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A Library Journal Best Book of the Year
What would you do with a second chance at life?
Having survived a life-threatening illness, Kate celebrates by gathering with six close friends. At an intimate outdoor dinner on a warm September evening, the women challenge Kate to start her new lease on life by going white-water rafting down the Grand Canyon with her daughter. But Kate is reluctant to take the risk.
That is, until her friend Marion proposes a pact: if Kate will face the rapids, each woman will do one thing in the next year that scares her. Kate agrees, with one provision – she didn't get to choose her challenge, so she gets to choose theirs. Whether it's learning to let go of the past or getting a tattoo, each woman's story interweaves with the others, forming a seamless portrait of the power of female friendships. From the author of The School of Essential Ingredients comes a beautifully crafted novel about daring to experience true joy, starting one small step at a time.
Erica Bauermeister is the author of the national bestseller The School of Essential Ingredients. She lives in Seattle with her family.
purplebarb
Posted August 13, 2011
This is an inspiring story of how a challenge made by a cancer survivor's (Kate) daughter leads six women to free themselves and discover their individual sense of self. Ms. Bauermeister's message is both hopeful and thought provoking. This book was just as enchanting as The School of Essential Ingredients. A must read that will linger long after the last page!
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.Anonymous
Posted April 7, 2013
This is a great read, shw says whilw wiping away tears. Kate,whose victory over breast cancer dinner challenges each of her friends to try and do something completely out of character, just for themselves, as they have seen what real strength and love can do for others. And each of them becomes a different person as the tasks are unpacked and joy is found.
A fairly fast "chick lit" read whose characters will linger for a long time. I read a library copy and will find one for my own library as soon as mt next monetary infusion comes along.
Anonymous
Posted January 24, 2013
0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted November 9, 2012
A very enjoyable read. I loved getting to know the characters as individuals and as a unit. Well written.
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Posted September 14, 2012
This is not your highly literally selection but an entertaining and endearing beach read.
The characters are well developed as we transition from one chapter to the next. You will learn about these women's connections and friendship as they complete their challenges.
ask4jenea
Posted September 3, 2012
What a joy to read.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Great book!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted April 28, 2012
Just finished reading this. And, I must say, this is a MUST MUST MUST read for all women. An empowering story of a woman who recently got a clean bill of health from battling cancer and her 6 friends who have rallied behind her as she endured days of chemo and pain. All women decide to do one thing that neither of them have done before and have been to afraid to do. It's a journey to a path of finding your passion. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and look very much forward to sharing with my favorite group of ladies.
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Posted March 30, 2012
Another wonderful story by Erica Bauermeister! READ THIS BOOK - you won't be sorry! The characters come to life and stay with you! I cannot wait for Erica's next book!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Getting beyond pain by trying something new. What a beautiful book.
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Posted October 12, 2011
This is a truly excellent book. It expresses so beautifully things I have experienced recently, but couldn't express in the right words. Ms. Bauermeister does that. I plan to purchase the author's first book and look forward to more.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.sangreal
Posted July 21, 2011
I received Erica Bauermeister's second novel "Joy for Beginners" as an ARC from the publisher, and was delighted to find that it is, as the title itself offers, a sheer joy to read. Having read and loved her previous book, The School of Essential Ingredients, I had high hopes for this book and am delighted that it delivered. In the prologue, Kate hosts a victory party for her six closest friends to celebrate her cancer survival, and tells them of a challenge by her daughter to do the one thing that she fears most - white water rafting. Her friends make a pact with her to each do one thing that scares them if Kate does hers. Kate agrees, but only if she can choose each woman's challenge. From this point, the book separates into vignettes, each one focused on one of the women as they navigate their way through their individual challenge. In the process, you're able to learn each woman's story and immerse yourself in the character of the moment. Bauermeister allows each character her own space, but uses the thread of the friendship to keep the story connected and tie the entire book together in a satisfying way. The writing is lush and vibrant, with the author seeming to dive headlong into writing each of the varying tasks/challenges with equal passion and intensity. It makes for an enticing read, so that you want to have it go on and on. I wasn't surprised to find out that she herself had actually done some of the things she writes about the women doing for their challenges. She is also careful to leave each woman's story at a point where it has reached a conclusion of sorts, but where you can still feel that there is so much more waiting for them in their lives. Joy for Beginners is a satisfying read that says as much about the power of friendships as it does about living a full life and the satisfaction of taking a risk. Each of the characters learns much about themselves in the course of fulfilling their challenge. Additionally, I loved how much Kate really knew about her friends and how she discovered it all. This is also a great book for book clubs, as there are so many varied discussion points that arise from the story.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.This is another wonderful book by Erica Bauermeister. I love how she takes individual stories and weaves them with words and phrases not typically used to describe surroundings. I just melted into this book.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.A group of friends amassed over the years by circumstance with as much diversity as similarities jump over one more hurdle in life. The conquering of Breast Cancer is no small feat and the journey not solitary, so on the night of her victory dinner Kate gives each of the friends that brought her to this destination the gift of a challenge. Each challenge is designed especially for it's recipient, and like many gifts not always appreciated at the time of it's giving. At the onset these women view completing their challenge only to appease their friend, but in the act of doing, each of them will learn something about themselves that otherwise might have stayed hidden. So while Caroline, Marion, Daria, Hadley, Sara and last but not least Ava begin their personal adventure Kate will go on one of her own.
