Marie-Renée Lavoie

Laurie’s parents call her their miracle child because she was born when they had long given up the idea of having a baby. Her mother works in the booth of a hospital parking lot, filling every spare moment reading books. Father works at a garage. Set in 1993 when Laurie was working at a restaurant to save money for university, she took a neglected, potty-mouthed child under her wing, feeding her and teaching by example. Simultaneously, Laurie learns about rules of life in her grown-up world. This is a beautiful story, simple and heartfelt, filled with delightful characters and optimism.

This was my fourth book by Lovoie and I’ve loved every one of them. This one gets five stars.… (altro)

Autopsy of a Boring Wife is the story of Diane, who has recently had her twenty-five year marriage ended by her husband, who has left her for a much-younger woman. Diane, apparently, has been a dull wife, boring, plain, no fun. Diane is actually delightful, and during the book we get to see how her world view and her sense of humour and revenge make her far from boring. She's sassy and intelligent and she learns how to put her own feelings first, instead of being the reflection of someone else's feelings.

I liked the story. It was particularly remarkable for me, as I am another of the women of the world who were broken up with for a much-younger woman. It was such a hard time, and I was made to feel like I had lost all of my interesting character and all of my sex appeal. This book made me realize how far I've come since that dreadful day almost exactly a decade ago, and how glad I am no longer to be with a man who thought so little of me.… (altro)

What an ironic title: our heroine is anything but boring!

This book looks a one woman's experience of finding her marriage, suddenly and unexpectedly, at an end. This is a common occurrence, but one that is rarely widely discussed. We see a very raw portrayal of Diane's emotions and behaviour when her husband of many years leaves her because he's "bored".

In spite of dealing with heavy issues of shock and betrayal, the book is often laugh-out-loud funny as we watch Diane attempt to construct her "new normal". The ending is perfect....happy, but not all wrapped up.… (altro)