The Light We Lost: Reese's Book Club

"Ordinary days sometimes turn into extraordinary days when you least expect them to." All the stars to Jill Santopolo for this gorgeous book!! “I tried to forget that day, but it was impossible. I couldn’t forget what happened to New York, to America, to the people in the towers. And I couldn’t forget what happened between us. Even now, whenever anyone asks, “Were you in New York when the towers fell?” or “Where were you that day?” or “What was it like here?” the first thing I think of is you.” This book touched me in ways I can’t even begin to explain! The passion, the love, the choices and the heartbreak left me utterly exhausted. Lucy and Gabe came alive for me at the skilled hands of the brilliant author. Please add this magnificent and soulful book to your TBR list ASAP! The story of two people and their intertwined lives, 'The Light We Lost' captivated me from beginning to end. This is the kind of book you can read over and over again because the characters are simply so real. This story spans years and examines how the choices we make can change the course of our lives forever. Lucy and Gabe - first love and true love, even though time and circumstances keep them apart. "The moment your body enveloped mine, that’s how I felt—safe, enfolded in the strength and warmth of your arms. Your muscles fluttered against my hands and I buried my fingers in your hair. You wrapped my braid around your palm, tugging it and tipping my head back. And I forgot the world. In that moment, there was only you." Lucy and Gabe seem meant for each other, kindred spirits who seem as though they will be together forever. But Gabe is an ambitious photographer who wants to change the world. He feels compelled to follow his dreams beyond New York City, where he and Lucy share a home. And Lucy has her own life and career and refuses to give them up to chase Gabe across the world. "Was I infatuated with you? Were we infatuated with each other? Can infatuation last this long? Or has it always been love between us? I’d like to think it has. This story has many twists and turns and once I started, I could not put it down! Even after Lucy and Gabe part ways, and even though she is left utterly heartbroken, she still is there for him through the years, whenever he needs her. "I saw the sorrow in your eyes, the loneliness. And I wanted to make it better, to be your salve, your bandage, your antidote. I’ve always wanted to fix things for you. I still do. It’s my Achilles’ heel. Or perhaps my pomegranate seed. Like Persephone, it’s what keeps drawing me back." Lucy tries to be a friend to Gabe even though he broke her heart. It seems as though she is willing to risk everything for him - her career, her personal life and her friends - all for Gabe. But they truly have a once-in-a-lifetime love that seems to have no boundaries. I want to keep this review purposefully vague so that no spoilers are revealed. Yes this book is a heart-breaker but it is so rich and moving that I cannot recommend it highly enough. Regret, first love, choices, career, family - this book touches all the bases. Simply a breathtaking story that is one of my favorites. A must-read! "Love does that. It makes you feel infinite and invincible, like the whole world is open to you, anything is achievable, and each day will be filled with wonder."

An interesting book. It is a book written for women. Emotional, romantic, realistic in parts, down to earth, very believable. Enjoyed reading it, it was difficult to put down. Very gripping and engrossing.

When I hover over 5 stars on Goodreads to write a review 5 stars equates to "it's amazing". I looked a that little "it's amazing" bubble and thought - is this book amazing to me? The answer, I decided, is yes. But not in the usual way I think books are amazing. Examples of what I mean by that: I did not love the protagonist, I did not agree with hardly any of her or the hero's actions, and my heart broke a little by the end. This book is sad. Devastating really. Infinitely overwhelming in how it builds you up and breaks you down simultaneously. I found no hope, no "light" if you will in what I read and for me that's usually a major sign for loving something. So I'm pretty certain, although my thoughts are fairly jumbled about it, that I did not love this book. But I do think it's amazing. And yes, I realize my logic is probably not the same as yours and I'm ok with that. I think this book allows for that. I think Jill Santopolo wants you to feel conflicted about this book. She most certainly can't deny she knows there's going to be a lot big thoughts and opinions once readers reach the end. So why did I find The Light We Lost amazing? The writing falls at the top of the list. The way this book is so carefully constructed and reverently told had me hooked from the very first page. This woman is reliving her history and as readers we don't why. I had a good guess but I truly didn't know until Santopolo wanted me to know. Her construction of the plot and the memories she builds through her protagonist inspire longing, fortitude, and so much questioning of what it means to be happy and how we achieve that happiness as individuals. The scope of the book really focuses on that idea of being content with oneself no matter how that comes across to the rest of the world. How can we find joy in everything that we do? Is too happy the same as too content? And how do we know? Where is the place we find the most fulfillment of our soul? The protagonist is always questioning and it made me question as well. So I'm mad at this book, I think. It broke a piece of my heart. I'll never read it again. But I appreciate it regardless. The parts of romance are so whimsical and fitting. Betrayal strikes the right chords. Lust, obsession, all-encompassing love, and contentment all fight their way for the top. The gift of this specific, beautifully tragic, and brilliant story telling from Santopolo was just that - a gift. And for the excellent writing, how engaged I was, and the multitude of thoughts and emotions garnered from reading The Light We Lost make it worth all the stars from me.

