep -- sometimes even from ourselves. Neither preachy nor predictable, Friday's had me turning the pages, both laughing and reaching for tissues, until that final satisfied sigh. Afterward, like me, you'll probably be left with an irresistible craving for toasted chocolate chip muffins. A small price to pay, though, for the reward of such a thoroughly enjoyable read!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.In the Chicago suburb of Glendale Grove, every Friday morning at nine the forty-something trio (Jennifer, Bridge and Tamara) meets at the Indigo Moon Café. Over coffee, each laments about their boring unsatisfied lives while knowing their friends are always there for them. On one particular coffee session, Jennifer tells her startled two BFFs that she wonders if she married the wrong man.
Each considers that revelation and wonders about the one who got away. Should they find that particular hunk and cheat on their spouses? As the threesome considers affairs, they begin to wonder if that is the only way out from the suburban rut because each knows they are being unfair and selfish towards their family.
This is an engaging look at suburban moms although their response to nuking their way out of the rut is not quite what Palin had in mind with her hockey turned grizzly mommas. Each of the lead trio is different but represents a slice of suburbia. Character driven, readers will enjoy the coffee mommas as they travel similar yet different roads seeking seemingly elusive happiness.
Harriet Klausner
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted August 28, 2010
I loved Brant's first book, According to Jane, but I thought Friday Mornings at Nine was even better. It has more of a grown-up feel, with three friends in their forties at turning points of their lives.
The Indigo Moon Café on Friday mornings at nine is the meeting place for three completely different women. Outspoken Tamara, introverted Jennifer and nurturing Bridget have been repressing their own needs to take care of their families. But as their children are getting older and more independent, their lives are changing, too.
Tamara's traveling lawyer husband is cold, and now that her son is in college she's noticing her young neighbor could warm her nicely. Jennifer loves her husband, but she never got over her first love who is emailing her, hinting that he'd like another chance. Bridget, whose husband makes her feel like wallpaper that carpools and cleans, enjoys her new job - especially the hunky dentist who shares her passion for cooking and gourmet food.
Men are involved in all their conflicts, but the book isn't about the men. It's about finding themselves again, it's about being first in their lives. And at the heart of the book, it's about friendship.
The characters - women, men and families - felt like people I know, and it was fascinating to watch their stories unfold. I never knew what was going to happen. Brant's writing has a Jane Austen feel that lets us see beneath the characters' surfaces. I'm a big fan of Austen's, and now I'm a huge fan of Brant's.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Friday Mornings at Nine, by Marilyn Brant
ISBN: 9780758234629
Publisher: Kensington Books
Author Marilyn Brant worked as an elementary school teacher, a library staff member, a freelance magazine writer and a national book reviewer before becoming a full-time novelist. According to Jane is her first novel, which won the prestigious 2007 RWA Golden Heart Award. Her next novel, The Grand European, is set for release in October 2011. Marilyn resides in Illinois with her husband and son.
This novel explores three women who contemplate wanting more outside of their marriage. Bridget, in a marriage with children, begins to feel an attraction for her boss, and though loves her husband, feels he just doesn't notice her anymore, nor allows her to explore her interests, like cooking. Tamara, in a marriage of convenience which has long grown bitter, begins feeling a sizzling attraction for her younger neighbor after her son goes away to college. Jennifer, though in a committed marriage with a man she loves, begins to feel regrets about her first love when he recently resumes contact for a college reunion. Exploring marriage, friendship, and being true to ones self is always shaky ground.
I was riveted to this author's first book, and this one didn't disappoint. Emotionally packed, it's hard to put down for all the sordid details and what ifs. This author writes with a very narrative voice, which usually makes for a detached read, but she really pulls it off and captures your attention. What intrigued me most was this book was as much about friendship as it was about what goes on behind the closed doors of marriage. Does anyone really know someone? Do we even know ourselves? Will we have the courage to go after what we want when presented with the options? This isn't a book about infidelity, and the author was very careful not to go that route or cross that line. A highly recommended women's fiction read.
Kelly Moran,
Award-winning author of SUMMER'S ROAD
and WHEN THE LEAVES STOP FALLING
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Overview
Every woman remembers her firsts: Her first kiss. Her first lover. And her first time contemplating an affair...
Each Friday morning at the Indigo Moon Café, Jennifer, Bridget and Tamara meet to swap stories about marriage, kids, and work. But one day, spurred by recent e-mails from her college ex, Jennifer poses questions they've never faced before. What if they all married the wrong man? What if they're living the wrong life? And what would ...