Monday, December 2, 2013

Sushi for Beginners: a novel / Marian Keyes / 426 pages

Genre - Chick Lit, Humor, Romance included

Plot overview - Set in the British Isles, magazine editor Lisa Edwards is a career climber, striving for a high profile spot in New York City, when her corporation instead sends her to start up a magazine in Dublin, Ireland. Her assistant there is Ashling Kennedy, native Irish girl with an unspectacular life, a strong sense of duty and an attractive best friend who is bored with life as a married mom to the near-perfect man. Lisa's boss is a handsome, laid-back manager who seems short on pizazz.

Over the course of this novel, lives change and lessons are learned. Friendships and marriages fail, while the magazine flourishes. But, most of all, the reader is treated to wry observations of everyday life, every day insecurities and pointed pokes at the humor in the average person's life. The plot moves along well and never seems to drag despite the book's length, but the true highlight of this novel is the author's wit.

Analysis/Recommendations

This is not Marian Keyes' first novel. She has drawn praise for the humor in her previous books, but she has not missed a beat in this one. Her humor is over-the-top funny and left me laughing out loud with no one else around (I hope). But she also weaves a many-faceted storyline that leads to unexpected places and surprise outcomes.

Keyes is hilarious while,a t the same time, weaving a storyline that deals with some issues that are not funny at all. She adeptly shows her characters as they deal with the consequences of choices they make and provides one of the most accurate depictions of emotional turmoil that I have read in a very long time. I will stop there so as not to spoil anything.

A great read, this book will especially be enjoyed by women from 19-60. But, it's also a good read for men like m who aren't afraid to be seen with chick-lit in their hands. I give it a strong recommendation. 
If the reader is seeking a romance novel, this may not fill the bill. Although there is plenty of romance here, it is not the end-all of the plot line. Some of its romantic encounters lean a little bluer than I prefer, but that is the only criticism I can make of this book.

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