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As Young As We Feel (Four Lindas V1)
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Item description for As Young As We Feel (Four Lindas V1) by melody carlson...
Overview
The first work in a lively new Boomer series features the eventful reunion of four old friends, each at a crossroads in her life. They're about to explore the invigorating reality that even the most eventful life has second acts.
Publishers Description
Once upon a time in the little town on the Oregon coast, there were four Lindas—all in the same first-grade classroom. So they decided to go by their middle names. And form a club. And be friends forever. But that was 47 years and four lives ago. Now a class reunion has brought them all—the New York lawyer, the empty nester, the frustrated artist, and the aging starlet—together again in their old hometown, at a crossroads in their lives. They’re about to explore the invigorating reality that even the most eventful life has second acts…and there’s no statute of limitations on friendship.
From Publishers Weekly
A story of overcoming the troubles that come with being a fifty-something white female in our current society, As Young As We Feel by Melody Carlson focuses on four women in a small town on the Oregon coast. The main characters have experienced broken relationships and past life experiences that they must overcome. With a heart-warming but predictable plot, the novel teaches its readers about the importance of having a core group of friends.
Carlsons latest book is split into thirty-three chapters with each focusing on one of the four ladies personal thoughts and actions. The four protagonists were childhood friends who lost touch during their high school years. At their thirty-fifth reunion, they are suddenly thrust together by a random turn of events and rekindle their former friendships. This idealistic meeting among long-lost friends may seem far-fetched, but the relationships between the women are given some depth. When facing the unknown, the women must lean on each other to survive and succeed.
Abby, Marley, Caroline, and Janie have each experienced rough circumstances in life. From the death of a spouse, to the end of a marriage, to a tricky situation involving elderly parents, it seems as if this book covers it all, each character perfectly facing her own set of issues. As the story progresses and the relationships deepen, they each realize their great need for one another and seem to be drawn to the small town in which they all were reared. By leaning on each other and on God, they face what might be in their futures.
The women in these stories are strong, independent, and open. In a surprisingly short amount of time (and using language that is current with younger generations), these women build relationships in which they are able to share their deepest concerns with women they know only for a short time. This issue is explained by the connection these women had in childhood, but it still sticks in the mind of the reader as somewhat implausible.
As I put this book down, I did feel some satisfaction and honestly enjoyed the authors writing style. The concept is unique and interesting, but the idealistic qualities may strike the reader as overly winsome and make her skeptical. This book may appeal more to Christian women in their thirties and forties, although drugs, pre-marital sex, and homosexuality are all included and are not condemned. With an interesting plot and engaging style, some enjoyment can certainly be felt when reading this book, but it is not for skeptics who are side-tracked by idyllic coincidences. Rachelle S. Bontreger, www.ChristianBookPreviews.com |
Item Specifications...
Studio: David C. Cook
Pages 330
Dimensions: Length: 1" Width: 5.5" Height: 8.25"
Weight: 0.9 lbs.
Binding Softcover
Release Date Mar 1, 2010
Publisher David C. Cook
Edition New
Series 4 Lindas
Series Number 1
ISBN 1434764974
ISBN13 9781434764973
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Availability 0 units.
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More About melody carlson
Product Categories
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Books > Fiction > General Christian > Contemporary
Books > Fiction > General Christian > General
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Reviews - What do customers think about As Young As We Feel (Four Lindas V1)?
 | As Young As We Feel May 9, 2010 |
Almost fifty years ago, four Linda's were placed in the same first grade class. The four forged an instant bond, formed a Linda club, and to avoid confusion decided to go by their middle names.
Now, they are reunited at a class reunion, when sadly, one of their classmates drop dead. The four Linda's spend the weekend together, but all four are now totally different. Janie is a lawyer in New York, trying to decide what to do with her mother's estate. Abby is a lonely housewife in a lovely empty nest. Marley is struggling to find herself after her divorce, and Caroline's mother has dementia.
Can the four Linda's recapture their childhood friendship, and will it last after the reunion?
Melody Carlson is a very prolific author who writes in multiple genres with ease. AS YOUNG AS WE FEEL is the story of four different women, each of them having their own point of view chapters so the reader will be able to identify with at least one of them, and maybe parts of all four.
I found the story a bit slow, and not up to Ms. Carlson's usual standards, but it did read well. The story is character driven, and so the characters do have to be well developed and realistic. In the Afterwords section of the book you will find discussion questions and a preview of the next book in The Four Linda's series, Hometown Ties.
| | |  | A Bit Out of My Era May 4, 2010 |
While this story is a little out of my era and I couldn't really connect with the characters on an intimate level (they are twenty years older than me), I could certainly relate to the idea of having made friends in first grade that I'd lost touch with over the years and then re-connected with (my best friend and I met on the first day of first grade and have been best friends ever since!). I thought the ending was a bit too perfect and I was surprised that this was considered Christian fiction as not much was mentioned about God or religion in general.
