It was okay. Started out promising, but ultimately tripped over its own feet. For context: I didn't choose this book; I obtained it through the library's "Blind Date with a Book" Valentine's Day promotion. It was advertised as "Fun, riotous, poignant" but I found it to be none of those things. To be sure, I am not the target audience for this book. I wouldn't know a Manolo Blahnik shoe if it hit me in the forehead. I've never watched a single episode of Sex in the City or Desperate Housewives. Still, I wasn't going to automatically reject this book because I'm not a reader of chick-lit; I'm not above a bit of froth, if it involves a good story, and I plunged in with an open mind.And the first half was entertaining, as the reader gets to know the two main characters and all of their friends and acquaintances. But the book's cardinal sin is that it insists on telling instead of showing. And because it's not quite confident we were listening the first time, it tells again. And again. And again ... it's maddeningly repetitive. As the two characters meet new people, they all rehash their backstories and their various emotional characteristics, so that the reader goes over the same ground many times with each major and minor character. Always talking about how they are this or that kind of person, rarely demonstrating with any sort of actions what kind of person they are. Thus there ends up being very little real character development. The two main characters start out vaguely dissatisfied, but don't know why, although it is completely obvious to the reader at the outset what's making them unhappy. (Spoiler alert: the rich suburbanite is trapped in a shallow and materialistic lifestyle, the London journalist lets herself be walked all over in casual sexual relationships.) They each talk and talk about how dissatisfied they are without ever being able to specify why. Then they swap places and suddenly, inexplicably, figure out what is making them feel restless, and then, bada-bing, they abruptly return to their old lives with a great deal of clarity from whence the reader is ... frankly, not quite sure. The happy ending has a whiff of Deus ex machina and the whole thing wraps up feeling like a high-school student's fantasy journal, without a vestige of believability.
I brought a huge stack of Jane Green books recently, mainly ones I have previously read but one wasn't available and was substituted for life swap. Surprisingly one of hers that I hadn't read before. Jane Green was one of my top 5 authors when I was younger. As I have got older though, my tastes have changed but I couldn't wait to get started on some of her books again. Although I enjoyed this book. I have fallen out of love a little bit with Jane Green. I actually find her books really samey samey. Single or Married woman, early thirties, has cats, live in London. I do enjoy her stories, I do, but as I caught up with favorite books of old - I found the books quite superficial. However, I do like this plot line. I really sympathized with Amanda, OK, so I'm not American, or rich, or have to worry about the same social pressures as her. I am a housewife though, I can understand how frustrating is bloody is to be one too, keeping up with the other mothers, the competitiveness can be really overbearing sometimes, and Jane got this spot on. Vicky though, I did not like. So stupid over the celebrity. So sappy and shallow. Completely selfish, and almost child like. Just enjoy what you have woman! This is the plot to life swap. Vicky is 30 something, single lives in London. Wants to see if the grass is greener with a husband, big house etc, so the magazine that she works for arranges a 'life swap' with Amanda, A frustrated, stressed housewife from America. However of course Vicky couldn't swap with a normal woman, who didn't have staff, etc, because I do feel like all Jane Green can write about is spoilt little rich girls. I would love to see her write about a different character because she is so good at keeping you hooked throughout a story.I wouldn't recommend you go out and buy this. In terms of chic lit though, its at the higher end of the scale. Good read, keeps you hooked. Just the characters left me a bit, meh.
What do You think about Swapping Lives (2006)?
Certainly not the easy piece of fluff I was expecting, but it wasn't deep either. The actual "swap" (the supposed plot of the book) takes place very far in, and only for an extremely short amount of time/pages. We barely even see the swap, it's glossed over with saying each person was good at the other life, but missed their own. Show, don't tell!For most of the book, Ms. Green employs odd time jumps, the character Vicky might be sitting at the breakfast table, then it jumps back to the night be
—Laura
It's an interesting! I guess we all wish that we have the life of someone, a better life, more promising. Because it's as simple as "Grass in the other side is greener". If you say "yes" than this story is for you. Simple storyline, touching with full of emotion, funny with the smart conversation and sparkling with the life lesson was learned. What I don't really like in this book is the story structure is not equal. I would expect to read more about the story after the swapping lives, not before that. Unfortunately, the Jane spent more than a half of the book to talk about how their life before swapping. And the life swapping is a bit too short that might make you feel like you did not fully exploited it yet. A bit unbalanced, unease feeling. The second point is the way Jane build the character of Vicky. As being described as a feature director of Poise, a 35-year-old woman must be an experienced, sophisticated, demanding and decisive. Of course, you have to fight hard if you want to be on the top of the most popular magazine in the UK, don't you? Dissapointedly, Vicky turns out to be a soft-hearted woman, who is easily cheated and refused to take the most obvious signs of being cheated. She is too emotional and , unfortunately, doesn't show her sophistication in fashion taste as much as she has to supposedly. Nevertheless, I still love this book. A very good one to remind yourself about the grass on the other side might not neccessarily greener as it looks from distance.
—Annabel Nguyen
I'm about 40 or so pages into this book, and as yet it isn't really grabbing me. I'm going to give it just a bit longer and see if I get into it more, but when I avoid reading because I'm not that into a book, then I know that it's almost time to find something different to read. I usually like Jane Green, but this time, I'm just not sure. I have a heap of other books from the library to read, so if I'm not 'taken' in the next chapter or so, I'll be giving up on this one!Well I've just read reviews from other readers, and I don't think I'll even bother trying to finish this one. It just doesn't sound like it's worth my time. Like so many other readers, I found it difficult to relate to the characters, and just didn't really find them very likeable. Another book to add to my 'started, but not finished' shelf!!
—Sandra
