Ellen's Reviews > Love May Fail

I loved Love May Fail. It felt a little manipulative and easy which is why I gave it three stars (although 3.5 would have been more accurate) but on the other hand, it worked. I choked up and was moved all the places I was supposed to.

Portia Kane has been betrayed by her pornographer husband and has returned home to her hoarder mother. She needs to rethink her life. Taking her mother out to dinner (in a funny and sad scene), Portia runs into a woman she knew in high school and finds out that the teacher she adored and who helped her survive her painful home life was assaulted by a student and has disappeared. Portia decides that saving this teacher will also save her.

I could not stop reading this book. Even though I had many criticisms about the depth of the characters and their relationships, I was completely hooked. And that's worth something. Maybe a lot. Because I don't often read books where my critical response is so separate from my emotional response.

Maybe this book is a fulfillment of so many wishes that I (and probably many others) have. Whatever the reason, I found it an emotionally satisfying read. If it's a guilty pleasure, I plan on enjoying it without the guilt.