Books

Innocence: A Novel

  • Sep 29, 2020
  • Kathleen Tessaro
  • 729 responses.

Innocence A Novel Some dreams never die It s and eighteen year old Evie dreams of being an actress Leaving her hometown of Eden Ohio for the first time she s heading to London to study drama Together with fello

  • Title: Innocence: A Novel
  • Author: Kathleen Tessaro
  • ISBN: 9780060522285
  • Page: 383
  • Format: Paperback

    • Some dreams never die.It s 1986 and eighteen year old Evie dreams of being an actress Leaving her hometown of Eden, Ohio, for the first time, she s heading to London to study drama Together with fellow students Imogene a born again Laura Ashley poster child and frustrated virgin and Robbie a native New Yorker, budding bohemian, and very much not a virgin , Evie s flunSome dreams never die.It s 1986 and eighteen year old Evie dreams of being an actress Leaving her hometown of Eden, Ohio, for the first time, she s heading to London to study drama Together with fellow students Imogene a born again Laura Ashley poster child and frustrated virgin and Robbie a native New Yorker, budding bohemian, and very much not a virgin , Evie s flung into a thrilling new world a world illuminated by the glamorous, outrageous Robbie Together, anything s possible.But then life, and love, intervene And everything changes.Fifteen years later, Evie s a single mother teaching drama to night students and living with the eccentric Bunny in her house of artistic renters Robbie s gone now, killed in a car accident And Evie s doing her best to forget the past, as well as the dreams they once both shared.Then an old friendship comes back to haunt Evie Literally And suddenly everything is about to change again.

    • ☆ Innocence: A Novel ¶ Kathleen Tessaro
      Kathleen Tessaro

    About "Kathleen Tessaro"

    1. Kathleen Tessaro

      Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Kathleen attended the University of Pittsburgh before entering the drama program of Carnegie Mellon University In the middle of her sopho year, she went to study in London for three months and stayed for the next twenty three years She began writing at the suggestion of a friend and was an early member of the Wimpole Street Writer s Workshop Her debut novel, Elegance, became a bestseller in hardback and paperback All of Kathleen s novels Elegance, Innocence, The Flirt, The Debutante, The Perfume Collector, and Rare Objects have been translated into many languages and sold all over the world She returned to Pittsburgh in 2009, where she now lives with her husband and son.

    729 Comments

    1. Wow I just finished this, and just have to say wow The description on the back of this book does not do it justice And I don t get the cover, or the little line at the bottom Ignore all that This book is about growing up and maturing, but not in some trite way It s the real, ugly, beautiful, wonderful, uncomfortable, happy, sad, story of growing up The one we all go through It ends with Evie making her happiness, but she had to learn how It s about learning that happiness and real life aren t al [...]

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    2. The story started quite promising woman in her early thirties teaching night reading classes Then we get a glimpse on her youth dreams of becoming an actress, leaving home in America, coming to London, meeting Robbie Then appears Evie the protagonist has a son, Alex Then it is youth love story between Evie and Jake, then Robbie s ghost appears, then, then, thenIt seemed pages of totally different and sometimes unconnected events put on the same page without real intention they are leading to som [...]

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    3. Do you ever read a book and wish that the author had written down what she wanted the book to be about before she started, and then stuck to it That s what I wish with this book It starts out promisingly a woman in her thirties is haunted by her exciting college friend, who seems to be there to tell her of something she has missed in her life, alternating with chapters about them in college And yet, this becomes almost an afterthought Is the book about Robbie, the friend, and their friendship Is [...]

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    4. Kathleen Tessaro writes what I refer to as chic lit, so far she published three novels, I read the first two Elegance and Innocence, I liked them both Innocence has one of my favourite cover in the whole chic lit department.The guardian refers to Innocence as A wonderful tale of lust, love, life and redemption I enjoy romantic novels that keep me on the edge, Tessaro style is ultra smart and very edgy.Narration is organized on a double level it s 1987 when Evie Garlick leaves her home in America [...]

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    5. I really enjoy Tessaro s clean story telling and flow of words I also have to say that although you shouldn t judge a book by its cover , her covers are always simple yet intriguing.This novel had an intricate time table, jumping between past and present from chapter to chapter Even when you discovered a new secret from Evie s life, Tessaro was able to keep you hanging on until something new was discovered A delightful book about how the people in our lives really affect how we live as well as w [...]

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    6. 1 Evie is a sap, no personality or drive Why on earth was she trying to be a stage actress By the end, I didn t really know anything about her personality and the insta love with Jake was eye roll worthy2 Evie and Jake s relationship was so reminiscent of the relationships portrayed in many New Adult Novels rushed, possessive and slightly abusive with a mix of the good girl falls for bad guy trope.3 I didn t feel like the book committed to any of its devices, not the ghostly element or the jumpi [...]

