Thirteen short stories inspired by quotes from Mae West. The thirteen narrators are all American women challenged by their relationships with men but there the similarity ends. Some are brave, some are fearful, some are passive, some are active. The stories are interesting and there is a barbed wit informing the writing; the blurb emphasises the author's one-liners but for me the high point was a single paragraph in which a man finding a parking ticket goes through the five stages of grief in one speech. ( )

I first read this book as a requirement for a writing class, and I fell in love with "The Husbands." The character is wicked and endearing, and the story is funny and heartbreaking. The interspersed quotes from Mae West announce that the author is not a wallflower and is unafraid of breaking from convention. Her characters are sweet and naïve. ( )