Promises to Keep by Jane Green

Promises to Keep by Jane Green is a touching story about a family going through life and one of the hardest things they could go through together. It is a story told by all of the main characters, so you can see and feel their emotions through their struggle in the story.


About the Book
“From the New York Times bestselling author-a momentous new novel about a family suddenly thrown together

Callie Perry is a successful family photographer living in upstate New York. She adores her two daughters, has great friends, and actually doesn't mind that her workaholic husband gets home at 9 p.m. every night-that is, when he's not traveling six months out of the year.

Callie's younger sister, Steff, on the other hand, has never grown up. She's a free spirit, living in downtown Manhattan and bouncing between jobs and boyfriends. Lately, she's been working as a vegan chef, even though she can't cook.

Lila Grossman is Callie's best friend and has finally met the man of her dreams. Eddie has two wonderful children, but also a drama queen ex-wife who hates Lila. And then there are Callie and Steff's parents, Walter Cutler and Honor Pitman. Divorced for thirty years, they rarely speak to each other.

The lives of these colorful characters intersect when they each receive a shocking note that summons them together for one extraordinary summer in Maine and changes their lives forever. This novel is about the hard choices we have to face, about having to be your parents' child long after you've grown up, and about the enduring nature of love.” – Promises to Keep


My Thoughts
Honestly, it took me until I was over halfway through the book to get interested in it and connect with the characters. The book is written in the style that the author changes the point of view of where the story is being told from, and with so many characters, the story gets lost for awhile.

My own promise to keep is to fully read books I review, so I stuck with Promises to Keep.

Even though it took me awhile to get into the book, once the story started coming together in a more cohesive way, I did enjoy it. The pain and struggle of dealing with such a huge loss in the family affects everyone, and through this novel, you can see how it affects a family in the different ways.

It isn’t a happy story, yet it is one that is very real in the sense that people do go through this. It also gives some hope and happiness in showing just how life can and does go on after such a tough loss in the family.

Steffi, the chef in the family, also provides the reader with recipes after each chapter. Usually something she cooked in the chapter. I liked this addition to the book, and it worked out nicely.

I think that this is a very good book for those who have ever lost someone in their lives, and also those who perhaps like realistic stories about families.


* Thank you to the publisher of Promises to Keep, Viking for providing me with a review copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.