.jpg)
My debut book ACCORDING TO JANE won RWA's prestigious Golden Heart® Award for Best Novel with Strong Romantic Elements!!
|
.jpg)
Friday Mornings at Nine~reviews |
This book is a Doubleday Book Club & Book-of-the-Month Club Featured Alternate Selection for October 2010! Reviews and Praise for Friday Mornings at Nine “Brant’s sophomore effort is a brilliant character study of three very different women each asking the question we all wonder about sooner or later: did we make the right choices during our journey and if not, what steps do we need to take in order to live our best life?” ~Leah Eggleston Krygowski, Manchester Books Examiner & Chicklit Club review, 8/10 rating “Marilyn Brant masterfully writes on the intricacy of female friendship in a carefully crafted, entertaining and yet philosophical look at love, marriage and family. In Friday Mornings at Nine, we're dropped into an inner circle of three women who have spent years forging their bonds of trust -- but still remain skeptical of opening their hearts too much. Who hasn't felt that way? That our inner lives are something to be guarded, something to be protected, even with close friends? That's what struck me most about this novel: how well Brant understands the complexity of women… Fans of women's fiction shouldn't miss this novel full of wonderful insights into our friendship and family, people and topics always at the forefront of our minds. I was so pleased with the way this one turned out and highly recommend it and Brant's debut novel, According to Jane.” ~Megan Snider, Write Meg reviewer, 4.25 Stars "If you like your novel with more substance, you will enjoy this one, if you like family drama this is right up your alley, if you like exhibiting emotions while you read be prepared to run the gamut on this one." ~Debbie Haupt, moderator, B&N General Fiction Book Club & The Reading Frenzy "You’ll appreciate this author’s serious thought and consideration to this topic... She went all out in making sure we, the readers, would have the full story and in the end we were left to accept the decisions of these women without any prejudices and judgments. Now, that I call some crafty writing! If you like well written contemporary stories, with lots of humor and plenty of reality, this one’s for you. I’d say if it comes to ‘Fifty Shades of Gray’ and this one, skip the ‘Shades’. You’ll be glad you did!" ~Melanie, Bookworm2Bookworm "This book was a delightful little read. ...One thing I enjoyed most was that this book was real. It wasn't a bunch of fudge." ~Rebecca, Beck's Book Picks, 4 Butterflies "An honest telling of the feelings reflected when faced with temptation and uncertainty. Each of the characters are realistic and I think you can easily find one that you relate to. I thought this was another wonderful read from Marilyn Brant." ~Emily, Single Titles Reviews, 4.5 Stars "Welcome to the world of Friday Mornings at Nine, the most cunningly disguised self-help book on planet Earth. But before you run screaming from the bookstore, desperately afraid that someone might actually catch you reading a self-help book, take a moment to soak this in: this novel will drag you in, whether you’re open and willing, kicking and screaming, politely interested, or coolly unmotivated. Read it. ...With each page turn, with each brief glimpse into the lives of these lonely females, I found myself more and more captivated by their predicaments. Each marital problem is different than the others but still circles around the same key issue: the lack of solid a relationship with the self. Marilyn Brant, author of According to Jane, spins an engaging story around the concept Polonius described so simply, “To thine own self, be true.” ...Ms. Brant’s style is charming, full of wit and humor, and she positively brims with quotable advice for couples. Even if your relationship is all sunshine and lollipops, a trip through the lives of these women and their subsequent spouses is an education, and will bring you nothing but good things." ~Shelley DeWees, Austenprose guest reviewer, 4 Stars
"Ms. Brant allows the reader to feel like they're directly observing each character's life, as if we were all in the same room. She also has terrific use of description, which carries this story along and adds to the realistic feel altogether." ~Melissa Amster, Chick Lit Central "I enjoyed the layout of the book, a third person perspective alternating between coffee house chapters with the three together, linked by chapters focusing on each individual's plot. Though I could imagine some of the dangers of their direction of their thoughts, I did not anticipate the effects that their individual explorations would have on their friendship, pushing them apart, rather than pulling them together. It was interesting to see the twists and turns in each of the women's plots and considering how their situations were similar and different. Each of the plot lines were well developed, and through the three a variety of reactions, responses, and relationships were explored. The book would be great paired up with Emily Giffin's Love the One You're With... It is interesting to think about the books [According to Jane and Friday Mornings at Nine] as complementing each other, each providing a lens of understanding in relation to different phases of women's lives." ~Mrs. V, In Search of Balance “Emotionally packed, it's hard to put down… What intrigued me most was this book was as much about friendship as it was about what goes on behind the closed doors of marriage. Does anyone really know someone? Do we even know ourselves? Will we have the courage to go after what we want when presented with the options? This isn't a book about infidelity, and the author was very careful not to go that route or cross that line. A highly recommended women's fiction read.” ~Kelly Moran, award-winning author and book reviewer “Readers will sympathize with women who feel stuck in their lives and don’t know what to do next…” ~October 2010, Romantic Times BOOKreviews ~*~
Click HERE to get to my appearance on "Great Day St. Louis," where I did a live TV interview on Monday, October 4, 2010 and got to chat about Friday Mornings at Nine!
