Borrowed Lives [Paperback]

Laramie Dunaway (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2008

Luna Devon is at a crossroads in her life when she and her good friend Wren Caldwell—a clever, outspoken, gorgeous, budding writer—are shot by a crazed, suicidal pal. When Wren perishes, the timid, lackluster, graduate student Luna survives with a hole in her heart and decides to reinvent herself . . . as Wren. Luna thinks she has it made after taking the job her friend has landed sight unseen at a hot new California magazine; yet if Wren’s life offers a bed of roses, it certainly has its thorns. With moxie, pizzazz, gutsiness, and fingers crossed, Luna will try her best, even if it means pursuing her happiness with a group of ecological terrorists, a floating high-stakes chess game run by a hoodlum named Grudge, her anthropologist father who has taken a preteen Indian medicine woman for his new wife, and a man who wants what may be impossible—for Wren to be herself.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Written in a frisky, wisecracking style, Dunaway's second novel (after Hungry Women ) kicks off smartly when good friends Luna Devon (a timid, lackluster graduate student) and Wren Caldwell (a clever, outspoken, gorgeous budding writer) both get shot by a crazed, suicidal pal. Only Luna survives. with a bullet hole in her chest. Boldly deciding to change her ho-hum life, Luna gathers Wren's brilliant literary efforts, responds to Wren's job offers and reinvents herself as a brainy journalist for a trendy California magazine. As Wren, she finds that the sassier her act, the bigger the payoff. Assigned to interview jailed husband-killer Season Dougherty, she becomes Season's ally and lands a fat contract to script her story for Hollywood. Playing on her borrowed name and credentials, she breezes into an affair with the amiable Davis Richard, himself a chaser of filmworthy stories. As her adventures as Wren hilariously pile up, Luna begins to see her criminally scripted double life as the stuff of movies, especially when she gets the surprise package of her pilfered identity--the arrival of dead Wren's shady, handsome ex-con husband, Byron, who is all too ready to go along with the scam. Blending a wealth of entertaining, good-humored tough talk with a rugged and ready sexuality, Dunaway keeps this romp of a novel moving with dexterity and panache. A snappy denouement shows Luna, having played Wren to the hilt, now primed to reenter her own life bolder and wiser. This is the first title in Warner's new Fresh Voices Program, which aims to publish quality fiction by unsung writers. Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club alternates.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Laramie Dunaway (Raymond Obstfeld) is the author of Anatomy Lesson—as well as more than 40 other books and a dozen screenplays—and a contributing editor to Writer’s Digest magazine. His book Dead Heat was nominated for an Edgar Award by the Mystery Writers of America, and On the Shoulders of Giants, cowritten with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, was a New York Times and Los Angeles Times bestseller. He teaches creative writing at Orange Coast College. He lives in Tustin, California.

Product Details

• Paperback: 411 pages
• Publisher: Iota Publishing (October 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 097937202X
• ISBN-13: 978-0979372025
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.9 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,416,787 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A hilariouse, touching and gripping book - un-put-downable!, August 23, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Borrowed Lives (Mass Market Paperback)

Luna is a very likable character who you easily become very fond of as we watch her accidentaly fall into - and take over - the life of her best friend Wren - who is dead. She is swept along by how easy it is to become Wren - who seems to have had it all. One fatal day someone who knew the real Wren comes along - her ex-convict husband - and totally throws Luna. This twist in the tale results in some hilariouse one-liners and witty comments on life. Luna and Wrens husband become involoed in each others lives and Luna becomes convinced that the husband is up to somthing highly illegal - which leads to a cat and mouse tale around the city ending up in a most unusual setting! The book is very funny and had me laughing outlound throughout. well worth a read!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Borrowed lives witty and unique, July 12, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Borrowed Lives (Mass Market Paperback)

This is one of the few novels that I cannot get out of my head years after I read it. Borrowed Lives has some of the most unique characters I have ever come across. The surprises and twists in the story keep the reader glued in their chair and yet it all seems plausible. Laramie Dunaway is a gifted writer and I look forward to reading more from her.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a laugh-out-loud book!, February 8, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Borrowed Lives (Mass Market Paperback)

The plot is twisted, the characters are fascinating and the situations are so improbable, (except maybe in Hollywood), that I loved escaping into this book. I have recommended this book to many and they have enjoyed it, too. Laramie's other two books are excellent, but this is her best.