Open House by Elizabeth Berg

Open House by Elizabeth Berg
241 pages
Finished 2/16/08













Open House is about a woman (Sam) who separates from her wealthy husband within the first few pages of the book. She has a preteen son to raise, and once her soon to be ex-husband cuts her off financially, Sam must find a way to be able to keep her house and maintain her sanity. She lets out rooms to a few characters who both help and hinder her growth as she comes to grips with being left after 15 years of marriage.

I thought the start of the book was awful. I think Sam was supposed to come across as a sympathetic character devastated by her separation, but she just came off as neurotic, needy, and pathetic. As the book wore on and Sam started to get a backbone and some independence, I started liking the book more and more. There were a few touching scenes, including Sam's Thanksgiving. I did think the ending of the book was a little abrupt - there were some things that could have been explored a little more, including a conversation that Sam has with her ex.

Overall, I thought it was an ok book - I liked it, but I didn't love it. And I don't really understand how this was an Oprah pick, but whatever.

Three stars.