Customer Reviews

Time Off for Good Behavior

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

What I liked most about Time Off For Good Behavior was how it was decidedly NOT a cliche, and that's not always true of "chick lit" books. Wanda swears like a sailor throughout, and while she grows in the novel, she doesn't really change her core personality. Instead, she finds herself again (or, rather, remembers who she is deep down, before she so disappointed her parents and herself by making some bad choices and acquiring the baggage that resulted.)

I so enjoyed how she forbid herself from seeing Walter before she'd worked through some difficult issues. She knew he'd accept her as she was, but she had to make some hard changes first. She may have thought of herself as weak, but I found her to be a strong character throughout.

Overall, a very fun read. I should have counted the number of times I laughed out loud. I know for sure I read with a grin on my face because my husband kept asking, "What is so funny?" as I read it. The hot pink cover caught my eye in the bookstore, and I'm glad it did!

I can't remember the last time I've gobbled up a book in one sitting like this. Both hilarious and touching, Lani Diane Rich knows how to mine the human experience for true gems of humor and poignancy. Wanda, the main character, is flawed and wonderfully human. She has a feisty spirit and a side-splitting sense of humor that had me rooting for her from page one. Rich has done a terrific job in creating a character whose humor is an integral part of her self-preservation skills, rather than just someone who's handy with a quick comeback. After a series of bad luck and missteps, Wanda's held-together-with-duct-tape reality cracks wide open and we quickly see just how well her sense of humor serves her as she tries to start her life over.

Wanda's journey of self-discovery rings refreshingly true and genuine and illuminates the teeth-gnashing frustrations that life hands us, as well as the moments of grace we somehow manage to stumble into.

Definitely an exciting new voice in women's fiction!

Wanda Lane has had a string of bad luck. She is divorced from an abusive husband who thankfully lives in Alaska, but finds plenty of time to call to profess his love or his hatred for her. She loses the job she hates when she falls down after striking an annoying lawyer and ends up in a coma for several days, resulting in phantom music playing at the most inopportune times. And now she finds herself attracted to successful civil lawyer Walter Briggs.

But in order to "earn" Walter's love, Wanda feels that she must improve herself. Wanda is not exactly a model of decency. She drinks. A lot. And she curses like a sailor. She does not think before she opens her mouth, and she tends to be self-centered. One could argue she's in need of therapy, which she gets from a local Catholic priest who doles out advice though she's not a member of his flock ("Bless me father for I am not Catholic). With the help of a new friend she found in a want-ad, she decides to create a series of post-it notes, and as she has completed the task, she tosses them out. The most important one - the one she cannot figure out what it means - is "do something meaningful."

As she tries to find herself, perfect widower Walter patiently waits for her to have an epiphany. It is hard to fathom a man as articulate and together as Walter falling for the train wreck that is Wanda, so there was a real disconnect in the romance for this reader. But her voyage of self-discovery peppered with some of the wittiest dialogue and interesting secondary characters to grace a page make this a worthwhile read. This is Rich's first novel and her subsequent novels prove what a gifted storyteller she is.

This was a really entertaining story. My only complaint is that I was able to finish it in a few hours.

The dialogue is natural and funny, and Wanda is lovable in spite of her obvious flaws. I can't wait for Ms. Rich's next effort.

As a survivor of some of the same troubles that haunt the protagonist, I can say with authority that Rich's portrayal of Wanda's emotional journey is eerily accurate. I laughed, I cried, I sobbed out loud. Rich is especially deft at black humor, a personal favorite of mine.

If you're looking for something a little edgier and deeper than the average chick lit read, this is it.

I've re-read this book several times now. Lani Diane Rich is a master of romantic comedy and the offbeat heroine. For those of us who are tired of reading ultra-perfect female heroines, Wanda's a breath of fresh air, slightly tinged with the scent of Scotch. It's hard for me to believe that other reviewers here never let go with a four-letter word when things aren't going well, and the author's willingness to go there with her character gives Wanda the feel of "the real".

Any woman with a pulse (and a closet Jimmy Stewart fan,) will fall in love with Walter and his quirky smile, his protectiveness, and his obvious love for an imperfect woman. The secondary characters are excellent, the story draws you in, and before you know it, you're reading it again.

Great book. I truly enjoyed it. Lani Diane Rich, YOU don't write fast enough ;-).

The mouthy, flawed heroine of Time Off for Good Behavior captured my interest immediately. By the end of the book, she had captured my heart as well.

Wanda has spent her life so afraid of failure that she chose to sabatage herself on every level. At the beginning of the book, she's inches from rock bottom, but she's just met the guy that may make it worth her while to pull herself up by her bootstraps.

Underneath Wanda's protective crust, there's a a tough, funny, edgy woman with a heart big enough to match her mouth. Watching this person emerge as Wanda decides to put herself through a crash course in growing up (via post-it note therapy!) was a trip I plan to take again. A definite keeper and re-reader. If you like your Chicklit smart and double funny, then I highly recommend this book.

Another all nighter. I must remember not to start books in the evening thinking I'll be able to put them down when I should go to sleep! Just to be fair I must say "Drat you, Lani Diane Rich, for keeping me up until the wee hours with your book!" (If you click Lani's link you may discover that Lucy March appears instead of Lani. Lani is Lucy's evil twin. Well okay, they are the same person, but still.

Time Off for Good Behavior is the story of Wanda Lane, a smart woman with a unfortunate and rebelious past. Her past comes back to bite her, of course. Isn't that what unfortunate pasts are for? There is a lovely hero named Walter. Walter is a lawyer who looks like Jimmy Stewart. I fell for Walter, if I knew where Walter lived I'd be camped on his doorstep. I REALLY liked Walter, can you tell?

I liked Wanda too. She's trying to clean up her act. Acomplish things. Be a better person. All this and avoid her murderous ex-husband too. It's a lot for one woman to handle, but Wanda manages with a little help from a friend and a bottle of Scotch named Albert.

I admire Lani for her ability to tackle difficult subjects while telling a compelling story and making me laugh. She has more courage than I do. Wanda is flawed but she is able to rise above her past for her happy ending. As a pretty flawed person myself I like the thought that we can all achieve a happily ever after.

Time Off for Good Behavior is well written, compelling and well worth the time invested and the cranky next day. Two cranky days in the space of one week - I must be reading some really good stuff!

One of the cover blurbs is by Karen Brichoux, which is entirely appropriate. The writing is very similar--fun chick lit overlying a well of pain.

From the cover, you really wouldn't expect this much depth. I knew Time Off for Good Behavior would be a good book--I've been hearing about it forever--but like all books that get raves, I stuck it in my TBR pile and waited for the hype to die down before trying it.

The hype was deserved. This is a really, really good book.

The heroine was so different from me in some ways that it's ridiculous--blurting out the first thing that comes into her head? I never do that--in fact, I'm more likely to think something out thoroughly, and not say it even then. But regardless, she was still very real, and damn if she didn't make me recognize bits and pieces of myself anyway--and not the good parts.

She made me laugh, cry, and think. And stay up until the book was finished. What more can you ask from a book?

This is my favorite of all of Ms. Rich's books. The heroine is complex and the story is compelling. It is not your typical romance novel, but it is a great read.

Lani Diane Rich has got to be the most underrated author in the romance genre. Her writing is every bit as good as Susan Elizabeth Phillips and Jennifer Crusie, but somehow you just don't hear as much about her. I highly recommend all of her books.