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Apparently, Words Can Hurt Youby: Sandra Pianin
During a stint working at an advertising agency, a co-worker once confided to me that she had tried to stab her handsome and very successful husband with a butter knife. This office "slice of life" occurred to me several times while reading It Might Have Been What He Said by Eden Collinsworth. Although this is Eden Collinsworth's first work of fiction, she is a powerhouse figure in the world of New York City book publishing. The protagonist of her book is the consummate career woman. Isabel is erudite, well schooled and very talented. Unfortunately, she bears the scars of a dysfunctional childhood which she tries hard to disguise. During her childhood, the only escape Isabelle had was a passion for books. Now, Isabelle and her psychiatrist are trying to determine why Isabelle tried to kill her husband. Isabelle has no answers to this question. The reader soon figures out the mystery. Isabel's meteoric rise in publishing came at a young age. She is drawn into a marriage with a man who is a writer and socialite. The utterly wonderful mask that Isabelle wears for the world crumbles. She has married the wrong man for all the wrong reasons. She thinks he will change and he does not. This book is not just a beach read. It is an admirable first work of fiction by an author who has been compared to Jane Austen and Edith Wharton. Her prose is spare and her dialogue remarkably spartan. If you are looking for your latest dose of romance with a feel good ending, you will not find it in this book. This novel is a commentary on the manners of the rich and famous who lives are not as perfect as we may think. Susan Cheever said that this book was "a thrilling, compelling novel about the gravitational pull of love and money. Gripping and readable and shimmering with glamorous detail.....this is a story that takes up where The Great Gatsby left off." I agree wholeheartedly. Sandra Pianin is a freelance writer and reviewer who lives in New York City. She is a frequent contributor to ladies-room.net and a new book reviewer for newsblaze.com. |
