I really enjoyed this book. I would recommend it. It's about three women who meet and become friends in college in the 1960's and follows their lives up to 2001. A more detailed review is on Good reads which is linked below. Thank you allowing me to read and review this book.

The later lives of three college friends are told in the first person in alternating chapters. We get the chance to see all three through each other's eyes as well as follow their stories closely. Each have had different life experiences but their friendship remains a constant.

I'm not usually a fan of this kind of book, but this is so well written, has a depth to it and deals realistically with women in their fifties (they're not all trying to relive their youth with unlikely affairs), that it makes a very refreshing change.

Teri Emory has a fine eye for detail and paints meticulous portraits of the three women in SECONDS ACTS. The problem is that the woman and the lives they are leading just aren't that interesting. Also problematic is the timeline set forth in the book. The women are supposed to be in early forties in the late 1990's but Emory places them all in college during the 1960's, which would make them at least 50 at the outset of the book. This created a confusing picture in my mind. Emory clearly can write, but I think that SECONDS ACTS could have benefiting from more conscientious editing.

A lifelong friendship since college ties together three friends, Beth, Miriam and Sarah. Confiding in each other as life happens, the three women face relationship issues, career challenges and more. It was nice to read about older characters with different life experiences behind them. A good read for fans of women's fiction.

Oh Teri Emory, where have you been? I know this is your first novel, but so beautifully written that I can't believe you've waited this long to share your bounty.

Three women, Sarah, Miriam and Beth share their stories. Love, friendship, death, disappointments all make up this wonderful novel. The book never becomes mawkish, rather it is wonderfully hopeful and satisfying.

Emory sets the story in the year preceding 9/11, allowing each woman to recount her history. Since they are exactly my vintage and the story is set where I live, this was extremely moving for me. The themes explored such as sexism, death of a child, divorce and disappointments make this timeless.

It recalls the wonderful books of authors such as Rona Jaffee. I will remind you all when this is published in the fall because I don't want anyone to miss it!

Thank you to NetGalley.com for the opportunity to read an Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

As I get older, I find myself drawn to older female characters so I can relate. My only is heading to college next year so I cannot really enjoy books with main characters in the early 20’s like I used to.  I enjoyed reading about these almost life long friendships and their experiences in love, work, and life. I only wish I had first known when the present day story started (late 90’s, early ‘00s) because the references to a Palm and Windows on the World really threw me.

What I loved:   Sarah was my favorite character. Maybe it was because she started off the story, but I think the author made her personality come alive more than the others since Sarah never really traveled back into her memories like her friends. She is witty, sarcastic to the point of almost being brutal, and has a confidence in herself that the others lack.

What I didn’t love:  Beth had to be the most boring character to me. I would have rather seen more depth in regards to the death of her son instead of her time in Italy in college. I think her experiences of loss and as a mother shaped her into the person she is today and it was barely acknowledged in the story.

What I learned:  Friends made in college last a lifetime.

Overall Grade:  B-