Fairy Tale Interrupted (RoseMarie Terenzio)

Count me in with the throngs who always looked for the latest gossip about JFK Jr. When he married the beautiful Carolyn Bessette, it seemed like you couldn’t go a day without some sort of story about them, true or not. When they both died, along with Bessette’s sister Lauren, in a tragic plane crash, people mourned as if they knew them. RoseMarie Terenzio really did know them, as John’s administrative assistant at George magazine, and is sharing her memories in Fairy Tale Interrupted.

Even though RoseMarie worked for John, she quickly became a personal friend. Kennedy was a very private person, as was his family, and did not let too many people into his circle. When John met Carolyn, “Rosie”, as John called her, became one of the few people they both trusted. Terenzio eventually saw herself as John’s “chief of staff”, guarding his time and privacy, even from his employees. She and Carolyn were great friends, with Carolyn taking RoseMarie shopping for designer duds and buying her expensive haircuts. RoseMarie also had the grim task of cleaning out the couple’s apartment after the plane crash.

I’m sure Terenzio’s goal was to give her readers the “truth” about John and Carolyn’s life. Carolyn especially was portrayed as an “ice princess” in the media, and Fairy Tale Interrupted definitely disputes this fact. However, considering how private they both were, would they really want Terenzio writing a book filled with personal memories (not all of which are flattering, especially in John’s case)? In addition, be warned that much of this book is not even about John and Carolyn at all. It’s about Terenzio herself….boasting about having John’s ear, getting thousands of dollars of Christmas presents from them, and lamenting the fact that she was out of a job after the tragic crash. It seems if she was as loyal to the couple as she says she was, that she would keep her memories private…just like the Kennedys would want.

MY RATING - 2

Gossip (Beth Gutcheon)

I must admit, when I first picked up Gossip, I had a hard time understanding where Beth Gutcheon was going with it. She seemed to be all over the map, introducing characters left and right, none of which were, at the start, very well developed. I kept putting it down and picking it up again. Then, early one Sunday afternoon, I started reading again, kept reading, and finished Sunday night before bed. The plot and characters finally came together in a very shocking and devastating ending.

Gossip is narrated by Lovie French, a high-end clothing-store owner in Manhattan. We learn Lovie’s back story, including her time in high school with her friends, Dinah and Avis. Avis is a buttoned-up, reserved art dealer, while Dinah is a free-for-all newspaper columnist. The story weaves around these three characters as they grow up, marry, and have children. Once all of the characters are introduced, Gossip really picks up, and they seamlessly interact with each other. Avis, Dinah, and Lovie are not spring chickens. The fact that Gutcheon chose to revolve her story around them proves that this age group can be more interesting than the twentysomething “chick lit” genre.

While talking behind another’s back does happen a lot in Gossip, I was surprised that Gutcheon chose this as her title. It seemed that there were no repercussions when Lovie heard things about her friends through the grapevine. Don’t think that Lovie is innocent in all this either, as she’s holding a big secret as well. Even through the gossip, there is an underlying sense of calm. But once things start happening, the novel comes to its dramatic ending in a big way.

Don’t let the slow start of Gossip keep you from plowing through this multi-generational novel. The ending is your reward.

MY RATING - 3

This review can also be found on www.bookloons.com.

Elizabeth the Queen (Sally Bedell Smith)

Events related to Queen Elizabeth II and/or London have been in the news quite a lot lately, from the much-watched royal wedding in 2011 to the Summer Olympics in 2012. 2012 also marks 60 years on the throne, which was only surpassed by Queen Victoria. Even though there has just lately been a renewed interest in the monarchy, she has done her job and put duty above everything else since her ascension to the throne in 1952. Imagine the weight of your country (and the robes...and the crown) being put on your shoulders at the age of 25.

Sally Bedell Smith's Elizabeth the Queen is a thoroughly researched, 537-page biography. It begins with the story of her parents, famously depicted in the the award-winning movie, The King's Speech. The Queen grew up during World War II, repairing army trucks, never one to refrain from getting her hands dirty. When her father died, her reign began, and continued through 12 (and counting) prime ministers (the first being Sir Winston Churchill) and the many, many dramas of her children and family.

Bedell Smith wrote Elizabeth the Queen for 2012, the Queen's Diamond Jubilee year. At times, it can read slowly, and some things were not really necessary to include (I don't need to read graphic details of the Queen watching horse intercourse.). Smith is also extremely flattering to the Queen and presents her in an always positive light, even though there have been controversies along the way. However, it is fascinating to read about the ins and outs of the Queen's life, from her sumptous events to her comfort in routines. This is a very worthwhile read.

MY RATING - 4

Lone Wolf (Jodi Picoult)

Every year, at around this time, Jodi Picoult’s fans anxiously await her new novel. Most of the time, Picoult’s novels are “ripped from the headlines”. In the past, she’s taken on everything from gay rights to a school massacre to religious freedom. In Lone Wolf, she asks the questions none of us ever really are fully prepared to answer if it would happen to someone in our family. Presented with a traumatic brain injury, when does life stop? Does life on a ventilator, with a slim-to-none chance of regaining consciousness, constitute a life worth continuing?

