The Art Of Adapting: A Novel (2014) - Plot & Excerpts
Not really my style. The first few chapters were promising, and kept me going to the end hoping to recapture that desire to read more. The main issue I had with this book is that there didn't seem to be much conflict. Divorce, check. Eating disorder, check. Girl problems, check. Mental Illness, check. But somehow the book just skated over these issues like they were nothing, and things were very easily resolved. I wasn't blown away, hoping that any future books will have a little more oompth. I received this book from Goodreads in exchange for a review.Lana, Abby and Byron, her teenage children, and Matt, her brother, are all living under one roof. They are all struggling to overcome a major roadblock that has been placed in front of them. Lana is trying to find a way to move forward after separating from her husband. Matt, who has Asperger’s syndrome, is trying to overcome his pill and alcohol dependence, a result of his self-medicating. Abby, is trying to deal with the new family dynamic through an eating disorder: bulimia. Byron is realizing the life-path his father is pushing him toward is not the one that will make him happy. This book is alternately told from the perspective of all four main characters. The reader learns to understand their struggles and their coping mechanisms. ‘The Art of Adapting’ it the story of endings and beginnings, of dealing with what life throws at you. The author summed up the whole book in the a few words when Lana was talking to Abbot. She told Abbot her goal was: “Forgive myself when I falter. Keep my heart open. Trust my judgment. Accept others. Love myself.” [page 283]
What do You think about The Art Of Adapting: A Novel (2014)?
Fabulous. One of the best books I have ever read.
—erich
Fun and entertaining but not much more.
—londonfog08
Completely fairy tale feel good fiction
—Ratchyann
