Be Mine: A Novel

I didn't expect much of this book, considering the title, but it was jam-packed with twists and turns, totally unexpected events and some very insightful writing. The sex scenes were a little much for me sometimes, but I can see how they served their purpose to the story. I have to say, at least 6 times during the course of the book - I had no clue!

Surpassed my expectation. This is the second book from this author I have read and can't wait to get my hands on another one of her books. Love her writing style, clever, descriptive and totally captivating.

What an erotic read! Kasischke doesn't tell you about the affair, she takes you into it and unlike some other writers, she doesn't use any euphemisms for sex. The story of the affair unfolds in such a compelling way that you may even feel a little like a voyeur -Be careful not to read any reviews that give away the plot because there are twists and turns throughout - I've already ordered another of her books and plan to read them all.

In Laura Kasischke’s sexual thriller, a beautiful woman suddenly finds herself at the center of an erotic obsession that proves deadly.It is Valentine’s Day and snowing when English professor SHERRY sSEYMOUR steps out of her home and sees a smear of blood on the snow. The delivery truck that brought her a box of Valentine roses from her husband JON crushed a rabbit as the driver sped out.Later, when she gets to work, she picks up her mail, some presents from colleagues and students, and a note that simply says, BE MINE. Sherry has no idea where the note came from, and assumes it’s some sort of a joke. When she tells Jon about it during their Valentine’s Day dinner together, he admits that the idea of her having a secret admirer gets him hot.Sherry knows she still looks good for her age (or, as she puts it, “not bad”). Still, she’s in her 40s now and wonders how long she can keep back the ravages of time. (She knows that celebrities seem able to stay vibrant and sexy into their 50s, but wonders if it’s possible for a “civilian.” She’s beginning to feel “empty nest syndrome” and it doesn’t help that her friends SUE (the mother of young twins) and BRENDA (a lesbian with a zero-sum mentality) keep giving her sad looks and asking her leading questions about her sex life. And maybe that’s why she begins to cry one day as Jon sleeps and the snow falls. And maybe that’s why she’s disappointed when she looks at her work mailbox and does not find another “Valentine.”Eventually there is another misswive and another and another until Sherry’s life becomes one complicated mess. How the situation evolves and resolves itself is not without interest but we never feel as engaged with the characters as we should. Sherry herself does not interest us, and her relations with her husband and son CHAD hold little interest either.This is the kind of book that seems tailor-made for a movie adaptation, but there are far more absorbing books out there.

It all begins with a note on Valentine's Day. "Be mine," it says. Then there are more notes. Apparently, middle-aged English teacher Sherry Seymour has a secret admirer. When she meets her admirer, she has an affair with him. Why not? She's a married woman in her forties, with a grown child going to college. Her husband seems to get off on the idea that his wife is sleeping with another man. From the on, Sherry's life is never the same. Nothing is what it seems, and the chains of events that follow are dark, disturbing and suspenseful. What people don't know won't hurt them -- but what happens when they do know or, at least, believe they know some version of the truth?Be Mine is one of the most intriguing erotic thrillers I have read in a while. Laura Kasischke knows how to build up suspense and create characters and situations that keep you guessing. Just when you think the story is headed in one direction, it takes you somewhere else, and that is how a good thriller should be written. Sherry is a wonderful character. She is complex and multi-dimensional. She's not just a woman with a midlife crisis; she wants to feel beautiful, desired, and her behavior is at times narcissistic. Her husband Jon struck me as sort of sick with his obsessive Penthouse-like fantasy, but he, too, is a well-woven character. The book is very erotic, and the author knows how to fuse erotica with a compelling story. Two things bother me about this novel though. Some events regarding the affair came off as abrupt and dismissive. I won't go into details so as not to spoil potential readers, but the novel sort of falls apart at the end, as if the author couldn't wait to wrap things up. Another thing I didn't like was the fact that I had discovered what was going on and was just waiting for Sherry to catch up. Other than that, I loved this novel. I couldn't put it down, and the last sentence is pretty thought-provoking. Perhaps it is not as good as The Keep by Jennifer Egan, Vertigo by Lauren Baratz-Logsted or The Other Woman by Eric Jerome Dickey (my favorite reads from last year), but it is still very good. I recommend Be Mine and I look forward to reading other books by Laura Kasischke.

Je ne regrette aucunement cet achat, après une lecture en demi-teinte qui était également mon premier Kasischke (Rêves de garçons) j'avais un peu d'appréhension à l'idée de commencer À moi pour toujours, mais le résumé m'avait purement intrigué.C'est un très bon moment de lecture que j'ai passé, avec une plume toujours aussi prenante, poétique et addictive de la part de l'auteure, et cette immersion dans la vie étriquée de Sherry Seymour que j'ai eu le plaisir de savourer. Le plus étonnant dans ce livre c'est que la 4è de couverture; cette fois-ci, au lieu de nous induire en erreur comme pour Rêves de garçons, ne nous révèle en rien le vrai contenu de l'histoire et la fin est une pure surprise... malgré qqs révélations que j'avais deviné au cours de ma lecture, je suis passée par plusieurs émotions durant ma lecture, et ça se ressent je pense avec ce commentaire que je lâche à chaud.Alors un conseil, foncez!!!! Un roman que je conseillerais à ceux qui veulent découvrir l'auteure

Laura Kashischke a l'art de décrire la lenteur et la pesanteur de l'existence, de nous y mêler le plus intimement tout en ne décryptant aucun sentiment et en ne se livrant à aucune interprétation. Elle nous plonge dans leur réalité tout simplement, elle nous ébouillante. C'est avec effroi que nous n'osons pas imaginer ce que les mots découvrent, et pourtant. Elle décrit son univers avec une minutie quasi maniaque, et dévoile faits et ressentis avec une pudeur qui paradoxalement hurle l'indicible. J'adore les univers de Laura Kashischke, et particulièrement celui de A moi pour toujours, qui n'a cessé de me surprendre, de me prendre au dépourvu, et même de me bousculer. Magnifique.

Premier livre de cet auteur que je lis. L'intrigue est bien amené, et commence tranquillement dans la vie monotone de ce couple dont le fils unique est parti à l'université, vie qui sent l'ennui quotidien malgré l'amour que ce couple se porte encore. Et puis la vie de cette femme bascule...on ne comprend pas ce qu'elle cherche, pourquoi elle fait çà...que se passe t il dans son esprit. Les rapports humains sont trés bien décrit, je n'ai toutefois pas vraiment compris la fin, ce qui est sur c'est que l'on ne s'y attend pas. A lire...

J AI AIME BIEN QUE UN PEU COURT IL DIT L ESSENTIEL ET POUR CELA C EST UNE REUSSITE BRAVO