A powerful, provocative novel about marriage and motherhood, love and forgiveness.
Tessa Russo is a stay-at-home mother of two young children and the wife of a renowned pediatric surgeon. Valerie Anderson is an attorney and single mother to six-year-old Charlieβa boy who has never known his father. Although both women live in the same Boston suburb, they are strangers to one another and have little in common, aside from a fierce love for their children. But one night, a tragic accident causes their lives to converge in ways no one could have imagined.
This is the moving, luminous story of good people caught in untenable circumstances. Each being tested in ways they never thought possible. Each questioning everything they once believed. And each ultimately discovering what truly matters most.
**
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Product Description
A powerful, provocative novel about marriage and motherhood, love and forgiveness.**
Tessa Russo is a stay-at-home mother of two young children and the wife of a renowned pediatric surgeon. Valerie Anderson is an attorney and single mother to six-year-old Charlieβa boy who has never known his father. Although both women live in the same Boston suburb, they are strangers to one another and have little in common, aside from a fierce love for their children. But one night, a tragic accident causes their lives to converge in ways no one could have imagined.
This is the moving, luminous story of good people caught in untenable circumstances. Each being tested in ways they never thought possible. Each questioning everything they once believed. And each ultimately discovering what truly matters most.
From Publishers Weekly
In the popular Giffin's latest, Nick Russo is a pediatric plastic surgeon; his wife, Tessa (sister of Dex, from Something Borrowed), is a professor turned stay-at-home mom living a cushy life in Boston. Nick is called in to care for a six-year-old burn victim, and Nick's devotion to his work is soon tangled up in his attraction to the boy's mother, Valerie, a single attorney. Narrated in turn by Tessa and Valerie, the action centers aroundβwill they or won't they, and, if they do, will Tessa forgive him? While unclear what Nick finds so unsatisfying in his marriage, adultery is always tempting and Tessa and Valerie both have their charms. Longtime fans will enjoy the cameos, but for the best of Giffin, don't miss her earlier works. (May)
Copyright Β© Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Customer Reviews
** (553)
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Emily Giffin did a great job with the characters in this book.
Tammy Chism
I thought the characters were unsympathetic, the story predictable, and the book about 100 pages too long.
gnapye
Giffin did end the book really well, it was just so good I wanted it to continue!
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
146 of 164 people found the following review helpful
**Both sides of the story.
By Benjamin on May 11, 2010
Format: Hardcover
I like Emily Giffin's newest book HEART OF THE MATTER because it explores something fundamental, basic and easy to understand about human nature, that we rarely if ever see ourselves as the villain when we tell the story of our lives. For every mistake we make, we can justify it by telling ourselves the reasons we did it. For every choice that we decide that affects other people, we know what led us to them. And when every small choice we make suddenly puts us square in the middle of some disaster and we're the "bad guy" in the situation, it's not like we didn't have good intentions at the start. And it's that sort of disaster that leads HEART OF THE MATTER's two narrators, Tessa and Valerie, to find themselves at odds with one another. And because each of them gets to tell their version of events to us, there's not really a villain in this story of injured children, gossipy private school moms, broken families and, more than anything, infidelity. Tessa and Val are just two women who've made mistakes and bad choices for very good reasons. And, under different circumstances, they'd probably be really close friends.
Tessa and Val's story begins with an accident. Valerie Anderson is a strong, determined, stubborn single mom to Charlie, a very sweet, sensitive little boy who's a student at a private school in Boston. She reluctantly allows Charlie to go to a friend's birthday party, even though she finds the parents involved to be rich and snotty. At the party, Charlie is seriously injured in a campfire and rushed to the hospital. Val beats herself up over these choices, not trusting her instincts, massively upset over her hurt little boy. Her twin brother Jason tries to comfort her. But no one is able to reassure her until her son's excellent, attractive pediatric plastic surgeon, Dr.Read more βΊ
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106 of 118 people found the following review helpful
**Unexciting depiction of a somewhat-fresh adultery tale
By K. Burton on May 15, 2010
Format: Hardcover** Verified Purchase
Something Borrowed is my favorite modern novel. Period. I love how it shows a balanced, thoughtful, emotional account of infidelity, friendship, and the complexities of turning 30 with unrealized expectations...with flawed characters whose voices and backgrounds are varied and ring true.
