| Title | : | Life's a Beach |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 335 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 2007 |
Life's a Beach Reviews
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Certainly not the worst book I have ever read but far from the best. Very forgettable with characters that are just not believable. I thought it would be a great light read for the beach but it was hard to stay focused on the book. It did start to pick up and get more entertaining towards the end but not enough to suggest this book to anyone. I finished it last night and I already can't recall the specifics of how it ended.
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I can't even stress what a colossal waste of time this book was - between the main character's constant "poor me" attitude and her father's cheesy B-movie dialogue, I wanted to gouge my eyes out as I struggled to finish this. I didn't connect with the characters, didn't find the storyline interesting, didn't even find it entertaining as a light read. Definitely NOT recommended.
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How do chick lit heroines have so much luck starting small businesses? They turn their kitchens into gourmet cake bakeries, they become personal shoppers for old people, they walk dogs, and, in this case, they make sea glass earrings. Out here in the real world, these jobs might net spare change in exchange for long, grueling hours. But chick lit ladies always end up financially independent and personally fulfilled.
I'm not anti-happy ending. The problem is these protagonists also nab the unexpected man of their dreams and work out all of their family issues. It's like the author can't stop heaping rewards on the heroines they over-identify with.
I grabbed this book because I was in need of something light and easy - election day festivities were taking their toll the next morning. But it's more flimsy than light, more redundant than easy. No point in reading this one. -
This may come as a big surprise, but, Life's a Beach by Claire Cook makes great beach reading (if i still had the time and inclination to lie about on a beach insuring my future skin cancer). Ginger is single at forty-one (well not entirely single, she does have an artist boyfriend named Noah whose commitment issues are so extreme that he has a complete aversion to phoning her up and letting her know he might want to come over~opting instead to throw pebbles at her window); she lives at the end of her parents' driveway in a "Finished Room Over the Garage" (which everyone insists on calling a FROG, much to her great annoyance) with her cat which She insists on calling Boyfriend (who she also takes for walks in his "kitty stroller"; and she is trying to make it as a sea-glass-jewellery artist after many other failed career false starts. I checked this book out after i read a rather favorable review and thought i might have noticed a slight similarity to my own life.
I'm happy to report that the similarity was much slighter than i had at first thought (she was a little less together than me~believe it or not~or maybe i'm just that much more delusional); however the book was highly entertaining and relateable nonetheless. It also had the added bonus of discovering a new (to me) phobia name~MYRMECOPHOBIA=fear of ants and a new vocalist, Eva Cassidy. Also a wonderful new phrase: velocity of ferocity which lead me to montrocity of ferocity or curiousity~hey sometimes it's the little things that thrill me.
"Some of the best times happen when you get lost." -
I listened to the audio version and thought is was entertaining.
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This was my first Claire Cook novel and I'm afraid it'll be my last. I really don't like her writing style - it felt like a first draft to me, with weird things like kids fighting in one paragraph and best friends in the next with no acknowledgement that the situation had changed - and I didn't buy the story at all. Ginger supports herself entirely by making sea glass earrings? I have my doubts.
I kept reading because I wanted it to get better but for me it never did and the ending again felt like it was tacked on. Definitely not the author for me, I guess. -
Do you need a light read for the beach? Then this is the book for you.
Ginger Walsh is a 41-year-old single woman who aspires to not much of anything. She lives in a tiny apartment above her parents' garage where she attempts to make sea-glass jewelry. She has an almost boyfriend, a cat who is a better artist than she is, an older sister with age and control issues, and two very strange parents who play tug of war with taking stuff to the dump (mother) and bringing it back (father).
Childfree, Ginger often tends her two nieces and nephew. When the boy lands a part in a low budget horror film, it is Ginger who gets to accompany him to the set every day. While there, she meets a gaffer who would definitely like to get to know her better. But what about Noah – the almost boyfriend?
This is a fun book about life, love and family relationships. It is neither too long, nor too intellectual, making it the perfect light read for a vacation. Be sure to pack this one in your tote, sit back, relax and enjoy. -
I'm new to Goodreads and I've never really reviewed a book. That said, this book inspired me to review it not because it was wonderful but because I truly disliked it. The storyline had potential but the characters are quite unlikable. The main character, is a bratty, lazy, 40-something year old, quasi drifter with a bad attitude. And she charges her sister for babysitting! Seriously?