Jill Santopolo's novel, The Light We Lost, begins with Lucy and Gabe, two seniors at Columbia University, who are quickly bound in the midst of the events of September 11, 2001. Their instant emotional and romantic connection is unquestionably potent. However, their relational tragedy ironically begins on the very same day, as Gabe abandons Lucy for his ex when the opportunity presents itself. After graduating from Columbia, Lucy and Gabe run into each other in New York City during a time when Gabe is unstable. Lucy comes to his rescue, where she embarks on a continual cycle of thrill and disappointment. She categorizes this as true love. While Lucy finds herself content with both her career in children's television and Gabe, she soon discovers Gabe's restlessness (some due to his past abusive relationship with his artist father and desire to be nothing like him), ultimately causing his decision to become a photojournalist in the Middle East, thus shattering Lucy's ideal world. Still on the mend, Lucy meets Darren. Responsible, predictable, humorous, romantic, Darren shows Lucy a world of laughter, calculated surprises, and bucket lists, which never seem to be fully appreciated by her. She is consistently comparing Gabe to Darren, but confirms she does love Darren, just differently. They eventually get married and start a family. In spite of all of this, Lucy still stays in intermittent and random communication with Gabe, mostly on his watch. She battles the desire for the love she and Gabe possess, while making attempts to accept Darren's steady love. Lucy faces the inevitable decision to choose between the two. Tragedy follows when she finds herself having to physically come to Gabe's rescue and face a more difficult choice than she ever anticipates. I personally struggled with this read, not because it wasn't well written. Santopolo has a clear writing voice, but I found the tense to be difficult to interpret, as it was in first person (Lucy speaking to Gabe) and there was so much, "I, I, you, you...." Needless to say, many sighs were had! It did become easier after a third of the way in, as I finally got used to the writing style. My assessment of Gabe and Lucy's relationship was one of toxicity and emotional neediness. Of course, there was a very indescribable bond between the two, there was also a lot of misery. Though they were deeply physically connected, Gabe never shows a selfless act of love to Lucy. She also does not take the proper steps necessary to break their emotional ties (no communication). This would have made her life so much easier with Darren, so that she could fully enjoy his specific way of loving her and get on with her life, even in light of Darren's flaws. On the plus side, Santopolo offers up some interesting food for thought to the reader from this passage in this conversation between Lucy and a friend: " 'She said that she thinks of every romance she's in as if it's a type of fire. That some relationships feel like a wildfire-they're powerful and compelling and majestic and dangerous and have the capability to burn you before your even realize you've been consumed. And that some relationships feel like a hearth fire- they're solid and stable and cozy and nourishing.' " Lucy's brother Jason also offers up some interesting comparisons to love similar to the example above: " 'The reason I was able to end things for good is that I realized that we were like the gummy bear experiment...You put potassium chlorate in a test tube and then add a gummy bear, and these two items that are perfectly fine on their own explode. Every time. Jocelyn and I were like that experiment. Every time we were together, we would explode, and it was exciting and wonderful in some ways, but who wants to live with constant explosions?...Anyway, when I met Vanessa, it was different...it was like the Old Nassau experiment. Do you remember that one? It starts out with three clear solutions, but you mix two together first, so I imagine I'm those two mixed solutions, and then when when you add the third, nothing happens at first, but then the solution turns orange because of the potassium iodate and then a little while later, it turns color again, this time to black, which you know is my favorite colors, because it's the one that contains all the pigment there is, and then it stays that way.' " There is no question which categories Gabe and Darren fall into. Lucy later comments on her love for Darren: "Darren was my old Nassau experiment. The longer we were together, the more I loved him, and the better it got." Apparently, this love was just not enough for Lucy. Thus, her obsessive need to be miserably divided between Gabe and Darren, leads her down a road justifying adultery. In the end, I think Lucy's downfall is her mind and inability to control her emotions. Her "grass is greener" mentality is utterly debilitating, causing the series of events leading up to the very predictable and over the top ending. It is my belief that Lucy and Gabe's romance was hailed to be a tragedy from the get go, foreshadowed early on during that catastrophic day, September 11th. All in all, I would recommend this book to the person who loves a tragic love story and does not mind a plot that is a little far-fetched.

This is a fantastic book. It was really difficult to put down. Definitely one for a bus or train ride or vacation when you want to get swept up in a romantic story. I haven’t read a book in a long time and this brought me back to why I LOVE reading books!

