The Burned Bridges of Ward, Nebraska

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 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 show more 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 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 show more “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 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 show more 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

Fertility nurse Becky lives in the small, insulated town of Ward, Nebraska; she is a single mother to precocious Mitchell. Things are not going well for Becky—the fertility doctor at her practice is going off the rails with drinking, sleeping around, and gambling. Becky’s ex-boyfriend suddenly becomes her son’s elementary school teacher, leading to some awkward interactions. She develops an embarrassing lust for one of the town’s “losers,” Hayes Bandercook. Follow Becky as she navigates these situations and more in Curtright’s sardonic, ironic, and hilarious novel.

A quirky tale of a professional woman in a small town in Nebraska may sound unappealing but many readers will relate. So many novels have the female protagonist be a strong perfect woman but this tale has the woman making one mistake after another until she realizes family is the most important element in her life.

characters

The characters kept me reading because I actually cared about them. I wanted to know what would happen to them. This book would make a great movie.

Not bad

Thus book was well-written and the characters were interesting. They were unique without being forced, they felt like real people. The story did not particularly grab me, which is the reason for the three stars.