Eileen Curtright

4.5 giggle inducing stars!

With razor sharp wit and perfect comedic timing, The Burned Bridges of Ward, Nebraska by Eileen Curtright is an entertaining and surprisingly, thought-provoking, novel.

Set in a small Midwestern town, single mom Rebecca "Becky" Meers tries to fly under the nosy town's radar while raising her son Mitchell. Having just made partner in the local fertility clinic, she works with a slick doctor who keeps her busy cleaning up his messes but his latest misstep might be well show more beyond any type of damage control. At the same, she is stunned and dismayed to discover that Mitchell's new teacher is none other than her son's unnamed father Kevin Holts and his teaching style is unconventional at best and downright destructive at worst. Throw in her unwanted attraction to Hayes Bandercook who just happens to be from one the town's most notorious families and Becky becomes convinced that a prescription for the newest ADHD drug will solve all of her problems.

Rebecca is a harried working mom who loves her son unconditionally. An unfortunate mishap with the school's toads puts Mitchell in the crosshairs of the principal and much to her consternation, keeping him out of trouble means discussing his behavior with Kevin in a professional capacity. Although she is thrilled to finally be a partner in the fertility clinic, her social awkwardness and inability to sugarcoat news make for some interesting (and alarming) discussions with some of the clinic's patients. After discovering her partner is up to his old tricks with one their patients, Becky is often left to deal with their clients on her own which sometimes ends with disastrous outcomes. At the same time, she is also scrambling to stop the good doctor from ruining their business with his after hours shenanigans.

The Burned Bridges of Ward, Nebraska by Eileen Curtright is a laugh out loud funny novel with a cast of well developed, eclectic characters. Although occasionally a little over the top, the storyline touches on a number of topical issues such as the alarming trend of overmedicating students and standardized testing in schools. Zany and irreverent with a satirical edge, Eileen Curtright is nonetheless spot on with her depiction of some of the problems in today's world and the downsides to small town living. A fast paced and engrossing story that I greatly enjoyed and highly recommend. show less

Rebecca Meer’s hometown of Ward, Nebraska, is small—so small that she can’t even sneak home after a drunken girls’ night without running into at least three people she knows. But she has bigger problems than her reputation. The head doctor at her fertility clinic is losing his mind, and his wild behavior could cost them the business. Her supersuccessful ex-boyfriend has blown back into town and somehow become her son’s fifth-grade teacher—now her son is asking awkward questions show more about the end of their relationship. Rebecca can’t even run the PTA’s annual food drive without getting mixed up with criminals. In Eileen Curtright’s astute comedy, we see just how far a stressed-out single parent will go to be the “perfect” mother. show less

If you don't like farces, read no further. This is definitely a farce.

While Curtright takes a light approach to everything, some scenes stand out. I utterly adored the 5th grade class who were all Objectivists (until it came time for trick-or-treating), and their Rand-worshipping teacher's description of a RATIONAL Halloween party. Also, the "play" of Pioneer Days-done instead of the possibly Satanic Halloween- was a hoot.

It IS a farce, and no one really comes off well... but they are all show more entertaining. And meanwhile it skewers standardized testing as the ONE way to determine whether kids are learning anything; fertility clinics; Ayn Rand style Objectivism (especially as implemented by fifth-graders); and meddlesomeness in general.

All the characters are more caricatures than real people- but that's part of the point, and they are amusing.

If you like humorous "cozy" mysteries, you'll probably enjoy this, despite the sad lack of murders.

I got this for free via Kindle First, and definitely enjoyed it. show less

Paleo, as everyone has pointed out, is about a middle-aged man who meets a strange neighbor and joins his "religion." But, he seems to have drawn the focus of power to himself somehow, and instead of using it for good, he uses it to manipulate and met out his own forms of revenge. I thought it was a nice little story and I would've actually liked to have seen this one a longer book all its own. I think it had great potential to be something bigger and deeper.

The prepper story was also show more interesting as there are really people out there like this. Right this minute. And I find that just totally insane. So the story, to me was like literally going down the rabbit hole. I'm not saying it doesn't hurt to have some things stocked up in case of an emergency (thinking weather here) but the end of the world preppers, they creep me the hell out.

Both stories had the link of showing what a little power can do to someone who has always felt powerless. Instead of rising to be a better person and champion, they tend to lower themselves to the level of their worst tormentor. show less