If I could become a character in any book, I would become Laura, from the series Lovers and Dreamers written by Nora Roberts. Laura is a normal women suffering, but surviving, through divorce and custody of her two daughters. It’s more with sympathy that I relate to this character than personal experience. Though she has family wealth, Laura insists on working to support what’s left of her family, showing will power when everyone would expect weakness, and pride when everyone would show her pity.
A strong woman no doubt, but if I could change the things that happen through out not only the series of books, but her novel especially, I would change the circumstances with her ex-husband. A modern day chauvinist, Peter tells Laura with whom she can associate, what she can spend her money on, etc. Instead of allowing such a shallow and self righteous man to take an upper hand in my life, I would have told him to disappear. I would not have allowed any man, none the less that man, to run any part if my present or future. I like to think that I would have more respect for myself and my children than to allow such a vindictive man to come in between what I know is right and what he says should be done.
Although looks of pity are always present in circumstances of divorce, having something to throw in back in their faces would have been self satisfying for Laura. Not allowing others morose for her would have kept her on a higher step than allowing herself to fall into the inevitable depression that follows divorce. If Laura had taken her cheating husband in stride and thrown some slaps of her own, although pithy, I believe it would have made her feel better.
I agree with Laura’s decision to work for her family, and in doing so she was standing up to the upper society that she was supposed to be a part of. I would not have changed the way that she worked her way through her pain, but I would change the position she held in her own families industry. Instead of starting at the very bottom of the food chain in the hotel management service, which was a job she was more than capable of doing, I would have aimed a little higher in the food chain. Owning part of the estate that she was working for, she was able to get a much higher position, and should have tried for something better.
I think that in changing how Laura looks at her relationship with her ex-husband, you would change the whole flow of the book. Falling in love would be easier for her, and introducing that man in her daughters’ lives as a step father would have been less complicated. Instead of allowing people to walk on her after the divorce, it would have been easier for her to stand up to the people trying to hold her back. To restrict her financial struggling, it would have been easier to do the things for her girls that they wanted. I would have done these things differently, not only to ensure my own happiness, but for the comfort and stability of a home for my children.
Although Lovers and Dreamers is not my favorite book, it is one that has stuck with me for years, and one that I’ll read over and over again. I enjoy all the characters in this series, and although they all face problems, Laura is the one with the most realistic issues. I’m hoping I’m never faced with her pain, but in seeing her character, it helps to think there’s always a way through it.
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Lovers and Dreamers (revised):
If I could become a character in any book, I would become Laura Templeton, from the series Lovers and Dreamers written by Nora Roberts. Laura is a normal women suffering, but surviving, through a nasty divorce case and a custody battle involving her two daughters. It’s more with sympathy that I relate to this character than personal experience. Though she has family wealth, Laura insists on working to support what’s left of her family, showing will power when everyone would expect weakness, and pride when everyone would show her pity.
Laura Templeton is given a chance to change not only her life, but her friends, and her children’s lives as well. Faced with a cheating husband, she is given a choice. Does she live on pretending that her marriage of ten years going perfectly, or does she take a stand? Laura decides to take the lesser road traveled when it comes to the wealthy. She gets a divorce, throwing her husband out of the house, and ultimately out of his fifteen year career. Laura continues changing her life by selling her wedding ring and opening a second hand retail store which her and her two best friends labeled ‘Pretenses’. The title is an example of all three females’ lives and what they’re going through over the course of the series. Laura is given the chance to raise her daughters as she pleases, and show them love like she hasn’t been able to do before. With her new job, and the one she works at the hotel her family owns, and the added bonus of having a live in tenant, Laura is able to have the income she needs to buy her daughter a horse, put them both in art or ballet classes, and still have the income to pay their tuition. Laura also has a very new experience with her tenant, a relationship that has grown from childhood lust, to pure adult infatuation, and slowly growing into love. Laura is a prime example to all divorcee women. Weather you want life to go on or not, it’s forced upon you. Laura wanted nothing from her childhood crush, but ended up giving herself a new husband and her children a better father.
A strong woman no doubt, but if I could change the things that happen through out not only the series of books (lovers and dreamers), but her novel especially, I would change the circumstances with her ex-husband, Peter. A modern day chauvinist, Peter tells Laura with whom she can associate, what she can spend her money on, where she can go, and how to live her life. Instead of allowing such a shallow and self righteous man to take an upper hand in my life, I would have told him to pack his bags. I would not have allowed any man, none the less that man, to run any part of my present life or future goals. I like to think that I would have more respect for not only myself and but my children also. To allow such a vindictive man to come in between what I know is right and what he says should be done would be a sacrifice of all I live for.
I think that in changing how Laura looks at her relationship with her ex-husband, you would change the whole flow of the book. Falling in love would be easier for her, and introducing that man in her daughters’ lives as a step father would have been less complicated. Instead of allowing people to walk on her after the divorce, it would have been easier for her to stand up to the people trying to hold her back.
Although looks of pity are always present in circumstances of divorce, having something to throw back in their faces I believe would have been self satisfying for Laura. Not allowing other peoples morose for her would have kept her on a higher step than allowing herself to fall into the inevitable depression that follows divorce. If Laura had taken her cheating husband in stride and thrown some slaps of her own, although pithy, I believe it would have made her feel better.
I agree with Laura’s decision to work for her family, and in doing so she was standing up to the upper society that she was supposed to be a part of. I would not have changed the way that she worked her way through her pain, but I would change the position she held in her own family’s industry. Instead of starting at the very bottom of the food chain in the hotel management service, which was a job she was more than capable of doing, I would have aimed a little higher. Owning part of the estate that she was working for, she was able to get a much higher position, and should have tried for something better. To restrict her financial struggling, it would have been easier to do the things for her girls that they wanted. I would have done these things differently, not only to ensure my own happiness, but for the comfort and stability of a home for my children.
Although Lovers and Dreamers is not my favorite book, it is one that has stuck with me for years, and one that I’ll read over and over again. I enjoy all the characters in this series, and although they all face problems, Laura is the one with the most realistic issues. I’m hoping I’m never faced with her pain, but in seeing her character, it helps to think there’s always a way through it.
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