The Meryl Streep Movie Club by Mia March

The Meryl Streep Movie Club by Mia March
Release Date –  June 19, 2011
Publisher Website –  Simon and Schuster
Publisher Social Media -  Twitter
Pages -  325 pages
My Rating- 4/5
**obtained via Twitter contest**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

In the bestselling tradition of The Friday Night Knitting Club and The Jane Austen Book Club, three women find unexpected answers, happiness, and one another, using Meryl Streep’s movies as their inspiration. Three estranged female relatives—two sisters and the cousin they grew up with after a tragedy—are summoned home to their aunt’s inn on the coast of Maine. Thirty-one-year-old Isabel Nash McNeal is reeling from her husband’s affair, but a secret pact she made years ago may keep her from the one thing she wants most. Twenty-eight-year-old single mother June Nash promised her young son she’ll finally track down his father, and her search will lead her where she least expects it. Their cousin, twenty-five-year old Kat Weller, rocked by her mother’s shocking announcement and the arrival of her cousins, accepts her boyfriend’s marriage proposal—then has her “yes” tested in ways she never imagined. Every Friday night, Isabel, June, and Kat reluctantly get together to watch the films of their family matriarch’s favorite actress—Meryl Streep—and find themselves sharing secrets, talking long into the night, and questioning everything they thought they knew about one another, life, and love. Through surprising and heartfelt discussions of movies such as Out of Africa, The Bridges of Madison County, and Mamma Mia, the three women unexpectedly discover who they really are and what they truly want.

Having characters bond over movies, books, and other forms of entertainment is nothing new in literature. They provide something to discuss, dissect and entertain. This novel takes that and shows that it can bring families closer, provoke us to think about our own lives, and sometimes even provide us some answers that we’ve been searching for.

The setting of this novel, a charming town in Maine, is almost another character. The quaint inn that the story mostly takes place in provides the perfect backdrop to this character driven novel. While the characters were less clear in my head, the setting was easy to picture. The inn and surrounding area sounded lovely and a great vacation spot.

Based on the synopsis I was expecting a much more serious book than it ended up being. Light, fun and touched with some romance this novel is a great beach time read.

June, Isabel, and Kat are the three characters that the story mostly revolves around. Each woman is trying to find themselves and are on a cusp of a change in their life. Kat has to decide between getting married or following her dreams, June finds herself uprooting her life back to where she grew up, and Isabel finds her marriage ending after her husband cheats. Each woman has choices to make and each struggles in their own way. I felt connected to them and invested in the outcomes for each of them. I personally found Kat to the by the most engaging and looked forward to her sections in the novel.

The bonds between these women felt authentic and real. The strong point of the novel is seeing their relationship grow and evolve into a true friendship. The ups and downs they experience and handled together. The family dynamic was believable and  rather touching.

The book will make you want to watch many of the Meryl Streep movies discussed. The movies selected are ones that resonate with the characters and help the plot along so it all connects rather nicely.

While this book does have serious issues in it, the tone of the novel tends to remain fun and light. It is perfect for a summer read. A story of growing up, finding yourself and reconnecting, The Meryl Streep Movie Club made me want to start my own movie club.