Adult fiction. A woman obsessed is a dangerous thing, apparently. I'm not sure what to think about this book, actually--it's pretty strange. ( )

This book is quite a departure from Jane Hamilton's other novels, which are harrowing and strike to the heart. (I love them but I can only read one about every five years as they haunt me thereafter. Thankfully, she is not prolific in her output.) Here, she allows her detailed observations of human frailties, foibles, ego and love to emerge in humorous, satirical ways. ( )

I didn't understand the book. And I'm worried about the fate of at least one of the characters. I guess I don't read enough books like this. It made me want to take a literature course and learn more about literary devices.

Jenna is smart and knowledgeable and elitist. She believes that being a great writer requires a lifetime of preparation, self-awareness, and insight. I'm sure there are important, meaningful stories created by people who did not immerse themselves in books; although, admittedly, none comes to mind. Laura, on the other hand, thinks reading a few books, watching some movies loosely based on great literature, and maybe taking a writing workshop is more than enough to write the ideal romantic novel. Most disturbing is that Laura likes the Keira Knightley version of Pride and Prejudice; it never occurs to her that she should read the book, that Jane Austen's genius lies in her descriptions of her characters' thoughts and actions. Maybe Hamilton mentions Laura's opinion as a pointer to the fact that Laura is an unreliable narrator. SPOILER: There is a wonderful scene where Jenna tries to show Laura how ridiculous her hopes of being a writer are, but Laura is too unaware to realize she is being insulted; instead, she is inspired by their discussion. Nevertheless, clueless as she is, Laura is the character who makes the deepest comment, reminiscent of the mystical concept of how the world was created:
“Maybe the whole point of love was to break each other so that from those shattered selves you could build a better, a sturdier self, so that you could go forward - not hand in hand but a comfortable arm’s length apart. Ideally, if both parties were conscious in the romance, Every Man and Every Woman would enter the relationship with arms spread wide open, ready for the adventure of being broken to pieces and reassembled.” ( )

This is a strange book. It's clearly meant to be funny, but I didn't laugh out loud. Well, no laughing at all really. None of the characters was particularly likable or even interesting. I kept reading to the end because I was in the mood for something light and fluffy and the plot was sufficiently enticing to keep me turning the pages. I've read other works be Jane Hamilton and I usually find them a tad better than this (but on the other hand, she's never going to win a Pulitzer Prize either). ( )

disappointing compared to her other work