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Summary: Marian Keyes and her great books.
Review: Rachel Walsh the middle child of the Walsh clan is here and boy does this girl have more problems then any of her family could imagine.When Rachel goes to New York to live her family didn't expect that she would turn into such the party girl she is. But when Rachel's screws up they soon realize that Rachel needs help and that the only way to help her is to take her back Ireland and take her The Cloisters. Rachel belives that The Cloisters will be a place here she can relax and take some time away from her life and feel better, but she soon finds out that it is nothing like that. She realizes that she is going to have to make some choices in her life that she doesn't want to make and doesn't want to admit to them. Marian Keyes is such a talent writer the way she makes Rachel feel like it is someone you could know. She makes Rachel out to be a real person with problems and a real life. Overall this book is funny, but also it makes think about what is happening to Rachel.. This book is one of the best Marian Keyes books I have read.
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Summary: Amazing Voice
Review: Marian Keyes has an amazing voice for Rachel while writing this book. Despite the serious subject, she fills the book with colorful, vibrant characters who really show the reader than no one is perfect and feel like they could actually be real people. She also had amazing insight and viewpoints into how an addict rationalizes their habit, and not just one rationalization. I was gripped by the narration line, the comparisons between her two different lifestyles, her denial and coming clean are amazing.
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Summary: Wow!
Review: This book is just amazing! Marian Keyes writing style is a breeze to read and her characters are very real! The story is funny and moving at the same time. A lot of fun to read. I totally recommend it! If you liked Brigitte Jones, then you must read this book.
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Summary: Fascinating, captivating, don't miss it!
Review: In preparation for a trip to Ireland, I picked up Rachel's Holiday in order to read some contemporary Irish fiction. I had previously read Sushi for Beginners, another Keyes novel and I was not extraordinarily impressed. I was told Rachel's Holiday was a more profound novel, and I was not disappointed. Through the depths of drug addiction and beyond, Keyes shows us the extraordinary talent she posseses in character development. Where Sushi for Beginners is slightly lacking in character development, Rachel's Holiday is not. Keyes forms a character that is unforgettable in Rachel. Her incredible ability to create a setting without stating it bluntly is unsurpassed in chick lit particularly. While many novels of this mode simply create a single-edged, hollow character, Keyes creates a person in Rachel's Holiday. In a novel about friends, courage, addiction and recovery, Keyes explores the darker side of the chick lit genre. Her novel doesn't gaily overlook the addictions and psychosis of her main character, she delves into the problems with conviction. You will follow Rachel in all her delusions through many phases of her life. This coming of age story is one for the chick lit generation. It is a beautiful novel, truly inspiring and filled with gifted prose. You will laugh, you will cry, you will question, and you will love all in one novel--- don't pass this one up. 5/12/02
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Summary: wow! what a good book!!!
Review: I loved this book. LOVED IT! I put off reading it for a year because of it's size but when i was finally ready i finished the book in about 3 days. I've read people mention this book as a "beach book" but i would have to say tha it is far more than that. I will definately be reading more from Marian Keyes. I also hope she brings this character back for another book. Did I mention that I LOVED this book!!! READ IT!
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Summary: An entertaining read tackling a serious subject
Review: There are lots of books out there - both fiction and non-fiction - about people dealing with drug, alcohol and other addictions. But Marian Keyes approaches this fairly familiar terrain with unusual wit, intelligence, and humanity - a winning combination that makes Rachel's Holiday hard to put down.
This is humorous social commentary with depth. Entertainmentwise, it's in that rarified league populated with comic gems like Sophie Kinsella's Shopholic duo, and Dorothy Samuels' skewering of America's crazy celebrity obsession in her novel, Filthy Rich. But don't be surprised if you also shed a few tears.
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Summary: ADDICTING
Review: What a great read! Keyes depiction of addiction is sobering! I loved the point of view and how Rachel's reality unfolds oh so subtly! Coupled with Keyes' wry sense of humor, this book will make you laugh out loud and cry with compassion for this tortured character. My first experience with Marian Keyes has left me looking for more of her work! I'd definitely recommend to anyone with a curiousity about alcholism and addiction to investigate this as a great story of recovery and self-redemption.
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Summary: Reader
Review: I really enjoyed Rachel's Holiday. I wasn't really expecting much more than another chick flick book, and although you get that with this novel, you get much more. This book has all the components of the currently popular single-girls-come-to-terms novel and much more. Watching Rachel slowly begin to realize that even though she's only a "social user", she's exactly like all the other addicts in the rehab center she goes to. This book is funny, witty, sharp, entertaining, highly readable, and it even made me sniffle once or twice (of course there are some kleenex commercials that do that too, so don't read too much into that.)
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Summary: Intelligent and Entertaining
Review: I have to agree...This is a fabulous novel. Marian Keyes has written a brilliant story about a young woman trying to get through her turbulent 20s. Rachel's family is nosy, realistic and funny, and while this is no Girl, Interrupted, her lifestyle does merit concern. This is a touching story that is a startling page turner at times. If you enjoy Brit-Lit but are looking for a little more depth, then this is the book for you.
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Summary: Marian Keyes strikes again!
Review: Keyes strikes again!
I definitely became a fan after reading Last Chance Saloon and Watermelon. After Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married, I was hooked! I had no doubt that Keyes would please her audience again with Rachel's Holiday.
Unlike the others, I found that Rachel's Holiday did not have as much laugh-out-loud humor. Yet it was pleasing in the sense that I had a deep connection with Rachel. I was urging her to go on in her self-discovery.
Rachel is placed in an addiction-treatment center after overdosing. Yes, she is an addict. She is definitely a coke head, a somewhat alcoholic, and extremely reliant on her Valium. Keyes takes us through her recovery, gripping us with the realization that all of us have our own addictions. We love Rachel, we learn from Rachel.
Don't get worried. It's not too serious. But it does make you think about your own life just a bit.
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