by Jennifer Weiner
Although I liked In Her Shoes, I've never been a huge Jennifer Weiner fan. Her latest book is a sequel to an earlier novel, Good in Bed. The narration alternates between Cannie Shapiro, a pleasantly plump, happily married writer in her early 40s and Cannie's daughter, Joy, a thirteen year old girl about to celebrate her bat mitzvah.
While the inside flap assures me that readers "fell in love with Cannie Shapiro", in this sequel, it's difficult to see why. Cannie has turned into the most overbearing mother on the planet. You almost feel sorry for poor Joy, but she is equally unlikeable and portrayed as a self absorbed, hateful, spoiled teenager. The main premise is that just as Joy turns into a teenager, she discovers a novel that her mother wrote years ago and assumes that this work of fiction is true, when in reality, the truth has been greatly embellished. However, instead of asking Cannie about her past, Joy prefers to quietly store up all her resentment and treat her mother like dirt for most of the book. Joy is also dealing with typical teen issues like boys and popularity while Cannie's problems include her writing career, parenting her ungrateful daughter and possibly having another child with perfect husband Peter.
I suppose I would have liked this book more if one character felt real or likeable to me. In my mind, I couldn't stop imagining Cannie as a heavier version of horrible housewife Ramona from Bravo's Real Housewives of NYC. It also felt like nothing really happened for most of this book, which weighs in at just under 400 pages, many of which were spent catching readers up on the plot of Good In Bed. This novel has many fans and some good reviews, but to me it was pretty disappointing.
Although I liked In Her Shoes, I've never been a huge Jennifer Weiner fan. Her latest book is a sequel to an earlier novel, Good in Bed. The narration alternates between Cannie Shapiro, a pleasantly plump, happily married writer in her early 40s and Cannie's daughter, Joy, a thirteen year old girl about to celebrate her bat mitzvah.
While the inside flap assures me that readers "fell in love with Cannie Shapiro", in this sequel, it's difficult to see why. Cannie has turned into the most overbearing mother on the planet. You almost feel sorry for poor Joy, but she is equally unlikeable and portrayed as a self absorbed, hateful, spoiled teenager. The main premise is that just as Joy turns into a teenager, she discovers a novel that her mother wrote years ago and assumes that this work of fiction is true, when in reality, the truth has been greatly embellished. However, instead of asking Cannie about her past, Joy prefers to quietly store up all her resentment and treat her mother like dirt for most of the book. Joy is also dealing with typical teen issues like boys and popularity while Cannie's problems include her writing career, parenting her ungrateful daughter and possibly having another child with perfect husband Peter.
I suppose I would have liked this book more if one character felt real or likeable to me. In my mind, I couldn't stop imagining Cannie as a heavier version of horrible housewife Ramona from Bravo's Real Housewives of NYC. It also felt like nothing really happened for most of this book, which weighs in at just under 400 pages, many of which were spent catching readers up on the plot of Good In Bed. This novel has many fans and some good reviews, but to me it was pretty disappointing.
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