Second Chance by Jane Green

Val Penny ♦ April 5, 2013 ♦ Leave a comment

Jane Green is the author of fourteen New York Times best selling novels, dealing with real women and all the things life throws at them, with her trademark wisdom, wit and warmth.  A former feature writer for the Daily Express newspaper in the UK, Green took a leap in faith when she left, in 1996, to freelance and work on a novel.

The novel by Jane Green that I read most recently was” Second Chance“. Jane Green has become a nationally best selling author with legions of fans through her novels about the true-life dilemmas of real women, their relationships, their careers, their loves, their triumphs and disappointments.

In this book, Green tells the story of a group of people who haven’t seen each other since they were best friends at school. When one of them dies in a terrible tragedy, the reunited friends work through their grief together and find that each of their lives is impacted in ways they could have never foreseen. I was surprised that Green chose to have the death occur in terrorist attack on American soil ; because I think a car accident, or some such less dramatic event would have served the exact same purpose. It was the fact of the death, rather than the means of it, that was important.

The characters are, perhaps unsurprisingly, a woman trapped in a loveless marriage; a happily married couple who can’t conceive; a mousy one and a glamorous, alcoholic film star. Warm and witty, this is a story of friendship, of family, and of life coming full circle.  I found this book quick to read.  There is comfort in visiting with these familiar types and Green’s characters, if not highly original, are engaging.It quite a heartening book and I will read more by this author.