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22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wow, what a story teller! What a book!, June 9, 2009
This review is from: The Accidental Bestseller (Mass Market Paperback)
The Accidental Bestseller by Wendy Wax
Wow! Just wow! I just this moment finished this book and I'd like to say to Ms Wax BRAVO! If you are a published author, you will appreciate the insiders look at some of the quirks of the industry and perhaps you will even recognize someone you've had to deal with in the past. If you are a pre-published writer, you may appreciate the look into what other authors have to do to get over those dry spells. If you are simply a book lover like me you will appreciate everything about this book. And if you are a woman, you will appreciate the author's views on best friends who will help you out when life seems to be too much; no matter what it costs them. And in this book they all have the potential of loosing it all.
Years ago four women from varied back rounds met at a writer's conference and formed a bond. None of them had been published, but they sure hoped to be one day. Well that "one day" happened for all of them. Each woman writing a different style of books: Faye writing Inspirational Romances, Tanya writing contemporary romances books for a Harlequin-esque company called Masque; Mallory striking, confident and very prolific with her novels. Yet as successful as they are on the surface, each one holds a secret close to their hearts. And then there is Kendell.
Kendell is having problems in the literary world and has tumbled into mid-listdom, not only that, a new book deadline is quickly approaching with nothing yet written, and to add insult to injury her husband has left her for a younger woman.
Kendell is the main protagonist of this book, or is she really? We find her escaping to the mountains to lick her wounds. And of course Kendell's BFF's come to help her through this rocky time and hope to kick-start the creative juices that seem to be missing from Kendell's messed up life. I won't spoil anything for you more than has been already, but a plan is hatched, goes into effect and they collaborate on a novel using their own lives and unfortunately their own writing voices.
What no one would fathom is the book becomes "The Accidental Bestseller" (literally) and true to life - what may go well one minute, collapses the next.
We learn the secrets behind each of the masks each one wears and I found my stomach in knots praying that this would work out well for at least some of them in the end. But I'll leave that up to you to find out.
Very fast paced, deeply absorbing, well plotted and written. It has finely drawn characters that you can imagine as your own bet friends. Do not by any means mistake this as a "chick-lit" genre book, it most certainly is not. This book is unique and a breath of fresh air . Something that you will not regret spending your hard earned book buying dollars on. I know that I haven't.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Fun Read, but Too Cliche, June 5, 2010
For a fun beach read, this is a perfect choice. If you like a lot of substance, this may not be the best book for you. Although the characters are fun, they are also highly cliche, from the totally falling apart Kendall to the secretly naughty Faye (I don't know about others, but I guessed her secret from the moment it was revealed that she HAD a secret). None of the characters' motivations or secrets were surprising, and not much unpredictable happened throughout the book, down to the surprise confessions near the end. The book also dragged in the middle, with the first major plot point, the finishing of the novel, happening halfway through and killing both the suspense and the pacing. This would probably have worked out much better as two shorter novels, since the length makes it drag on and on. Ironically enough, the cover art of this book seems as misplaced and arbitrary of the cover art of the fictional novel. Still, I'm not sorry I picked it up, and it was a fun diversion. 3.5*
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
FRIENDSHIP -- CAN IT SURVIVE?, November 29, 2009
This review is from: The Accidental Bestseller (Mass Market Paperback)
Four aspiring writers who met at a writers' conference maintain their friendship several years later. Their individual writing careers are varied, but problems of one kind or another plague each of them.
Mallory St. James has "bestseller" status, but she has hit a glitch. Writer's block. Kendall Aims has failed to win an award that would have made a difference, and her publisher is dumping her. And so is her husband. But she has to write one more book, in the midst of the chaos of her life. Tanya Mason, single mother, juggles two jobs, two kids, and a difficult mother. Faye Truett is the wife of a famous televangelist and writes inspirational romances, but beneath this pristine exterior is an explosive secret.
Imagine the furor that arises when the four collaborate on Kendall's final novel for her publisher, and then the secret of this effort ( and so much more!) is unveiled in a most unfortunate way. And the fallout extends throughout all of their lives.
One of the most captivating aspects of this novel is the author's ability to rein the reader into the lives of the characters, detailing every moment and unfolding snippets of backstory and motivation at just the right junctures. When we are totally invested in events, she drops each bomb for maximum impact. Reading late at night and waking up early each morning, I couldn't wait to see what happened next.
Winding down to a very satisfying conclusion, I was poised for more. There has to be a sequel!
For The Accidental Bestseller, I vote five stars--definitely!
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