Take a photo of a barcode or cover
erica_reads_itall 's review for:
Fat Fridays
by Judith Keim
Five women from all walks of life support each other through trials and tribulations.
The good: The author does a good job of creating five very distinct main characters and a diverse cast of supporting characters without resorting too much to stereotype. The book flows well, particularly in its first two-thirds.
The bad: Each of the main characters has a conflict, and most of these conflicts are in some way ridiculous. Of course novels are novels, but (mild spoilers) is it reasonable for four out of five women to feel physically threatened by a romantic partner? In a town so small as to have only six restaurants, is there really a major media presence? And why does everybody care so much about a forty-three year old woman dating a thirty-six year old man? I could imagine any one of these questions having a reasonable answer if the author took the time to address it, but these things - violent, vindictive men; a community that is both metropolitan and insular; the obligation of a private citizen to explain her dating choices to everyone in her vicinity - are taken for granted. This does create a peculiar sort of momentum to the novel, but it was hard to be drawn into such far-fetched scenarios.
The verdict: I "read" it on audiobook, and it did make the time pass. I wouldn't have finished it in book form.
The good: The author does a good job of creating five very distinct main characters and a diverse cast of supporting characters without resorting too much to stereotype. The book flows well, particularly in its first two-thirds.
The bad: Each of the main characters has a conflict, and most of these conflicts are in some way ridiculous. Of course novels are novels, but (mild spoilers) is it reasonable for four out of five women to feel physically threatened by a romantic partner? In a town so small as to have only six restaurants, is there really a major media presence? And why does everybody care so much about a forty-three year old woman dating a thirty-six year old man? I could imagine any one of these questions having a reasonable answer if the author took the time to address it, but these things - violent, vindictive men; a community that is both metropolitan and insular; the obligation of a private citizen to explain her dating choices to everyone in her vicinity - are taken for granted. This does create a peculiar sort of momentum to the novel, but it was hard to be drawn into such far-fetched scenarios.
The verdict: I "read" it on audiobook, and it did make the time pass. I wouldn't have finished it in book form.