Erica Bauermeister might be a new author to me but by the end of the first chapter she was a new acquaintance and by the end of her tale a life long friend. I absolutely loved her storyline and being a woman it became very personal to me and as I read it my view of life and friendship changed and deepened. Her use of beautiful descriptive prose in her narrative made me smile and also increased my enjoyment of the read and I found myself looking intently for the next adventure in the novel and how the author's creative words would describe it, I was never disappointed. Her characters are made even more special by the mere fact of their everydayness, their next door neighborness and their best friendness and I found myself jealous of their camaraderie and even their anger over their particular challenge at it's giver. I also found each of the characters portrayed so well that by the end of the novel I was tempted to go out and greet them myself in my own hometown.
My challenge to you is to not only read this novel but to revel in the friendship, share in the joy and lend a shoulder in their sorrows, to not be afraid to try something new and maybe just a little frightening, but most of all to be the best friend you can possibly be.
If you cherish beautifully written women's fiction this is a novel that has to be on your must read list.
Thank you Ms. Bauemeister for an incredible trip and I plan to take another one with you very soon.
Now that Kate has completed her cancer treatment and is in recovery, her daughter Robin reveals that she has booked Kate for a white-water rafting trip to celebrate.
Kate's first reaction is to decline. But when Kate's six close friends, who have been her stalwart supporters throughout her illness, gather together to celebrate Kate's recovery, Kate challenges each of them.
In 'pay-it-forward' style, Kate has agreed to conquer her own fear of rafting if each of her friends is willing to do something they don't want to do and conquer their own fear. The catch is that Kate gets to choose the challenge for each of them.
We follow Caroline, Marion, Sara, Daria, Hadley and Ava as they each face the one thing they feared the most and learn about each of them along the way, as well as the bond these women have with each other.
A little predictable, nevertheless JOY FOR BEGINNERS is nice, gentle women's fiction. Lynn Kimmerle
In Seattle having won her battle with breast cancer, Kate tells her six friends that she plans to go whitewater rafting though she admits to figuratively needing rubber underwear. She challenges them to try something that they would not want to do; she assigns each of them a specific task. As each woman looks at achieving their respective daunting objective that forces them to look deep inside their fear zone, Kate believes they will gain much by overcoming their trepidations as she learned that life is persistently filled with challenges. Caroline, Daria, Marion, Sara, Hadley and Ava have great doubts about what their friend is demanding from them, but none wants to be the first to say no.
This is an entertaining inspirational tale in which purposely none of the seven women (and family members) including the catalyst Kate are developed beyond their particular quest and their relationship with others. This enables the message of conquering your fears by swinging the bat rather than not playing to remain the prime focus as the legitimate effort is in some ways more important than the achievement. Readers will enjoy this fine tale while pondering what demon we need to take on.
Harriet Klausner
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Posted August 28, 2011
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Posted July 15, 2011
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Posted September 10, 2012
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Posted November 27, 2011
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Overview
A Library Journal Best Book of the Year
What would you do with a second chance at life?
Having survived a life-threatening illness, Kate celebrates by gathering with six close friends. At an intimate outdoor dinner on a warm September evening, the women challenge Kate to start her new lease on life by going white-water rafting down the Grand Canyon with her daughter. But Kate is reluctant to take the risk.
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