The Light We Lost will probably stick with me for quite awhile. It is truly breathtaking. I could not put it down even though chores called my name. All the references to 9/11 just seeped into my soul at a time when they normally do anyway. Very poignant. Gut wrenching really. But I gave it 4 stars because I had some of the same issues as other reviewers. The prose was beautiful but I did not always need to be reminded that Lucy was in conversation with Gabe. It might have flowed more easily without all the "do you remember"s. I also struggled with the dichotomy between "God Help Me Moms" and "Expert Moms." As a professional with 2 children, I did not have the luxury of fitting so neatly into either category. Neither did many of my friends. I guess we were more Realist Moms. But it felt like the struggle between the two was real throughout the book. It was clear Lucy's love was genuine, but her passion for Gabe just seemed to make all else "God Help Me" moments. And that same struggle ruled in her marriage and that made me feel for her husband and her children. She never gave any of her relationships a true shot. That would make her a somewhat incomplete character. This story is haunting and a reminder that our emotions and our sacrifices have consequences.

Some books tell stories that are bound to make you a little (or, okay, extremely) emotional. And you have to simply accept that it will happen. You'll re-read passages, feel completely immersed in the scenes and wonder if everyone else who's read it experienced the same thing. For me, this was the case with Jill Santopolo's The Light We Lost. I'd heard a lot about the book, I'd even 1-clicked it for my Kindle but never got around to reading it until last week. Wow. I loved following Lucy and Gabe's story. Theirs is not a conventional love story. There is no HEA. I'm putting it out there for you now. If that's what you want, this is not the story for you, but it is a heart wrenching portrayal of love found, love lost and what happens in between as these two lovers find themselves separated by distance, by principles and sometimes by other people. What I especially liked with The Light We Lost was how flawed both Lucy and Gabe are as characters. Yes, they are both selfish sometimes and they will do things that will often leave you wondering why you even empathise with them, but ultimately they stand by the choices they make and, for me as a reader, I could completely understand their reactions and decisions, even when I could not imagine myself doing the same. I just read that The Light We Lost is in development to be a movie. It will be interesting to see who they cast to play Lucy and Gabe. Anyway, I loved The Light We Lost. I will probably re-read it in a few weeks just because. Do I recommend it? Absolutely. But bear in mind that, even those this is a romance, it's more in the lines of One Day or Me Before You. And if you've read either of those, you know exactly what I mean. My rating? 5 stars.

Gut wrenching. I loved the writing style. Easy to read. I loved the first person perspective. I read the book in 2 days, which I usually never do. This is strictly a chick book, guys wouldn't understand at all. They would probably think that Gabe wasn't at fault at all and not understand what all the hub bub was about. After reading the book I read in the acknowledgements that this book started as small vignettes that the author wrote after a failed relationship that she thought would last forever. Almost like journal entries. Coworkers encouraged her to make it into a fictional book, but at least in the first part I am sure it is very personal. The emotions were completely believable to me. Probably because I had a similar experience, not as intense or tragic, but love lost due to a deliberate decision on his part. I am not 23, I am 63 and I can still feel what Lucy felt. She described Gabe at one point as "self-important", among other qualities, both good and bad. So he left her by choice, but kept just enough in touch to keep Lucy's hope alive and not let her cut the cord. He also continued to rely on her in times of stress which threw guilt into the mix from time to time. That's a real painful limbo to be in. But her husband didn't treat her as an equal and she didn't feel fully respected by him. On the other hand, Gabe didn't put her first and didn't respect their relationship, altho he respected her dreams and aspirations. Both men were imperfect. But then can any one person be everything you need? In the end I had to change my number and stop my guy from calling anymore, and Lucy should have done that too, but then there wouldn't be a story would there. If she had made sensible choices, that's not a story. The point is to explore what it might be like if you DIDN'T think about it with your left brain. Love isn't rational.

Amazing book,you just can't stop, when you start you have to get to the end!! I have liked the way it is written and the characters. As I am an hopeless romantic, I would have loved a different ending.....but that's it!

Highly recommend.

解説に「me before you」「one day」が言及してあったので、結末はある程度予測していたが、キャリアも順調、良き夫、ふたりの子供にも恵まれながら、Rucy の行動、選ぶ決断が私の理解を越え、困惑、失望。 しかし、英語はシンプルで読みやすく、Rucy の独白形式で語られていて、特に最後の章は、私自身はRucy の気持ちに添えないものの文章は美しく胸が熱くなる。今後、Rucy が自分の下した決断を後悔することなく生きていける事を願わずにはいられない。

Two ambitious college students share moment of connection in New York during the fateful day the twin towers are hit. One that crashes to a halt within hours. In the subsequent decade that follows there are are significant, fleeting, realistic and poignant moments woven together. Jill Santopolo weaves together a tale of how one woman navigates the consequences of the choices made, by herself and her lovers, in pursuit of a fulfilling and meaningful life. The only criticism I have is that the female friendships, so well used in the narrative, seem undervalued in this novel. Hopefully their stories will be developed in the sequel. I am completely here for more of this author's work. The powerful, yet gently forgiving way this book rips open a window into the heart of a woman who has loved more than once. Insightful and perceptive prose on rebuilding a shattered heart, and the temptation to reflect on what if they had chosen a different romantic path is genuinely moving.

Muy bien esrito, muy bonito el libro