Customer Reviews

Looking for a Love Story: A Novel

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

 

 

Louise Shaffer has created a plot so undeniably well written, I didn't see where it was going, until it was there. Francesca, a young novelist whose only claim to fame is her book "Love, Max" is catpulted into a relationship where she finds herself dumping water over her soon-to-be ex-husbands mistress' head. She finds herself down and out, literally. Her writing career has slid to an impressive stop, leaving skidmarks trailing all the way back to Love, Max. She does the thing she hates the most, writing a "looking for work" post on her blog(s). Whereupon she gets suckered into ghostwriting for an 80-something woman, Chicky.

Chicky, a surprisingly complex character who is anything but "stock." Show Biz, who makes limited appearances, is the gay friend everyone wishes they could meet. Francesca finds herself writing a love story, when at her lowest point where she's just about given up on love. How ironic. The middle few chapters of this book are Francesca's novel about Chicky's family and this is where the character of Francesca flourishes.

This is a definite page turner. I didn't want to put it down. A completely well-written, complex novel with a lot of insights to human emotions and witty humor strewn throughout. Great read.

First of all, the dog has a very small role in this novel if you could even call it a role. The dog, Annie just needs to go for walks every now and then and lays by her mistress's side when her mistress is typing out her novel. Thus, the front cover is deceiving.

Francesca is an author suffering from "Second Book Syndrome" meaning she wrote a smashing first book but now has a severe case of writer's block as she sits down to start her second. Her and her two timing husband have called it quits and she has thrown her size fours out to the curb while she is eating chocolate bars in her new size 14s. Francesca is not a very happy woman. I found her likeable, BUT she goes on and on way too much about her parent's divorce which was ages ago. I found myself thinking, "OK, you are a grown woman. Get over it. Pretty much all of our parents are divorced nowdays." She also whines about her childhood a lot and quite frankly, it wasn't that bad. Coulda been worse. To sum it up, the heroine wallows in self pity too much.

A lady in an old folks home gives Francesca her next book idea, a tale about two Vaudeville actors and the actress in the middle of their love triangle. I didn't find this very interesting either because I found their story too predictable and half of it was TOLD by the old lady's narration. SHOW me, don't TELL me.

Nevertheless, will this book be a success for Francesca and give her what she needs to get her life back on track?

Just too dull for me and not enough of the dog.

In Manhattan Francesca's first novel Love requires that she take a photograph by highly regarded photographer Jake Morris. They are in immediate lust followed almost immediately with a tryst in his nearby apartment. Before he returns to work he suggests they meet to marry.

Several years later, Jake divorced Francesca and has since remarried and moved to California. Adrift Francesca got their dog Annie and loneliness. Francesca meets octogenarian Chicky, who asks her to write the real love story, a biography of her Vaudeville parents Joe and Ellie. Needing to feed her and Annie, she accepts the writing memoir although she wishes her client would stop calling her Baby Doll. However, as she learns of the unlikely love story of Joe and Ellie friends for life, Francesca introspectively reflects on her own life, that of her parents and of her relationship with Jake. Her musing has her begin to move on as she struggles to find a publisher for the love story memoir she wrote.

Looking for a Love Story is an entertaining whimsical chick lit tale starring a delightfully flawed lead protagonist. Francesca is terrific as she learns so much about what makes a relationship work with the realization her best friend is Annie. The support cast enhances the complexities of the modern world as relationships are not linear but a series of interconnecting waves. Readers who enjoy a thought-provoking character study will appreciate Francesca seeking her groove, as she begins to understand thanks to Joe and Ellie the key ingredient that any relational groove requires.

Harriet Klausner

Jake has asked to have a "talk" with his wife, Francesca. Francesca is coming off of a wild ride as a best-selling author about 2 years ago and has been approached about writing a new novel. Jake and Francesca were married with all the surrounding publicity about her first book.

Francesca knew and loved the fact that Jake was a photographer to the stars and the up-and-coming, including her when she was just getting known. She loved him because of his shallowness.

Francesca learns of Jake's goings-on with one of her best friends and publishers and ends up alone. She is trying without success to write another novel to compare to the popularity of the first one.

She gets desperate enough to advertise her services as a ghost writer for anyone looking to use those services. "Chicky" responds to her ad and hires her to write the story of her parents, who were performers in Vaudeville in the 1920's.

This is where the story takes off. We are drawn into the '20's and get to know the story of Ellie, Joe & Benny, all performers with different agendas for their futures. We are taken into the personalities, desires and politics involved in getting to the top of the Vaudeville ladder.

Louise Shaffer has written a very enjoyable book with characters that you really feel strongly about, whether it be you like them, disregard them, or don't like them. The story-within-a-story is the very best part of this book. You will have the pleasure of two stories wrapped into one.

This book was sent to me for review from Romance Junkies.

Okay, first a disclaimer: the author is a longtime friend of mine and I recognize that I cannot be fully objective. She is a delightful, witty lady and her own voice rings through so clearly in this novel that reading it was almost like getting to spend time with her...which is always a treat.

With that said, I was surprised by how much more I enjoyed this read than I had even expected! Between the cover design and the title, I assumed I was in for a romance novel. It's much more of a character study, with surprising twists and turns. Louise's knack for storytelling and obvious love for show business, the arts and the island of Manhattan are all evident from first page to last.

This book kept me company during a very long cross-country trip...it's a very fun read.

Please read Tara's review as it hits the nail on the head.

The book was a quick easy read and flowed well. Nothing heavy. Likeable characters but too much on Francesca's parents divorced. I would have liked to see her get out of her box more. I did enjoy it though and will try another book by Ms Shaffer.