The Five Star Weekend Book Review

When life hands you lemons, it is very often your friends who respond with lemonade. That does not mean, however, that they do not have problems of their own.

Elin Hilderbrand‘s new novel, The Five Star Weekend, was released last month. Hollis Shaw is a Martha Stewart-esque domestic goddess who appears to have it all. A thriving business, a happy marriage, and a growing daughter with a bright future. But all is not what it seems to be.

Just before Hollis’s husband, Matthew is about to leave for a business trip, they get into an argument. On the way to the airport, he is killed in a car crash. His unexpected death reveals the deep fissures between Hollis, Matthew, and their daughter, Caroline.

Some months after losing Matthew, Hollis hears about a “Five Star Weekend”. Each of the invited guests represents a specific era from the host’s life. Jumping onto the bandwagon, she reaches out to four women: her childhood best friend, her college roommate, a neighbor whom she has become close to over the years, and a fan who seems to understand what Hollis has been going through.

What she hopes will be an emotional regenerative weekend becomes a revelation about the trials that each woman is going through and how they learn to support one another.

Hilderbrand does it again. Her novel is poignant, riveting, powerful, and true to life. Each character’s arc stands on its own two feet, allowing each woman to shine on her own terms. I could not put it down and finished the book before I knew it.

Do I recommend it? Absolutely. It is also, in my estimation, one of the best books of 2023.

The Five Star Weekend is available wherever books are sold.

Wisdom Can Only Come From Experience and Heartbreak

What do you think gets better with age?

Wisdom. I sometimes look back at where I was 15-20 years ago, and I can see where I have been. I can also see (and remember) the painful mistakes that got me to where I am today.

Flashback Friday: We are Marshall (2006)

For many small towns in America, football is baked into its identity. The coaches and players are local celebrities, creating a mystique that lives on long after they have left the field.

The 2006 film, We are Marshall, is based on a true story. In November of 1970, a plane carrying most of the players, coaching staff, and other people from the Marshall University football team crashed. No one aboard survived. Both the University and the surrounding town are left with a broken heart.

Among those who are trying to rebuild the team and morale are head Coach Jack Lengyel (Matthew McConaughey), his second-in-command Red Dawson (Matthew Fox), and surviving player Nate Ruffin (Anthony Mackie).

The core of the narrative is finding a way to live again after a major tragedy. I felt for everyone involved, the loss is incalculable. McConaughey is fantastic as Lengyel, encouraging his players (and everyone else connected, by extension) to find the strength to get up again.

My only complaint is the usual one. Though the B story of the relationship between Annie Cantrell (Kate Mara) and Paul Griffin (Ian McShane) (who are the fiance and father of one of the dead football players respectively) is compelling, Mara is only seen as the fiance and not a full human being. The same goes for January Jones (Carole Dawson) and Kimberly Williams-Paisley (Sandy Lengyel), who are only viewed through the lens of their characters being the wives of the team’s new coaches.

Do I recommend it? Maybe.