I read Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner several years ago and really enjoyed it. Somehow (though debatable whether this was a mom or BFF Katy purchase) Goodnight Nobody ended up on my bookshelf. I had to read this book simply because had an Ugly Doll on the cover! (I fell in love with Ugly Dolls when I was working one summer in upstate New York. I thought they were quirky and awesome and fantastic and all things whimsical and childish but I knew my siblings would never understand and I couldn't justify spending that much money on something they'd put in a yard sale so my niece and nephew did not get Ugly Dolls upon my return. I hate it for them. Those dolls are AMAZING!)
Anyway, the Ugly Doll hooked me. The dead suburban housewife reeled me in. I loved a good murder mystery but not the creepy kind. This story was lighthearted and funny and romantic. There were screaming kids, and dirty houses and the quirky best friend who'd do anything to mend a loved one's broken heart. It had the necessary villains that you weren't sure you didn't actually love and the good guys who could have just been villains in disguise!
One of my favorite aspects to this novel was the fact that the characters were real. Kate was an overworked, stay-at-home mommy who had 3 little ones and a husband who just didn't get it. She wanted more. She wanted to not look frumpy. She wanted to impress the mom's on the play ground. Just once she wanted to be the mom who picked her kids up on time. She never dreamed she'd be the one to find the body of one of those women she'd tried so desperately hard to impress. I greatly identified with her need to be something more, to show those around her she had potential. Just today I knew I was going to be in a room full of women who wouldn't have cared if I smelled like a wet dog (okay, probably that's going a little far) but I still spent an hour picking out the right outfit and stressing when my hair simply sucked.
Women want so badly to have perfection. We compare ourselves to our neighbors and our friends, and, whats worse, our enemies. We desperately want to be what they are. We make ourselves miserable trying to lead someone else's life. Several years ago my mom bought me a little plaque that I have in my kitchen. It reads: You Were Born An Original. Don't Die A Copy. I think it speaks to women everywhere who just want something a little more. Don't want what other women have, it's already taken. Fight for what YOU want. I think Kate, against her husbands wishes, and against her common sense, did just that. It almost killed her, but she did it.
Stories like this are hard to read when the plots are so thick you can't see the end in sight. I honestly did not guess the murderer until the author revealed the answer to me. That rarely happens. It would have been so easy to get lost in the twisted lives of those affected but this book wasn't like that. It wasn't heavy at all... This gem defines chick lit!
I think its absolutely wonderful that an author can take such hard-hitting subjects and present them in such a lighthearted manner. Not only did Ms. Weiner discuss murder, evil and feminine insecurities, she also presented a frank discussion on the roles of women and scars of infidelity. Having a frank, to-the-point novel could have been too much for the reader to handle. It certainly would have lost my interest but I think she did an incredible job of opening up a line of discussion on such taboo subjects in such a girly book.
In the Conversation with Jennifer Weiner at the back of the book, (yes I'm a nerd that reads those sections!) the question is asked:
"In the book Kevin Dolan says to Kate: "I think it was kind of the usual thing. Bad boyfriends, bad bosses. Aren't there a whole bunch of books with pink covers about stuff like that?" And when Kate traveled to London to see her mother, she purchased "two paperback novels with candy pink covers." Was the reference to these pink book covers intended as a statement about chick lit?"
Jennifer Weiner's response is spectacular!
"Heh. Yes.... The point I wanted to make in these two more direct references to chick lit is that yes, these books are accessible and entertaining, and that accessible, entertaining books have a place in the world (like when you've just been dumped, your mother isn't helpin
g, and you're stuck next to an over-inquisitive stranger on a transatlantic flight). This doesn't seem like such a crazy idea, but at this particular moment in time, believe it or not, if a book is "merely" entertaining- especially if the book concerns young women who care about their shoes, clothes, and love lives- it is seen as somehow morally questionable. An infamous recent book review began with its author opining that calling another woman's work "chick lit" is sort of like saying someone is a slut. To which I, as both the author and longtime fan of entertaining books starring smart, funny women who care about their appearance and their romantic futures, said, "Huh?" And "ouch." And "Oh no, she didn't!" Hence, the little shout-out to the books with bad boyfriends, bad bosses, and pink covers. Long may they wave!"
