Customer Reviews

Looking For Laura

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

 

 

Three months after her husband's death, Sally Driver is going through his things when she finds a thick envelope filled with sickly-sweet, purple prose love letters. Sally is indignant. It's not enough that her husband cheated on her, but he had to go and give the woman Sally's Hula girl pocket knife!

Since Paul is--fortunately for him at this point--dead, Sally decides to take a pound of flesh out of his best friend instead, whom she's never been fond of anyway. But Todd feels almost more wounded than Sally does: Paul had a reason not to tell Sally about the affair, but he was Paul's BEST FRIEND. Best friends are supposed to share stuff like that, aren't they?

Independently, both Todd and Sally start their own investigations into the identity of Paul's mistress. Much to their annoyance, however, they're quickly compelled to join forces. As they spend more and more time together, both Todd and Sally begin to realize that their conceptions of one another, and of Paul, were completely skewed. Without Paul around to influence their ideas of each other, Sally and Todd become tentative friends and then fall in love.

Yes, the plot is a little on the weak side. But what makes this book such a terrific read is Arnold's writing, which is light in tone, clever and funny in its presentation of the character's foibles, and filled with the author's life experience. Also, the romance between Todd and Sally, while slow to develop, is completely believable.

Furthermore, I appreciated how the author didn't excuse Paul's behavior toward his wife, which went beyond simply having an affair, as Sally discovers during the course of the book.

This wasn't a sad book at all. It was light, funny, and romantic. Arnold is a great writer and I can't wait to read more of her stuff! I highly recommend LOOKING FOR LAURA.

Heroine: statuesque; bulky, broad-shouldered and round-hipped

    Newly-widowed Sally Driver has finally pulled herself together enough to deal with packing away her late husband's things. The last thing she expected to find tucked away amongst Paul's fastidiously folded clothes was a packet of poetic love letters. Unable to keep herself from reading them, she is horrified when she realizes that the letters were written to her husband during his marriage to her, and that the author is now in possession of Sally's only memento of her father.  

Todd Sloane, Paul's best friend and executor of his estate, didn't particularly want to deal with his late friend's widow when she came storming into his office at the Valley News looking for answers about Paul's infidelity. He'd always thought she was a flake, but this accusation of hers made him think that grief had sent her completely off her rocker. And more to the point, he didn't want to believe what she told him. How could his best friend betray him this way by not confiding in him?

Despite the enmity between them, Sally and Todd have no choice but to join forces and try to together to discover the whereabouts of the mysterious Laura, and Sally's missing keepsake.

What worked for me:
Sally was great! I loved her kookiness: the funky hats and weird earrings, the swirling Indian print skirts and a purse that could hold a small Sherman Tank. She came across as a really earthy and rich personality. She was a great mom and friend, and I think she tried to be a great wife too. As a wife and mother myself, I couldn't help but root for her. I cringed at the thought of living through her nightmare of the sudden loss of one's husband followed hard by the discovery of his unfaithfulness.

As far as body size and image goes, it wasn't directly dealt with in this story. It wasn't really about a statuesque woman coming to terms with her size and shape, because she was already there. The only thing that shook her self-confidence was finding out that her husband had been cheating on her.
    
What didn't work for me:
Todd seemed a bit flat to me. He was so certain that Sally had trapped his poor friend in loveless marriage that was the result of doing the right thing after a one-night fling. It was almost as if he was the embodiment of the late Paul's resentments toward his wife. For a guy with an investigative journalism background, Todd certainly didn't invest much time into getting to know Sally for himself in the years that she was married to his best friend.

Of course the time Todd spent with Sally and her daughter Rosie did bring him around, and by the end of the story he'd changed his attitude about them dramatically. And I'm glad he stopped thinking of Sally as "chubby" and started seeing her as desirably voluptuous. Still, I was left with the feeling that he just wasn't quite good enough for Sally.  

Overall:
"Looking for Laura" was a solid and enjoyable read with an intriguing mystery, though I'm still a bit agog at who Laura actually turned out to be. 

This is such a lovely story about real people who are not perfect or beautiful. It's a very well written novel that can both bring you to tears and make you laugh out loud. It flows beautifully and is a real page-turner. It's also very uplifting. If you are interested in reading a love story far above the average, please pick up this book. You will not be disappointed.

