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Critic's Corner
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Pool Side Reading Reviewed by:
Patricia Ann Jones "Switcheroo" points out a truth not universally acknowledged: "All wives yearn for the romance of being a mistress and all mistresses yearn for the security of being a wife." Sylvie Schiffer, the wife in this tale has a life most women only dream of. She is blessed with a beautiful home, two delightful children, and a handsome, successful husband. What she doesn't have and wants, is passion and romance. "When you're married," Sylvie says, "you don't even get kissed on the mouth." On reading that last lament, readers will at once recognize poor Sylvie's husband has gone "Middle-aged Crazy." He has a mistress, and she is a shocker. Marla, the mistress, except for 10 years and 15 pounds could be Sylvie's twin. You guessed it, the girls get together and that's where the "Switcheroo" happens. Poor hubby, he never knows what hit him. The outcome of this romantic romp will no doubt freeze the blood in all would-be Lotharios' veins. "Switcheroo" bears no resemblance to real life, but it's a fun read. If you enjoyed "The First Wives Club," you'll adore "Switcheroo." CAVEDWELLER This sweeping novel of the human spirit maps out a world of "lost" and unknown caves, the unexplored recesses of the human heart, and the lives of four women a mother and her three daughters at a place where violence, and what redeems it, intersects. At first I didn't like Delia Byrd, who left her two babies in Georgia for a rock'n roll singer and a liquor-soaked life in California. "Ten years later, years of writing music, of drugs and hotels, alcohol and credit card bills; and another daughter, Cissy, Delia realizes that she has made a terrible mistake." Like her or not, this protagonist spins out a story that pierces the soul. Allison's incantatory and unforgettable voice is reminiscent of that of Toni Morrison's. Both of these women write from the gut with an incomparable strength of purpose. CRYSTAL CLEAR Crystal Goldstein is the picture of depression. She's burned-out and bored with her job as a CPA in New York City. Her almost-fianc is cooling off, and her father likes TV better than her gloomy company. This 43-year-old bean counter realizes her best friend, Rona, a New Age junkie is right. What Crystal needs to get her out of her self-imposed funk is a change of scenery and an "Aura Cleansing." Maybe, as Rona says, Crystal's chakras do need balancing. This is not a lady who follows fads or trends. Nevertheless, Crystal finds herself on a long-overdue vacation in mystic, metaphysical Sedona, Arizona. She signs up for the highly- publicized five-day - "Sacred Earth Jeep Tour," and settles back, a total skeptic waiting to be enlightened. "Crystal Clear" is filled with deliciously wicked humor and uncanny insights. ### |
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