STILL HANGING IN THERE: Confessions of a Totaled Woman

by Jan Marshall ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 20, 1979

Humorous self-deprecation in the home has reached epidemic proportions in the wake of Erma Bombeck's bestsellers; and this latest attempt, though spirited, is just a mite too dreary. Homemaker Jan Marshall is most adept at the Bombeckian put-down: her housework merits the Good Housekeeping Seal of Disgust, she requires elocution lessons from Laurence Olivier to converse with her plants, ""Rent-a-Mate"" provides her with a surrogate spouse to nag while hubby is away on business. Less clever, less apt are the fantasy dialogues between two construction workers exploring the nuances of applying men's makeup, or the letter in which Ben Franklin's mother advises him to fly his ""underwear"" in the ""privacy of your own back yard."" Some breezy phrases and effective takeoffs -- on postal and telephone service, for example -- make this good for selective dipping, but the tone and pace vary too little for anyone to hang in there long.

Pub Date: Oct. 20, 1979

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Pinnacle

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1979

Categories: NONFICTION