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| Something Borrowed | 
 enlarge | Creator: Emily Giffin
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Category: Book
List Price: $13.95
Buy Used: $1.49
You Save: $12.46 (89%)
New (49) Used (120) Collectible (1) from $1.49
Avg. Customer Rating:  361 reviews
Sales Rank: 1370
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 352
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.5 x 1
ISBN: 0312321198
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780312321192
ASIN: 0312321198
Publication Date: April 1, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Standard used condition.
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Product Description
Something Borrowed tells the story of Rachel, a young attorney living and working in Manhattan. Rachel has always been the consummate good girl---until her thirtieth birthday, when her best friend, Darcy, throws her a party. That night, after too many drinks, Rachel ends up in bed with Darcy's fiance. Although she wakes up determined to put the one-night fling behind her, Rachel is horrified to discover that she has genuine feelings for the one guy she should run from. As the September wedding date nears, Rachel knows she has to make a choice. In doing so, she discovers that the lines between right and wrong can be blurry, endings aren't always neat, and sometimes you have to risk all to win true happiness. Something Borrowed is a phenomenal debut novel that will have you laughing, crying, and calling your best friend.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 356 more reviews...
 Such a good read! August 11, 2008
I picked this book up while browsing books by Laura Weisberger. When I saw that she commented on what a good book Something Borrowed was I was sold. I literally could not put this book down. I stayed up until 3 a.m. to finish it which was totally worth the drowsiness I suffered at work the next day.
I found myself making every excuse as to why sleeping with your best friends boyfriend IN THIS CASE was acceptable! I enjoyed every character in this book and cannot wait to read Something Blue.
Emily Griffin has been added to my list of fav authors!
 Maybe 3.5 stars... August 9, 2008
I have seriously never touched anything even closely related to chick lit before in my life. No Shopaholics, Gossip Girl, Devil Wears Prada, etc. However, I do watch Sex & the City. So that's about as much experience as I've had in this genre. I wasn't really expecting a lot since I typically stick to NY Times Notable books lists but I was kind of pleasantly surprised by this book. First of all, Emily Giffin is a decent writer and her words flow very well. It was easy to read-- at no point was I thinking, "Wow, those words sound so contrived".
The basic storyline (****Spoilers***) involves a 30 year-old woman, Rachel, who gets drunk on her birthday and sleeps with her best friend's fiance. Her best friend, Darcy, is the "perfect" one and has always gotten what she's wanted in life including her fiance Dex. Rachel, on the other hand, is too much of a good girl to go after things. She waits for things to come to her. Rachel was a fairly decent heroine for this kind of novel-- smart, hard-working, average looking but with self-esteem issues. Darcy, while certainly seems incredibly one-dimensional as the beautiful but demanding diva best friends occasionally has moments when she seems kind of okay (like their little sleepover after her bachelorette party). Dex is supposed to be the perfect man and therefore a little one-dimensional-- and in his outward appearance he certainly seems like it but his lack of a spine and constant indecision grew very tiresome. By the last third of the novel (and ESPECIALLY after reading Something Blue), I thought Ethan was the better guy in almost every way. The BEST character in the book is Hillary. I'd like to read a book about her.
It's not hard to root for Rachel and Dex since Darcy is quite a pain, but at many points in the book, I still couldn't get past the fact that they are still having an AFFAIR and Rachel is betraying her best friend of 25 years. It doesn't matter if Darcy is a bad person or if you think she deserves what she's getting. It's still cheating and their lack of remorse for such a double betrayal really bothered me. I would've preferred if they had just become really good friends at first and developed feelings for each other instead of going straight to the bedroom.
