I loved this book. Maybe I identify with Sam a little too much, but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have been able to relate quite so well if I hadn't been through a very similar break-up experience within the last year. Sure, she's crazy at first. I get that. It's hard to be rational and resilient and cool when the rug has been ripped out from under you and your entire life hurts.

But Sam, like most of us, picks herself up and rebuilds a life for herself and her son, even while aching for her husband David to return and unshatter her world. There are some scenes so funny and a few so sad and each time, I wanted to be there with Sam to laugh and to cry with her and refill the wine glasses or the cereal bowls.

Her friendship with the overweight, temp-job working King is rather refreshing, too. I love him even more than I do Samantha.

Berg does a great job with all the characters in this story, from Sam and David's son, Travis to the often annoying and best friend, Rita to Veronica, Sam's loving but pushy mother to Edward, the hilarious gay roommate who I wish had moved in much sooner!

This book is an easy, enjoyable, comfortable read. It's flannel pj's and red wine and an evening or two with a few new friends you hope can stay forever.

There are already so many wonderful reviews and descriptions of this book, so I won't ramble. Suffice it to say that this is one of the best books about going through a divorce that I've read. I love that it is so raw and real at times, but still offers hope and inspiration.

I kept waiting for this one to have a point. Didn't seem to find one. Do yourself a favor and save yourself the time.

I don't know if it was this author's style of writing or just the story line itself, but I really couldn't get into this book. It was an enjoyable read, but I prefer to read novels that are more than just enjoyable. I'd probably try this author at least one more time before deciding on whether I like her or not.

Sam's world is turned upside down when her husband abruptly announces that he wants to leave. Since *she* was perfectly happy, being a stay-at-home wife and mother, Sam never imagined that David could possibly feel differently.



Once he's gone, Sam begins to experience a series of tiny internal breakdowns. As she's wondering what on earth to do next, one thing is for sure -- she's going to be the best mom she possibly can be to her 11-year-old son Travis.



But what happens when Travis says he'd prefer living with his father? And if his dad makes excuses not to have him?



Above all, how will Sam make it financially, living alone in a huge old house? She'll take roommates, that's how...and thus a series of unique characters sweep into the Morrows' lives.



Even if you haven't experienced divorce personally, chances are you'll relate to Sam anyways...because who hasn't experienced some sort of loss that devastates to the core? Through it all, Sam's voice remains consistent; even when horribly defeated and depressed, readers can't help feeling that Sam's life will turn out fine.

Sam's world is turned upside down when her husband abruptly announces that he wants to leave. Since *she* was perfectly happy, being a stay-at-home wife and mother, Sam never imagined that David could possibly feel differently.

Once he's gone, Sam begins to experience a series of tiny internal breakdowns. As she's wondering what on earth to do next, one thing is for sure -- she's going to be the best mom she possibly can be to her 11-year-old son Travis.

But what happens when Travis says he'd prefer living with his father? And if his dad makes excuses not to have him?

Above all, how will Sam make it financially, living alone in a huge old house? She'll take roommates, that's how...and thus a series of unique characters sweep into the Morrows' lives.

Even if you haven't experienced divorce personally, chances are you'll relate to Sam anyways...because who hasn't experienced some sort of loss that devastates to the core? Through it all, Sam's voice remains consistent; even when horribly defeated and depressed, readers can't help feeling that Sam's life will turn out fine.

This was a pretty good book,you really connect with the main character. It's sometimes funny, sometimes sad, and sometimes leaves you saying " you go girl!"

This book was good nothing to special about it. Very easy reading. Overall I did enjoy reading it but it wasn't like I couldn't put it down. Its a cute story of how a woman gets through and overcomes a divorce. It describes how she handles this situation with her 11 yr old son while inviting "strangers" to stay in her house and pay rent. I loved the ending, it was realisitc. I don't want to give it away though. :-) I recommend it to a women who is going through a rough realtionship.

Elizabeth Berg crafts a beautiful novel with amazing characters. The audio version of this book adds a flair to the characters. I am pleased to report that I am looking foward to the rest of her work in the near future. Ms. Berg takes you through the pains and pangs of a sudden divorce, and the joy of finding true unconditional love. If you cant recognize any of these human qualities in this novel, clearly how are you going to recognize them in real life?.

This is another of those books for me that was very "middle of the road". It was not terrible and it was not great. It was a bit slow for my tastes and the characters were very ordinary.

I'm sorry I wasted the afternoon reading it....was about the worst thing I have ever read in its category. Would have liked to rate it as NO stars but that is not an option. Just happened to read it because it has been sitting here for 4 years since my mom died and I took it

Sam is shocked when her husband decides he wants to divorce, even though she knew they had been growing apart for some time. The news crushes her, and she deals with it by going to Tiffany's and spending $12,00.00 on things she doesn't really want. Her husband's response is mild exasperation and a warning that he's moved most of the money out of the checking account where it will be safe.

