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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
After Nell Dysart divorced her husband of 22 years, she lost her appetite for everything. Because her friends, Suze and Margie, are worried about her, she gets a job as a secretary at Gabe McKenna's detective agency. Of course, Gabe's biggest clients are also all the men who are or once were in Nell and her friends lives, so it's not like she's getting too fresh a start. Gabe's agency starts looking into a blackmail case involving those men, and things start getting very complicated.
This makes it sound like the book is mostly about Nell and Gabe, but it's not. There's Riley, Gabe's partner in the agency, who's been pining over Suze for years. Of course, she doesn't even know he exists, and she's married. Things start getting rocky with her husband (Jack) because he wants her to stay home and look pretty and not go out, get a job, and have a life that doesn't involve him in every aspect - by the way, Suze was once "the other woman" when Jack was married to his second wife. Then there's Margie, who's dating a guy named Budge. Margie drinks a lot because Budge wants her to marry him and that's not what she wants to do. Technically, she's still married to her husband, who left years ago and may be dead, but if she declares him dead then she won't have a convenient excuse for turning down Budge. Also, back to Nell and Gabe, it's not like things are going perfectly for them either. Nell and Gabe fight a lot (and have a lot of make-up sex, but that's not the point) because they're both stubborn as hell. Gabe doesn't want any changes in his life and his agency, and Nell wants to redo everything at the agency and sees any sort of giving in as allowing him to use her as a doormat. Remember, however, that Nell is the secretary, and really, truly should be getting Gabe's approval and input before changing things and replacing furniture instead of railroading over him.
Granted, I haven't read many Jennifer Crusie books (I think this is my fifth one), but I'm used to her books being funny, romantic, and frequently heart-tugging and exasperating at the same time. I'm not used to her characters being annoying, rigid, and generally unlikeable, which is how I viewed the characters in this book most of the time. Basically, Riley came off as the most emotionally healthy character, and he was the one dealing with his feelings for Suze by dating/sleeping with anything female (like an undergrad, or Nell). Gabe's resistance to change was understandable, at first, but it got really annoying when he continued to resist even the changes that made sense. Nell acted like a bulldozer in Gabe's agency, and (because of her divorce) she was left with the impression that giving in a little is the same as letting yourself get walked on. Suze is a doormat who thinks she needs a man in her life in order to be complete, and she feels this so wholeheartedly that she's willing to give up having a life of her own in order to have a man around. At first I thought Margie was a bimbo, but it turns out that she was just a perpetual drunk with no tact.
None of these characters started to feel like people I'd actually want to get to know until maybe 50 pages before the ending of this 400+ page book. This wasn't the enjoyable, relaxing reading experience I was expecting when I plucked a book with "Crusie" on the cover off of a public library bookshelf. In her dedication, Crusie wrote "For Valerie Taylor, because she tells me when my scenes are boring, my syntax is twisted, and my characters are jerks..." Apparently, Ms. Taylor had her work cut out for her if this is the characters after they were made to be less like jerks, and maybe she should have also been working on telling Crusie to make her characters less like wet washcloths.
I don't think romance novel couples have to be perfect and have perfect relationships in order for them to be fun to read about. I do like for there to be something pleasant about their relationships, though. In addition, it probably didn't help (for me, anyway) that all or most of the characters were older than the usual romance novel age, which means they were old enough to be my parents. For example, I think Nell's son was a little over 20.
So, if I disliked the book this much, why did I keep reading it?
- Jennifer Crusie wrote it, so I was hoping it would get better.
- Some of the information about china that Suze, Nell, and Margie were talking about sounded interesting, even if I think Crusie could've edited those bits down more. The Walking Ware and Running Ware sounded like fun, though.
- Marlene, the dachshund, was interesting. My family has a dachshund, and, even though he doesn't flirt and act abused for biscuits, he does flirt for belly rubs.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
This makes it sound like the book is mostly about Nell and Gabe, but it's not. There's Riley, Gabe's partner in the agency, who's been pining over Suze for years. Of course, she doesn't even know he exists, and she's married. Things start getting rocky with her husband (Jack) because he wants her to stay home and look pretty and not go out, get a job, and have a life that doesn't involve him in every aspect - by the way, Suze was once "the other woman" when Jack was married to his second wife. Then there's Margie, who's dating a guy named Budge. Margie drinks a lot because Budge wants her to marry him and that's not what she wants to do. Technically, she's still married to her husband, who left years ago and may be dead, but if she declares him dead then she won't have a convenient excuse for turning down Budge. Also, back to Nell and Gabe, it's not like things are going perfectly for them either. Nell and Gabe fight a lot (and have a lot of make-up sex, but that's not the point) because they're both stubborn as hell. Gabe doesn't want any changes in his life and his agency, and Nell wants to redo everything at the agency and sees any sort of giving in as allowing him to use her as a doormat. Remember, however, that Nell is the secretary, and really, truly should be getting Gabe's approval and input before changing things and replacing furniture instead of railroading over him.
