by Sharon Krum ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 7, 2005
Smart and bracingly funny.
A domineering hellion who couldn’t find her feminine side with a GPS and a flashlight decides to turn her life upside-down and tap into her inner Doris Day.
By all rights this should be something from the lower depths of chick-lit hell. Krum (Walk of Fame, 2001) gives us a fierce Manhattan criminal prosecutor who makes old ladies cry on the stand and men run for the hills. Far from critiquing Jane Spring, the author admires this Army brat who refers disdainfully to the population at large as civilians (no motivation, no discipline) and boasts a father whose idea of a Christmas gift is the new Patton DVD. Oblivious to the destruction she leaves behind her, Spring bulldozes through life, dispensing unasked-for advice on technique to her quickly fleeing lovers and somehow believing that she has everything a man desires in a woman. After overhearing some men in the office talk about what a rhymes-with-witch she is—hot, but not worth the trouble is the consensus—Spring realizes there’s something wrong with her Sherman tank approach, and her world starts to come unglued. She’s gearing up for a big trial involving a cop shooting and feeling pressured by the case’s detective (one of several men Krum keeps juggling around Spring as romantic possibilities), who admonishes her not to screw it up by insulting the judge the way she did during an earlier trial. Then Spring catches a Doris Day movie marathon, which prompts a life-changing idea that she attacks with her usual thoroughness. Newly minted as a snappily dressed, somewhat prudish, but always upbeat blonde, she soon has the jury eating out of the palm of her hand, her co-workers delighted and no-longer-skittish men banging down her door. The expected third-act travails and will-she-or-won’t-she fake dramas are predictable, but for the most part this is a winning fable about the seemingly lost art of being a lady.
Smart and bracingly funny.Pub Date: July 7, 2005
ISBN: 0-670-03417-7
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2005
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by Josie Silver ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 16, 2018
Anyone who believes in true love or is simply willing to accept it as the premise of a winding tale will find this debut an...
True love flares between two people, but they find that circumstances always impede it.
On a winter day in London, Laurie spots Jack from her bus home and he sparks a feeling in her so deep that she spends the next year searching for him. Her roommate and best friend, Sarah, is the perfect wing-woman but ultimately—and unknowingly—ends the search by finding Jack and falling for him herself. Laurie’s hasty decision not to tell Sarah is the second painful missed opportunity (after not getting off the bus), but Sarah’s happiness is so important to Laurie that she dedicates ample energy into retraining her heart not to love Jack. Laurie is misguided, but her effort and loyalty spring from a true heart, and she considers her project mostly successful. Perhaps she would have total success, but the fact of the matter is that Jack feels the same deep connection to Laurie. His reasons for not acting on them are less admirable: He likes Sarah and she’s the total package; why would he give that up just because every time he and Laurie have enough time together (and just enough alcohol) they nearly fall into each other’s arms? Laurie finally begins to move on, creating a mostly satisfying life for herself, whereas Jack’s inability to be genuine tortures him and turns him into an ever bigger jerk. Patriarchy—it hurts men, too! There’s no question where the book is going, but the pacing is just right, the tone warm, and the characters sympathetic, even when making dumb decisions.
Anyone who believes in true love or is simply willing to accept it as the premise of a winding tale will find this debut an emotional, satisfying read.Pub Date: Oct. 16, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-525-57468-2
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: July 30, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2018
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BOOK TO SCREEN
by Colleen Hoover ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 2, 2016
Packed with riveting drama and painful truths, this book powerfully illustrates the devastation of abuse—and the strength of...
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Hoover’s (November 9, 2015, etc.) latest tackles the difficult subject of domestic violence with romantic tenderness and emotional heft.
At first glance, the couple is edgy but cute: Lily Bloom runs a flower shop for people who hate flowers; Ryle Kincaid is a surgeon who says he never wants to get married or have kids. They meet on a rooftop in Boston on the night Ryle loses a patient and Lily attends her abusive father’s funeral. The provocative opening takes a dark turn when Lily receives a warning about Ryle’s intentions from his sister, who becomes Lily’s employee and close friend. Lily swears she’ll never end up in another abusive home, but when Ryle starts to show all the same warning signs that her mother ignored, Lily learns just how hard it is to say goodbye. When Ryle is not in the throes of a jealous rage, his redeeming qualities return, and Lily can justify his behavior: “I think we needed what happened on the stairwell to happen so that I would know his past and we’d be able to work on it together,” she tells herself. Lily marries Ryle hoping the good will outweigh the bad, and the mother-daughter dynamics evolve beautifully as Lily reflects on her childhood with fresh eyes. Diary entries fancifully addressed to TV host Ellen DeGeneres serve as flashbacks to Lily’s teenage years, when she met her first love, Atlas Corrigan, a homeless boy she found squatting in a neighbor’s house. When Atlas turns up in Boston, now a successful chef, he begs Lily to leave Ryle. Despite the better option right in front of her, an unexpected complication forces Lily to cut ties with Atlas, confront Ryle, and try to end the cycle of abuse before it’s too late. The relationships are portrayed with compassion and honesty, and the author’s note at the end that explains Hoover’s personal connection to the subject matter is a must-read.
Packed with riveting drama and painful truths, this book powerfully illustrates the devastation of abuse—and the strength of the survivors.Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-5011-1036-8
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016
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SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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