Guest Review: The Meryl Streep Movie Club – Mia March

In the bestselling tradition of The Friday Night Knitting Club and The Jane Austen Book Club, three women find unexpected answers, happiness, and one another, with Meryl Streep movies as their inspiration. Two sisters and the cousin they grew up with after a tragedy are summoned home to their family matriarch’s inn on the coast of Maine for a shocking announcement. Suddenly, Isabel, June, and Kat are sharing the attic bedroom—and barely speaking. But when innkeeper Lolly asks them to join her and the guests in the parlor for weekly Movie Night—it’s Meryl Streep month—they find themselves sharing secrets, talking long into the night . . . and questioning everything they thought they knew about life, love, and one another.

Each woman sees her complicated life reflected through the magic of cinema: Isabel’s husband is having an affair, and an old pact may keep her from what she wants most . . . June has promised her seven-year-old son that she will somehow find his father, who he’s never known . . . and Kat is ambivalent about accepting her lifelong best friend’s marriage proposal. Through everything, Lolly has always been there for them, and now Isabel, June, Kat—and Meryl—must be there for her. Finding themselves. Finding each other. Finding a happy ending.

Series:
Release Date:  June 19, 2012
Publisher:  Gallery Books
Source:  Provided by Publisher
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Reviewer’s Thoughts:

Mia March’s debut novel, The Meryl Streep Movie Club is a treat. Who doesn’t want to curl up on the couch with a bowl of popcorn and a Meryl Streep classic? For the women of The Three Captains’ Inn, that simple, newfound tradition becomes the comforting habit they all need to rebuild their relationships and their lives.

Set against the soothing seas of coastal Maine, the novel tells the stories of four women – sisters Isabel and June, their cousin Kat, and their aunt Lolly. Having grown up and then grown apart, the sisters are summoned back to The Three Captains’ Inn when Lolly invites them to dinner for an announcement. Each woman has her own secret to divulge, but it isn’t until Lolly tells them hers that they start to realize the importance of family and the unexpected consolation of Meryl Streep films.

Despite several predictable story lines and expected emotional tugs, the atmosphere and a few pleasant surprises keep the pages turning. But the most successful element of the novel is probably the one most likely to have failed. Like a joke with a too-obvious punch line, the novel’s title makes the theme abundantly clear.  We could easily chalk up Meryl Streep and her movies to nothing more than a catchy title. But one of the book’s pleasant surprises is that Meryl Streep actually feels like another character helping the women along on their journey. The author parallels many of her characters’ story lines with specific films the movie club watches. It’s a fun reminder of familiar Meryl Streep blockbusters and a nice introduction to several, lesser known works.

If nothing else, the novel might stir a latent desire to find Maine’s quaintest bed and breakfast and befriend its proprietor. Or you might find yourself simply craving a quiet night in with a few good friends and films. Either way it’s a pleasant, easy read, regardless of your affinity for Maine or Meryl.

Guest Reviewed by:
Lisa