This book never rang true for me. ( )

I LOVE MARTHA EVERGREEN…fact.

I grabbed this book from the shelf when shooting out the door on business for a week…an hour later, landing in Auckland, I had read 11 chapters and was hooked. In retrospect it may not have been the writing, but when Parks described Martha as a semi-Princess Di-esque person, no more need be said. If EL James had described that bint in ’50 Shades..’ the same way I may well have considered that piece of shit a work of art…anyways…

…so this book follows two sisters over a year; Martha, the well-to-do, prim and proper lady with the perfect life, hubby, kids, big house yadi yadi yada…Eliza, her younger sister, while the closest thing in Martha’s life, is the antithesis; rock’n'rolling, flat-dwelling, hip girl with the hot, nowhere man of a boyfriend who is apparently as good as Christian Grey is at giving multiple orgasms to the furniture.

Then as suddenly as you meet them, both lives are changed. Eliza leaves her stud muffin in search of a life-like Martha’s; pension plans, kids, tidiness, beige elbow pads. Meanwhile, Martha’s perfect husband walks out on her…and Eliza moves in.

So the story follows Martha begging Michael (for that is her husband’s name) back, going through hell on Earth, and trying to set up her sister with one of her ‘sensible’ (read boring) friends…all of which are in love with Martha.

Eliza, for her part, starts teaching Martha how to forget Michael, move on, change and maybe get a root thrown in for good measure.

Well, I don’t want to give too much away, as it is a book you should read. Sure, it’s a bit girly-girl, in the same vein as Marian Keyes I guess, however I particularly loved this book (aside of Martha of course) as it is funny, in a serious kinda way, and serious in a funny kind of way…but at all times it felt real, if you know what I mean…nothing was particularly fanciful or ‘made for Hollywood’, well, not all of it…

…and Miss, Ms (or as the case may be, Mr) James, when Parks writes sex she blitzes your tripe…first, orgasms are just that,not towering pillars of embellished ecstasy-filled exhaustion, and pools of desire…

…oh yeah, it might have been because I was tired, or in love with Martha, but I actually cried at the end…I think I was tired.

Other ‘reviews’ of this book have slated it at points, but as far as I can tell, it is better than that, to the point I would rate it one of the most enjoyable, not necessarily the best, books I have read.

Martha, call me sometime… ( )

http://www.shvoong.com/books/romance/1757585-woman-s-shoes/ ( )