THE HALLIE LAWRENCE STORY

by Joyce Walter ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 1990

A torrid attraction between a suave entertainment lawyer and a sweet suburban sex kitten is played out in Manhattan and Hollywood. The egotistical world-famous composer Alfred Lawrence wants his son Hallie to advise beautiful violinist Nikki Mikhailovitch on a movie deal. But before Hallie can fall for the Slavic beauty his father has been shamelessly pushing his way, he spends a weekend hanging out with his boozy childhood friend Kip and spots Martha Housewright (""something about her made him think of white chocolate""), a restaurant calligrapher who wins his heart with her model-gorgeous looks, ingenuous confidence, and her way of calling him a nerd. He asks her to marry him that very night. Though Hallie's society parents--Alfred and perfect hostess Lily, the kind of woman who wears ""seriously important"" earrings--need time to get used to Martha's wholesome suburban style, plans go forward for the wedding. It's Nikki's movie deal that causes the first stirrings of trouble. The director, a tortured Brit named Malcolm, is Martha's ex-lover. The previously unflappable Hallie is driven mad with jealousy, although he also can't stay away from the movie set, where he doesn't notice he's flirting with Nikki. Obsessed with Martha's imagined interest in Malcolm, Hallie forgets to worry about another romantic rival much closer to home. Walter, a screenwriter, strives for mild satire, but she likes her shallow characters and their breathless passions a bit too much for her first novel to have any bite. So it's sex, lawyering, and intrusive parents, rather than wit or insight, that make the pages turn. Slightly entertaining.

Pub Date: March 1, 1990

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: St. Martin's

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1990

Categories: FICTION