I was strung along with the hope that the characters might mature, morph, discover a better version of themselves. I stuck it out longer than I should have. By the time I was utterly disenchanted and feeling hopeless for the future of the story and the characters, I was too far in to just give up. I'm sorry to say, I wasted my time and read on and eventually finished it. It's been a long time since I completed a book and ended up with such an overwhelming sense of disappointment. I really do wish that I could find something positive to say here. I guess the fact that it's readable and I made it through is about the best that I can do. -
Claire Cook has written another summer read, a snapshot of a bright, creative woman, living in an a town quite close to where I live. I liked the main female character who knows her life isn't what she wants for herself without knowing what it is that she wants. The family members were not funny to me nor were their relationships to one another especially enlightening. Most of the plot is evident from early in the book, and the ending is just too unrealistically simple. However, I am a forgiving person, and I will read her next book, which is due out in about ten minutes. I hope Brendan's friend, Martin, never finds out about this.
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A 41 year old single woman lives above her parents garage and spends her time babysitting her sisters children.
This was a fast and light read. I rated it an "okay" because at times it seemed to be just going through the motions. It is past the "chick-lit" phase and seemed geared towards the hen-lit/mommy-lit readers which is great but it often failed to hold my interest. -
I loved this book and it's main character. I think there's a little bit of Ginger in all of us...married or single...moms or kid-free. Lots of humerous moments and loveable characters make me want to read more by this author...and soon!
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Don't bother. I gave up on the idea of it getting any better & decided to stop wasting my time.
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this book is perfect if you are looking for a plain, simple read. not much to it plot wise. it’s not that it’s a bad book, it’s just not really my style. definitely good for a light read when you don’t really want to have to pay attention to what’s happening.
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This is the story of Ginger, a woman in her early 40's who makes jewelry and lives in an apartment above her eccentric parents' garage. Her primary income seems to come from watching her older sister Geri's children. Geri is almost 50 and has the great house, diligent husband, super-important job, company-supplied BlackBerry and three precocious (read: annoying) children.
Ginger pushes her cat (named Boyfriend) around in a stroller and is in turn pushed around by her wacky family and emotionally distant somewhat-boyfriend, Noah.
Ginger's life gets a huge breath of fresh air and a chance to really change its course when Geri's son Riley becomes an extra on a movie being shot locally. Ginger watches Riley while he's on the set and meets a bunch of new people.
Will Ginger find a new life at 41? Disappointingly, not really. The plot loses steam halfway through the book and in an attempt to get it rolling again, the characters all become insufferable.
Things that bugged me about this book:
I picked up this one because it was a Barnes & Noble free Nook ebook. I'm glad I got it for free.
Recommended for: Women who believe that its best to settle into old habits when faced with change. Pushovers. -
Ginger Walsh is the forty-something single sister living in her parents' garage apartment, while Geri is the married one, almost fifty, with three children. Ginger babysits for her sister's kids while trying to figure out how to create intriguing things from sea glass. Her on-again, off-again boyfriend Noah seems to be a true commitment phobe, but she herself is not completely sure that she wants a long term relationship. Except, perhaps, with her cat named Boyfriend.
Then suddenly something happens that will turn all their lives in a different direction. A casting call goes out for local kids to star in a movie featuring a shark that's hovering near shore in this Massachusetts town. Ginger takes her nieces and nephew, and nephew Riley is chosen.
Making a movie, hanging out with the gaffer, and playing around with her sea glass becomes a time of sorting out what Ginger really wants in her life. And throwing a birthday party for her sister grants the two of them an opportunity to work on a project together that could actually turn into a new business. And it might solve a few other problems, like how to keep the family home in the family, while allowing mom and dad the chance to get that condo.
Thoroughly engaging, "Life's a Beach" was a quick, light read that also revealed those sibling issues that crop up in books and in life.
