Customer Reviews

Reinventing Olivia

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

 

 

As stated, above: Ohmigod--to quote the book's heroine--I absolutely LOVED this book. I rank this author with Helen Fielding of Bridget Jones fame, and Cathy Yardley--writer of LA Woman and other romances and chick-lit--both of whom do chick-lit awesomely (well of course most agree Helen created it). Nancy Robards Thompson, you rock!

I loved the book's main characters--and especially how Olivia is smart and witty and likeable, but also educated and uses multisyllabic words!--not overwhelmingly, but that they didn't get edited out. THANK YOU--to the author and her editors--for not dumbing this down and for challenging the envelope. But in case others mistake me, I hate reading stuffy, pedantic books, and this one is not one of them. Thanks for writing a book where the heroine is educated and not afraid to show it, but doing that balance so well, so she's still an accessible type of gal.

I hope the publishers put out a softcover trade version of this book so everyone can enjoy it.

Reinventing Olivia was an amusing read. I read it in one sitting, and immediately decided to recommend it to a friend. It's like a cross between Wally Lamb's, She's Come Undone, and Helen Fielding's, Bridget Jones' Diary. The heroine is oversensitive and self-critical, but just enough to make us sympathize with her, not enough to make her pathetic. Also, the plot had some pleasantly surprising twists.
The only problem is that the price is too high for this kind of book. To merit the $30 the publisher wants, it needs to be twice as long and/or have photographs, embossed cover, or engravings or something.

Wow!! Fantastic! I highly recommend this book. Nancy Robards Thompson writes about issues that will ring true to all women. This author has a fantastic career ahead of her. I'll be waiting for her next book.

Six months ago, her live-in boyfriend Rich left for employment in France after spending three years together. Orlando Daily restaurant critic Karen Denton looks forward to seeing him as she flies to France tomorrow, expecting to become engaged. However, late that night, Rich calls to inform Karen that he married a French fille.

His desertion enforces Karen's belief that loved ones leave as her dad left when she was a child, her mom died, and now Rich. She leaves the house she lived in with Rich to move into the apartment of a gay person she recently met through a mutual friend. Karen also finds herself attracted to "Mr. Matchbox" who she met in her bon voyage stop at a bar just before Rich dropped his bombshell. Hunter, as he is called, desires Karen too, but she knows loved ones leave so fears the forging of a real relationship.

Though reinvention seems out of place with President Bush in the White House instead of Mr. Gore, readers will enjoy this chick lit tale. Karen's self-deprecations can become irritating yet the audience will feel she is one of us sisters. The support cast is a delightful crew from Juan who looks forward to sharing tales about beastly males to her best friend to Hunter the hunk. Nancy Robards Thompson provides an amusing contemporary story that the sub-genre will appreciate because of its That's Life philosophy of "I'm gonna change that tune when I'm back on top ..."

Harriet Klausner

Reinventing Olivia is funny, poignant, entertaining and so well written. You can't but fall in love with the determined heroine, and there are so many suprises and twists that kept my attention. It was the kind of book where you close it and sigh with satisfaction. I can't wait for Nancy Robard Thompson's next book to come out. It's a must read!