Review of Cold Feet (Paperback)

This is a pretty good collection of stories about women who are afraid of nuptials -- usually their own, but the last story features a woman who is afraid of someone else's because she's agoraphobic (afraid to go outside). If you like Downtown Press novels, you will probably enjoy this collection, which features all Downtown Press writers.

The first story, "Perfect Weather for Driving" by Elise Juska, was one of my favorites. Although Elise Juska's writing style is kind of slow and reflective, the plot and characters were engaging. The story is about a woman who is dating a workaholic. They have no plans to get engaged, but they're attending a wedding, and of course this makes them assess their own relationship. The woman is keeping a secret from the man.

The second story, "Losing California" by Tara McCarthy, was just okay. I didn't really like her novel, "Love Will Tear Us Apart," and this story followed the same formula: lots of stuff about the music industry, an overabundance of quick plot turns that leave you jarred, and an unsatisfying ending. If you skip this one you're not really missing anything.

The third story, "Sara King Goes Bad" by Pamela Ribon, had its good points. It's about a good girl who goes bad, just for one night. I won't give away the details but it seems as if the things she does are too easily forgiven. I know for one my husband would be very upset if I did them.

The fourth story, "The Happiest Day of Your Life" by Heather Swain, was very good although something disturbing happened in it. Heather Swain has a gift for creating a warm, cozy family setting that makes you want to read more. In this story, there's a conflict between her mellow Wisconsin family and her Brooklyn lifestyle, more specifically her plans to get married in Brooklyn.

The fifth story, "Emily & Jules" by Lisa Tucker, is a little weird. I'm not sure I would call it chick lit. Rather than dealing with women's issues, it's primarily about agoraphobia. Emily and Jules meet online through an agoraphobic group. Then Emily realizes she's not agoraphobic - she can drive around and go outside just fine, no panic attacks - but she feels the need to deceive Jules on this point so he won't feel alone.

Overall, this is worth checking out if you like chick lit or other Downtown Press books. If you're going to skip any stories, I would skip the second and fifth.

Product Description
Say "I do" to five surprising stories of women grappling with love and marriage and whether to walk down the aisle or run away.

In Elise Juska's "Perfect Weather for Driving," Megan and Joel's sunset fender-bender makes for a great drunken story at his friend's wedding, but the reality is hardly romantic. Stuck in a New England hotel waiting for the verdict on their Volvo, the two are forced to take stock of their own damaged relationship -- and whether it's too late to fix it.

In Tara McCarthy's "Losing California," engaged surfer Alison is convinced that Michael Madsen -- a member of her favorite band -- is her soul mate. Unfortunately, he's not her fiancé. So Alison flies to Nova Scotia, where Michael lives, because she's either right or she's wrong -- and she better find out before the wedding.

The bride-to-be in Pamela Ribon's "Sara King Goes Bad" has always done the right thing but decides it's important to know what it feels like to be reckless for once. And so two weeks before her wedding, she indulges in an unforgettable night of sex, drugs, and petty crime.

In Heather Swain's "The Happiest Day of Your Life," Annie and Ben plan a simple ceremony at an apple orchard. But when Annie loses perspective -- and everything that can go wrong does -- she's forced to rethink why she wanted a wedding in the first place.

The "Emily & Jules" of Lisa Tucker's story are two lonely people who meet on an online bulletin board for agoraphobics. But when Emily is invited to her estranged brother's wedding -- and it's clear across the country -- both she and Jules may be forced to change their ways.

Will any of these heroines get to the church on time? Cozy up with Cold Feet and find out.

About the Author
Heather Swain lives with the loves of her life -- her husband, her new daughter, and her dog -- in a crooked house in Brooklyn, New York. Her fiction, nonfiction, and personal essays have appeared in books, magazines, literary journals, and online. Luscious Lemon is her second novel. Her first, Eliot's Banana, is also available from Downtown Press.

You can visit Heather anytime at HeatherSwain.com

Pamela Ribon's first novel, Why Girls are Weird, is based on her experiences with her hugely successful website pamie.com. A performer with an acting degree from the University of Texas at Austin, she is the creator of the underground comedy scandal Call Us Crazy: The Anne Heche Monologues and was showcased at the 2005 U.S. Comedy Arts Festival. She lives in Los Angeles, where she writes for film and television in addition to working on her next novel.

