The Woman in Me Book Review

Warning: spoilers below. Read at your own risk if you have not read the book.

Being in the spotlight is not as glamorous as it seems. It can be especially hard on young women who are trying to conform to the role society puts on them while dealing with unresolved mental health issues.

Britney Spears has been a part of our cultural landscape for the last 25 years. That does not mean, however, that the press has respected her boundaries. Spears’s new memoir, The Woman in Me, was published in October.

From a young age, it was clear that Spears was going to be an entertainer. But she was born into a family with generational trauma and to parents who had not ironed out their own trauma.

As a teenager (as we all know) Spears rocketed to fame with her first single, Baby One More Time. As her fame grew, so did her behind-the-scenes problems. Eventually, the conservatorship took hold. Over time, it became apparent that it was more for other’s benefit than for hers. After years of being trapped in a gilded cage, she finally broke free and told her story on her own terms.

I was blown away by her candor and honesty. She speaks candidly of coming from a broken home, the men who broke her heart, and her children (who are everything to her).

The chapter that has stayed with me was the breakup with Justin Timberlake. According to the song Cry Me a River, Spears had cheated on him. She acknowledges, but also states that he was playing around on the side as well. So much for slut shaming.

Do I recommend it? Absolutely. It will very likely be on my best books of 2023 list at the end of the week.

The Woman in Me is available wherever books are sold.

Merry Christmas

To all of my readers who celebrate Christmas, may this day be merry and bright.

The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach Book Review

The twists and turns that life throws our way cannot be seen until they are at our doorstep. In the long run, what matters is how we respond to them.

The heroine of Pam Jenoff‘s 2015 novel, The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach is Adelia Montforte. In her mid-teens, Adelia, who goes by Addie, is sent by her Jewish parents from her hometown of Trieste to America. Taken in by her aunt and uncle, she meets the Irish Catholic Connally family. Both she and Charlie, the oldest of the four Connally boys develop a crush on one another.

That crush turns into young love. But before they can formalize their relationship, tragedy and World War II pull them apart. Not wanting to stay at the scene of her loss, Addie moves to Washington D.C. before pulling up stakes again and relocating to London. She hopes that her job at a newspaper will help her to move on from the past, but it is steps behind her.

When she finally has to make a choice, Addie learns about a path that she could have never predicted.

There is a reason that Jenoff is one of my favorite authors. Addie faces circumstances someone else might crumble under. But because she has this innate will to survive, she just keeps going.

I appreciated that Addie’s story is more than a romantic one. Her career is as important as her love life. At that time, most women (if they had the choice) chose marriage and motherhood. If Jenoff had written a sequel, I have a feeling that Addie would have found a way to do both.

Do I recommend it? Absolutely.

The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach is available wherever books are sold.

A Grandparents Influence is Priceless

Who are the biggest influences in your life?

I was fortunate to have three of my four grandparents nearby when I was a child. In hindsight, I appreciate what I learned from them. I also miss them and I know that they will always be with me in spirit.