Customer Reviews

The Difference Between You and Me: A Novel

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Kathleen DeMarco's second novel, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOU AND ME, tells in alternating chapters the tales of Josephine O'Leary and Carla Trousse (rhymes with grouse). Josephine is a tough-as-nails, blond producer wannabe with a perfectly toned body. She left her husband, Mike, on the same day he was diagnosed with testicular cancer. Carla is a recent transfer from New York City to California (the roof of her apartment caved in and she took that as a sign to move) and seems to be the polar opposite of Josie. Carla is overweight, has no real hairstyle and wears high-top sneakers to fancy restaurants.

After a few not-so-stellar meetings through their mutual friend Nadine, Carla and Josie begin working together at NJTF, a movie production company. Carla wants to observe Josie's piranha qualities so she can learn how to survive in Hollywood, while Josie wants to weasel her way into Carla's good graces, thanks to a stunning secret Carla learns from her aunt Paulette. Will these two women eventually find common ground and become friends, or are they destined to be rivals?

DeMarco's two main characters are fleshed out well, as are her supporting characters. Even though Josie can be a cold witch at times, readers will still be drawn to her and care about what happens to her. When writer Joshua steps on Josie's heart, we feel badly for her. Carla's honesty can be a bit harsh at times, but readers will easily recognize what a good heart she really has. Supporting characters like Eve, Henry and Joshua are interesting. Eve is an executive at the production company who is leading a secret life as a bestselling author. Henry is a movie star who is also the head of the production company and has a surprise connection to one of the characters. Joshua is the seemingly innocent and sweet screenplay writer who has a darker side, as Josie finds out the hard way.

As you're reading this book, you'll also notice that many of the characters are connected in some way. For example, Josie's ex-husband Mike begins dating Eve. Eve is the ex-girlfriend of David. David is the man who Carla thought for sure was her soul mate. Carla is studying Josie. See how they're all related?

DeMarco has written a seemingly realistic portrayal of Hollywood and the backstabbing that occurs behind the scenes, but she also shows that not everyone is determined to sell their friends to the highest bidder. DeMarco knows the lingo of the industry and appears to have a good inside track of the workings in Hollywood. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOU AND ME is witty, humorous, and fast-paced. Once you start reading it, you will immediately become hooked!

--- Reviewed by Melissa A. Martin

Go ahead -- get The Difference from the library before heading to the beach; there are enough amusing scenes scattered throughout the 325 pages to justify spending a few hours in DeMarco's Hollywood. The book's greatest strength lies in its veracity; I came away with no doubt in my mind that DeMarco has lived the life she describes.

However, while DeMarco shines at plot development, she stumbles over character development. She begins the book with a page summarizing the Carla's and Josie's backstories, effectively communicating to her readers that she cannot be bothered with the traditional ways in which authors tell their readers about their characters; this initial impression is abundantly supported by reading the rest of the book. I frequently had to leaf back a few pages to remind myself who was who, and why I cared.

As is to be expected from 99% of the books I read, errors in grammar and diction abound. I won't bore you with them (I've already forwarded them to the publisher) except to say, can one really *pry* one's clothes *on*? I can see someone dressed in armor prying his/her clothes off, but on? Impossible!

As I've also come to expect, this book would have benefited from being left to simmer until the author came up with ending. The "where are they now" wrap-up in chapter 37, like the 1-page character introduction, screams "I can't be bothered to develop these aspects of the narrative; here are my rough notes." The O. Henry twist in chapter 39 smacks of desperation.

In summary, The Difference was satisfying enough that I will read DeMarco's first novel and keep an eye out for any future efforts, but it wasn't good enough to recommend to my book group.

This book is hilarious. You cannot turn the pages fast enough. I LOVE Carla. Love, love, love. And Joshua. Joshua is a classic.
P.S. Brilliant ending.

I feel this entire book was prologue - the meat of the story is when these two women get together and work together. That's what I was interested in. Instead, the book is all about how they get to the point where they meet, and then it basically ends. The characters were unlikable, too. I believe the author knows the milieu she writes about, but it was very unpleasantly rendered.

I didn't abide my own rules. I bought this book at a used book store for a couple of bucks and it was STILL TOO MUCH! I read it during the summer and could predict what was going to happen before it started. For a first novel it was typical. I really couldn't get into the characters. I didn't like either one of them at all. They both had horrible personalities. I felt at though Ms. DeMarco based her characters on real people. Did anyone else think Paul Newman?

I've read both DeMarco's books, and while I thought her first was good, this one blew me away. I love that she doesn't write about romance, and instead is writing about women in business, good or bad. The Hollywood part was an extra bonus. She's got a good style. What I really like is that both books were so different. It makes me wonder what her third one will be like! She has a fan in me, and my book group (for that matter).

Ugh. This book is confusing and boring. It has unbelievable characters and weird situations. I can usually read a good 400-page book in 3 or 4 days. This book is slightly more than 300 pages and I've been working on it for almost 2 weeks now. I dread reading. But, I always finish a book, hoping there will be a redeeming quality at the end. Not the case with this book.

Much like Carol Wolper's Cigarette Girl and Secret Celebrity, I think the Hollywood mystique the authors are going for are lost. The whole world does NOT revolve around Hollywood, and some people can even get ahead in live without "glomming." Guess I should learn my lesson and stay away from Hollywood fiction.

I was considering reading Cranberry Queen, too, but The Difference has turned me off from Kathleen DeMarco. She'll have to prove herself for me to pick up another of her books.

Funny, truthful, and a great peek into the Hollywood scene. By the way...this book has absolutely the best ending of any book I have ever read. Blindsided me!!

This book manages to be dull and boring as well as confusing. I finished it, but it was an effort. Don't waste your time on this waste of paper.