Saturday, February 2, 2008

Another Book

I just finished My Summer of Southern Discomfort, by Stephanie Gayle. It was a good book, but when I finished it, I wondered, "Do the people who write the 'Advance Praise' even read the book? Jay Atkinson, for example, wrote "her first novel is a ...funny book." A woman who was treated horribly by her very first lover, and man who was in a clear position to take advantage (and shouldn't have), moves to Macon, Georgia, to escape, and works in the District Attorney's office. Oh, and her father, whose respect and admiration she craves, is/was a prominent attorney for civil rights. Of course, she is assigned to a a capital murder case, and the novel is about her misgivings, both in her personal and professional lives. Funny stuff, right?

The inside jacket notes make this book sound as if it is going to be a sort of Stephanie Plum novel, light, fun, and sexy. It isn't any of these things.

But I won't let any of this detract from the novel. It was a good story, although it seemed as though the writer was trying a little to hard to make her words sound pretty. Still and all, a good book.

1 comment:

Stephanie said...

I can assure you that Jay Atkinson read my novel. I asked him to do so and he graciously agreed. As to why he found it funny, I think he was referring to Natalie's not infrequent wry observations. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on my book.

Sincerely,
Stephanie Gayle