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Book Review: How to Love an American Man by Kristine Gasbarre

September 14, 2011 by Darlene


How to Love an American Man is a memoir by Kristine Gasbarre. It is her journey to find love – the love she knows she deserves. Along the way though she is surprised to find that she learns some lessons in love in a place where she didn’t expect it – from her Grandma.

Kristine is the same as many of us. She comes from a close knit family that she loves and that love her. She hasn’t been especially lucky at love though. When the news comes that her beloved grandfather is on his deathbed, she heads home to be with him and her family. After her grandfather passes she decides to give up her busy life for a while to stay home and spend some time with her grandma.

Kristine adored and loved her grandfather more than anything even going as far as moving to Italy to learn more about his family. Losing him leaves a huge gap in her heart and her life. She had never been especially close with her grandmother but after spending more time with her she begins to find that they are more alike than she thought. One of the biggest things Kristine realizes is that her grandmother is a woman just like she is. This surprises her at first because she’d always thought of her as a mother, grandmother, or wife but not simply as a woman who has likely experienced all the same things as she had.

This is a memoir about finding love and I enjoyed that part of the story with her trying to determine whether she and the man she was interested really had a future or not. More than that though I liked the part of her story where she spent time with her grandmother and heard all the stories about what made up this woman who had always been a part of her life but who she had never really known until now.

I enjoyed this book for the most part. My favorite parts were about her family and her relationships with them. The dating part didn’t quite appeal to me as much but I wonder if it isn’t from the age difference with Kristine being twenty-nine and me now forty-five. When I think back to my dating years my thoughts and the way I dealt with things were much the same as Kristine’s, while now I can’t be bothered with it all. Ultimately, while this is a book about finding love I really think it’s more about finding love for yourself first and knowing who you are before you can find that love you’re looking for.

I read How to Love an American Man by Kristine Gasbarre for her book tour with TLC Book Tours. Be sure to check out the other tour stops to see what they thought of the book. You can also find Kristine on her website, Facebook, and Twitter. You can purchase your own copy of How to Love an American Man here in the US and here in Canada.

© 2010, Darlene of Peeking Between the Pages. All Rights Reserved. If you’re reading this on a site other than Peeking Between the Pages or Darlene’s Feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

My copy of How to Love an American Man by Kristine Gasbarre was received for review from TLC Book Tours and the publisher.

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Filed Under: 2011 Challenges, 2011•100 Books or More Challenge, 2011•ARC Tracking Challenge, TLC Tours

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Vivienne says

    September 14, 2011 at 6:54 am

    Sounds rather lovely. I do like the cover too.

  2. Register website says

    September 14, 2011 at 10:20 am

    Great review 🙂 I just keep reading more and more positive reviews for this book. I'll definitely be purchasing this one!register web domain

  3. Mary says

    September 14, 2011 at 12:10 pm

    I think you nailed it with " I really think it's more about finding love for yourself first and knowing who you are before you can find that love you're looking for." I enjoyed this one and think it would resonate with 20-somethings, for sure.

  4. bermudaonion says

    September 14, 2011 at 12:36 pm

    This sounds like a wonderful book. It's funny how your perspectives change as you age, isn't it?

  5. Zibilee says

    September 14, 2011 at 2:23 pm

    It sounds like this one was a bit touch and go for you, but since I love memoirs, it also sounds like something I would like. This was a really great review, Dar. I am going to have to be on the lookout for this book!

  6. Serena says

    September 14, 2011 at 4:19 pm

    I don't read a lot of memoirs, but this sounds interesting. I have the opposite family dynamic. I was closer with my grandmother than my grandfather, but he's here and she's been gone a long time.

  7. Blodeuedd says

    September 14, 2011 at 7:40 pm

    Not a big fan of memoirs either, I have really few. But those I have read where really good

  8. Staci says

    September 15, 2011 at 12:28 am

    You know what I think? That even at 42 I'm still not sure who I am or what type of person would make me happy. Yes, I've been married over 17 years and I love the hubby, but I wonder what I would look for if I were single again???? Interesting sounding book!

  9. Linda Jacobs says

    September 15, 2011 at 11:42 am

    I'm not big on memoirs but I've never really given them a chance, either. As far as knowing ourselves, I'm 62 and still looking! And that's okay; it's the search I'm enjoying. I love your honesty in this review!

  10. TheBookGirl says

    September 15, 2011 at 3:46 pm

    Having had such a close relationship with my maternal grandmother, I think those portions of the book dealing with getting to know her grandmother would appeal most to me.
    Like your previous commenter, there are times when I think I am still trying to figure out who I am…

  11. heathertlc says

    September 15, 2011 at 4:10 pm

    I had the chance to chat with Kristine at BEA earlier this year and she was absolutely wonderful so I'm glad to see that you like her book (for the most part).

    Thanks for sharing your thoughts and being a part of the tour.

  12. samantha.1020 says

    September 16, 2011 at 1:51 am

    I don't read a lot of memoirs but I have to admit that I add them to my TBR list like crazy 🙂 Have no clue why when I only read a couple here and there..but this one is going on the TBR list as well!

  13. Carla says

    September 16, 2011 at 4:23 pm

    I think this sounds like a good one. You always have some great reviews Dar!

  14. trish says

    September 17, 2011 at 4:35 am

    I’ll admit, I don’t really think of my grandma as a woman like myself. Rather, she’s a mother and grandmother. But how great it would be if I could connect with her on a level to where we could be friends more than grandma/granddaughter.

    By the way, LOVE your new blog design!

  15. wall-to-wall books-wendy says

    September 17, 2011 at 1:12 pm

    My how you’ve changed!
    I love it! I like it better than the last!
    I was gonna tell you that there was another book blogger that used the same header as you but never did tell you.
    I kept getting the two of you mixed up and would have to read the title.
    Now I’ll have to remember you are different! Very pretty.

    • admin says

      September 17, 2011 at 6:36 pm

      Wendy, I had seen that blog that had the same header as mine. LOL. Thanks for the compliments on this one. Glad you like it!

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