Tara McCarthy is the author of Been There, Haven't Done That: A Virgin's Memoir. Her work has appeared in Seventeen, Mademoiselle, Glamour, and Good Housekeeping, and in the Downtown Press anthology Cold Feet. Tara lives with her husband in Astoria, New York. Love Will Tear Us Apart is her first novel.

Elise Juska's short stories have appeared in many magazines, including The Hudson Review, Harvard Review, Salmagundi, Black Warrior Review, Calyx, and The Seattle Review. She teaches fiction writing at The New School in New York City and The University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Her first novel, Getting Over Jack Wagner, is available from Downtown Press.

Visit the author's website: www.elisejuska.com.

Lisa Tucker is the author of The Song Reader and Shout Down the Moon; she has also published short work in Seventeen, Pages, and The Oxford American. She has advanced degrees in English and math, and has taught creative writing at the Taos Conference and UCLA. Lisa lives in Pennsylvania and New Mexico with her husband and son. Visit her website at www.lisatucker.com.

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Review of Strange Nervous Laughter (Hardcover)

Although this charming little novel begins with a robbery that brings three of the six protagonists together, the theme is undoubtedly the vagaries of love: "Human nature is the source of all bad romantic comedies." In the unlikely pairings of a group of eccentric characters, the author explores the many faces and detours of romantic love. The city of Durban, South Africa, is immersed in the hottest summer that anyone can remember, the nights as humid and steamy as the ongoing dramas between disenchanted lovers. And what a rogue's gallery McNulty has provided: Beth, cashier in a neighborhood grocery compelled to save every man she falls in love with, thus perpetuating a constantly shattered heart; Pravesh, an undertaker, appearing at first the perfect boyfriend, unsure of himself and hiding a rather kinky fetish.

Aisha is a dreamer who floats through the world without direction; and Mdu has communicated with whales since childhood, half a man waiting to become part of a whole. Then there is Harry, collector of everyone's cast-offs, separated from loving parents by their untimely death. Perhaps the most complicated of all is Meryl, who has armored herself against the emotional pain of failed romance only to meet the perfect man and be blinded to his charms by her fear. In a blend of magical realism and black comedy, these tortured lovers stumble through the painful stages of romance, from euphoria to boredom, from terror to submission, from selfishness to fulfillment. For all its whimsy, there is a strong element of truth in these strange pairings, the urgency of connection to another human being, for approbation and acceptance, for completion.

As unique as the South African city where a steamy summer yields unusual couplings, each character is riddled with flaws and self-doubt, with hubris born of ignorance and frustration born of desperation. One cannot help but be enchanted by the prose of this talented writer, her imagination as fresh and vibrant as the ever-changing landscape of lovers at odds with one another and with fate. The most defiant and stubborn are brought to their knees by love's demands in a flavorful, spicy stew of false starts and leaps of faith. Luan Gaines/2009.



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Review of What It Takes to Get to Vegas (Paperback)

I was hooked by the first few pages of Murray's fast-paced, street-wise story of Rita. Murray's writing is fresh, powerful; she made me care about Rita -- in the beginning. The novel seemed to wane in the middle; Rita'smom disappears almost as soon as she is introduced, then re-appearssuddenly -- although Rita supposedly still lives at home as an adult. Themen and all the women of the barrio are stone stereotypes who could've beencreated by just about any Anglo writer. And while I understand that thestories of the Ritas in el barrio should be told, I wanted something morethan the stereotypical 'hot-mama, promiscuous Latina.' These charactershave been done to death -- it's time for them to die. Why is it that inorder for a woman (fictional and real) to get to the top or to get respect,she has to spread her legs? With respect to the previous reviewer (C.Guerrero "Dreaming in Cuban"? ), for the sake of the children whohave yet to escape, I certainly hope this isn't what it takes to get out ofthe ghetto. As a professor of law, as a Latina, as a woman, does Murraywant us to believe this of her? Hopefully, she will incorporate somepositive attributes into her next barrio character or perhaps she should'write what she knows.' And if she really came from the ghetto-barrio, shewould know that sometimes good things -- and good girls -- do come from badsurroundings.



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