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    Life on the Refrigerator Door
    Life on the Refrigerator Door
    Life on the Refrigerator Door
    Audiobook1 hour

    Life on the Refrigerator Door

    Written by Alice Kuipers

    Narrated by Dana Delany and Amanda Seyfried

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Performed by Dana Delany and Amanda Seyfried

    ""Bittersweet, funny and achingly real. . . . Kuipers captures the anxiety surrounding tragedy and conveys the importance of fully experiencing life.” — Publishers Weekly

    Heartfelt, touching and unforgettable, Life on the Refrigerator Door captures the impenetrable fabric that connects mothers and daughters throughout the world and delivers universal lessons about love in a wonderfully simple and poignant narrative.

    Claire and her mother are running out of time, but they don't know it. Not yet. Claire is wrapped up with the difficulties of her bourgeoning adulthood—boys, school, friends, identity; Claire's mother, a single mom, is rushed off her feet both at work and at home. They rarely find themselves in the same room at the same time, and it often seems that the only thing they can count on are notes to each other on the refrigerator door. When home is threatened by a crisis, their relationship experiences a momentous change. Forced to reevaluate the delicate balance between their personal lives and their bond as mother and daughter, Claire and her mother find new love and devotion for one another deeper than anything they had ever imagined.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateAug 28, 2007
    ISBN9780061554308
    Life on the Refrigerator Door
    Author

    Alice Kuipers

    ALICE KUIPERS is the award-winning, bestselling author of four previous novels, Life on the Refrigerator Door, The Worst Thing She Ever Did, 40 Things I Want to Tell You and The Death of Us, and two picture books. Her work has been published in twenty-nine countries. She lives in Saskatoon. Web: alicekuipers.com Facebook: Alice Kuipers Twitter: @AliceKuipers

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    Reviews for Life on the Refrigerator Door

    3.5/5

    282 ratings33 reviews

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    • 5/5

      Oct 28, 2024

      Wow. That rocked me. My husband died from Cancer almost 2 years ago. I didn’t know that this book was about Cancer when I started listening to it and didn’t realize it until about halfway through. Of course I needed to know what happened. I sobbed and sobbed. Thinking of my kids missing their dad and how much they have to do without him now. This book and the beautiful narration helps to put some of those things into perspective for me, and helped me realize some things that I thought of before. If you want really good cry, listen to this!
    • 3/5

      Sep 7, 2023

      I felt sad that mother and daughter communicated more this way than face-to-face, but the author did indicate some real conversations happened too. The characters were fairly well developed, the language seemed authentic, but the story became predictable. This is a super fast read, heartfelt.
    • 4/5

      Sep 7, 2023

      An adorable idea of notes left on between a mother and daughter. For any women affected by breast cancer this is will hit home.
    • 4/5

      Dec 24, 2023

      I haven't read a book in one day since the day I read The Virgin Suicides while at a shooting range all day.
    • 3/5

      Feb 2, 2021

      Very Quick( less than an hour) enjoyable read- not much substance but enough to keep the reader engaged.
    • 4/5

      Aug 10, 2017

      I got this book as a surprise gift from the Harper Collins Facebook group. I kept reading good things about it on that group's postings so I took it with me this morning because I knew I would be finishing the book I was reading before the end of the day. Since I had a few bus rides and then a wait for a medical appointment I did finish my previous book and I started reading this. When I say that I finished it at lunchtime you might expect that it was a light fluffy read but it certainly was not light.

      In a probably common scenario a teenage daughter and her single parent obstetrician mother communicate with each other by leaving notes on the refrigerator door. They rarely see each other but they do seem to eat fairly healthily judging by the items one asks the other to pick up at the grocery store. Then the mother tells the daughter (Claire, sometimes ClaireBear) that they have to make time to talk. After a few tries they get together and Claire learns her mother has a lump in her breast. At first it doesn't seem too serious and Claire is sure that broccoli and exercise will make her mother all better. Then chemotherapy and radiation have to be started and the mother is having to be looked after by Claire. Claire also starts a relationship with a boy during this time and then the boy breaks up with her. Just reading the notes from that period brought back the anguish of teenage love.

      This sparely written little book packs a big wallop. I recommend it but it might not be the best read for someone diagnosed with cancer or who has a loved one who has been.
    • 5/5

      Jan 28, 2016

      Super fast light read. I thought it would be just a teen, mother-daughter relationship book but things change when mom is diagnosed with cancer. Prepare yourself for tissues and tears. If you enjoyed Fault in Our Stars, you will enjoy this one.
    • 4/5

      Jan 23, 2016

      This is such a quick book to read but so incredibly moving. I love how it is written entirely in notes, and how the reader has to fill in the bits between the messages mother and daughter leave for each other. Claire's final message had me in tears.
    • 4/5

