Customer Reviews

Mean Season (Red Dress Ink Novels)

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is absolutely one of the best Red Dress Ink books that I have read. Hands down. (And I've read MANY!) At first, the idea of a celebrity moving in (temporarily) with the prez of his fan club in middle of nowhere West Virginia seems kind of corny, right? But Cochran's Mean Season is so much more than what first meets the reader's eye.

We see a protagonist, Leanne, who is struggling to find herself within a dysfunctional family. Her life is as real as it gets--and she doesn't live in L.A. or NYC and doesn't work in publishing. We see the price of fame and fortune and "worldly" success in her houseguest, Josh, who has struggled to overcome similar small-town roots. We see the consequences of small-town life and its positives and negatives. Finally, we see characters who move us and make us appreciate however "together" we might be.

This is a highly entertaining and engaging read. Enjoy!

The dramatic situation of Mean Season is immediately interesting, but it's the earthy complexity of the characters that kept me reading. The narrator's voice convincingly and appealingly reflects her unsophisticated origins, her native intelligence, and the media-speak that pervades every hollow of our land these days. The elements of any good Cinderella story are here, including a dark side, but Cochran spins them her way to create anticipation and satisfyngly unpredictable outcomes.

Because I thought the premise sounded mildly amusing, and the book was given to me, I picked up Mean Season a few weeks ago. I am so glad I did! I was expecting a light book and, when I read where it took place, I expected the typical annoying stereotypes of people in small towns. Not so. Though it at first seems light, the book actually deals with some interesting and important issues, such as finding your purpose in life, developing self esteem, treating others fairly, seizing the moment, and treating your family and friends with love and kindness. It even made me teary-eyed in a few spots. Despite all these layers, though, the book moved quickly and had many genuine laugh-out-loud moments. I heartily recommend Mean Season.

Leanne Gitlin has loved Josh Reed since he was a doctor on General Hospital. Now that he's moved on to bigger and better things, she still loves him from afar, but it's about to get a lot closer. While shooting a Civil War epic in her hometown, Josh is arrested for DWI, and placed under house arrest, hers, for ninety days. While things are less than ideal, including Josh, especially his language, Leanne is allowed to get a bit of her dreams. After a heartbreaking moment though, the time to choose between dreams and reality will come.

**** Though it did't go quite in the direction I hoped for, Mean Season is above average on the Chick Lit meter. It belongs on the shelf of someone who enjoyed books such as Where the Heart Is or movies like Win a Date with Tad Hamilton. It's not all fun, there is a truly tragic scene, but then again, what is all fun? ****

Reviewed by Amanda Killgore.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone of any age from anywhere from NYC to Peoria. While the story line description on the back cover may come off as farfetched, the characters seem very real and the story actually is believable. It is a page turner (I read it all on a long flight). It is both amusing and touching at the same time. I highly recommend it.

An amazing story - touching and funny with characters you feel like you know. I felt invested in Leanne's life and was rooting for her to succeed..and of course get the guy. But this is so much more than a romance. The characters are unpredictable, the settings are impeccably described (I think I have been to that Winn Dixie) and the dialogue is real. Throw in a little Hollywood flair and basically, I did not want to put it down. I cannot wait to see the movie.

I loved the characters and living in LA la land myself, I particularly enjoyed the storyline. ; )

Bottom line is this: I enjoyed it tremendously. It's a marvelous debut and I look forward to her next one. I recommend it

First of all I want to say this: Run, don't walk, to your nearest bookstore and get this book! And keep reading it. It is not mundane as the beginning would have you believe.

What was there not to like about this book? First of all, the main character, Leanne Gitlin is so real. Probably one of the most "real" characters I've ever read about. Her emotions, desires, and dreams were spot on. Leanne has been president of the Joshua Reed fan club for eight years ever since he was a soap opera star and she was a high-school senior. Now Joshua is one of Hollywood's leading men and after all these years she has an opportunity to meet him. Turns out that he is truly a great actor - all that charm was just for the screen whereas in real life he is more of a Colin Farrell-type character, IOW a "bad boy." The limo picks up Leanne in her little town of Pinecob, West Virginia and take her to Harpers Ferry where she meet's Josh's agent, publicist and Josh himself. Trouble is, every other word is the "F" word, he has a surly attitude, and a problem with alcohol. In fact, that very evening gets a DUI when he "borrows" the limo and takes himself on a little drive to the county where Leanne lives - and where she works in the county clerk's office. This is Josh's second DUI and he is placed on house arrest for 90 days --- at Leanne's home where she lives with her mother and her brother Beau Ray who although nearly 30 is brain-injured and has a mind more of a six-year-old. Suffice to say, things do not go smoothly for Josh or Leanne. He isn't happy about being in Pinecob and Leanne isn't exactly happy having him there.

Now, in most books this would turn be a romance between Josh and Leanne, but not this one. They do become friends, but her eye is on Max Campbell, an old family friend and assistant manager of the local Winn-Dixie.

This is a Red Dress Ink book - the Chick Lit line - but I wouldn't call this your ordinary Chick Lit book which is usually set in a big city with the main character having a fancy schmancy job. This is as small town as it gets and Leanne's job isn't very exciting (although she does dream of one day becoming a lawyer). There is so much depth to this book and to the character of Leanne. The entire time I kept thinking what a wonderful movie this would make. Colin Farrell as Josh, Renee Zellweger or Natalie Portman as Leanne, haven't decided who for Max - a young Robert Redford type or perhaps Brad Pitt! This is one of the best books I've read all year and if it doesn't get optioned for a movie I am going to be sorely disappointed. If any book has ever screamed "successful movie" this one does.

The publicity suggests that its central premise is about a movie star forced to stay in a fan's house in a small West Virginia town. Maybe I'm snobbish but that put me off and relegated it to the romance category. I was expecting an unlikely story full of clichés and slushy sentimentality. Its central plot is not really about the movie star but a realistic and finely crafted tale of a woman forced to stay home to look after a brain-injured brother and a depressed mother. It is told in a spare pitch-perfect prose with never a wasted word.. I was reminded of Bobby Anne Mason, and even Eudora Welty.
"Back in Momma's worst times I'd call Tommy or Susan for help but neither ever offered to head home for even a week to make dinner or check which bills were least overdue. (That was around the same time the idea of me going off to a full-time college stopped being talked about like it was a good thing, something that might really happen.)"
Even the movie actor angle is not entirely fantastic (especially with Martha Stewart in minimum security in West Virginia). Joshua is a soap opera actor making a movie om location in the area, convicted of a second DUI, and sentenced to house arrest with work and AA release.
I've got to admit that it is warm and fuzzy and ends happily, so that it won't get reviewed in the Times Literary Supplement or the New York Review of Books but it contains better writing than many more pretentious works.

I understand the premise of "Mean Season" makes for quick and easy labeling as a romance novel or as chick lit, but I'm no chick and I really enjoyed myself. The characters are quirky and sharply drawn, the dialogue quick and witty, and the novel's tone transcends the genre. It's funny and touching in a way in which all chromosomes can relate. Now I admit I was turned on to this book by women-folk, but I'm no Judas- I'm proud to say I liked it. There are many layers to Mean Season, so peel and eat each one. They're all delicious!