Four stars for this one. It was a bit predictable, but also had a unique flair to it. -
From back cover:
"Life's a bit of a beach these days for Ginger Walsh, who finds herself single at forty-one and back home living in the family FROG (Finished Room Over Garage) in the fictional town of Marshbury, Massachusetts. She's hoping for a more fulfilling life as a sea glass artist, but mostly she's babysitting for her sister's kids and sharing overnights with Noah, her sexy glassblower boyfriend with commitment issues and a dog that Ginger's cat isn't too crazy about.
As if things aren't challenging enough, Ginger's BlackBerry-addicted married-with-children older sister Geri is pestering her to grow up, ditch Noah, and find a real mate. Then again, Geri's facing the big 50, and all her birthday angst is threatening to send her over the edge - possibly dragging Ginger along for the ride. With her parents threatening to sell her FROG out from under her, Ginger is forced to make some unexpected changes in her life and surprises everyone, especially herself, in the process.
Life's A Beach is the laugh-out-loud story of two grown-up sisters who fight like cats and dogs but call each other at least twice a day. It sparkles with warmth, wit, and wisdom - and a real understanding of what it takes to move forward at any stage in life." -
Ginger lives over her parent's garage and has spent her life drifting from job to job and boyfriend to boyfriend while her sister seems to have the perfect life: happily married, 3 kids, and a stable job. Ginger is looking for her passion in life at 41 and feels adrift in her current state making sea glass jewelry, living with her cat Boyfriend, and her human boyfriend Noah, who doesn't seem to know how to use a phone and isn't always quite there for her. He has his passion in his art of glassblowing. She eventually starts to figure out life while accompianing her nephew, Riley, back and forth to a movie set and amidst her sister's crisis over her own upcoming 50th birthday.
This book is a really quick read. It starts out really slow but does pick up in the middle. There was way to much description of glassblowing and sea glass jewelry for me. The plot was pretty bland. I couldn't stand Ginger's father and the way he spoke. The characters were really flat. This book was ok. I really can't see myself reading any more of her books. There are far better authors out there who do much better women's fiction that Cook. -
Oh, what a lovely and entertaining book! This will make a perfect lighthearted summer read. From the author of Must Love Dogs, this new book introduces us to 41 year old Ginger Walsh who hasn't quite figured out what she wants to be when she grows up. She's currently living in her parents FROG (finished room over garage) and free lancing as something of a jewelry designer, though there is some doubt to whether or not it's she or her cat Boyfriend who has the better design eye. Add a sister obsessed with turning 50, a mismatched set of parents who are pretty far out there, a nephew in a shark attack movie that's missing a shark and some romantic confusion about gaffers and glass blowers and you have the ingredients for a book that is very difficult to put down and will surely make you laugh out loud at least once...more likely once a page!
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5. Life's a Beach - Claire Cook
This was a fun book to read. It would make for a perfect beach day read because of the theme as well as the fact that you don't have to concentrate to easily follow the story. The main character was trying to figure out her life so it covers a lot of her personal issues, relationships, and career kind of stuff. The setting was of my local area so that added a fun element to the book for me. The characters boyfriend is a glass blower and I'm pretty sure that this might be based on a local glass blower. The other characters in the book were also very entertaining especially the dad. He made for several laugh-out-loud moments! -
As a gay man, I have never felt a greater affinity for any female character, except maybe the deliciously evil Dowager Queen Eleanor in Shakespeare's "King John", than Claire Cook's Ginger. Somewhat predictable, definitely corny, it was still well written predictable corn. Would work well as a movie, as it is tightly written without superfluous side and sub plots. I can say it seems genuine, too.
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It was very fitting that I started this book while I was at the beach even if there was very little beach in the book. This book was about two sisters, one of whom was single and in her 40s dealing with her successful older sister and growing. I enjoyed this one.
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Well, a very light read, compare it to a Lifetime movie. Not much plot and has an all around feel good moment at the end of the book. If you just want to read something light and fun, then this book is for you.
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Perfect choice for just a fun read. Love that it has a focus on being an aunt and a sister, as I'm both as well. Sometimes you need to take off the critical thinking cap and enjoy a "beach" read that's humorous and relaxing!
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Never underestimate your mother, she is trying as best she can. This book was funny at times and emotional at others, you see the world from a mothers point of view and man is it hectic.