Overall, I enjoyed the story and will likely read the next book in the series, Hometown Ties, when it is released in September. | | | | entertaining character driven tale Mar 27, 2010 |
In Clifden, Oregon, the four females named Linda met in the first grade and became friends. They agreed to use their middle names to ease identification in the Four Lindas club. The quartet vowed to remain BFFs, but high school has a way to break up forever clubs.
Almost five decades have passed since the women first formed the Lindas club. Each went their separate ways with Janie becoming a New York attorney; Abby feeling the pangs of her empty nest with the kids gone; Marley as a failed artist lost her élan and free spirit attitude; and Charlotte the starlet whose Hollywood time is over. Each has decisions to make in their middle years, but though they had lost contact until now, they remain BFFs having each other's back.
This is an entertaining character driven tale starring the Four Lindas who in their early fifties face differing crises, but with their BFF namesakes do so with courage and encouragement. Although the plot is thin, fans will relish that with faith and friends in your heart, a person can achieve so much more to overcome what eats at their soul. Melody Carlson provides a wonderful inspirational that will have fans wanting to see how the Four Linda's rock Clifden.
Harriet Klausner
| | | | Good but not author's best Mar 20, 2010 |
Unlike the characters in this book, I never had the privilege of sharing my name with anyone in my classes. Deborah has been a popular name in the 50's, it seemed to die down by the time I entered this world. Even though the characters are in their 50s, I still enjoyed reading about their experiences. Class reunions are always fun to read about because it's interesting to see how the popular crowd has fared throughout the years or how your crush from high school is no longer hot. What I found unique about this book is that the four Lindas weren't best friends in high school, they had just bonded because they all shared the same name back then. Now they've grown apart and created new identities for themselves.
Caroline's character was the most interesting to me. Her situation with her mother was sad to read and frustrating to read about. It's hard to see someone you love start to slowly break down mentally especially when it's a parent. I was a bit confused as to how her mother survived on her own. It seemed that Caroline didn't visit her all that much before the book started. I don't know how her mother hasn't burned the house down or hurt herself severely living on her own. Abby's story was a bit of a letdown. She seems to be kind of a push over, allowing her husband to do what he wants and doesn't think about what makes her happy. I got really annoyed at the way he would put her down and then accuse her of making his life miserable. Even at the end when they start to resolve their problems, he's still not making 100% of an effort.
As for the other two women, I didn't really feel as if I got to know Marley or Janie. They just seemed to be the two characters that lived far away and then chose to come back to their hometown. There wasn't really much growth in their characters other than discovering that they weren't happy in their present situation. I did find it quite interesting that Marley's son is gay and other than a few mentions of her ex husband being displeased it's just a way of life for them. It was the same with Janie's boss, it's casually mentioned but not a factor. Which I thought was very refreshing for Christian fiction, to NOT be judgmental.
I will admit that even though I normally love Melody's books, this one feel sort of flat. Melody is known for pushing very edgy material in her other books and this one didn't really have it. I think there was just too much dialogue between the characters. There was just a LOT of talking that seemed to be just chatter or small talk. I never really bonded with any of the characters like I normally do. Overall though I enjoyed it. There is a bit more faith talk in this book as opposed to other Carlson books, but for the most part it doesn't feel in your face. Since I do enjoy her books, I will be reading the next book in the series. | | | | Boomer Women will identify with the four Lindas! Mar 20, 2010 |
As Young as we Feel is the first book in a heartwarming series featuring four women named Linda, who have known each other in grade school when they formed a club called, The Four Lindas. Now, in their fifties, these four women meet again at a school reunion on the Oregon coast. Abby, Janie, Marley and Caroline -- all going by their middle names -- are now in the middle of big changes in their lives.
Any woman of Boomer age will identify with at least one of these characters as they watch the four Lindas walk through the unique life challenges of the Boomer generation: marriages in trouble, widowhood, depression, relationships with estranged children, and taking care of parents with long-term care needs.
You'll laugh and cry as you watch them struggle through dating at 50, relocating to smaller homes, and changing careers at mid-life. You'll be encouraged as you see them step out in faith to do what's right in spite of the circumstances. It's not a story of easy answers, but one of spiritual growth through tough times.
I look forward to reading the next book in the series to find out what will happen next. Will Abby's marriage be saved? How will Caroline, a breast cancer survivor, deal with her aging mother's dementia? How will Marley adjust to the fact that her son is gay and that she will never have grandchildren? Is there romance in the future for Janie, the widow, or for any of the others who are also single?
This is a book for and about women -- about their trials, their strengths and their friendships. It's a book you won't want to miss, especially if you're a Boomer woman. | | | Write your own review about As Young As We Feel (Four Lindas V1)
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