I read several reviews of this memoir in my summer magazines, all of which were positive. While the beginning is a little slow and could have used some stricter editing, it is worth it to keep reading and get to the end. This story of redemption for both the convicted "lifer" in Pelican Bay prison and the author who falls in love with him during her visits is a testament to the transforming power of selfless caring for others. Loved it. ( )

Fantastic, moving portrait of a woman who finds solace in a man serving a lifelong sentence in prison for murder. Kinsella is a master with quiet words that also hint at so much turmoil underneath. ( )

I was expecting this book to be more about women whose significant others were doing time in prison and how that affected their relationships. There are some chapters on women whose husbands are serving time in Pelican Bay, but their stories are superficial at best.

The author appears to be extremely self-absorbed. She spends most of her time lamenting the failure of her marriage to a man (who was not in prison) who later discovered that he was gay, and what her divorce meant for her possibilities of future motherhood. She also continually stressed that she was "not that type of woman" (someone who marries a man behind bars), even though she "fell in love" with a prisoner (whom she does not marry). She also continually stresses that she is beautiful, talented, intelligent, etc. I got rather sick of watching her praise herself.

The author was extremely judgmental towards the women she interviewed. I felt sorry for "Ruth," the first woman she talks with after meeting her in Pelican Bay. The author states that Ruth would be a "spinster" if it wasn't for her man who is locked up, and the author mentions more than once that Ruth is a 50-year-old virgin who sometimes dispenses condoms for her job.

The author is also quick to find potentially manipulative behavior in the prisoners, and she calls Rory (the man she "loves") emotionally manipulative more than once. However, the author seems completely oblivious that she is just as manipulative, if not more so. She doesn't pull any punches; she is using this "love" with Rory to heal herself, and once she is healed, she's going to fly away and live a normal life with a normal man. Rory is just an interlude, a fantasy that helps her during a difficult time.

The only time the author really mellowed out was when she was on a bus with a bunch of kids going to see their mothers in prison for Mother's Day. Other than that, this memoir is poorly written and incredibly narcissistic. And the ending...how can that possibly even be real? I have serious doubts about the author's truthfulness. ( )

No woman ever expects that they will develop a relationship with an inmate confined to prison for life, and especially not a woman like Bridget Kinsella, but Kinsella does just that. A successful journalist, Kinsella enters prison as a visitor for the first time to help a convicted murderer publish his writing. Her disdain for the women visiting their men in prison soon turns to curiosity, and then, when she becomes emotionally attached to the man she has been visiting, then turns to empathy. This book is her account of the relationships she encountered with not only the man she was visiting, but the women who live their lives in a limbo, with hopes and dreams of someday having the relationship they have always wanted.

Review Date: 11/12/2007 ( )