Granted, I haven't read many Jennifer Crusie books (I think this is my fifth one), but I'm used to her books being funny, romantic, and frequently heart-tugging and exasperating at the same time. I'm not used to her characters being annoying, rigid, and generally unlikeable, which is how I viewed the characters in this book most of the time. Basically, Riley came off as the most emotionally healthy character, and he was the one dealing with his feelings for Suze by dating/sleeping with anything female (like an undergrad, or Nell). Gabe's resistance to change was understandable, at first, but it got really annoying when he continued to resist even the changes that made sense. Nell acted like a bulldozer in Gabe's agency, and (because of her divorce) she was left with the impression that giving in a little is the same as letting yourself get walked on. Suze is a doormat who thinks she needs a man in her life in order to be complete, and she feels this so wholeheartedly that she's willing to give up having a life of her own in order to have a man around. At first I thought Margie was a bimbo, but it turns out that she was just a perpetual drunk with no tact.
None of these characters started to feel like people I'd actually want to get to know until maybe 50 pages before the ending of this 400+ page book. This wasn't the enjoyable, relaxing reading experience I was expecting when I plucked a book with "Crusie" on the cover off of a public library bookshelf. In her dedication, Crusie wrote "For Valerie Taylor, because she tells me when my scenes are boring, my syntax is twisted, and my characters are jerks..." Apparently, Ms. Taylor had her work cut out for her if this is the characters after they were made to be less like jerks, and maybe she should have also been working on telling Crusie to make her characters less like wet washcloths.
I don't think romance novel couples have to be perfect and have perfect relationships in order for them to be fun to read about. I do like for there to be something pleasant about their relationships, though. In addition, it probably didn't help (for me, anyway) that all or most of the characters were older than the usual romance novel age, which means they were old enough to be my parents. For example, I think Nell's son was a little over 20.
So, if I disliked the book this much, why did I keep reading it?
- Jennifer Crusie wrote it, so I was hoping it would get better.
- Some of the information about china that Suze, Nell, and Margie were talking about sounded interesting, even if I think Crusie could've edited those bits down more. The Walking Ware and Running Ware sounded like fun, though.
- Marlene, the dachshund, was interesting. My family has a dachshund, and, even though he doesn't flirt and act abused for biscuits, he does flirt for belly rubs.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
The one where Nell goes to work for Gabe at a detective agency. She’s recently divorced, numb to everything and suddenly wakes up to anger, boredom, hunger, desire. There’s a bit of a mystery throughout the book and LOTS of characters.
Light reading. Romance + a bit of mystery with a bit of winking at Noir.
Nell Dysart huszonkét évi házasság után pár hónapja vált el, semmi étvágya
sincs, szinte álomkórosként éli a napjait, egészen addig, míg a
barátnői rá nem beszélik, hogy jelentkezzen titkárnőnek egy
magánnyomozói irodába. Úgy tűnik, hogy a főnököt könnyű lesz kezelni,
az irodában pedig vannak kiaknázatlan lehetőségek. Gabe McKenna a
McKenna Nyomozói Iroda tulajdonosa nincs éppen csúcsformában, a
titkárnője beteget jelentett, egy zsarolásos eset utáni nyomozás sehová
se vezetett, a volt felesége pedig úgy döntött, végleg szakít vele. De
úgy tűnik, hogy az új titkárnő ért a dolgához és nem lesz nehéz
beidomítani.