Are you kidding me? Are these supposed to be real people acting this way?

What follows is a series of events of unbelievable good luck as Sam alternates between feeling sorry for herself and acting absolutely crazy in a quest to be the perfect housewife and mother. A good example of the latter is when she cooks an entire Thanksgiving dinner, including a twenty-one pound turkey and several pies, although she is spending the day entirely alone.

Despite her erratic behavior, Sam manages to find the perfect woman to move in with her--a grandmotherly woman who helps her recover from her heartache. Sam also begins a series of temp jobs and meets a brilliant and sweet man who loves her enough to totally change himself for her.

Throughout everything, Sam's husband continues to support her financially. They don't fight over their son and her husband is even tolerant of Sam's crazy phone calls.

If this is what divorced life is like, I'm surprised more women don't go for it.

I have not read any of Elizabeth Bergs other books, and I have not read many from the Oprah book club, but I picked this up in hardback at the beach for $1.00.

I read the book in a day, on the beach, and by the end I wanted it made into a Lifetime TV movie. It was a great book, absorbing, easy day/weekend read. A Broken Home 'does' have the possibility to be repaired. It inspires [us] to repair our lives and ourselves after [we] go through the breaking of a home... There is hope. This is a wonderful little book of hope, and starting over.

Although an "Oprah" book, this book is not downright depressing as the older Oprah book club selections tended to be. The character is someone you probably know - if not yourself! Easy to like her, easy to understand her problems. Although the book is about a middle aged woman coming to terms with a divorce, it has manny funny and amusing parts, and is just a very enjoyable read. I guess not Book of the Year, but a book you'll want to keep reading nonetheless.

A good easy read. Touching and moving about a womans's ability to pick herself up and move on. Loved how she developed friendships with all of the unusual characters and how her relationship with her son evolved throughout the book.

The main character, Samantha, goes though the ups and downs of many households today. She survives the challenges of child rearing, divorce, dating again, financial obligations, day-day-day stresses and comes out on top. Her character is strong and so is her will power.

When David leaves and eventually falls in love with a much younger woman, Samantha takes it all in stride, continually proving to herself that she can make in this world without him. To make financial ends meet, she takes in two borders, Lydia and Lavender Blue. Lydia is an older woman and just the sweetest senior one could ever hope to meet. She has a steady boyfriend and proves to all of us there is still love, life, hope and happiness in the twilight years. Now, Lavender Blue, is something else. She is young, funky and reminds one of a modern day flower child, a product of the 60's misplaced in a time warp.

In the end, of course, David, finds his fling with a younger woman was not all he envisioned it to be. Assuming that Samantha is waiting at home in grief and mourning over his absence, he returns ready to resume their life together. Will Samantha take him back?

This book was also a movie, but personally, I preferred the book because you could come to your own conclusions about the characters' personalities rather than have them bared before you on the screen. What I liked most about the book was Berg's witty sense of humour. What I liked least about it was the almost predictable ending.

I also recommend a couple of Berg's other books: "What We Keep" and "Talk Before Sleep." She has written many others, but these were among the top.

I have become generally tired of women's fiction/chicklit and read this on a friend's suggestion. I was floored by it. Its very well written, has a lot of depth and is extremely witty. The emotions of a woman going through divorce are very well written.

Despite a nice sigh at the end of the novel, after allowing myself some time for reflection, I am not too impressed with it. The characters don't blossom and flourish as one would expect them too. It is more a mundane account of Samantha's pity party about the fact that her husband left her.
Based on the synopsis and title of the novel, one would expect a blend of stories from the boarders that Samantha takes in her home; however, there are hardly any conversations of substance between Samantha and the boarders.

One of the novel's male characters, King, is thrown into the novel abruptly without much introduction, and the relationship between King and Samantha does nothing to push a subplot (or whatever the relationship is supposed to be) of any significance, and the way the pair are at the end is suprising considering the fact that Samantha obsessively laments her husband's leaving her, yet doesn't go back to him when the opportunity arises.

I gave the novel three stars because I was amused by some situations and it was an easy and fast read - I finished it in less than 24 hours.

Berg attempted to write a novel where a woman begins to repair herself after a failed marriage, but ended up with a novel of shallow substance and an annoying play-by-play style of narration.

I expected more of an Oprah's Book Club book.

I have about 6 books that are my all-time favorites and this is one of them. I've read most of Berg's books and I believe this is by far her best. It is so well-written, at times sad and other times hilarious and you will find yourself rooting for the narrator to the end. It is a lesson that women are strong, although often they don't realize it. And although I don't recommend divorce, in this case it is the best thing that happens to her. I just love this book, and would highly recommend it.

