The Friday56 is hosted at Freda's Voice. Find a quote from page 56.
The book I just finished reading (with a summary and review):
Title: Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane
Book Beginning quote (from prologue):
Summary: Francis Gleeson and Brian Stanhope are two rookie cops in New York City in 1973 (Book Beginnings quote). Right from the start we see the differences in the two men. Francis is by-the-book. Brian is late and wants to drink on the job. They also have something in common. Francis is from Ireland and Brian is dating a gal from Ireland, Anne. Several years later they buy houses right next to each other in a suburb of New York. But what should be a perfect friendship between the two families never develops. Anne is prickly and very unfriendly. Even when Lena, Francis's wife, and Anne get pregnant within months of each other there is no bond or friendship. Later when the two children, Peter Stanhope and Kate Gleeson, start to grow they become fast friends, doing everything they can together. Anne is not fond of Katie and tries her best to keep the children apart.On one fateful night near the end of their eighth grade year, Peter and Kate sneak out together. This starts a chain reaction which ends in tragedy for both families and separates the two friends for over six years. When they do meet up again no one is sure that the two friends can overcome the past as they move forward.
Review: This last summer I was up late one night when the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallen came on the TV. I was shocked as I watched that he was holding up a book saying this was the winner of the Tonight Show Summer Reads contest. (Click on the link to see the announcement. It is very cute and funny.) Anyway, Fallen said that we should all read the book together and he would have some book-clubbish discussions in the coming weeks. I instantly put myself on the waiting list at the library but had to wait until October for my turn with the audiobook. Last weekend Don and I listened to the first 2/3rds of the book as we made a car trip together, then we had to finish it separately this week.
The story is really about families and how we can overcome big awful things with the support of those we love. It is also the story of how mental illness and alcoholism can affect children and how the tentacles of those things go with those children into adulthood. Lastly, it is an affirming story of forgiveness and making things right. The title Ask Again, Yes is an affirmation of the decision to stick it out even when things are rough. Both Don and I found the story compelling and both of us were eager to finish up the book as quickly as we could once we started it.
Now I want to hop over to Twitter to see what other fans of the book and fans of the Tonight Show had to say about the book.