Since the beginning, Picoult has not strayed from her style…various narrators, all involved in the story, typed in different fonts, with different opinions. Because of this, Jodi’s books are usually extremely well-rounded, with all sides of an issue presented. However, in this case, the fact that the “main character”, if you will, is in a comatose state, prevents him from narrating what is happening in the present. Luke is involved in a car crash with his daughter, Cara, who is also majorly injured. Cara decided to live with Luke after he divorced her mom, Georgie. As much as Georgie tried living with someone like Luke, she found it impossible. You see, Luke was fascinated with wolves, even going so far as to disappear from his family for awhile to infiltrate their packs. Luke and Georgie’s son, Edward, escaped to Thailand after a fight with Luke. When he gets the call that his dad was in a car accident, he rushes home to try to do things “right” by his dad and Cara.

Unfortunately, Edward and Cara have differing opinions about what they should do about Luke’s care. Of course, this being a Picoult novel, it goes to trial and there is an emotional ending. When I said before that Luke is not involved in the narration in present day, that doesn’t mean he does not narrate at all. Because of this narration, the reader is hardpressed not to come to the conclusion of what Luke would want his kids to do.

Almost 20 books later, Picoult is still the master of making the reader think. It’s almost impossible to come away from one of her books not having learned something about yourself. While not my favorite Picoult, Lone Wolf is still tremendously worthwhile to read.

MY RATING – 4

This review can also be found on www.bookloons.com.

Stories I Only Tell My Friends (Rob Lowe)

If there was one book that I was truly skeptical to read, it would be Stories I Only Tell My Friends. I don’t think any person in America would consider the person who starred in St. Elmo’s Fire, About Last Night, and Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me to be some literary genius. Well, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Herman Melville Lowe is not. However, you do get the surprise read of 2011…a very well-written, wildly entertaining, and completely honest assessment of his life thus far.

Lowe is honest but never hurtful and gossipy. He name drops like crazy, from John F. Kennedy, Jr. to Demi Moore to the father/sons trio of Martin Sheen, Charlie Sheen, and Emilio Estevez. How cool must it have been to go to school with those brothers and Sean Penn? The auditioning for and making of the classic The Outsiders is, by far, the highlight of the book. Lowe provides incredibly surprising details, especially regarding the finished film. My heart ached to read about the late Patrick Swayze, also in The Outsiders, as I had just read Lisa Niemi Swayze’s memoir. This film started the careers of Lowe, Estevez, Swayze, The Karate Kid himself Ralph Macchio, Matt Dillon, and someone else you may have heard of by the name of Tom Cruise.

You get the sense that Lowe is much, much more than what he has been portrayed in the media. Yes, he is a “pretty boy”, but he also is a sensitive and intelligent soul. We are very lucky that he considers us “friends” to tell these stories to, and lucky for us, he is a darn good writer!

MY RATING - 4

I don't know why I've been so gung ho for memoirs and biographies lately, but there's no end in sight. Coming soon: books about the Obamas and Queen Elizabeth!

Worth Fighting For (Lisa Niemi Swayze)

Patrick Swayze. For my generation, he was Johnny Castle who was angry that Baby was in the corner. He was the oldest brother in The Outsiders, which started the career of so many actors of our time. He competed with Chris Farley in the Chippendale dance off on Saturday Night Live. He was larger than life, a darn good actor, and from what we could see, an all-around great guy.

Lisa Niemi and Patrick Swayze were married for thirty-four years. This was a lifetime considering that nowadays more than 50% of marriages end in divorce. 34 years in Hollywood? Practically unheard of. But this unlikely pairing of two dancers, one painfully shy and one a cocky hunk, made it...through good times and bad, through sickness and health. Patrick's life, as we all know, was cut far too short from pancreatic cancer. Worth Fighting For: Love, Loss, and Moving Forward, by Lisa Niemi Swayze, is their story of this journey through the unknown.

There is a blurb on the cover from Barbara Walters. It reads, "You will be the better for reading this book." There is something about Ms. Swayze's writing that reads so utterly honest. At times, she is laugh-out-loud funny and at other times she is heartbreakingly raw. At no time does she mince words. You will marvel at their strength, admire their courage, and revel in their love story.

MY RATING - 5

Bossypants (Tina Fey)

I am ridiculously stringent on how I read a book. For example, I must read the inside of the book jacket, the back of the jacket, and the introduction...in that order!! Sometimes I even read the acknowledgments, having no clue who the people are! I'm so glad I followed my routine for this book, however, because the blurbs on the back let you know exactly what you're getting into. There are no blurbs of praise from Picoult, Grisham, or Patterson in Bossypants. Instead, Don Fey, father of TF, writes "I hope that's not the cover. That's really going to hurt sales." Tina Fey...she of Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock fame...has written one of the most hilarious books I've read in a heck of a long time.

There really is no rhyme and reason to this book. Each chapter features Fey's thoughts and harps on some aspect of her life...growing up, her family, marriage, motherhood, and her TV jobs. I love how she includes photos of herself from awkward phases of her life (come on...we all have pictures with bowl cuts and '80s bangs). Some chapters are quite long, and one is three sentences. It really doesn't matter. Fey is laugh-out-loud funny in all of them.

I realized that what I like best about Tina Fey is the fact that she doesn't take herself too seriously. She clearly admits to many faults, such as her fear of confrontation (of which I totally relate as I cannot even watch Bill O'Reilly or Sean Hannity when people yell at each other). I found her hilarious as Palin and was thrilled to find out in Bossypants that she wrote my all-time favorite SNL commercial ("Mom" jeans)! This is a great read to take some stress out of your life (believe me...Fey has enough stress for everyone) and just laugh. Because in the end, what's life without laughter?

MY RATING - 4