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    7. I could not put it down, but somehow it feels strangely forgettable compared to The Debutante maybe because it was so upliftingly inspirational It was dark, but a bit forcedly so, apart from Robbie Robbie was well written, and puzzling, and raw, and I feel she got a rotten deal being a ghost literally in someone s story rather than a protagonist in her own.

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    8. This book felt a bit confused Was it a romance Was it a ghost story Was it a coming of age A book can cross many genres, but it needs to be clear about its intent, and to be strong This one, for me, wasn t None of the threads and themes rang true, and strayed into clich territory too often for me.

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    9. I always enjoy reading for Kathleen, her writing is quite intriguing and expressive The story line wasn t as catchy as perhaps The Flirt , however the amount of emotion put through the main character, Evie, was for me something I really connected with Evie is a little bit of me in a way, she s lost in where she wants to go, and she doesn t want to face herself with surprising truths concerning her choices in life Sometimes she gives into the fact that life is driving her, even though deep down s [...]

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    10. It was surprisingly poignant.I really liked Evie s character development The plot was interesting although I m not a fan of the constant back and forth in time I d preferred it if it was structured differently I loved the writing I m not too familiar with classical literature so I might not have gotten ever reference Nonetheless, this novel had a bit of a heart breaking quality to it Which felt authentic and very real I just wished he ending was a little clear.In conclusion, I think this book w [...]

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    11. Really enjoyed Tessaro s writing style What I really didn t like was the abuse between Evie and Jake The whole Robbie as a ghost plot point could ve been handled better.

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    12. Ok it was slightly predictable, but it was quite an enjoyable read diverting, distracting, and not too superficial.

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    13. I bought this book years ago on an airport because I had read and liked Kathleen Tessaros first book Elegance I ve always had the plan of reading this but for one reason or an other I didn t get round to picking it from my shelve until last week Too bad, this was definitely a book that should have sat there way shorter time before reading.Innocence is a book about a woman called Evie Garlick and yes, I had to keep calling her Garlic just because, you know, it was funny in two different times as [...]

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    14. The first thing you should know about Robbie is that she s dead She died in a car accident in New York a hit and run crossing the street one February afternoon to buy Diet Coke She really loved Diet Coke Couldn t function without it And she was never the type of girl to cross at a street corner.I picked up Innocence by Kathleen Tessaro in the Italian translation at the library I was immediately captured by its blue cover, because blue covers appeal to me in some strange way The Italian cover lo [...]

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    15. This book was fantastic I wasn t sure about it before I started reading The illustration on the front and the summary on the back does not remotely do it justice At first it s a little tricky to follow until you realize that each chapter alternates between past and present I think this was an excellent way to tell the story, it really helped me connect with and understand Evie This was a light but very interesting read, and sure I d say it s a good book to take to the pool or beach It s definite [...]

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    16. 3.5 stars This novel covers two time periods in the life of Evie in 1987 when she is heading from the U.S to live in England and go to a drama academy, and her life 14 years later Evie is a true innocent at first, finding friendship with her two new roommates, particularly Robbie, who is larger than life and a bit volatile Robbie encourages her artistic ambitions and urges her to up her game for her audition to Juilliard But Evie feels another pull when she meets a musician, Jack, trying to make [...]

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    17. Evie is aspiring to be an actress and moves to London from Ohio, to study, to live and ultimately, to act Life gets in the way of her dreams and fifteen years later she s a single mother, teaching instead of acting and wondering where her life went wrong.Evie seems to be such a non interesting character, it s amazing that the whole book is based around her She s a shy little country girl in a foreign city, but then being an actress just doesn t seem to suit her personality at all The friend, Rob [...]

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    18. This basically is the story of a train wreck of a woman s life and ambitions and how that came to be So the premise is interesting enough, as are the characters and the scenery around this artsy little London community Though why an aspiring American actress would go to London instead of LA or NY is beyond me So what went wrong The story drags a lot This is mostly due to the jumps between past and present Almost all the action is in the sequences from the past While in the present not much happe [...]

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    19. Not bad Tragically it included a major pet peeve of mine chronology problems Seriously, in a book that jumps from the past to the present, you d think that people would be looking closely to make sure that things jive Without spoiling, an example something big happens to Evie in April 1997 According to the story The very next portion of the book takes place in December 1997, so I think oh, 8 months later, let s see how things have changed Except its not 8 months later, its 5 months BEFORE so, ei [...]

