The Meryl Streep Movie Club by Mia March

 

Synopsis(via Goodreads):

 

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.

 

This insomniac's opinion:

 

Judging by the title and cover, I expected this novel to be a sweet little beach read. I did not expect so much emotion and reflection. There was truly something about this novel that resonated with me.

 

I had a fairly brief stint as a hospice nurse(before running quickly back to pediatric nursing). In that time as a hospice nurse, I adored listening to that patients tell me about their lives. There is so much wisdom in the elderly and the dying. This novel made me reflect on that time in my life.  As the matriarch of this family battles terminal cancer in this novel, it brings everyone together and shines a light on the flaws and strengths of each character, inspiring mended relationships and- for several of the women- to completely change the direction of their lives.

 

I feel as though I am at a time in my life, with my children needing me less and less on a moment-to-moment basis, of reflecting on how I have lived my life thus far and how I want to live it in the future. I cheered on the characters of this novel as they made hard decisions and hope to have the same courage as I make some changes in my life. I loved the closeness of the women and the way they supported each other in making life-altering and bettering decisions.

 

Now, who wants to come over to my place and have a Meryl Streep movie night? Popcorn all around!

 

Worth staying up all night to read?

 

Yes, delightfully devourable.

 

Rating: 4 stars.