Customer Reviews

California Girl: A Novel

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Alys Seagraves is twenty-seven, but looks as though she is sixteen. She lost her husband, Fred, to cancer one year ago. Her elderly, eccentric friend, Mame Emerson, had her take some classes at "Mame's School of Alternative Life Lessons", such as Yoga. Now the pair decide to embark upon an epic road trip along historic Route 66. They are going to relive Mame's honeymoon trip.

Mame suffers a mild heart attack that throws a wrench into the plans. Hating hospitals, and knowing her nephew Elliott Roth "Doc Nice" (a famous radio doctor) would keep her from going, Mame tries to get out of the hospital before he shows up. She fails. But while Alys and her nephew are not looking, Mame sneaks out of the hospital, steals Elliott's black Range Rover, and off she goes! Of course, Mame gets someone else to drive since Alys is unavailable. Wiley Mame decides to do a bit of matchmaking while she avoids Elliott. At the same time she is helping one of her students kidnap a niece.

Dr. Elliot Roth wants Mame off the road and resting in a hospital or nursing home. Since Alys has Mame's pink Cadillac "Beulah" and the travel route, he has to accept the fact that he must travel with her if he is to have any chance of catching up with Mame. Alys is finally feeling alive again and is determined to enjoy the journey. Elliot is patient despite his pragmatic tendencies and pops Tums often. Spending hours together in old Beulah makes sparks fly, just as Mame expected to happen.

***** A fun romantic comedy that will make you feel as though you are traveling the historic Route 66 with Alys and Elliott. The back of the book has Elliott's last name listed as Ross; however, the inside of the book showed the last name Roth. So do not let the cover and my synopsis confuse you. It is just a tiny oversight and in no way detracts from the story. Author Patricia Rice proves that she has a talent for creating realistic characters that readers cannot help but remember fondly for a long time after the story ends. *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

After Mame has a heart attack and instead of resting takes off on a journey along Route 66, her nephew, Dr. Nice, and her protoge' go after her. Soon, they get involved in all kinds of trouble, including a child rescue, health vs. happiness battles, heart failure, and matters of the heart. Alys and Elliot are like night and day, very different, but they need each other like the two halves of day.

*** Warm humor and light romance that hallmark Ms. Rice will be welcomed eagerly by her fans. ***

Amanda Killgore

In Springfield, Missouri Mame suffers a heart attack that sends her nephew radio talk show host "Doc" Elliot Roth scrambling form St. Louis to insure she is okay. Mame owner of Mame's School of Alternative Life Lessons worries about Elliot who she feels never fools around. He works out continuously and he only eats healthy foods. Elliot remains traumatized because his father died from a heart attack at thirty-five, the same age Elliot is now.

In the hospital Elliot trips over Mame's disciple Alys Seagraves whose husband died last year from cancer and both her parents are dead. Mame fakes out Elliot and steals his car from the hospital lot. He worries about her and visits Alys for information. She also is concerned as she and Mame were going to go together to New Mexico. Elliot decides to follow his Aunt Mame, but Alys forces her way onto the trek. Like two pigeons, Mame has maneuvered her two favorite folks; as if on cue these opposites fall in love, but both fear commitment because people die.

This modernization of Auntie Mame is a delightful contemporary romance starring two likable lead protagonists and a brilliant Machiavellian matchmaking technician who could have won the election for Kerry. The story line is fun as Elliot fears myocardial infarction, but Alys makes his heart beat faster and louder. Alys tries to live life to the fullest, but has also learned how death stalks love. Patricia Rice serves up an amusing yet serious tale of survivors struggling with love and death.

Harriet Klausner

Mame Emerson was on her way over to Alys to explain about a student who needed their help, a change to their travel plan. On the way over to see Alys, Mame had a heart attack. She is hooked up to an IV and a heart monitor. Mame made plans to travel with her friend Alys Seagraves a twenty-seven-year old widowed on route 66 in a pink Cadillac the same route Mame took with her late husband on their honeymoon. Alys's husband died of cancer over a year ago. Mame thinks Alys been grieving too long and needs a vacation. Mame tried to leave the hospital before her nephew radio talk show host "Doc" Elliot Roth. Elliot arrives just before Aunt Mame had time to escape. Elliot wants Aunt Mame stay in the hospital for more testing. Mame has better things to do than sit around in a hospital. She took off her monitors without everyone running into her room escaped the hospital and stolen Elliot's Range Rover. Mame has something up her sleeve; she's doing a little match making with Elliot and Alys.

Alys Seagraves is sociable, kind and friendly whomever she meets everyone seems to like her. Her husband died last year with cancer. Both her parents died several years before. Alys has a phobia of hospitals. She went to visit Mame in the hospital. Mame told Alys take Beulah the pink Cadillac and go on without her. She had a copy of the itinerary and she'll catch up with Alys. When Elliot found Aunt Mame gone and his Ranger Rover stolen he went looking for Alys. They adventured on a road trip from St. Louis Missouri to Albuquerque, New Mexico looking for Mame.

Elliot is a medical doctor, he doesn't have a practice. Elliot is a famous author; he wrote books about diet, exercise and specialized in nutrition. Heart disease runs in his family. Elliot is conscious of what types of food he'll eat and he's a runner doing everything he can to live longer than he father and grandfather. Whereas, Alys will eat all kinds of foods; Mame thinks Alys will be good for Elliot. Elliot's father had a heart attack at 35 while he was driving, his parents died in an auto accident and leaving Elliot a seven-year-old and his two little brothers four and two. Aunt Mama raised the three boys. At the age of 35, Elliot isn't enjoying life. He thinks any seconds he is going to have a heart attack, like his father, grandfather and die.

I liked the two main characters Elliot and Alys. They were funny together traveling to New Mexico. There was a lot of excitement when Mame and one of her students kidnapped her niece. Elliot and Alys were also involved with the kidnapping.

California Girl was a funny romantic story line.

This book was great in many ways. I adored the hero, a Tums-popping, slightly neurotic, doctor. I loved Mame, Elliot's quirky aunt. And I thought the plot was promising--the Great American Roadtrip, filled with sights and sounds of Route 66's days gone by. The exploration of mortality anchors the book and gives it a deepr layer beyond mere fluff. And the writing itself is just fine. But what I didn't like was the heroine. I tried very hard to like her. She seems like someone you'd root for. But I couldn't get past the endless new age kookiness or the fact that her brain was always hanging out on a completely different planet. In her attempt to shut all her pain out and avoid forming any attachments that could end up hurting her again, she only comes across as flaky and irresponsible, without an ounce of ambition. I realize this is merely a matter of personal taste, since clearly I'm not much for her life philosophy. But I also think the overemphasis on it at the expense of substantive thoughts takes away from an overall good book.