Julia and Michael’s relationship had the potential of fairy tale status: high school sweethearts, brilliant minds, down-to-earth romance, successful self-built companies… but then life got in the way, or rather near-death.
Julia’s prestigious event planning business, and Michael’s wildly successful beverage company DrinkUp both sound like such fun and interesting companies. But when their lives are abruptly changed when Michael has a heart attack, they begin to realize just how far their respective companies—and the social, economic, professional, and personal obligations that come with them—have taken them from each other.
The title Skipping A Beat stands for more than just Michael’s cardiac arrest. Their entire life skips a beat, and is forever changed by it.
When Michael awakens with an entirely new outlook on life (or maybe it’s his old outlook revitalized?), Julia is left with a huge decision. Her husband is ready to give up everything they have worked so hard to achieve, for the reward of a simple and happy life with his wife. But Julia is no longer so sure that a life without the finer things is a happy one.
Julia’s decision is affected by her family’s history, her best friend’s influence, and her own heart which, it seems, has skipped a few important beats in the past 10 years. All of these past experiences are seamlessly and unobtrusively woven into her story. Her journey of coming to a decision, and moving on with her life, is poignantly and emotionally told by Pekkanen. If not surprised, you will at least be touched by what comes to be…
It took me quite a while to make my way through Skipping A Beat, simply for the reason that each turn of the story left me quite contemplative over my own life. It was difficult for me to put myself in Julia’s place (which is something I usually do with a story’s protagonist), despite my desire to try on her walk-in closet full on designer heels. I loved the story of friendship between Julia and Isabelle even more so than the marriage of Julia and Michael.
Skipping A Beat expertly balances personal relationships with corporate politics, while giving us a peek into the illusive lifestyle of the rich and powerful, and ultimately combining to create a story that tugs on the heartstrings of the reader.
Julia’s prestigious event planning business, and Michael’s wildly successful beverage company DrinkUp both sound like such fun and interesting companies. But when their lives are abruptly changed when Michael has a heart attack, they begin to realize just how far their respective companies—and the social, economic, professional, and personal obligations that come with them—have taken them from each other.
The title Skipping A Beat stands for more than just Michael’s cardiac arrest. Their entire life skips a beat, and is forever changed by it.
When Michael awakens with an entirely new outlook on life (or maybe it’s his old outlook revitalized?), Julia is left with a huge decision. Her husband is ready to give up everything they have worked so hard to achieve, for the reward of a simple and happy life with his wife. But Julia is no longer so sure that a life without the finer things is a happy one.
Julia’s decision is affected by her family’s history, her best friend’s influence, and her own heart which, it seems, has skipped a few important beats in the past 10 years. All of these past experiences are seamlessly and unobtrusively woven into her story. Her journey of coming to a decision, and moving on with her life, is poignantly and emotionally told by Pekkanen. If not surprised, you will at least be touched by what comes to be…
It took me quite a while to make my way through Skipping A Beat, simply for the reason that each turn of the story left me quite contemplative over my own life. It was difficult for me to put myself in Julia’s place (which is something I usually do with a story’s protagonist), despite my desire to try on her walk-in closet full on designer heels. I loved the story of friendship between Julia and Isabelle even more so than the marriage of Julia and Michael.
Skipping A Beat expertly balances personal relationships with corporate politics, while giving us a peek into the illusive lifestyle of the rich and powerful, and ultimately combining to create a story that tugs on the heartstrings of the reader.
Sarah Pekkanen presents Skipping A Beat as her sophomore novel, following the success of The Opposite of Me. Sarah, whose work has been hailed by Oprah, People Magazine, and USA Today, among others, lives in Maryland with her husband and two sons.
RSS Feed
