Another Piece of My Heart

Jane Green is probably the author responsible for my liking the girly category "Brit Chick Lit".  The first book of hers I read was "Straight Talking" which is described as "sets the record straight regarding the real world of dating, and follows the adventures of Tash and her friends as they search for fulfillment and the right kind of love. Funny, flirty, and ultimately tender, Straight Talking gets at the heart of modern romance.". 



  My next book of hers was Jemima J - A Novel About Ugly Ducklings and Swans.  This book is described as  "With a fast-paced plot that never quits and a surprise ending no reader will see coming, Jemima J is the chronicle of one woman’s quest to become the woman she’s always wanted to be, learning along the way a host of lessons about attraction, addiction, the meaning of true love, and, ultimately, who she really is."









As you can see, this is light-hearted, semi cringe and awkward worthy female coming of age literature.

But most recently, Jane Green has been writing on harder deeper topics.  She wrote a book called Promises to Keep about a sister who is diagnosed with cancer... AGAIN.  This is NOT the chick literature that I'm accustomed to reading and enjoying.  But I love the author, and have either read or listened to each of her books on tape. 



Yesterday, I finished up my last disk of her most recently released work "Another Piece of My Heart" which follows a "blended family".  If you have ever spent much time on the couch of a therapist's couch, you can hear how well thought out this book is.  It hits on lots of topics of Step-parents. Alcoholic parents, Al-Anonism, Detachment, Boundaries, and People Pleasing, Growing up... It was an awesome book.  At times, when I would turn on my CD player, I would cringe going "oh god, what's gonna happen in THIS chapter?!"
 
But the book was full of solid life lessons.  Basic concepts that I think most of us miss growing up.