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  YOU ARE HERE : Home > Categories > Books > Fiction > The Girls From Corona Del Mar
  ProdID: 5680 - The Girls From Corona Del MarWritten byRufi Thorpe Product Score: 10.0 
The Girls From Corona Del Mar

Price : $34.99
Supplier :
Available : 01/08/2014

Mia and Lorrie Ann are lifelong friends: hard-hearted Mia and untouchably beautiful, kind Lorrie Ann. While Mia struggles with a mother who drinks, a pregnancy at fifteen, and younger brothers she loves but can't quite be good to, Lorrie Ann is luminous, surrounded by her close-knit family, immune to the mistakes that mar her best friend's life.

Until a sudden loss catapults Lorrie Ann into tragedy: things fall apart, and then fall apart further - and there is nothing Mia can do to help. And as good, kind, brave Lorrie Ann stops being so good, Mia begins to question just who this woman is and what that question means about them both.

A staggeringly arresting, honest novel of love, motherhood, loyalty, and the myth of the perfect friendship that moves us to ask ourselves just how well we know those we love, what we owe our children, and who we are without our friends.
Value for Money
Level of Realism
Rereadability
Lose Track of Time
sweetpea   Review #12241 - Dated: 5th of August, 2014
  Author: sweetpea

Ann Packer is quoted "A remarkable debut...turn off your phone,close the blinds,and let it take you' I can't say better than that really. What a remarkable story. There are so many different threads in this very heart felt, touching and incredibly, at times raw, account of Mia and Lorrie Ann's intersecting lives and the relationship as perceived by Mia. This is a very well written book that just grips the reader from the first chapter and indeed held my attention to the end. I almost didn't want the book to end I was enjoying it so much.

I found the exploration of Lorrie Ann's feelings towards her son really poignant and some of the narrative incredibly moving and thought provoking. Most of all Mia's journey of self discovery as to who she really was and how her perception of Lorrie Ann, and her perception of their relationship, had influenced that was incredibly insightful. Written in the first person from Mia's viewpoint I really felt like I was following Mia's journey and enjoyed the way the story flowed even when so much of the story is in past tense. The transition from the present to the past was handled so skilfully and at no point did I think "Um why was that?" I loved the thread (among all the others) of the Sumerian goddess Inanna and am now on the hunt for the true story of the translation. Such an intriguing tale that was so skilfully used to connect this narrative and was woven through the novel.

I stayed awake late several nights to finish this book and was totally engrossed reading it. This really is a fantastic read and one that is incredibly thought provoking, and indeed challenging, to ones views on abortion and euthanasia. I highly recommend this book and doubt you will be disappointed. I am eagerly awaiting another novel of such a high caliber from a very talented author. Thank you Rufi Thorpe for writing this so I could read it! Another fantastic addition to my book case of treasures.

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Printed at 06:53:23am on Friday 29th March 2024