From the author of When They Took Away the Man in the Moon (1993), etc., a strange novel about two society women who attempt to create a feminist utopia in turn-of-the-century Kansas. Lydia, an American in Paris, is immersed as the story begins in a cat-and-mouse romance with a shifty Lothario who mistakes her for one of the hordes of wealthy American girls sent to Europe to find titled husbands. Lydia, however, has little to offer: Her tiny fortune is being whittled away by the demands of Parisian society. Newly thrown into the marriage game is the headstrong Charlotte, and she too is indifferent to the prospect of marriage, which she interprets as servitude. After a series of broken hearts, familial and romantic, the two become fast friends (despite Lydia's pathological need to control Charlotte) and decide to become pioneers. In search of their ``essence,'' the two hope to escape the rigid class and social distinctions of an ostentatious society in favor of a simpler, more meaningful way of life. Or as Charlotte chirps: ``We can discover what it really means to be a woman and, in the process, liberate ourselves from other people's definitions. We can be free!'' So with trunkloads of enthusiasm, the two purchase land in Kansas, building two identical homes, connected by a walkway, christening their new world Twin House Farms. A quaint idea, though the charm dampens and they forget all about capturing their ``essence'' when confronted by the hardships of prairie life. Suspicious of a group of single women farmers (Charlotte and Lydia invite their circle of friends to join them) the townsfolk are understandably wary, especially since Lydia and Charlotte condescend at every turn. After years of hardship, the women are defeated thoroughly by both external and internal forces. Weighed down by heavy-handed and rather simplistic polemics, the already unappealing characters here have no chance of flying. A disappointing second novel.
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-517-59956-2
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Harmony
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
Wacky plot keeps the pages turning and enduring schmaltzy romantic sequences.
Sisters work together to solve a child-abandonment case.
Ellie and Julia Cates have never been close. Julia is shy and brainy; Ellie gets by on charm and looks. Their differences must be tossed aside when a traumatized young girl wanders in from the forest into their hometown in Washington. The sisters’ professional skills are put to the test. Julia is a world-renowned child psychologist who has lost her edge. She is reeling from a case that went publicly sour. Though she was cleared of all wrongdoing, Julia’s name was tarnished, forcing her to shutter her Beverly Hills practice. Ellie Barton is the local police chief in Rain Valley, who’s never faced a tougher case. This is her chance to prove she is more than just a fading homecoming queen, but a scarcity of clues and a reluctant victim make locating the girl’s parents nearly impossible. Ellie places an SOS call to her sister; she needs an expert to rehabilitate this wild-child who has been living outside of civilization for years. Confronted with her professional demons, Julia once again has the opportunity to display her talents and salvage her reputation. Hannah (The Things We Do for Love, 2004, etc.) is at her best when writing from the girl’s perspective. The feral wolf-child keeps the reader interested long after the other, transparent characters have grown tiresome. Hannah’s torturously over-written romance passages are stale, but there are surprises in store as the sisters set about unearthing Alice’s past and creating a home for her.
Wacky plot keeps the pages turning and enduring schmaltzy romantic sequences.Pub Date: March 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-345-46752-3
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2005
Heartfelt, yes, but pretty routine.
Life lessons.
Angie Malone, the youngest of a big, warm Italian-American family, returns to her Pacific Northwest hometown to wrestle with various midlife disappointments: her divorce, Papa’s death, a downturn in business at the family restaurant, and, above all, her childlessness. After several miscarriages, she, a successful ad exec, and husband Conlan, a reporter, befriended a pregnant young girl and planned to adopt her baby—and then the birth mother changed her mind. Angie and Conlan drifted apart and soon found they just didn’t love each other anymore. Metaphorically speaking, “her need for a child had been a high tide, an overwhelming force that drowned them. A year ago, she could have kicked to the surface but not now.” Sadder but wiser, Angie goes to work in the struggling family restaurant, bickering with Mama over updating the menu and replacing the ancient waitress. Soon, Angie befriends another young girl, Lauren Ribido, who’s eager to learn and desperately needs a job. Lauren’s family lives on the wrong side of the tracks, and her mother is a promiscuous alcoholic, but Angie knows nothing of this sad story and welcomes Lauren into the DeSaria family circle. The girl listens in, wide-eyed, as the sisters argue and make wisecracks and—gee-whiz—are actually nice to each other. Nothing at all like her relationship with her sluttish mother, who throws Lauren out when boyfriend David, en route to Stanford, gets her pregnant. Will Lauren, who’s just been accepted to USC, let Angie adopt her baby? Well, a bit of a twist at the end keeps things from becoming too predictable.
Heartfelt, yes, but pretty routine.Pub Date: July 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-345-46750-7
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2004
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