Finding Colin Firth by Mia March

Finding Colin Firth by Mia March
Release Date - July 9, 2013
Publisher Website - Simon and Schuster
Publisher Social Media - Twitter
Pages - 336 pages
My Rating - 4/5
**obtained for review from publisher via Edelweiss**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

From the author of The Meryl Streep Movie Club, a “heart-warming,  spirit-lifting read just in time for beach season” (Kirkus Reviews), comes a new novel about three women, connected in secret and surprising ways, who are  in for a life-changing summer when rumor has it that actor Colin Firth  is coming to their Maine town to film a movie.  

After losing her job and leaving her beloved husband, journalist Gemma Hendricks is sure that scoring an interview with Colin Firth will save her career and marriage. Yet a heart-tugging local story about women, family ties, love, and loss captures her heart— and changes everything. The story concerns Bea Crane, a floundering twenty-two-year-old who learns in a deathbed confession letter that she was adopted at birth. Bea is in Boothbay Harbor to surreptitiously observe her biological mother, Veronica Russo—something of a legend in town—who Bea might not be ready to meet after all. Veronica, a thirty-eight-year-old diner waitress famous for her “healing” pies, has come home to Maine to face her past. But when she’s hired as an extra on the bustling movie set, she wonders if she is hiding from the truth . . . and perhaps the opportunity of a real-life Mr. Darcy.  

These three women will discover more than they ever imagined in this coastal Maine town, buzzing with hopes of Colin Firth. Even the conjecture of his arrival inspires daydreams, amplifies complicated lives, and gives incentive to find their own romantic endings.

Mia March's novels are sweet, romantic, and character driven. The quaint Boothbay Harbor provides a wonderful backdrop for these heartfelt novels and becomes a character itself. These books are comforting and make a perfect read for when you need something a little lighter.

Much like it's previous companion novel The Meryl Streep Movie Club, Finding Colin Firth focuses on three women. Gemma, Bea and Veronica. We get to know each of them in equal measure as they deal with conflicts and issues in their lives. The idea of family, especially the bond between mother and child is a huge focus of the novel. We get to see different women reacting to these relationships in a way that all interconnects. It's one of the things Mia March does well - connecting these different story arcs into one overall theme in the story.

If you've read The Meryl Streep Movie Club there are little cameos that will delight you. I enjoyed getting a peek at those characters again and seeing where they currently are during their journey. It's nice to get that brief glimpse because it creates a familiarity that is comforting as a reader.

Hope, faith, and belief are touched upon in all three women's journeys. The main one being Veronica and her pies. It was endearing to see these home made pies do so much good for the people in the town. It shows that positive thinking, wishful thinking and a little faith can sometimes create your own luck. Seeing yourself through a hard situation is better if you feel supported, and have faith in yourself. Veronica's pies allow a little bit of 'magic' to happen, and it was a perfect touch to this already sweet story. The only downside was that I found myself with a huge pie craving after.

Colin Firth is a character unto himself for the entire novel. The humorous 'sightings' and the way he brought the girls together through the Three Captain's infamous movie nights created a nice thread to weave the plots together.

The characters are all so wonderful. Each one was distinct, and had personality. Bea the woman who finds out she was adopted and is searching for her birth mother. Veronica, the woman who gave her up for adoption and is dealing with the aftermath even years later. Gemma a career minded woman who finds herself pregnant and asking if she can have it all, and if not what she wants more. Gemma's story felt to be the one I most related. Her back and forth felt realistic and honest for someone who was so unsure. The Bea/Veronica storyline was done exceptionally well. Bea's desire to both know and not know her biological mother felt authentic.

The romance was woven in, and less the focus than perhaps The Meryl Streep Movie Club. It was done in just the right amount, but the focus is clearly on the bonds between parents and children and what exactly makes the bonds. It was refreshing to see a story revolve around something and that allowed romance to take the back seat in such a believable way.

A heartwarming, feel good book whose characters are touching. If you enjoyed The Meryl Streep Movie Club, you'll definitely want to check out this companion novel. Don't be surprised, however, if you end up eating pie while watching Pride and Prejudice.

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.

New To My Book Closet

It's that time of the week again. Time to show you what bookish goodies made their way into my home and book closet (to be saved from the evil book eating cat monster named Aria). This is inspired by the various "mailbox" posts out there (eg. In My Mailbox by The Story Siren, and Stacking the Shelves by Tynga's Reviews).

This week I received a book that I won in a Twitter contest that the author was having. After hearing some great review for it I am looking forward to reading it.

The Meryl Streep Movie Club by Mia March (goodreads)

It sounds really good! A huge thank you for Mia March for the contest and for signing the book!

Happy Sunday and Happy Reading!