|
.jpg)
Some Favorite Comments from Readers:
“I loved Brant's first book, According to Jane, but I thought Friday Mornings at Nine was even better. It has more of a grown-up feel, with three friends in their forties at turning points of their lives… Men are involved in all their conflicts, but the book isn't about the men. It's about finding themselves again, it's about being first in their lives. And at the heart of the book, it's about friendship. The characters—women, men and families—felt like people I know, and it was fascinating to watch their stories unfold. I never knew what was going to happen. Brant's writing has a Jane Austen feel that lets us see beneath the characters' surfaces. I'm a big fan of Austen's, and now I'm a huge fan of Brant's.” ~Edie
"This book is an entertaining, enlightening and by times mildly disturbing look at marriage, but more than that it is an exploration of female friendships. The author honestly and shamelessly explores the importance women have in each others lives, and the importance of being honest enough with yourself to be honest with your friends. I want to be at that cafe Friday morning at nine. I want to call these women my friends. THAT is what a good story should make you feel!"~Lainey
"It's an interesting, absorbing story of three women who are not afraid to test the limits of their relationships with their husbands and families in order to learn what they really want from their lives. Reminiscent of Marge Piercy, this is definitely a women's novel, topical and thought-provoking.~Marlyn
"Marilyn Brant has a way of writing where you see bits and pieces of yourself, if not thinking she must have been spying on you because that is YOU in the book." ~Tonya
"I loved Friday Mornings at Nine. I think every woman will identify with the three heroines - Bridget, Tamara and Jennifer. These friends aren't stock characters or cardboard cutouts. Their lives felt totally real, each fresh and unique thanks to Brant's eye for detail. In her hands, the premise -- three friends flirting with the idea of having an affair -- rises well above cliche. This story isn't about infidelity. It's about the choices we make, about the truths we share with our friends, and the secrets we keep -- sometimes even from ourselves. Neither preachy nor predictable, Friday's had me turning the pages, both laughing and reaching for tissues, until that final satisfied sigh. Afterward, like me, you'll probably be left with an irresistible craving for toasted chocolate chip muffins. A small price to pay, though, for the reward of such a thoroughly enjoyable read!"~Karen
"This is a funny, touching, and uplifting novel about a touchy subject...and Brant takes the action head-on, with her accustomed humor and wit. Buy this book. You'll be glad you did."~Sarah
"Marilyn Brant really brings lovable, mid-forties women, and pulls them into the plot line perfectly. The reader is instantly hooked and, through some wishing and hoping, some laugh-out-loud moments, the reader will be taken on a whirl wind ride through this chick lit novel,and set down at unexpected places. "~Molly
"I adored Marilyn Brant's debut book, According to Jane, and couldn't wait to get my hands on this, her second novel. She didn't disappoint. I immediately fell in step with the three women she writes about and couldn't turn the pages fast enough. Friday Mornings at Nine is so well written, so engrossing, that I felt as though I was there in the story. The women are characters you root for and sympathize with, and each one carries a trait so relatable, that you'll wish you could meet them for coffee on Friday mornings. This is a book about friendship and honesty (with yourself and others) and real-life love, and it's layers of emotion stayed with me long after I'd finished the book. Ms. Brant captures the complexity of a woman's life so beautifully, it's a novel I highly recommend!" ~Robin
"Friday Mornings at Nine is a better alterative than a cinnamon roll to go with your coffee."~Cheryl