Otherwise Engaged [Mass Market Paperback]

Eileen Goudge (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 27, 2005

Can a New York City journalist exchange her subway pass for an SUV and find happiness? Can a small-town wife and mother take on the role of single city woman and discover a whole new life?

Jessie Holland is in search of a hot story for Savvy magazine when her editor poses a compelling question -- can you ever really go home again? Jumping on the idea, and with her love life currently at a crossroads, Jessie plans to return to her Arizona hometown and follow the path not taken -- with a twist. Her best friend back home, Erin Delahanty, is dealing with a crumbling marriage, a teenage daughter, and the demands of running a bed & breakfast. Needing to take stock of her life, she agrees to Jessie's offer: she'll live in Manhattan for six months, while Jessie steps into Erin's shoes. But the choices and challenges they face take them by surprise...and what began as a daring magazine article will change both women forever.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

There is something seductive about spinning out elaborate fantasies around the age-old question, "What if?" Glamorous new lies replace unsatisfying old ones, all problems magically find solutions, and the success that had been elusive falls easily into place. For best friends Jessie and Erin, the question gets asked--and answered--in earnest when Erin's husband leaves her and Jessie's new romance suddenly cools off. What if, asks Jessie, a freelance writer struggling to make it in Manhattan, I'd never left Arizona? What if, wonders Erin, an innkeeper still living in Willow Creek, I'd gone to New York and become a chef? When Jessie proposes they trade places for six months, their unconventional escape allows both women to find out if the proverbial grass really is greener. Creating strong, resourceful heroines is what Goudge does best, and both loyal fans and new readers alike will be thoroughly captivated by the unique adventure Jessie and Erin embark upon, and what they discover by journey's end. Carol Haggas
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"Eileen Goudge writes like a house on fire, creating characters you come to love and hate to leave."

-- Nora Roberts

"A gifted writer with an eye for telling detail."

-- Chicago Tribune

"Goudge keeps you cheering...."

-- People

"A writer who knows how to entertain in a lively and credible way."

-- Kirkus Reviews

"When it comes to pacing, suspense, and control, Eileen Goudge is a pro."

-- New York Newsday

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Pocket Books; October edition (September 27, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743483413
• ISBN-13: 978-0743483414
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #397,672 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #42 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > Women's Fiction > Friendship

More About the Author

I was born on the Fourth of July, and it's been fireworks ever since. I began writing at age eight, with short stories and poems, and I haven't looked back since. From the early days of mostly collecting rejection slips, I went on to publish thirty-two novels for young adults, thirteen (and still counting) of women's fiction, as well as numerous short stories and magazine articles, and one cookbook.

Often I'm asked where I get my ideas. Fortunately, I have a wealth of life experiences to draw from. Starting when I dropped out of college to get married, at age eighteen. Two years later I was divorced, with a baby son and no means of support. I ended up briefly on welfare, and stood in line for government surplus food. But every cloud has its silver lining, and this one led to my determination to make it as a professional writer. I borrowed a typewriter, and lacking a desk, plunked it down on the living room floor. The rest, as they say, is history.

Following a string of young adult novels, I published my first adult novel, GARDEN OF LIES, in 1986. The saga of baby girls switched at birth---one rich, the other poor---went on to enjoy a combined total of 16 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, in hardcover and paperback. Though there's no such thing as an overnight success, I felt like one, having gone in a matter of months from not knowing how I was going to pay the rent to wondering what I was going to do with all that money. The first thing I did was fulfill a fantasy born of years of wearing hand-me-downs: I walked into Saks Fifth Avenue and bought a dress...without even looking at the price tag!

I've since gone on to write many more novels. My most recent, which came out in June of '07, is WOMAN IN RED, a very special story about a woman just out of prison and a man struggling to get back on his feet after losing his wife on 9/11. Look for it in trade paperback in May of this year. I also have another hardcover coming out,in June, titled DOMESTIC AFFAIRS ---a Cinderalla story in reverse: Riches to rags but with a happy ending. I'll be posting sample chapters on my website at www.eileengoudge.com, so stay tuned. I would love to hear your comments once you've read the book! And, remember, there's always more where that came from...

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dare to Ask: What if???, March 29, 2005

By 

Lisa Pools "Lisa Pools" (Connecticut) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Otherwise Engaged (Hardcover)

How many times have you wanted something your best friend had? Or thought, "If I had her life..."? In Eileen Goudge's wonderful Otherwise Engaged, NY journalist Jessie Holland gets to live out these fantasies-- and learn a lot about life, love, and herself in the process. Jessie is a great chracter-- she is dynamic and interesting, and I really couldn't help but root for her throughout the book. Jessie is given an assignment from her magazine, "Can you go home again?" and, as such, she starts thinking about her own home in rural Arizona. At the same time, Jessie's long time best friend, Erin, who runs a bed and breakfast in their hometown, is facing marital problems. Jessie and Erin then develop a plan that permits them the opportunity to do what so many sisters and best friends before them have dreamed of: they switch places. For six months, Erin comes to live in Jessie's New York apartment while she sorts through her marriage. In turn, Jessie works on her assignment in Arizona while returning to her roots and embarking on quite a few adventures. The book is just so well-written-- Eileen Goudge writes really detailed, descriptive passages that bring you right into the action of the story and make you feel like you've known her characters forever. I won't give away the rest of the story, but I would recommend that anyone who loves a good story with great characters pick up a copy of Otherwise Engaged.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Missing something?, October 26, 2005

By 

Little D (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Otherwise Engaged (Mass Market Paperback)

I agree with what this reviewer, DlynB, said "While this book was entertaining it lacked depth. There was so much going on, the main characters swapping lives, possible divorce and family problems with Erin, Jesse's past coming back to haunt her, the Navajo culture and then the water company destroying Willow Creek. With so many problems the author was left with little time to go into real depth concerning any of them. Throughout the entire book I was left wanting to know more."

I wish the author DID write more about the two women exchanging lives rather than going into details about other things that don't really go in this story. There should have been more depth, like the person I quoted said. This book would have been a lot more enjoyable if it had more about Jessie and Erin in the everyday daily activities. I would have liked to have been there when Jessie almost birned down the Inn. Things like that should have been included rather than being mentioned.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars shallow read, October 13, 2005

By 

DlynB - See all my reviews

This review is from: Otherwise Engaged (Mass Market Paperback)

While this book was entertaining it lacked depth. There was so much going on, the main characters swapping lives, possible divorce and family problems with Erin, Jesse's past coming back to haunt her, the Navajo culture and then the water company destroying Willow Creek. With so many problems the author was left with little time to go into real depth concerning any of them. Throughout the entire book I was left wanting to know more. Every problem had a nice simplistic ending, except Mike, poor guy - why was he in this story? This book reminds me of my young students' writing. When they tell me a story they want to bring along all 12 of their best friends, but they don't tell me anything about them. At the end of their story their solution, they all go home and go to bed.