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    20. 3 STARS Some dreams never die.It s 1986 and eighteen year old Evie dreams of being an actress Leaving her hometown of Eden, Ohio, for the first time, she s heading to London to study drama Together with fellow students Imogene a born again Laura Ashley poster child and frustrated virgin and Robbie a native New Yorker, budding bohemian, and very much not a virgin , Evie s flung into a thrilling new world a world illuminated by the glamorous, outrageous Robbie Together, anything s possible.But the [...]

      Reply

    21. What a surprise this novel was I honestly didn t know what to expect, but this was certainly not fluffy chick lit It s the story of one woman coming to terms with the fact that while the life she is leading my not be what she had planned, it may just be a wonderful life after all.Evie leaves small town Ohio with dreams of becoming an actress She moves to London for acting classes, leaving a boyfriend back home She ends up in a cramped apartment with two other aspiring actresses who become dear f [...]

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    22. Laura s one request when she loaned me this book was to not give it a bad review, that if I didn t like it, don t tell her I thought I was in trouble when I first started reading this book, I just couldn t get into it, and out of fear for my life, cause Laura is fierce and reads these, I set it aside I would come back to it read a page here and there, and finally something clicked in me or the book, and I have to say it was one of the pleasant surprises you sometimes find if you just truck throu [...]

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    23. I really liked this author s first book, Elegance, because of the great setup A book on elegance that all women must strive to emulate I d be all over that This one had a fairly decent setup, but that wasn t my main problem I just didn t get the love storyeither of them Evie, the main character, was supposed to have had this passionate, torrid love affair with a burgeoning rock star, but I never thought there was anything there other than one or two warm fuzzy feelings And the second love story [...]

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    24. Regrettably, I have put this book down one too many times Now that I have finished it, I must say that I am quite pleased Not only was this book well written, it taught me something And I ve always deemed these sorts of novels the best in my opinion I loved the dialogue, the use of scenery to set the mood even the characters were likeable and I loved how the author had mercy on each of them despite their background Despite how much of a disgrace a character was to the people in their everyday li [...]

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    25. I love this book because it makes me dream of a perfectly unperfect adult life view spoiler Befriend a crazy and adventurous girl Meet a great musically talented guy in college Pursue your dream occupation End up moving to London Become unsuspectingly involved in a romantic relationship with your lovable neighbor.Oh, did I mention your best friend dies, your college boyfriend gets you pregnant, you break up, he has no knowledge of the child, he becomes famous and figuratively haunts you and your [...]

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    26. This book is fun Evie Garlik comes to London at 18 to study drama.The book alternates between her arrival and fifteen years later when she is teaching evening classes Tessaro s characters are just likeable Robbie is the charming, self destructive friend Evie meets on her arrival in London one of those people whose vitality takes up all the emotional space in a room Talent and failure are not the sturdy concepts we assume and can be re imagined Evie s audition for the deodorant commerical just wr [...]

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    27. Della Tessaro ho adorato Elegance, al punto da ridurlo pi volte ai minimi termini per tutte le volte che l ho rilettoQuesto non ha niente a che vedere con l ironia di Zucchetta , anzi, una storia triste e complessa Anche qui, l autrice alterna il racconto dal tempo dei ricordi ad un tempo presente dove questi stessi ricordi in qualche modo sono ancora vivi.La ricerca della felicit e di un obiettivo da raggiungere resa ancor pi ardua dagli scherzi della vita Evie , nonostante tutto, una donna for [...]

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    28. The beginning and end were all right but the middle, the looooong middle, had me screaming, Why The protagonist, Evie, was an idiot She didn t listen to her friends when they attempted to stop her from marrying Jake She childishly replies, It s my life Okay, fine, go on and ruin YOUR life Oh yeah, and why did have sex with Jake when she later says, quote, I despise you And I ll never forgive you Then, pray tell me, why did you have sex with him If I hate someone, I don t let them have their way [...]

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    29. Small town Ohio girl goes to London to study acting Sound formulaic, no No.When Evie opens the door to her flat share and then to the Actors Drama Workshop Academy she will step into worlds she could hardly have imagined 6 weeks prior.For anyone who has ever thought maybe they would run away to London, or to acting school, or to join a band, or follow one, this book rings with authenticity and quirkiness I d call it summer reading for it is exactly the right kind of book for beside the pool or l [...]

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    30. This was a good and light read after reading a pretty intense piece of fiction Or so I thought It was an easy read only because it was told from the perspective of our head case heroine, a single mother of an adorable tot.Not Tolstoy, but not as bad as some other fluff marketed for women.Tessaro s heroines are fallen angels, broken down but beautiful, and waiting to wake up I liked this one More than I thought I would.

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