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Trouble
A vibrant story of female friendship and midlife sexual awakening from the acclaimed author of The Great Man
Josie is a Manhattan psychotherapist living a comfortable life with her husband and daughter—until, while suddenly flirting with a man at a party, she is struck with the sudden realization that she must leave her passionless marriage. A thrillingly sordid encounter with a stranger she meets at a bar immediately follows. At the same time, her college friend Raquel, a Los Angeles rock star, is being pilloried in the press for sleeping with a much younger man who happens to have a pregnant girlfriend. This proves to be red meat to the gossip hounds of the Internet. The two friends escape to Mexico City for a Christmas holiday of retreat and rediscovery of their essential selves. Sex has gotten these two bright, complicated women into interesting trouble, and the story of their struggles to get out of that trouble is totally gripping at every turn.
A tragicomedy of marriage and friendship, Trouble is a funny, piercing, and moving examination of the battle between the need for connection and the quest for freedom that every modern woman must fight.
Josie is a Manhattan psychotherapist living a comfortable life with her husband and daughter—until, while suddenly flirting with a man at a party, she is struck with the sudden realization that she must leave her passionless marriage. A thrillingly sordid encounter with a stranger she meets at a bar immediately follows. At the same time, her college friend Raquel, a Los Angeles rock star, is being pilloried in the press for sleeping with a much younger man who happens to have a pregnant girlfriend. This proves to be red meat to the gossip hounds of the Internet. The two friends escape to Mexico City for a Christmas holiday of retreat and rediscovery of their essential selves. Sex has gotten these two bright, complicated women into interesting trouble, and the story of their struggles to get out of that trouble is totally gripping at every turn.
A tragicomedy of marriage and friendship, Trouble is a funny, piercing, and moving examination of the battle between the need for connection and the quest for freedom that every modern woman must fight.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
About the author
Kate Christensen
17 books379 followersKATE CHRISTENSEN is the author of eight novels and two food-centric memoirs. Her most recent novel is Welcome Home, Stranger (December 2023). Her fourth novel, The Great Man, won the 2008 PEN/Faulkner Award. Her stories, reviews, and essays have appeared in numerous publications and anthologies. She currently writes a regular monthly column for Frenchly.us called Bouffe. She lives in Taos, New Mexico with her husband and their two dogs.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 214 reviews
January 7, 2011
I really wanted to like this book, because I have heard great things about Kate Christensen's work in the past. But from the first chapter, I knew I was in "trouble." The characters are literary constructs rather than characters, totally unsympathetic and unrealistic in just about every way. From the moment Josie describes herself by looking at her reflection (a tired cliche and a surprisingly lazy gimmick for a PEN/Faulkner award winner to employ), and decided to dump her husband as a result, things go downhill fast. Her decision to leave her husband is the impetus for everything that happens in the book, so it's important that we, as readers, buy into it and are invested in her and her journey. But the decisive moment is so unreal, so oblique, and the guy she is talking to at the time is such a caricature, that the crucial moment of reader investment in the heroine doesn't happen. And never does. I wanted to like her, or at least to care, but I never did. It doesn't help that what follows her introduction are pages and pages of exposition meant to establish what is, at heart, a contrivance. I never believed the relationship between Josie and her world-famous, rock star friend, nor did I care about her journey of self-discover through sex. Her adventures are laden with exposition, contrivance, and stilted conversations that feel so written, so self-conscious, that it's maddening rather than entertaining. My advice: skip this and try one of Christensen's earlier works.
August 19, 2009
This book is about a 45-year-old woman who has an epiphany at a party that she needs to leave her husband. She wanders into a bar, has sex with a much younger man, flies to Mexico for a vacation with a friend, and immediately jumps into a hot affair with about the third guy she meets. So, basically, science fiction.
