Portable Magic
Reading, for me, is entertainment and an escape from the real world. But it can also inform and stretch the boundaries of the life I live.
Currently reading
Guilty Wives ★☆☆☆☆
Stereotypes galore! Four women, all gorgeous and rich. All are unhappily married to dull or horrible men, but they’re all bright and smart and the best of friends. Three friends are white, one is black. Guess which one is a victim of domestic violence? Since he doesn’t do it regularly, these best friends don’t think of him as a “serial” batterer, nor do they feel a need to talk to her about it. The author tells us that these best friends normally discuss such smart topics as global warming and nuclear proliferation when they get together, but the only conversation we actually hear them engage in is about how much they want to party, how ridiculous/boring/distant their husbands are, and how much the BFFs love each other. The protagonist, a middle aged college professor, out on a “girl’s weekend”, is pursued by a gorgeous, famous actor. Out partying in Morocco, these women are the center of attention, wanted by all the men and envied by all the women. I don’t even know who was murdered, and I don’t care. This book is an assault to my sensibilities.
Even the narrator is terrible. I wouldn’t blame her if she was unable to perform the dialogue or read the sex scenes without giggle-snorting, but it wasn’t that. She read it pretty straight. But, for a book with such a multinational cast of characters, she was unable to manage any convincing accent other than Generic American.
Ugh.
Disclosure: I didn’t pick this book out for myself, it was recommended by a friend who is insisting on loaning me all the audiobooks that she buys. We both love to read, so she thinks I’ll love the same books if I give them a try. My only choices are to dump her as a friend or try to like her books. This one was a bust, but she brought me a boxful, so there are plenty more to try.
Audio version, read by David Ellis and January LaVoy. Abandoned after 40 minutes.
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