Csakhogy Nell és Gabe hamarosan összeméri az akaraterejét, sikkasztáson, névjegykártyákon, vandalizmuson, kutyarabláson, szexen veszekednek, na meg szörnyen ronda irodai berendezéseken. Természetes, hogy egymásba szeretnek, ám ekkor emberek kezdenek eltűnni, házasságok
felbomlani és valaki még gyilkosságra is vetemedik…
Nem a szokásos romantikus regény, az egyszer biztos, hisz pismasz és humoros, kitűnő másodrangú karakterekkel, hihető történettel és még a nyomozás is tartogat meglepetést az utolsó oldalakra.
Jennifer Crusie állítólag pontosan gender studies-ra járt és a romantikus regényekről készült dolgozatot írni, s kutatás közben teljesen elvarázsolta őt ez a forma, így lett belőle romantikus,
humoros regényeket szerző sikersztori.
Eredetileg: http://olvasonaplo.net/olvasonaplo/2005/01/02/jennifer_crusie_fast_women/
sincs, szinte álomkórosként éli a napjait, egészen addig, míg a
barátnői rá nem beszélik, hogy jelentkezzen titkárnőnek egy
magánnyomozói irodába. Úgy tűnik, hogy a főnököt könnyű lesz kezelni,
az irodában pedig vannak kiaknázatlan lehetőségek. Gabe McKenna a
McKenna Nyomozói Iroda tulajdonosa nincs éppen csúcsformában, a
titkárnője beteget jelentett, egy zsarolásos eset utáni nyomozás sehová
se vezetett, a volt felesége pedig úgy döntött, végleg szakít vele. De
úgy tűnik, hogy az új titkárnő ért a dolgához és nem lesz nehéz
beidomítani.
Csakhogy Nell és Gabe hamarosan összeméri az akaraterejét, sikkasztáson, névjegykártyákon, vandalizmuson, kutyarabláson, szexen veszekednek, na meg szörnyen ronda irodai berendezéseken. Természetes, hogy egymásba szeretnek, ám ekkor emberek kezdenek eltűnni, házasságok
felbomlani és valaki még gyilkosságra is vetemedik…
Nem a szokásos romantikus regény, az egyszer biztos, hisz pismasz és humoros, kitűnő másodrangú karakterekkel, hihető történettel és még a nyomozás is tartogat meglepetést az utolsó oldalakra.
Jennifer Crusie állítólag pontosan gender studies-ra járt és a romantikus regényekről készült dolgozatot írni, s kutatás közben teljesen elvarázsolta őt ez a forma, így lett belőle romantikus,
humoros regényeket szerző sikersztori.
Eredetileg: http://olvasonaplo.net/olvasonaplo/2005/01/02/jennifer_crusie_fast_women/
The fourth book in [b:The Jennifer Crusie Collection|25667347|The Jennifer Crusie Collection|Jennifer Crusie|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1433791170s/25667347.jpg|45413917] is my favorite so far. It contains the elements one expects in a Crusie novel – set in the Midwest (Ohio, specifically), multiple characters male and female all facing relationship or other personal challenges that weave together, a strong female lead, humorous dialogue, and a few crazy set-ups. Where the book differs, and perhaps what sets it apart, is that the relationship challenges all hinge on accepting and moving beyond divorce and other stages of marital breakdown. Plus there’s a murder mystery or two.
The book also felt less choppy than a few others of hers I’ve read lately, though the interlocking chracters and plots did get a bit confusing at the end.
A good book if you already love [a:Jennifer Crusie|19005|Jennifer Crusie|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1295982567p2/19005.jpg], and a great introduction if you’re not familiar with her.
4/5 on the romance scale.
The book also felt less choppy than a few others of hers I’ve read lately, though the interlocking chracters and plots did get a bit confusing at the end.
A good book if you already love [a:Jennifer Crusie|19005|Jennifer Crusie|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1295982567p2/19005.jpg], and a great introduction if you’re not familiar with her.
4/5 on the romance scale.
One of my unofficial goals this year is to take part in more of the group reads in one of my online book groups, On the Porch Swing. The group often has interesting and lively discussions, and I wanted to be a part of that this year. To begin the year, January's pick was Fast Women by Jennifer Crusie. I have never read anything by this author before, although I have heard of her. She's a favorite in many circles.
I did not really know what to expect when I began reading Fast Women. When I hear Jennifer Crusie's name, I automatically think romance, and in this book, there was plenty of that. The mystery, however, often takes center stage in the novel, which makes it more my kind of story.
While Gabe and Nell are the main protagonists, there are other characters who have strong story lines throughout the novel, including Gabe's partner Riley and Nell's best friends (and sisters-in-law), Suze and Margie.