I agree Ms. Weiner and as long as you're writing them, I'll keep reading!
14/52 Books (Currently 5 behind... Oops!)
4439 Pages Read.
I'm obviously vocal enough about my disdain of Nicholas Sparks' writing that my aunt called me out on it last week when she saw I was reading this book. It's true. I find his writing style very elementary and his story lines very cliche and sugarcoated. I HATED The Notebook. I felt that the sentences were too short and the descriptions way too over the top. This led me to be anxious while reading. I HATE being anxious. I liked the storyline and the cute twist at the end of the The Wedding a little better, but not much. The ending of Dear John pissed me off and the rest of the books are all so similar they bleed together and I can't think of their titles nor their plots.
If you haven't heard me rant about this before, chances are you aren't around me that much. Anytime I have a literary discussion I find myself throwing in my dislike of Mr. Sparks. I'm sure he's a great guy. I'm sure he's encouraging people to read who might have never read before, but after having read so many books in my lifetime, he's not really one of my favorite authors. He doesn't really dig as deep as I'd like him to and, honestly, I really think he writes like a girl.
Now, before you yell at me about that, hear me out. Men are men. They don't react to situations like a female would. In general they aren't emotional. They aren't in touch with their sensitive side. Usually its easy to tell a male's writing style from that of a female. I won't go into specifics but we all know males and we all know females and we all know how they'd talk and express themselves and describe certain things. I simply think that Mr. Sparks is a little over the top and girly for a male. It's hard for me to see his feminine characters as really feminine because they are almost too good to be true. He almost has the womanly touch down pat and ,really, I think his male characters are too girly. It bugs the living daylights out of me! One instance in The Last Song drove me so mad I called my mother into the room to discuss it with her. The father in this story comments to his daughter that it's a "lovely" evening. I'm almost 26 years old and I have never once heard my father use that word, much less any other man I know. It's not a word men say! Use masculine words, man! It's just not right!
Now that I've successfully bashed the author (sorry about that, I guess...) I have to say this story wasn't so bad. It had an interesting plot, although it was quite easy to guess how it was going to end. The characters were also pretty likable, although I think he over explained their situations and over analyzed their flaws. I think a good author should allow his/her readers to draw their own conclusions in some instances but this book didn't really allow me the opportunity to do that.
I guess this issue came to be because this story is based on a screen play, which was then made into a movie which was released before the book was published. Normally this happens the other way around.
I always like read the book first so I can enjoy the story as a whole before it is crushed into a 2 hour and 14 minute time frame. Like I said, I like to be able to draw my conclusions and form my own opinions about the characters but for some reason (those pesky movie previews) I had to envision Miss Cyrus throughout this entire story. I had to picture her stomping around the house. I had to think about her sleeping with the turtles and her sobbing at the end... and oddly enough- throughout this whole book I didn't just see her playing the part- I saw her playing the part badly.
Granted, I did cry at the end (its just cause I'm emotional) I don't think this was one of his better works, In fact I have one request for Nicholas Sparks: Do not release a book again after the movie has been made. It REALLY ruined this story for me. I think I could have enjoyed it much more if I didn't have snippets of Hollywood's vision to blur my thinking.
I give it a 4 out of a 10. If you like Nicholas Sparks, you'll love it. I on the other hand needed something more.
13/52 Books (Currently 6 behind... Oops!)
4068 Pages Read.
g, and you're stuck next to an over-inquisitive stranger on a transatlantic flight). This doesn't seem like such a crazy idea, but at this particular moment in time, believe it or not, if a book is "merely" entertaining- especially if the book concerns young women who care about their shoes, clothes, and love lives- it is seen as somehow morally questionable. An infamous recent book review began with its author opining that calling another woman's work "chick lit" is sort of like saying someone is a slut. To which I, as both the author and longtime fan of entertaining books starring smart, funny women who care about their appearance and their romantic futures, said, "Huh?" And "ouch." And "Oh no, she didn't!" Hence, the little shout-out to the books with bad boyfriends, bad bosses, and pink covers. Long may they wave!"
