I apparently bought this book eons ago and I honestly don't remember anything about it. I now know why I don't remember this book, it's mostly forgettable. It doesn't help that the author tries to follow 7 people (I think it's 7) and most of the stories are fragmented due to the jumping back and forth. There's also plot points that are left open and I wondered about them since they felt really important to resolve them (one man is a pariah in his old town and had to leave for reasons the book gets to) before the ending. I also flat out didn't like some of the characters so I started to hate every time Meaney switched to them. I know if you can call this chick lit. Chick lit should be mostly romance with sometimes some serious issues if the author wants to tackle them. This had zero romance, and I got to say Meaney tries to throw a bow on two couples (that she force fits together) that I didn't see going the distance.

"Life Drawing for Beginners" follows Audrey Matthews who decides to hold a life drawing class in the town of Carrickbawn. The participants in her class sign up for various reasons: Irene (looking to get out of the house away from her husband and daughter), James (trying to have time away from worrying about his past and his daughter), Zarek (trying to hide who he really is), Fiona (happily married and expecting her first child) and Meg (married unhappily it seems). The model for the class is Jackie who wants to save up to buy her son a Wii. There's also a man who runs a pet shop that Audrey loathes due to their interactions, Michael. And two people who claim to know someone from Michael's past keep coming to his store asking for help. So yeah that's a lot of people that the book follows though the summary mentions following four people.

I can't really say I loved one character the most. I think the one that was the most developed was Michael. He had a hard life and you get to see why he acts the way he does. I disliked how he carried himself and how he was when someone reached out to him for help, but I got why he was that way. By the end of the book you get to see someone different who hardened up because of things that happened.

The setting of Carrickbawn seems really small at times. The characters sometimes run into each other and sometimes not. They all had a main plot for themselves, but sometimes things overlapped like with Irene and two other characters.

As I said the ending didn't have a happy ending for everyone. Two couples or I guess three now that I think of it are going to try for romances and you don't know if it's going to be 100 percent successful. There were dangling plot threads left open that I wish that Meaney had resolved, especially with the character of James. ( )

Very good. Started out slowly, but built up characters through the story line. Well worth the read.

Won this through First Reads and I'm so glad I did! ( )

This book was a light hearted and fun view of a small group of adults that come together for a life drawing class. The points of view of the story changes between the characters every few pages. I enjoyed reading each perspective and how as the individuals get to know one another their opinions change.

Each if the characters is struggling to find something and each is lonely in their own right. There are several themes of single parents and the particular issues they may face.

Each of these diverse characters begin to come together and are fulfilled in different ways by the group from the class. This is a nice read showing how characters can overcome loneliness, grief, and cultural barriers.

Reader received a complimentary copy from the publisher through the Good Reads First Reads program ( )

Audrey Matthews, 37, teaches an evening class for adults in “life drawing” – i.e., drawing the human body with the help of a live, nude model. Although Carrickbawn in Ireland is a small town, the students enrolled don’t appear to know one another and haven't signed up with the intention of meeting anyone else. But by the last session, much has changed for the members of the group – even for Audrey, who, amusingly, is oblivious to the catalyzing effects of the class.

Discussion: This is such a lovely little story. At first, from the title and publisher’s plot summary, I feared it would just be a variation on the cooking school novels, in which disparate people come together for a class and then end up in various happy combinations as a result. But this book subverts that trope enough to add interest and gratification for jaded readers. Those taking the class already live lives which are quite intertwined, but they just aren’t aware of it. As the classes progress, they gradually discover the connections that were there all along. And not all of these linkages are positive, nor are all the endings happy. Some of the stories aren’t even wrapped up. Nevertheless, their resolutions seem right.

Evaluation: I liked all of the characters – even the ones who seemed unsympathetic at first. The unpleasant characters are working through pain, and we come to feel for them and their situations. The characters who are attractive are still realistic enough not to seem too saccharine. This is not just a simple beach read, although it goes quickly and enjoyably. I found it to be an entertaining way to pass the time. ( )