Another thing is that the characterization of Darcy by Rachel (the narrator) gets progressively more negative as the novel continues and Rachel falls more in love with Dex. It did make me wonder-- if Rachel hadn't been in love with Dex, would she have just overlooked Darcy's flaws and stuck by her? It did almost seem like Rachel really just started picking at Darcy's bad traits to justify her affair with Dex. Not to mention, she has been her best friend for 25 freakin' years. And there was a point made in the book about the fact that Rachel does have an influence over Darcy, which made me wonder, if she really thought Darcy was such a horrible person in life, why didn't she try to tell her that earlier? She had 25 years to do so. Whats wrong with "Hey, Darcy. Sometimes you can be a little too much. Can you tone it down a little?" instead of using it as an excuse to have sex with her fiance. She blames Darcy more and more throughout the book for the way her life has turned out, yet she still kept her around. Yet I found it funny that in the end, Darcy was the one to come clean to Rachel not the other way around.
Then there's the issue of Dex and Darcy's relationship. If Dex was really so in love with Rachel all along and Darcy was such a bad person, why on earth did he stay in a relationship with Darcy for SEVEN years? Dex doesn't seem like the pushover type. I could understand if they had only been together for maybe a year or two, but seven years typically means there had to be much more to their relationship than was given credit in the book. I know that the reader is not supposed to see them as a legitimate and functioning couple because that might undermine the Rachel/Dex romance, but it would've been more satisfying to see what exactly made them stay together for 7 years (with neither of them cheating until two months before their wedding).
And in the end, Giffin really used a shortcut by having Darcy cheat too (even if it was long after Rachel and Dex already started a relationship). I know that's how it always works in chick flicks, books, TV, etc. If the "good" guys are being unfaithful, it always has to be justified by the "wronged" one cheating as well (a la Grey's Anatomy). It was just too neat. It would've been more interesting had Darcy been an overall decent person instead of "she had it coming" character.
Overall, it was an enjoyable summer read. Nothing too serious but a lot of fun. Definitely reminded me of Sex & the City a bit with Rachel as kind of a Carrie Bradshaw. And Hillary reminded me of Miranda.
 B+ August 8, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
What saves Giffin's novel from chick lit obscurity is its in-depth characterization of two women in love with the same man. One would not expect to root for an adulteress, but the characters are written in such a way that it is impossible not to. In this novel, it is the little things that make a big difference. Giffin builds up enough back story that reads like your own life, while slowly building a crescendo of reality so near to our own lives, that it feels like you have written the book yourself. It prepares you for a devastating ending, one that would match the real-life narration of the story. Unfortunately, this is where the book takes a down turn. The last thirty pages read like something from a cheap dollar-store romance, full of predictability and plot wrapping that is clean cut and perfect. You feel as if the protagonist and her lover (who himself is created into an unrealistic, living Adonis) are given a Get Out of Jail free card. It is quite disappointing to be so fond of a female character, when, in fact, she turns out to be another manufactured piece of pulp from the chick lit industry in the end.
Something Borrowed...Something Blue August 7, 2008
I am like many other readers I don't generally like chick lit but I couldn't help myself. I was so enthralled in something borrowed that I finished it in less than 72 hours....There was just something about the main character Rachel that you just need to know more about her. I then moved onto the next book Something blue (also great book!) beware that it is written in the voice of Darcy the other main character...which becomes confusing at times while switching perspective on the situation. Without giving to much away after two weeks of endless wants to read rather than anything else,I finished the series. I finished wanting to know more about the characters but the author does a lovely job of making the characters feel like reals friends and almost sadness that you wont get to know more about their lives, while at the same time not leaving the end hanging understanding of where things are....She is a wonderful author and I cant wait to start Baby Proof.
Oh I LOOOOOOOOOOOVE this book! August 3, 2008
I read this book about a year or so ago and decided to read it again (I never reread books). I instantly fell in love with the book all over again. I was sure I'd have different feelings toward Darcy (because I also read Something Blue), but I felt the same exact way i did originally! I was emotional, angry, irritated and in love all throughout the book with rachel. READ this READ this READ this. I'd give a 10 star rating if I could!
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