Sharon Weil

I loved this book. I smiled all the way through it. In some ways it reminded me of "The Origin of Love" from Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and in some ways it reminded me of Good Omens. In all the rest of the ways it reminded me of nothing I've ever seen but something I've always wanted.

"THIS is the story of an orgasm. Or it could be said this is the story of an orgasm that never was, and then was, and once it was, it's the story of all the ripples it set in motion. It's the reiteration of the total fecundity slam dance, Big Bang Explosion that created the world." Prologue - Donny and Ursula Save the World

It's the story of Ursula's orgasm, and Mother Earth, and an evil seed corporation that wants to take over the world with its GMOs, and a President who hates Spinach, and some survivalists who want to garden. It's humor and satire and a love story and it is fantastic.

(Provided by publisher)… (more)

Quirky, funny, scary, ridiculous, heartwarming. There are not many books out there which include chapters written from Mother Nature's point of view (or M Nature, as she's calling herself now, to be taken more seriously).

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Greasy-palmed Donny meets Ursula at a party, and wants to bang her, but not get emotionally involved. Belly-dancer Ursula is propagating a huge colony of vile-smelling Kombucha mushrooms and has never had an orgasm. They SHOULDN'T be compelling characters, and yet somehow they are. And lurking in the not-so-background, a big GMO food company plots to destroy all organic farms and seeds, leaving themselves as the world's only food supplier.

The style reminded me of Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy, very twisty-turny and packed with bizarre characters and scenes. The one thing that I didn't care for is it frequently jumped from past to present tense in the narrative, which I found jarring.

There are many funny and just WEIRD scenes, including a hilarious one near the end where a group of survivalist men play a high stakes game of "Capture the Flag" dressed as comic book superheroes.

In the end, the entities we are rooting for get a Happily For Now, mushrooms (real ones, not fake ones) thrive, and M Nature shakes the crumbs from her tablecloth.

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I would like to thank both NetGalley and Passing 4 Normal Press for granting me the chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review. Though I received the e-book for free that has in no way influenced this review. I rated this book at 2.5 stars, but rounded up to 3 for sheer ingenuity.

"The most importantly funny book about love, sex and GMO seeds you'll ever read!"

Can one woman's orgasm save the world? That's where it all started... at least for Donny and Ursula, mismatched lovers who become unlikely heroes in DONNY AND URSULA SAVE THE WORLD. The quest for the Big O and its seismic awakening ignites them to daring deeds beyond their mere imaginations and neurotic existences. When an agribusiness giant threatens to control all the seeds of the world in order to own life itself, Donny and Ursula join forces with belly dancing feminists, gun-crazy survivalists, outlaw guerilla gardeners, and comic book heroes, to rise up on behalf of Mother Earth.

You'll be sparked by the Eros of awakening, the Eros of activism, and the Eros of hysterical laughter in this sex-charges, wild-romp, romantic-mishap adventure that can't help but incite you to action.

This book opens as odd and gets progressively stranger as it unfurls. I can easily say that I do not think this is a book for everyone, which is a shame as the message(s) are worthwhile. However the delivery is just a step or three past quirky and into something altogether indescribable for me at least.

Roughly the first quarter to third of this book was a real struggle for me, in that I was not engaged by the characters or their stories in the least. I had to push to get far enough into the story to reach, what for me, was the meat - the GMO fiasco. Of the beginning portion it was actually the character of Mr. Ed and AgriNu that captured my attention the most.

Mr. Ed is an executive rapidly rising to the top of the heap at AgriNu, the book's equivalent of Monsanto. He is totally pro-GMO because of his bottom line - both financially and in terms of personal power. He actually gains the President's ear by banning spinach, which the President hates (a great dig at President Bush and his statements about broccoli). Mr. Ed's devious plan is to sell 'Freedom Seeds,' which are all manufactured by AgriNu of course - eliminating all organic farmers along the way. And the way in which the public buys into the whole scheme is a brilliant piece of black humor, because it is so damned plausible in this crazy country called the United States.

