What do You think about Songs Without Words (2007)?
Synopsis of the book: "Sarabeth and Liz grew up across the street from each other, their girlhood friendship deepened by the tragedy of Sarabeth's mother's suicide when the girls were in high school. Packer offers their history in a brief prologue, and the first chapter of the novel finds Liz married with two teenaged children and contentedly immersed in her roles as wife and mother. Sarabeth, on the other hand, is still single, uncertain about her life and pursuing a career as a house stager, someone who creates the ambiance of cozy domesticity in homes people are trying to sell, a job that seems like a painful destiny for someone whose own childhood was interrupted by domestic tragedy. Of the two, Liz appears to have it all, but when her 15-year-old daughter, Lauren falls into the grip of adolescent depression, Liz's world falls apart. And so does Sarabeth's; Lauren's unhappiness brings Sarabeth dangerously near to the memory of her own mother, and her retreat from Liz is both cowardly and understandable." I did not enjoy this book as much as I thought that I would. I was, like many other reviewers, waiting to see the solid relationship between these two women evolve. I found the book tedious to read truthfully. We were never told the true reason behind Lauren's depression. In fact, I felt that Sarabeth's own depression was highlighted much more so than Lauren's. She was constantly making wrong turns in her life and her own depression, while understandable, was never dealt with. I expected some real turning points in this novel that just never took place.
—Diane
I met Ann Packer at Books, Inc., Palo Alto, in late November for Small Business Day. Each of the local bookstores had authors coming during the day to help customers choose books. I didn't know that Ann was going to be there in the early afternoon, but I'm glad she was. She's written 2 novels and 2 books of novellas/short stories. Since I'm a novel (double meaning?) kind of guy, we talked about which of her 2 I should read. We picked one, she signed it, and I read it. It's Songs without Words, and it's darn good. Here's the rundown from the back of the book:"Liz and Sarabeth were girlhood neighbors in the suburbs of northern California, brought as close as sisters by the suicide of Sarabeth's mother. In the decades that followed, their relationship remained a source of continuity and strength. But when Liz's adolescent daughter enters dangerous waters, the women's friendship takes a devastating turn, forcing Liz and Sarabeth to question their most deeply held beliefs about their connection."As many of you know, I'm a big fan of a genre that goes by many names - women's fiction, chick lit, literary fiction, among others. Bottom line is that I like books written by women about women. Does that mean I lose my man card? Some (maybe many!) would say that it's too late. That I lost it long ago. Well, gosh darn it, so be it.Several elements of Songs without Words resonated with me immediately.1. Ann does a great job of setting up the story in her prologue.2. The story grabs you immediately.3. You learn on page 3 that Sarabeth's mother committed suicide. This is like C. Lee McKenzie's The Princess of Las Pulgas (our RBC author/book for March) when we find out on page 2 that Carlie's dad died.4. Ann's writing reminds me a little of Meg Waite Clayton's writing. That's obviously a good thing.And then there were other parts of the book that I liked:1. The story takes place in the Bay Area. El Cerrito is mentioned. That is right next to Albany, where I grew up. And Montclair in Oakland is also mentioned. I moved from Albany to Oakland and spent lots of time in Montclair. Recognizable geography is always fun.2. The book is told from the point of view of 4 people - Liz and Sarabeth, of course, along with Liz's daughter, Lauren (my younger daughter's name!), and Brody, Liz's husband. And here's the thing - I absolutely cared about all of them.3. Sarabeth goes to a movie theater called the Albany Twin. This is where I saw my 1st movie with friends. I was probably around 13.4. The word perspicacious is used to describe Sarabeth. I specifically remember my father using that word with me when I was young. He never substituted a small word when the bigger word was what he wanted to use.5. Jim, Sarabeth's friend, comes to pick her up. She gets in the car, and he waits until she is buckled in before he drives away. I do that. I know sometimes it's a little annoying to family and friends. But I can't help myself.I enjoyed Songs without Words and, just like with Linda Gunther's Endangered Witness, I intend to read Ann Packer's other novel, The Dive from Clausen's Pier. Ann, can I get you to sign it for me?
—Lloyd Russell
It all boils down to this: This book is dullllllllll. I feel like I just absolutely wasted several hours of my life. Honestly, I kept thinking something was going to happen to make it all worth my time, but no...it's just dull. The whole story revolves around the friendship of Sarabeth and Liz, who have been friends since childhood and who were brought even closer when Sarabeth's mother committed suicide. For most of the book, the two friends are grown women, and their friendship is tested (although honestly, I don't understand why -- it wasn't satisfying at all) when Liz's daughter creates a family crisis. I just didn't get it. I didn't feel invested in the characters, I didn't understand why Ann Packer thought this idea was worthy of 322 pages, and even though I usually find gratuitous plot twists to be annoying, I think this book sorely needed one. Hey Ann, borrow a plot twist from Jodi Picoult. She's drowning in them.
—Kendra