Betrayal, loss, women coming into their own, redefining who they are later in life, and finding love after having been betrayed are themes that each of the women in the novel share. I really appreciated the depth the author went into in fleshing out her characters, even the more minor ones, and their motivations. The growth of the more major characters over the course of the novel was also well done, including the self reflection and re-assessment of their situations. By the end of the novel, it's easy to see why certain things happened the way they did, even if bad decisions were made. In terms of the relationships gone sour, I mean.
In terms of the mystery, well, I liked how the author built up to the climax. It was a slow build, built around the characters and their personal drama, but the more events came to light, the more complex and slippery the mystery became. Like the relationships in this book, the mystery itself is one big tangle. Until its not. I appreciated the internal struggle Gabe was going through, concerned his father may have been involved in or had covered up the murder of the wife of his father's long time friend. It really would be difficult to be in that situation. Like Gabe, I would want to know the truth, to hope to clear my father's name.
I liked the characters alright. I wanted to like them more. My first thought was that perhaps it has to do with the fact that I cannot really relate to what they are going through in their personal lives, dealing with marital affairs and divorce, but other authors have been able to draw me and help me relate without any trouble. So, it can't be that. I think part of it was the fact that so much was going on in the novel, as well as my just not really connecting with any of the characters.
Even so, I really felt for Nell. She had worked hard her entire life, helping her husband establish his insurance business, basically running it for him, raising their son, and then all of that disappeared out from under her when her husband left her for another woman. It made me angry and sad. One of my favorite scenes in the novel is when Nell finally lets loose and lets her ex know how she really feels about his actions.
Of the characters though, my favorite would have to be Gabe. He was a good person and there was nothing about him that was manipulative or shifty or dishonest. He could be clueless at times, but he admitted when he was wrong (mostly).
One of the aspects of the novel I appreciated too was the juxtaposition of the young and the old(er). Although Nell's son and Gabe's daughter were not focused on often in the novel, they were enough of a presence to get a feel for the differences and similarities between new and more established romantic relationships.
There is also the relationship between the women. Their friendship was quite strong and I thought it was wonderful how they supported each other, how they banded together when one of them needed help, whether it be stealing a dog or working through a divorce. I'm always a little envious of relationships like that. I don't really have any close women friends like that. While I liked Nell, I never warmed completely to Suze and I just felt sorry for Margie. Both women were dealing with their own issues. Suze was that other woman who had broken up a marriage, married the guy, and was now unhappy. Margie's husband disappeared fifteen years before and she was living with another man who wanted her to marry him, but Margie wasn't willing to commit.
Fast Women is a wonderful book for a book discussion, which I hadn't expected when I first started reading it. I think many of us who have been married for many years can relate to how hard marriage can be sometimes, how many compromises we have to make in life in general once we have families, and how we change and evolve over time.
For all the seriousness of the issues covered in this novel, what made it especially enjoyable for me was the humor. There were comical scenes and witty dialogue throughout. And you can't forget the mystery aspect: murder, secrets, and good china.
I am glad I read this book. Had it not been for my book group, I would not have, and I would have missed out in a good book. Even despite it's flaws, I still liked it.
I did not really know what to expect when I began reading Fast Women. When I hear Jennifer Crusie's name, I automatically think romance, and in this book, there was plenty of that. The mystery, however, often takes center stage in the novel, which makes it more my kind of story.
While Gabe and Nell are the main protagonists, there are other characters who have strong story lines throughout the novel, including Gabe's partner Riley and Nell's best friends (and sisters-in-law), Suze and Margie.
Betrayal, loss, women coming into their own, redefining who they are later in life, and finding love after having been betrayed are themes that each of the women in the novel share. I really appreciated the depth the author went into in fleshing out her characters, even the more minor ones, and their motivations. The growth of the more major characters over the course of the novel was also well done, including the self reflection and re-assessment of their situations. By the end of the novel, it's easy to see why certain things happened the way they did, even if bad decisions were made. In terms of the relationships gone sour, I mean.
In terms of the mystery, well, I liked how the author built up to the climax. It was a slow build, built around the characters and their personal drama, but the more events came to light, the more complex and slippery the mystery became. Like the relationships in this book, the mystery itself is one big tangle. Until its not. I appreciated the internal struggle Gabe was going through, concerned his father may have been involved in or had covered up the murder of the wife of his father's long time friend. It really would be difficult to be in that situation. Like Gabe, I would want to know the truth, to hope to clear my father's name.
