Customer Reviews

Love, Life and Linguine

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

 

 

This is another easy read from Melissa Jacobs that is a step above traditional chick-lit. Although I liked her first book, Lexi James, better, this is still a great read and the perfect book to bring with you to the park or the beach this summer.

I wasn't really sure what to expect from this book since I hadn't heard of this author before. The book description just sounded interesting so I thought why not give it a read. I never felt like I got to really know the characters in the book. They were jsut people who I was reading about. It didn't pull me in like other books I;ve read have done. It was entertaining though. If I could give it a 3.5 stars I would.

This second novel of Melissa Jacobs settled into a bit of formula at times, but on the whole was a well-rounded and touching story of, well, love, life and "linguine".

Mimi Louis returns to her hometown in South Jersey to take over the management of her family's diner and in doing so learns a lot about her family, who she is and what she wants out of life. It's a simple story, but it's made interesting by the locational references and the great characters that abound. I especially loved the South Jersey setting since that's where I've lived my whole life and Ms. Jacobs hit the site descriptions spot-on throughout the story.

The only thing keeping me from giving this a fourh star is the fact that early on in the novel I could SWEAR that a particular description of marriage and child-bearing was something I'd read in another novel - verbatim. It could very well have been in Ms. Jacobs' first novel, Lexi James and the Council of Girlfriends", and I'm certainly not intending to accuse her of any type of plagiarism with this comment. But, either way, the wording was too unoriginal for my liking.

Other than that, it was a great quick read.

A delicious read. Quick and not toochallenging. I read it in an airplane terminal waiting for a late plane. It is nice to have something pleasant to read in situations which do not require your entire attention. Yet the message about coming home and taking a different look gave it just enough suvstance.

Philadelphia based internationally renowned consultant Mimi Louis has become a hot ticket for anyone who wants to make it in the restaurant business. Her efforts have launched several of the elite in places to eat. She has even turned her boyfriend Nick into a highly wanted chef even as she thinks of retiring to marry and have babies with him. However, her romantic side dies when she comes home to find a waitress heating up her leftover Nick.

To heal and forget, Mimi goes home to New Jersey where she knows her family woes should somewhat occupy her mind. She is taken aback when her widow mom blithely informs her she is thinking of dating and her brother is considering selling the failing family restaurant. Mimi may not have any influence on mom, but decides to give it a try to save the restaurant and perhaps herself with two patrons Joe and Aaron wanting to cook gourmet meals with her.

Mimi keeps the contemporary tale focused as she readjusts to life with her family. Their woes she has somewhat avoided due to the advantages of geography enabling her to stay out of everything except the occasional most momentous event. Her vacillations involving the two hunks in her life, her family, and the restaurant makes her seem genuine as she has not had to deal with these types of choices in years. Though that can also be frustrating to the reader demanding she make up her mind though not often easy pick one and leave the other behind (fractured Lovin Spoonful). Overall this is a fine tale that proves you can go home but nothing is quite what you remember it was.

Harriet Klausner