Broken for You by Stephanie Kallos
2004, 364 pp.
Rating: 4
Margaret is an older woman who has lived alone in a mansion for a very long time. She finds out she has cancer and then decides to start taking in boarders. Wanda is her first boarder. Her boyfriend has broken up with her and she needs somewhere else to stay. The women hit it off and slowly reveal their secrets to one another. Margaret starts taking in other boarders and soon a surrogate family is developed.
I really liked this first novel by Kallos–especially the first and and last parts of the book. The middle section I didn’t much care for, or I would have rated this a 4.5. Also, there was quite a bit of s * x and language that I didn’t like. I did like how Margaret and Wanda not only forge a strong friendship but also start “really living” for the first time after they meet each other. There is much more to this novel that I don’t want to give away. I really did like the storyline, but it did seem like there were a few too many coincidences at the end. Overall, a fantastic first effort!
- I’ve wanted to read this for awhile, but hadn’t seen a review by anyone. I think I’ll still try it, even with the s*x and language. Maybe I’ll just end up putting it back down.
- 3M – May 22, 2007
- I think you’ll like the book, Amanda. I do recommend it highly. I always like to warn people ahead of time about content, though.
Oh, I loved this book, and I had completely forgotten the title of it! I want to reread it, so I’m glad I saw your post.
This is one of my TBR Challenge books that I plan to get to before the year is out. Thank you for the great review!
[...] Let Me Go – Ishiguro Rating: 3 J. The Known World – Jones Rating: 4 K. Broken for You – Kallos Rating: 4 L. The Giver – Lowry Rating: 4.5 M. Atonement – McEwan – Rating: 3.5 N. Suite Francaise – Nemirovsky [...]