May 16, 2019
The witty and adroit writer of The Epicure's Lament has seemingly forgotten everything she knows about writing. This tale of a Manhattan therapist's midlife crisis that takes her to Mexico City to keep a crisis-ridden friend--who just happens to be a rock star--company is at once, clunky, cliched and when it comes to rendering Mexico and its citizens, completely patronizing. Even worse, I was just plain bored. I had to keep myself from throwing my copy across the room. I don't know why I'm so polite.
May 29, 2011
I must admit that I had preconceived notions about this book when I glanced at the reviews and ranking, but Kate Christensen is one of my favorite authors and deep down I knew that this was a special book no matter what anyone else thought of it. Trouble is different than her other works, for a change the main character is a woman, so the writing felt much softer, it was properly rounded and followed female insecurities and cravings , making this feel like a completely different work than one would expect from the queen of bringing eccentric men to life in her previous novels. I love that about Kate's book, you never know what to expect, other than a sheer feeling of joy when I hold each of the new books for the very first time.
On top of the fact than it's an intense and full bodied tale, the sticky and sweet, sweaty at times atmosphere of Mexico made me hold my breath a few times. The story seems simple from the birds point of view, but when dissected more closely it's about two very different women and their way to find a happy place that either makes them feel alive or relieves them from their pain. The books is not one dimensional, it deals with the search of fulfilling some deeply buried lust and also with female friendships which can be as bizarre, draining and difficult as a marriage or a family situation. There is an art theme running though the novel and the usual good eating of spicy new foods and drinks, which give the novel life and authenticity, the luxurious charm of Kate's hidden little gems shines through in vivid and charismatic way as she sneaks in brilliant descriptions that make the reader go back and re-read many of the great lines.
Josie who's a forty something NYC therapist decides to do what's right after fifteen years of marriage and focuses on her own selfish needs, her inner woman finally unleashed is faced with a two week vacation and what better way to escape the cold Christmas saturated streets than to a lush and tropical Mexico where Raquel, one of her best friends awaits. Free of men, kids and work worries, the two very different women let go and submerge themselves into a different world, one that holds release, pleasure but also darkness. I didn't feel the need to completely relate to Josie, Raquel or the third of the close knit group, Indrani, in order to like the book, in fact the way their lives seem to fall apart in front of my eyes was more like watching a play that was both tragic and sensual. This might not be for everyone, but I enjoyed it. The heavy drinking gave the book such opulence, such a high pedestal for the women to fall from that it would make most of us think twice about overindulgence which only seemed to lead to more depression or unusual behavior from someone who appears grounded, making Josie very human and vulnerable, bit tough and little selfish but with child like curiosity inside that added warmth to the all ready steamy novel. I was lost in this book for two days and after finishing it I still feel tangled in its aura, now I must patiently wait for the next book, which from what I read online is in the works.
On top of the fact than it's an intense and full bodied tale, the sticky and sweet, sweaty at times atmosphere of Mexico made me hold my breath a few times. The story seems simple from the birds point of view, but when dissected more closely it's about two very different women and their way to find a happy place that either makes them feel alive or relieves them from their pain. The books is not one dimensional, it deals with the search of fulfilling some deeply buried lust and also with female friendships which can be as bizarre, draining and difficult as a marriage or a family situation. There is an art theme running though the novel and the usual good eating of spicy new foods and drinks, which give the novel life and authenticity, the luxurious charm of Kate's hidden little gems shines through in vivid and charismatic way as she sneaks in brilliant descriptions that make the reader go back and re-read many of the great lines.
Josie who's a forty something NYC therapist decides to do what's right after fifteen years of marriage and focuses on her own selfish needs, her inner woman finally unleashed is faced with a two week vacation and what better way to escape the cold Christmas saturated streets than to a lush and tropical Mexico where Raquel, one of her best friends awaits. Free of men, kids and work worries, the two very different women let go and submerge themselves into a different world, one that holds release, pleasure but also darkness. I didn't feel the need to completely relate to Josie, Raquel or the third of the close knit group, Indrani, in order to like the book, in fact the way their lives seem to fall apart in front of my eyes was more like watching a play that was both tragic and sensual. This might not be for everyone, but I enjoyed it. The heavy drinking gave the book such opulence, such a high pedestal for the women to fall from that it would make most of us think twice about overindulgence which only seemed to lead to more depression or unusual behavior from someone who appears grounded, making Josie very human and vulnerable, bit tough and little selfish but with child like curiosity inside that added warmth to the all ready steamy novel. I was lost in this book for two days and after finishing it I still feel tangled in its aura, now I must patiently wait for the next book, which from what I read online is in the works.