      Jan 19, 2016

      I am giving this book 4 stars based solely on the clever idea of writing an entire book on notes stuck to the fridge. Not one element is missing here. The characters are clear, the day-to-day lives are clear, and the gentle wave of time and the toll it carries is clear. Beautifully, beautifully done. Highly recommended.
    • 4/5

      Jan 15, 2016

      Very interesting format, composed of mostly post-it notes between mother and daughter. Sad story that brought tears to my eyes.
    • 1/5

      Oct 16, 2015

      Short, yes. I got impatient with this narration as I couldn't buy into the characters. If skimpy notes on the refrigerator is the basis for this family's life, it makes me too ill to finish it, no matter how emotional it promises to be. Fail.
      The readers actually did a good job, but their material was almost non-existent.
    • 4/5

      Mar 20, 2014

      Great book. Packed full of emotion
    • 2/5

      Jan 22, 2014

      well, i'm not going to keep the galley, but i did get tears in my eyes at the end. that said, i'm an easy mark.
    • 3/5

      Apr 8, 2013

      Not terribly profound, but goes very quickly through quite a range of emotions. The style (fridge notes) is good, and the auther makes room for the characters to have some depth (the daughter more so than the mother, who remains more aloof).
      Can be read in 30 minutes.
    • 3/5

      Sep 12, 2011

      This short YA novel is told entirely in a series of notes written between a mother and her 15-year old daughter. It's a clever idea, but the seriousness of the topic which develops (the mother's cancer) and the length of the notes (sometimes paragraphs and paragraphs), seemed unrealistic. Really, no matter how busy people are, they find time to sit down and talk when there's serious illness, right, and not just write notes?

      Anyway, I gave it to my 11-year old niece to read and she loved it and has kept my copy. However, she also found the long notes unrealistic.
    • 3/5

      Sep 3, 2011

      A very quick read that will make you cry.
    • 2/5

      May 29, 2011

      A quick and easy read. Entertaining enough though would probably be more enjoyed by a younger reader.
    • 4/5

      Mar 21, 2011

      A good quick read that presents an unique way to convey a message about communication and spending time with those you love. Definitely recommend it to young teenage girls.
    • 2/5

      Jan 30, 2011

      A very quick read, but the format didn't really work for me. I found it a bit confusing trying to figure out how much time had gone by at points.
    • 5/5

      Dec 14, 2010

      Telephone conversation with a mother and her daughter who lives overseas:


      Mother: Hi honey, how was your birthday? Did you receive the present I sent you?

      Daughter: Hello Mom! My birthday was okay. I went out with some friends. I miss the dinners you and Dad used to do on my birthdays though. Yeah, I got it yesterday morning. I'm going to read it later tonight. I did notice that it's got no plastic packaging anymore. Did you get it secondhand?

      M: No hon, I just read it first before I sent it to you. I was supposed to buy it for myself but when I read it, I knew you'd love it, and I didn't have a present for you anyway, so...

      D: Mom, you know you didn't have to do that! You might want to read it again and now it's with me. Wait, you're sure you did not send this to me because you think it sucks, did you?

      M: Of course not! I loved the story and I just told you, I thought you'd love it. It's got those cute little drawings and I know how you love to draw. And it's one of those mother-daughter stories so we can both relate. Very poignant and moving. But it's not boring. Seriously, it's really good.

      D: Yeah it does seem interesting. I just read the blurb and I can't wait to read it later. It does sound a bit emotional. Is this a tear-jerker Mom?

      M: It has its moments. It's written in a really unique way, and the author did a terrific job at it. The style it was written would make you think its storytelling would be too limited, but it turned out really well, I couldn't put it down! I read and finished with it in an hour, but I felt like the story lingered in me for another week. Oh honey, I missed you so much after reading it.

      D: Wow, now you've got my interest piqued. I miss you too Mom, but with work and stuff, it's not easy to just drop everything and go home.

      M: I know. It's just that the book made me realize how much time we've been spending apart, and with your Dad gone... I've just been a bit lonely lately honey.

      D: I miss Dad too. And lately, I have been feeling a bit sad too. I couldn't sleep much. Kept thinking of you...


      Silence.


      D: Mom? Are you still there? Are you crying?

      M: I'm fine, honey. Make sure to read the book okay? And call me back and tell me what you think of it. I have to go, I need to go out shopping.

      D: Are you sure you're okay Mom? I promise I'll read it and call you. And I think I'm going to ask my boss for a vacation. I do want to see you again.

      M: Oh honey, you're really going to do that? You don't know how much that means to me! Call me back and tell me if your boss let you go on leave. And about the book too. I love you baby.