I really enjoyed this book, Sally loses a husband and Todd loses a best friend, Sally and Todd thought they knew Paul, together they find out they don't know him at all. Sally finds this letter from this women name Laura, now Sally is started to think that her husband had an affair, she is so upset and goes straight to Paul's, best friend Todd thinking he knows all about Laura, Todd is as shocked to find out he knew anything about this Laura and he feels that his friend betrayed him, and Sally doesn't know what to feel much less think. Both of them are looking for Laura, But what they don't realized what's in front of them. I just loved Sally's daughter Rosie, my favorite part is when Rosie keeps calling Paul daddy's friend. I hope that you enjoy think book as much as I did.
Happy Reading Lisa

Sally Driver had just lost her husband Paul, but she hadn't lost any memories of him. While going through his belongings, she noticed a series of mushy, poetic letters addressed to him from a mysterious "Laura."
Todd Sloane, Paul's best friend, knew nothing of Laura or her letters until Sally told him. Together, with Sally's five-year-old daughter Rosie, they set out on a quest which included a whimsical trip through Boston, several different women named Laura, and an all-important pocket knife with a unique design.
Judith Arnold's first foray into mainstream fiction is a very auspicious, and a very funny venture. Though there's some mystery involved, it's laugh-out-loud funny. Ms. Arnold's and her trademark humor make a very smooth transition from category romance. When audiences look for something wonderful, they'll find it right here.

LOOKING FOR LAURA is a terrific book, written with wisdom, compassion and a wry sense of human nature.

When Sally Driver finds out her late husband Paul had been cheating on her, she feels betrayed--and certain his best friend Todd had known about it. When she confronts Todd, he feels betrayed too--Paul had kept this hidden from him as well. It makes sense to hide your infidelity from your wife, but your best friend?

Todd and Sally decide to work together to find out who the Laura who wrote Paul love letters is. More than who she is, they want to know what it is about her that made Paul forget everything he owed the most important people in his life.

Through Todd and Sally, we get to see Paul in all his complexity and shades of gray. He's never demonized--this isn't one of those books in which the noble, long-suffering wife learns what a cad her late husband is. Instead, she learns, more clearly than ever, that love is not enough to overcome profound incompatibility and determination alone cannot make a marriage work.

And while she is learning this, she is learning what it is to fall in love with someone who's right for you, who wants you the way you are, in all your flawed and distinctive glory.

This is a wonderful book, one I enjoyed very much. I highly recommend it.

Three months ago in Winfield, Massachusetts husband and father Paul Driver died in a car accident. Though he did not want to marry her when she became pregnant, he finally did and his wife Sally thought they had a pleasant but not passionate life together. Following a period of grieving, Sally begins to go through his things. However to her shock, she finds love letters from a mysterious Laura written to Paul. She rushes over to see the executor, Paul's best friend Todd Sloane about the letters and a life insurance stipulation.

Like Sally, Todd is stunned to learn that Paul had a lover he never told him about. Needing closure also, the two agrees to search out for Laura to learn more about Paul. On the road to discovery, the two opposites begin to fall in love, but feel guilt as their loyalties to the deceased Paul keeps both of them from taking the next step towards a permanent relationship.

LOOKING FOR LAURA is a pleasant contemporary romance that will entertain readers, but is not quite at the level of quality expected from Judith Arnold. The story line contains an interesting dilemma as the lead protagonists find love with one another, but their mutual acquaintance though dead lingers in the back of their minds. The problem with the tale is that Paul is written as a cheater rather than a person who deeply loved someone else while reluctantly remaining married for the sake of his daughter. Fans who enjoy a tale similar to It Happened One Night but not as good will want to read this sad yet amusing romance novel.

Harriet Klausner

This was a very ditzy love story --
Writing and story pulled together quite well but I surely could have done with out all the vulgarity.
Just because guys use the f word - it should never come out of a ladys' mouth.
I felt like I was associating with a very common person. [low grade mentality]
Please don't bother to comment on my comments as I am too busy looking for excellent authors to bother coming back to read any further comments.
Sorry but I would not recommend this book to any of my lady friends -- there are better out there. Shame on you editors!
I read enough to know the difference between good and common.