I liked the characters alright. I wanted to like them more. My first thought was that perhaps it has to do with the fact that I cannot really relate to what they are going through in their personal lives, dealing with marital affairs and divorce, but other authors have been able to draw me and help me relate without any trouble. So, it can't be that. I think part of it was the fact that so much was going on in the novel, as well as my just not really connecting with any of the characters.
Even so, I really felt for Nell. She had worked hard her entire life, helping her husband establish his insurance business, basically running it for him, raising their son, and then all of that disappeared out from under her when her husband left her for another woman. It made me angry and sad. One of my favorite scenes in the novel is when Nell finally lets loose and lets her ex know how she really feels about his actions.
Of the characters though, my favorite would have to be Gabe. He was a good person and there was nothing about him that was manipulative or shifty or dishonest. He could be clueless at times, but he admitted when he was wrong (mostly).
One of the aspects of the novel I appreciated too was the juxtaposition of the young and the old(er). Although Nell's son and Gabe's daughter were not focused on often in the novel, they were enough of a presence to get a feel for the differences and similarities between new and more established romantic relationships.
There is also the relationship between the women. Their friendship was quite strong and I thought it was wonderful how they supported each other, how they banded together when one of them needed help, whether it be stealing a dog or working through a divorce. I'm always a little envious of relationships like that. I don't really have any close women friends like that. While I liked Nell, I never warmed completely to Suze and I just felt sorry for Margie. Both women were dealing with their own issues. Suze was that other woman who had broken up a marriage, married the guy, and was now unhappy. Margie's husband disappeared fifteen years before and she was living with another man who wanted her to marry him, but Margie wasn't willing to commit.
Fast Women is a wonderful book for a book discussion, which I hadn't expected when I first started reading it. I think many of us who have been married for many years can relate to how hard marriage can be sometimes, how many compromises we have to make in life in general once we have families, and how we change and evolve over time.
For all the seriousness of the issues covered in this novel, what made it especially enjoyable for me was the humor. There were comical scenes and witty dialogue throughout. And you can't forget the mystery aspect: murder, secrets, and good china.
I am glad I read this book. Had it not been for my book group, I would not have, and I would have missed out in a good book. Even despite it's flaws, I still liked it.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
OK, the only reason this scores so low is that I'm not really a romance-reader, as a general rule. But, if I were, I'd read a lot of books by Crusie. They are funny, the characters are relatively believable, and there are damn few "heaving bosoms."
We first meet Nell at her job interview, her first after divorcing her husband almost two years ago. (Oh, to be well-off, with unspecified income...) Her potential employer is the owner of a detective agency desperately in need of cleaning supplies and paint. She doesn't fit, he doesn't want her, but somehow she finds herself employed...and at work with him over fixing things. She also discovers that the previous secretary was embezzling, so she goes to the woman's house to demand restitution. She returns with a check to cover the losses. Who wouldn't like a secretary like this?!
After many adventures, of course Nell and Gabe (her boss) admit that they've fallen for each other, but there is this pesky problem of continuing to fight over updating the office, and the other pesky problem of dead bodies somewhat randomly appearing.
Cute, quick, fun. Great vacation read. Nothing memorable, though, outside of some great put-downs....
We first meet Nell at her job interview, her first after divorcing her husband almost two years ago. (Oh, to be well-off, with unspecified income...) Her potential employer is the owner of a detective agency desperately in need of cleaning supplies and paint. She doesn't fit, he doesn't want her, but somehow she finds herself employed...and at work with him over fixing things. She also discovers that the previous secretary was embezzling, so she goes to the woman's house to demand restitution. She returns with a check to cover the losses. Who wouldn't like a secretary like this?!
After many adventures, of course Nell and Gabe (her boss) admit that they've fallen for each other, but there is this pesky problem of continuing to fight over updating the office, and the other pesky problem of dead bodies somewhat randomly appearing.
Cute, quick, fun. Great vacation read. Nothing memorable, though, outside of some great put-downs....
The first time I read this, I was NOT a big fan of Gabe. Nor was I a fan of Nell. I found him too pushy, and her too manipulative. Having read it several years later, I find it's a completely different read, and I like him quite a bit more.