I have always admired Elizabeth Berg's writing style: it's very natural and honest. However, I was not very impressed with "Open House." There just isn't anything spectacular about the story or its characters. Sam is a 42-year-old woman whose husband just left her. Faced with financial strain and the challenge of being a single mother to her 11-tear-old son, Travis, Sam decides to get a real job for the first time in her life. She ends up working for a temp agency that places her with an interesting assortment of odd jobs: one day she's running a laundromat and the next day she's working at a construction site. In an attempt to bring in some additional income, Sam also decides to open her home to boarders, which results in some new and interesting characters coming into her life (some being much better than others).

Berg does a good job of illustrating all the different emotions Sam experiences during this difficult time in her life: one minute Sam will appear strong and confident, and the next minute she's breaking down in tears in the presence of a complete stranger. Eventually Sam discovers inner strengths that she never knew she had before. The novel has a pretty predictable ending that leaves Sam in a position of empowerment. Unfortunately, that's really all there is to this book. There's nothing really special about it.

If you've never read one of Berg's books before, don't start with this one. It has some redeeming moments, but overall I think the book is pretty weak, especially when you compare it to the author's previous work. (I have to say, though, that the Martha Stewart phone call was absolutely brilliant. I'll be laughing about that for a long time.)

Having witnessed the power of abuse, this book brings it home. It exemplified real life struggles with women, motherhood, and marriage. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

"Open House" is the second novel I have read of Elizabeth Berg's. I read her first book, Durable Goods, which I liked so much better than this one.
The writing was very well done, but the character of Sam was very annoying and acted rather immaturely. I don't identify with her and didn't sympathize with her much at all.
Her husband has left her. Her preteen son is distant, and grows even more so.
Sam takes in boarders so she can keep her house. She's meeting new people and trying to get in touch with Martha Stewart. One new friend, King - the best character in the whole story - helps open her eyes and heart to more after a heart wrenching marriage ending.
Open House is a novel about divorce and how one woman's life changes after. The character of sam seemed so innane at times I wanted to stop reading, but Berg's writing kept me hooked. She is very talented.

I have read some of Berg's other novels, and this was not her best. However, this was an interesting look at a woman's struggle to rebuild her life. The ending is no big surprise, as our a lot of the events in the story, but it holds your interest and I am glad that I have read it.

I absolutely love this book. The way this author writes, made me feel like I was a character in the story. It tells about a woman that is going through a divorce, and all the struggles and changes she has to endure along the way. It was a fantastic book, and have been recommending it to everyone since I've finished.

One of those books that are written in a "true voice" that makes you feel like you are right there at the kitchen table with the characters. I do love Elizabeth Berg books and this didn't disappoint. A rich story about a woman that is going through a painful divorce, this book touches on many emotional levels. Not only are there family members to deal with, but there are plenty of quirky ones as well. The girl "Lavender Blue" that lives in the basement is such a metaphor for the lost and aimless in love. PS-- I'm glad I got the "Oprah" edition because of the interview with Berg in the back.

I powered through this book but not necessarily because it was a great read... It just happened to be a really fast one and it was enjoyable but could have used a little more depth.

I love Elizabeth Berg's style of writing - it's so clear and vividly descriptive. She draws the reader into the setting, and into an emotional connection with the protagonist. I related to Sam's feelings quite closely, and I loved the colorful secondary characters, especially Lydia and Thomas. I have a feeling this story, and Samantha, will stick with me long after I've passed the book along and moved onto other reading material.

This book was certainly a mindless read which is it's only positive aspect. It's the same old story told over and over for the trillioneth time. Man leaves woman, woman cries, child is troubled, woman triumphs, blah, blah, blah. Save your money.

When I read this, Sam is reeling from a divorce after twelve years of marriage and has an eleven-yr-old son to provide for. Open House is a love story about what can blossom between a man and a woman, and within a woman herself. She endures the loneliness of being without a man, then takes in boarders -- none of whom fit exactly. So, as happens, she finds another man only he demands too much.

Sam has a mother who wants her married again, instead of helping raise the boy. It is the classic picture of being left in the lurch on your own, only this time you have baggage you can't discard. Divorce is never pretty, but the feeling of love the second time around is worth it and more!

Here's the thing about Elizabeth Berg novels- I really enjoy everythign she writes. Now, granted some are nto my favorites, but they are always worth the time. This one however, is on of the best. Elizabeth Berg intimately knows her characters. Some might say, this is not a good read because the woman is not all powerful and strong- however, this is what makes her novels so real! it's true to life, and the details that we do consume ourselves with. This is how life really works, and is why I love her books.