Customer Reviews

COMPROMISING POSITIONS.

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Susan Isaacs has written a sequel to this book, so I decided to reread it before reading the sequel. It is better than I remembered. Judith Singer is a frustrated mommy/wife. She has gone from a promising academic future to housecleaning and nosewiping. Her husband is a workaholic at a PR firm, and seems to care little about anyone other than himself. Judith reads about the murder of a dentist. She knew him, having seen him once for a gum problem, and is intrigued by the mystery. She starts to investigate on her own and eventually hooks up with Lt. Sharpe the lead investigator. They solve the murder and have a brief affair.

This is an interesting look at suburbia in the late 70's. Most of the characters are upper middle class housewives with feminist leanings. Their struggles with their lot in life add alot to the story. The mystery was good also. This book was much better than I remembered.

Judith Singer is interested when she learns the local periodontist has been murdered. Her interest turns into a need to know when she learns he was also the local Lothario, sleeping with half the women she knows and having propositioned the other half. It's the most exciting thing to have happened in her boring suburbanite life in years. Against her rigidly correct husband's vocal disapproval, she does some sleuthing among her friends and neighbors. This leads to a nasty threat against her by, she believes, the murderer. Enter a police detective, who needs the information she has and is definitely attracted to Judith as a person on all levels, mind, body and spirit. As, together, they gather the clues to make their case, Judith realizes a lot about herself and the life she's been leading.

I really enjoyed the writing here. It was easy to identify with the characters, and Isaacs has painted a true picture of that type of suburban living. At the same time, she weaves an elegant mystery with a wealth of detail. I'd recommend this for anyone mystery lover.

I bought this book after listening to its sequel, "Long Time, No See" on tape on my daily commute to work. Like its sequel, "Compromising Positions" centers around the life and love interests of Judith Singer. In this book, Judith is in her mid-thirties, a bored housewife with a charming house and less-than-charming dud of a husband. Though the plot of this novel is Judith's involvement in a homicide investigation, I found that the real story was in Judith's marital dilemma. What do you do when you are a bright educated young woman who loves her children but longs for a career and adult companionship? What do you do when your husband works long hours, fails to provide you with the companionship you seek, tells you you've gotten fat, and treats you like the maid? In Judith's case, you have an affair with the lieutenant in charge of the murder investigation.

Judith's investigation into Dr. Bruce Fleckstein's murder is cleverly written and filled with twists and turns. It was interesting, but not the best part of this wonderful story. I appreceiated the author's humor, and her wonderful characterization of Judith, her self-righteous husband Bob, her wickedly clever best friend Nancy Miller, and her law and order lover, Nelson Sharpe. This book left me wanting more. I identified with Judith immensely despite the fact that I do not yet have children and I work outside the home. Read this book for its deft humor, clever mystery and immensely likeable heroine.

I always love finding a new author, and am SO glad I've found Susan Isaacs!!! Compromising Positions is a witty, intelligent, fast paced read that had me laughing out loud and biting my finger nails! What more can you ask for from a book? I've since read Long Time No See, the follow up (albeit 20 years later) to Compromising Positions and loved it as well!!! Good work Ms. Isaacs - I'm looking forward to reading all your other works.

A histerical story about a housewife who takes it upon herself to find the killer of a sleazy dentist who was murdered in her small Long Island community. A must for anyone who loves mysteries and satire.

This is still one of my all time favorite books. If you like Desperate Housewives, you'll love Compromising Positions. The desperate housewife of this book is a great character who regains her self-esteem, solves a murder and still has time for a little romance. The secondary characters are a hoot.

OK, let's face it up front: This is a story about adultry, murder and intrigue in middle-American suburbia. It's not the type of lifestyle that most of us aspire to but in Susan Isaac's hands it is absolutely hilarious. This is one of the few books that made me laugh out loud - the word pictures created are too good for words.

IN fact, the whole tale - from plot to Jewish Angst to the heroine's thoughts - are the stuff of best sellers. I have a real attraction to those stories where the innocent bystander innocently becomes involves (and solves) a crime. This is all done between soccer rides for kids and fixing dinner for her hubby. (The movie was not nearly as good as the book but was still a hoot.) Definite read.

This is, I think, Susan Isaacs' first book, written in the 70s. At least it's the very first book by her that I read, years ago. A couple of days ago I decided to re-read it, after finishing (& liking) "Long time no see". Well, "Compromising positions" is as good, as easy-to-read as I recalled...but then again, I've got a soft spot for all Susan Isaacs books!

In "Compromising positions" we meet Judith Singer for the first time. An intelligent, attractive (although not exceedingly so), funny & energetic lady. A historian turned housewife & mother, & bored stiff by life in the suburbs. Judith is going from day to day, living with Bob, in a kind of boring but pretty stable marriage, looking after her young kids, & taking pleasure in long, witty conversations with her intelligent & sassy friend, Nancy. At some point, she hears about the murder of the local periodontist & as it turns out, womanizer. The case interests her, & suddenly she finds herself deeply involved in the investigation. And also deeply involved with a certain person who has something to do with the investigation, but that I'll leave you to find out for yourself.

"Compromising positions" is a wonderful, easy read about life in the suburbs, life in the 70s, & life for a bored housewife who yearns for intellectual stimulation. I think this is the first book where Isaacs shows her talent & her ability to draw believable & enjoyable characters. And as a footnote, I'd have to say that in Isaacs work I've read some of the best, funniest & most sexy love affairs that I've found in the book world!! Sit back & enjoy...

Maybe I was expecting too much based on my reading of After All These Years and Magic Hour, but I found this a tad boring and not up to the quality of either of those two. Her writing is crisp and sharp as usual. She knows how to turn a wicked phrase and give her characters life. It's what she did with these lives that didn't grab me this time. I enjoyed some aspects of the characters and guess I was really disappointed in the way the love interests (don't want to give anything away) were handled. If you absolutely LOVE her work, you may enjoy this, but if you haven't read any take a gander at those mentioned above first

OK, let's face it up front: This is a story about adultry, murder and intrigue in middle-American suburbia. It's not the type of lifestyle that most of us aspire to but in Susan Isaac's hands it is absolutely hilarious. This is one of the few books that made me laugh out loud - the word pictures created are too good for words.

IN fact, the whole tale - from plot to Jewish Angst to the heroine's thoughts - are the stuff of best sellers. I have a real attraction to those stories where the innocent bystander innocently becomes involves (and solves) a crime. This is all done between soccer rides for kids and fixing dinner for her hubby. (The movie was not nearly as good as the book but was still a hoot.) Definite read.