      D: I love you too Mom. I'll call you.
    • 4/5

      Dec 8, 2010

      Sad, but good. Liked the format.
    • 5/5

      Apr 6, 2010

      This book is all written in notes, supposedly left on the fridge (thus, the title, heh). It covers a little less then a year in the life of a single mom and her teenage daughter. What caught my interest was the format. I like books written with a hook, like the first time I read one written all in emails. The reader is left to read between the lines in some places, but it wasn’t as difficult or confusing to follow as it could have been. Things like dinner the night before or care of the bunny are there, but left mostly to imagination. I also like how the author intertwines serious notes (to move the plot forward) along with the frivolous (like shopping lists, and a key that keeps going missing). Very fast read, that took an unexpected twist, and ended up being much more serious then I had originally thought. Worth the read.
    • 5/5

      Mar 25, 2010

      [Life on the Refrigerator Door] by [[Alice Kuipers]] is a wonderful reminder why we need to make time for those we love. Very Very quick read. Seriously about an hour.... and only that because you are crying. My own mother has survived cancer twice now. So obivously the theme in this book was close to my heart. I would recommend as a good read for any family. Especially mothers and daughters. Warning though don't read in a public place. Unless you are confortable with people coming up to and asking if you are alright. You will most definately cry before then end.
    • 5/5

      Jul 7, 2009

      What an interesting little book this turned out to be. It caught my eye because it's a bright pink little hardback with a ribbon page marker in it, and flicking through it I could see that it is entirely made up of notes written between a mother and daughter and stuck on the fridge in their kitchen. With each note starting a new page (though the later notes get longer) it was a quick book to read, but it packed quite a punch.

      Writing in such a personal style quickly gives the reader an insight into the relationship between these two individuals, a doctor who is constantly on call at the maternity ward, and her sociable teenage daughter Claire. The two barely see each other, with other commitments constantly hindering them in spending time together even when they've tried to arrange something special. This in itself is poignant enough when shown in such a stark manner, but when Claire's mother discovers a lump on her breast things get even worse. Through these notes we see her struggling to explain things to her daughter and get her own mind around what she's facing, and hear about Claire's worries and her attempts to make things better for her mum.

      I hadn't expected the book to take this direction at all - I just thought it was a quirky little chick lit book, to be honest - but by the end I was sobbing into my breakfast and wanted to run out and give my mum a big squidge. Mum and I have always been so close that this situation would never happen to us, but perhaps that made it all the more heartbreaking for me to read, imagining how I would feel and how dreadful it would be if there was such a distance between us at such a critical time.

      Definitely worth a read - quick, but a strong reminder about family and getting your priorities right. Brilliant.
    • 2/5

      Jan 1, 2009

      Kuipers could have done more here. Billed as a first novel, it think reads like notes made to sketch out the future of a real novel. It was too easy, too obvious from the start.
    • 3/5

      Sep 27, 2008

      This was a short, and quick story. And, a breath of fresh air. However the story leads you to believe that their will be an enlightening and breezy ending but by the last page there is are shocking results that are both depressing and dark. The book is realistic and unsettleing. But,it does give a young reader a glimpse into the world.

      My blurb:
      "A striking novel about growth, and bonds that can last a lifetime."
    • 4/5

      Sep 6, 2008

      This book took me about 20 minutes to read and then I cried. Nobody told me it was about breast cancer! It's like when I went to see The Family Stone right after finding out my mom had cancer. So not fair!! It was a good book, though...it reminded me of Feeling Sorry for Celia, which was also written in notes between a mother and daughter.
    • 4/5

      Jul 4, 2008

      I read this on the way back from Norwich to Lincoln - it only took an hour or so, some of the pages only had a few lines on them!

      Enjoyable read, although a sad subject, where a daugher loses her mother the breast cancer. Well written.
    • 3/5

      May 24, 2008

      Loved the idea of notes between a mother and daughter that encapsulate both the comings and goings of the household as well as the intimacies of the roller coaster relationship -- intense love and two hours later intense conflict. The author pulled this off seamlessly. Coming from my own single parent household, I felt she captured this dynamic quiet well and also honestly portray the light and vigor that makes a fifteen year old adolescent so special. As other reviews have intimated the author suggested that important conversations took place outside of the kitchen and the character reported what happened. As a reader, I felt jipted. It was as if the characters were discussing a five course meal and I was being fed table scraps. Further, the cancer story did not ring true to me. I have been an oncology social worker for over 20 years and there were moments that were missing from the story that I wished had been captured. The most toughing moment for me was that both mother and daughter wanted something from the other -- the daughter to know she was like her mom @ 15 and the mom to know that she was a "good mom". This was a good first novel. I would love to read her future book to see how she develops as a writer.
    • 3/5

      Mar 27, 2008

      Claire, 15, and her mother (an obstetrician) are so busy they communicate through notes left on the refrigerator door. The entire book is made up of these notes, and we see the interplay between the two-- the fights, the frustrations, the mother's attempt to put on a brave face when she develops breast cancer and when her health deteriorates. Fast readers can get through this novel in one sitting; I'm recommending it to a more female-oriented crowd in my LMC as most teenage boys would only like the brevity of the book instead of the content.