It seems, though, that in each subsequent release, the narrators of Giffin's stories become more cookie-cutter, more self-absorbed, more whiny. In fact, the first few chapters of Heart of the Matter were boring...too much exposition, to much 'tell,' flashback, character descriptions. What happened to letting us know the characters by their behaviors and actions? Honestly, I was thrown back to Sweet Valley High when Jessica and Elizabeth's physical appearances, down to their aquamarine eyes, were described in detail around page 6 of Every. Single. Book.
Also: female novelists: PLEASE stop giving every mommy-protagonist a single BFF who is longing to have what the mommy has. Is it possible that some single women are happy with their lives? Is it possible some married mothers are best friends with... other married mothers? You don't need that cliche character in order to cultivate a random bar/hi-jinks plot excursion. Cate was unnecessary. Completely. (And don't get me started on Romy. People DO have layers...even rich, entitled ones).
That said, this story did get better as time went along, although I found the character Val, because of what she exposed her child to, to be not nearly as sympathetic as she should have been. I found Tessa to be fairly bland. I found the re-appearance of two of my favorite characters from Giffin's original storyline (I won't name and spoil it) to be very exciting at first...but also... a little vanilla.Read more βΊ
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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful
**Profoundly thoughtful
By Donk on September 20, 2010
Format: Hardcover
This is my first book by Emily Giffin. Listening to it on CD over a period of 2 weeks gave me a chance to think about the characters, their actions and the unfolding story. I found myself totally engrossed by the story and moved by the circumstances linking Tessa, Nick and Valerie. It's one of those books that you don't just put down and forget, but ponder for days after.
First and foremost, this is a book of subtleties. Tess and Nick appear to have a good marriage, but Tess's thoughts and passive-aggressive behavior during daily routines reveal her underlying resentment toward Nick. And Nick often replies in kind with his own little digs and swipes. Their uneasiness is a transparent veil over the fiction of a contented relationship. It's as though they are playing house and going through the motions.
Tess can barely admit to herself that her stay-at-home Mommyhood is not the ideal existence that she envisioned when leaving her profession behind. She has exchanged her career pursuits for gossipy Mommy cliques and her friendships are more the result of child-friendly playgroup relationships rather than surrounding herself with people she would choose as friends. While confident as a teacher, Tess's self-esteem is tested by the challenges of Motherhood - feeling inadequate as she compares herself to other mothers who seem to make it all look effortless, feeling overwhelmed by the 24/7 demands of children. And often she blames her husband - for not being at home, being the good cop to her bad cop, showing up late to family functions, and leaving early when they are out on the town because of the demands of his job.
The cracks along the fault lines of their marriage are nuanced. No knock down, drag out fights. No chilling put-downs or crying jags.Read more βΊ
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
**Nice reading
I enjoyed reading this book, just as I have all of Ms. Giffin's books. It was a nice easy read perfect for getting into summer reading mode.
Published 2 days ago by Selina D Taylor
**Good book
I really enjoyed reading this book. I couldn't put it down and ended up finishing it in two days. I would recommend this book.
Published 9 days ago by Melissa Ashman
**Great book! Love Emily Giffin
She is one of my favorite authors! She keeps you guessing every time. I would recommend this book to anyone.
Published 22 days ago by Mary Kuykendall
**A good read
A compelling, human story that held my interest throughout - alternating chapters present both sides of a sticky situation. Read more
Published 23 days ago by Linda Montgomery
**This book has heart. So much of it.
I honestly loved reading this book. It was different than the books I've read recently in that it had so much heart and depth. Read more
Published 1 month ago by S. Shamma
**Worth the read
Good but not as good as her others. Still worth the read. Didn't take very long at all to finish.
Published 1 month ago by lori felitti
**good adult story of love and forgiveness
This is a good story of faith, love, family and forgiveness. It explores the marriage of Nick and Tessa, their families and friends. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mary Beth Grey
**Good book
a very emotional book. I liked how the author went back and forth between the two main characters. it really let you see both sides.
Published 1 month ago by Deb Nelson
**Awful! Truly. Disrespectful of men, women & marriage.
Wish I could give it a 0. Never have I jumped to the end, or worse, just stopped reading a book. This is the first. Read more
Published 1 month ago by LCC5
**Awesome
SO GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 Suggest this to anyone who likes Emily Giffin. It was excellent and I loved it so so much.
Published 1 month ago by Alicia Monaco
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