Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Everyone Is Beautiful


About The Book:

Lanie Coates’ life is spinning out of control. She’s piled everything she owns into a U-Haul and driven with her husband, Peter, and their three little boys from their cozy Texas home to a multiflight walkup in the Northeast. She’s left behind family, friends, and a comfortable life–all so her husband can realize his dream of becoming a professional musician. But somewhere in the eye of her personal hurricane, it hits Lanie that she once had dreams too. If only she could remember what they were.


These days, Lanie always seems to rank herself dead last–and when another mom accidentally criticizes her appearance, it’s the final straw. Fifteen years, three babies, and more pounds than she’s willing to count since the day she said “I do,” Lanie longs desperately to feel like her old self again. It’s time to rise up, fish her moxie out of the diaper pail, and find the woman she was before motherhood capsized her entire existence.

Lanie sets change in motion–joining a gym, signing up for photography classes, and finding a new best friend. But she also creates waves that come to threaten her whole life. In the end, Lanie must figure out once and for all how to find herself without losing everything else in the process.

Katherine Center’s Everyone Is Beautiful is a hugely entertaining, poignant, and charming new novel about what happens after happily ever after: how a woman learns to fall in love with her husband–and her entire life–all over again.

My Review:

Everyone is Beautiful is a tale about Lanie, who can find beauty in everyone but herself. Lanie is every woman. Whether you are a working mom or a stay at home mom; you will find a part of you in her. Well at least I did. It is easy to relate to Lanie and her life. You want her to succeed in the new life that she is making for herself.

As one ages and becomes involved in life one forgets what makes us beautiful and special. Katherine Center uses this book to remind one about what beauty is and that we are all beautiful. My favorite line is "I believe that when you love someone, she becomes beautiful to you". This reminds me that no matter how I see myself, not pretty or beautiful, my husband and children see me in a positive light.

This is a wonderful story about finding oneself, the consequences of finding oneself, and making the changes work for you and the important people in your life, your family.

So be like Lanie and make a positive change in your life. Don't think about how or if it is affordable, or who well watch the children, just do it and see what happens.

I give this book 4.5 stars, because it is a great book about finding oneself.

About The Author:

Katherine Center’s second novel, Everyone Is Beautiful, is featured in the March issue of Redbook. Kirkus Reviews likens it to the 1950s motherhood classic Please Don't Eat the Daisies, and says, "Center’s breezy style invites the reader to commiserate, laughing all the way." Booklist calls it "a superbly written novel filled with unique and resonant characters." Katherine's first novel, The Bright Side of Disaster, was featured in People Magazine, USA Today, Vanity Fair, the Houston Chronicle, and the Dallas Morning News, among others. BookPage named Katherine one of seven new writers to watch, and the paperback of Bright Side was a Breakout Title at Target. Katherine recently published an essay in Real Simple Family and has another forthcoming in Because I Love Her: 34 Women Writers on the Mother-Daughter Bond this April. She has just turned in her third novel, Get Lucky, and is starting on a fourth. She lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband and two young children. You can visit her website at http://www.katherinecenter.com/.

Happy Reading

8 comments:

Beth F said...

Sounds very up-lifting. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for this kind and lovely review for Everyone Is Beautiful!!!

Tracee said...

I loved this book, that was a great review!

thewriterslife said...

What a wonderful review! Thank you!

Anonymous said...

But how many stars do you give this one?

Pabast said...

I am having a hard time writing what I want to say lately. It took me a long time to write what I did. I did not feel good about it so your words mean alot to me.

I am sorry I forgot to rate it with the stars. I was up to late and I forgot. Everyone is Beautiful gets 4.5 stars. I will add to my blog.

Everyone Thanks for visiting.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the review and the stars clarification... I've added a link on my blog to point to this review:

http://mylastread.blogspot.com/2009/03/everyone-is-beautiful-by-katherine.html

I have also list your blog on my blog list:

http://mylastread.blogspot.com/2009/02/internet-resources-that-are-of.html

I wonder if you will also add my blog to your blog list..

Thanks,

Anna said...

I'm glad you enjoyed this one as much as I did. I reviewed the book here.

--Anna
Diary of an Eccentric