Wendy French

I quite liked Lauren, despite the fact that everyone in the book seems to think she has a big mouth. At one point I thought, "why doesn't she just get some new friends?!" Still, this coming of age story has a twist, since Lauren is in her late 20's and just finally figuring out who she is and what she wants out of life. There's the requisite romantic interest at the end, but it doesn't quite drown out the main thrust of the story.

Surprise ending to this tale of a young married student with a big family of 'characters'. Poignant, funny and true. Writing style of a hairdresser mystery - independent-minded, self-reliant, real-world heroine.
April 2007

This was a fun, easy book that I read in about one night. It's the story of 23-year-old Claire and what happens when her over-bearing mother comes for an open-ended visit.

Really, this was just an amusing bit of fluff that was fairly predictable. If you're in the mood for that (and I was, after slogging through Look Homeward, Angel), you'll probably enjoy this one.

As an aside, I would like to thank my mom for being NOTHING like the mother in this book. What a nightmare!

Anti-chick lit(only the need for love remains the same). Unpretentious, down to earth, working in a not great job, no longer so young woman inherits an old house in Portland, finds love and grows up a bit. Funny and honest.