The Reading Group

Right before I read The Sisters, I read Elizabeth Noble's The Reading Group. This was the story of 5 women who come together monthly to discuss their books and, consequently, their lives. Through the course of a year, we see the lives and relationships of these very different women change. Together, they experience births, deaths, affairs, divorce, and raising children.
I am torn on this one. I loved the characters. I loved the emphasis on strong female relationships, be it between mother and daughter or between best friends. I related to certain characters and their issues with their relationships. These women were enduring and empowering.
I loved the references to great books and movies (like my favorite, Gone With the Wind :]). And I cried. Granted I had had a glass of wine at the time, but I laid in the tub, book in one hand- white zin in the other, while tears ran unchecked down my face. And we know I love a book that can make me feel that much.
However, I hated that it gave away the endings to the books the women read. Nerd that I am, that would be the one thing I didn't like. I have this never ending, always expanding list of books to read and I was excited to have a book filled with 12 recommendations. But in discussing the books, the characters gave away the best and most important parts and ultimately ruined them for me.
So I guess the bottom line is that I did like The Reading Group, but if I could do it over, I would read their reading list first. But like I said, that could just be me being a nerd.