Author: Emily Giffin
Title: Something Borrowed
Genre: Women's Lives and Relationships
Publication Date: 2004
Number of Pages: 322
Geographical Setting: New York City, USA
Time Period: Early 2000s.
Series (If applicable): Darcy & Rachel
Plot Summary:
Rachel and Darcy have been best friends since fifth grade from a small town in Indiana. Rachel is now lawyer living in Uptown Manhattan on the brink of her thirtieth birthday. Darcy has become prominent in the PR world in Manhattan and is engaged to Dex, who Rachel introduced. Rachel has been the rule following, good girl but that all changes on the night of her thirtieth birthday when Rachel and Dex sleep together after Rachel's birthday celebration. Rachel is contemplating why she slept with Dex, since she is Darcy's Maid of Honor in their upcoming nuptials just a few months away.
Rachel finally decides to give Dex an ultimatum, her or Darcy. When Dex finally decides on Darcy, Rachel goes to London to visit a friend from school and to get away from her heartbreak in Manhattan. Rachel returns to New York to discover Dex waiting for her in her apartment building. Dex tells her he ended the engagement and wants to be with Rachel. Darcy shows up and the doorman allows her to go up immediately. Dex hides in the closet while Darcy confesses to having an affair with Dex's best friend, Marcus and is pregnant with his baby. The first book in this saga closes out with Dex and Rachel being together, and Darcy being with Marcus. Rachel and Darcy are no longer on speaking terms and they are both contemplating their lifelong friendship.
Subject Headings:
Triangles (Interpersonal relations) > Fiction.
Risk-taking (Psychology) > Fiction.
Female friendship > Fiction.
Single women > Fiction.
Risk-taking (Psychology) > Fiction.
Female friendship > Fiction.
Single women > Fiction.
Appeal: The appeal of the genre is the intimate glimpse into the lives of the protagonists. While to tone ranges from more melodramatic to realistic or provocative, it sets up the emotional link that readers want and expect. These are novels written by women, and they explore the lives of female protagonists while they focus on her relationships with family, friends, and lovers. Novels in the genre examine themes of concern special to women.
3 characteristics of genre:
- The novel offers a generally optimistic outlook.
- The protagonist and author are female.
- Story lines reflect the issues affecting women's lives and portray women facing difficult situations.
3 Read a-likes:
- Can you Keep a Secret by Sophia Kinsella
- Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult
- Four Friends by Robyn Carr
It is interesting that two people chose this title! When reading your annotation the characters and plot started to sound familiar (characters named Darcy of course stand out to me). I realized I have seen a little bit of the movie made in 2011 after this title!
ReplyDeleteFantastic annotation! Full points!
ReplyDeleteVery good annotation! What a crazy turn of events for Darcy, Dex, and Rachel. I have heard of this book before and this makes me want to read it! I also had no idea that this was a movie! Good way to get readers into a book when there is a movie out also.
ReplyDelete