Donny enters the story as a lazy, obnoxious, slob of a bachelor. But somehow he is transformed by Ursula, which is a shocking concept at first, as she is not at all what would normally turn Donny's head or libido. For Ursula 1.0 is an uptight, solitary creature.

Initially her only real connection to other people is via her work as a travel agent who loves connecting other people. One of the only things she asks her customers to do is take a photo with a stranger while on their trip and send it back to her for her map of the world. In addition they must give the person in the photo with them her business card and tell them to look her up should they ever be in her neck of the woods. When those strangers do appear she has her photo taken with them for the map, and sends them on their merry way with packets full of discounts to all kinds of tourist destinations. This obsession becomes crucial later in the story.

Ursula is chasing the elusive orgasm, and decides that taking belly dancing lessons might help her find her inner goddess and unlock her ability to achieve an orgasm, as she's never had one - not with a man or even self-induced. At least not until her belly dancing teacher Sheerah talks to her after class one night.

Sheerah is simultaneously well-grounded and completely free-spirited. She is totally plugged in to her sexuality and owns it 110%. That of course attracts Sean, a photo-journalist for National Geographic and Sheerah's sporadic sexual partner. Whenever Sean is in the area he swings by to do some 'research' with Sheerah, something the two enjoy almost too much, as their research is conducted sexually, sometimes using tantric sex and sometimes just the good old-fashioned mind blowing orgasmic way.

And then there is Paul, Donny's best friend. Paul is as much, or more of a slob, than Donny. A computer nerd with feelings of inadequacy he goes to a survivalist school. It is there that he meets Lindey, one of the only women at this particular camp. Lindey is much more masculine than Paul, so it surprises them both to varying degrees to find themselves hooking up.

All of these people, plus one more major character, play important roles in Ursula 2.0's plans to save the world from AgriNu's deadly seeds. Her plan is unusual, and often comical, but the message itself is real. Buried in a quasi-comedy is a powerful message about the state of the world and the damage we are causing when we blindly accept and allow GMOs into the food supply. The question is, can you make it through the book to get the message? Had anyone asked me this when I initially began the book for the second time I'd have given them a flat "No." However having made it past that invisible line in the book I found that somewhere along the line I'd become engaged in this story to the point of enjoyment. I won't say it is the best book I've ever written, nor is it the worst. It has its moments, and when you find each of them they make slogging through the rest worth it.… (more)

This definitely is not your average book. Donny hooks up with Ursula and this is sort of their story. It also includes a huge sub-plot about how big business, after getting its “foot” into the door of big business, proceeds to throw its influence around. Then there are Donny and Ursula’s friends and routine preoccupations. Donny is a typical slob, interested in downing fast food meals not cleaning up after himself, watching all sorts of stuff on TV, etc. Ursula is a lot of the opposite. She is into belly dancing, mushrooms, and searching within herself for the ultimate, whatever that is. In addition, there are superheroes and a quirky conspiracy friend of Donny’s and Mother Earth who, we realize, can easily take good care of herself (Thank-you ma’am!). A lot of stuff happens in this funny book, but it all comes together to show us that love an thrive and survive in all circumstances, that big business can become a throne in everyone’s side and that the big “O” can have a place in our lives. I found the book at times thoughtful and at times funny as all get out. The mélange of characters and their quirky lives and beliefs only help to make it more interesting and to bring the messages home. In particular, I enjoyed the way the author portrays Mother Earth, as the self-sufficient guardian of our precious planet that we all know she really is. In addition, the conspiracy crazed friend of Donny’s made me laugh a lot and wonder just if all the people like him are like him or not. The insertion of the mushrooms, which ultimately sort of take over Ursula’s life made me wonder whether just such a thing is possible while making me chuckle at their antics, if one becomes too involved with something like them. I think anyone who enjoys a good laugh while still being interested in life around him/her and how it will always go as it wishes, not as we might want it to go, would love this book. Or, someone just looking for something a bit different, with the ability to tickly his/her funny-bone a lot would enjoy this book. I know I did.

I received this from NetGalley to read and review.… (more)