December 6, 2009
I picked this book up randomly. It is an ok book. I liked her writing style enough that I put an earlier award winning book of hers on hold at the library (The Great Man). "Trouble" is the story of Josie. Josie is a psychotherapist in New York. She realizes after flirting with a man at a party that she needs to leave her marriage. The marriage is stale. She finds her adopted young teenage daughter distant from her. Very much a part of the story are Josie's two best friends since college years. The dust jacket says "...moving examination of the battle between the need for connection and the quest for freedom that every modern woman must fight" I am not sure if I would put the books emotional content quite to this level, but it was a book with a statement about marriage, motherhood and friendship. There was an ending to the book that I did not expect. Though it dragged in the middle, I did feel satisfied at the end that the author had a story to tell. I am very curious to read another book by Kate Christensen and see how I like it.
December 4, 2009
One thing I like about all Christensen's books is her ability to present characters that are often unlikable, selfish, deeply flawed, self deluded; put them in situations in which they are certain not to be at their best and keep you really interested in them. You don't necessarily like them, or maybe you end up liking them more at the end, but they are always wonderfully human - not charicatures (I can't spell).
The other thing I've found is that her books are very readable, well constructed, quick paced without being rushed.
I liked the book. Women about my age suddenly realizes during a cocktail party that her marriage is over -- and begins acting out. Explores her relationship with two long-time friends, her daughter, new men, etc. Christensen has something to say but isn't making judgments. She just gives you a good story, interesting/messy characters presented with a clear eye and biting humor.
The other thing I've found is that her books are very readable, well constructed, quick paced without being rushed.
I liked the book. Women about my age suddenly realizes during a cocktail party that her marriage is over -- and begins acting out. Explores her relationship with two long-time friends, her daughter, new men, etc. Christensen has something to say but isn't making judgments. She just gives you a good story, interesting/messy characters presented with a clear eye and biting humor.
June 28, 2009
I love Kate Christensen's writing. I think she's establishing a niche with putting some zing into older female characters.(So glad she's moved on from *The Epicure's Lament* phase.)
I wish I could have given her a 3 1/2 for this one. I gobbled it up in three days. It was fun to read--she always does a great job of describing the sensual life of sex and food, and I think a sex scene is the climax (apropos) of the novel. Yet I couldn't help feeling once I finished, "What's this book about?" I'm all about the inner journey of women, and I guess that's the plot, but it seemed more like a meditation on the joys of a long, solitary vacation than an exploration of any deeper, more meaningful issues pertaining to 40-something women. And that might seem unfair, since the whole book purports to be about this, but in the end, I felt like I read a long short story.
I wish I could have given her a 3 1/2 for this one. I gobbled it up in three days. It was fun to read--she always does a great job of describing the sensual life of sex and food, and I think a sex scene is the climax (apropos) of the novel. Yet I couldn't help feeling once I finished, "What's this book about?" I'm all about the inner journey of women, and I guess that's the plot, but it seemed more like a meditation on the joys of a long, solitary vacation than an exploration of any deeper, more meaningful issues pertaining to 40-something women. And that might seem unfair, since the whole book purports to be about this, but in the end, I felt like I read a long short story.
June 27, 2009
I loved this book. One of the best I've read this year. I don't even know where to begin. From the bitter sweet story of friendship, to the rock-n-roll babes in mexico, the well written sex, & the sad yet perfectly drawnending. Bravo. Highly recommended.
May 3, 2011
Okay...it's been a long time since I read a grown-up sexy book. I forgot how embarrassing they can be on the subway.
August 20, 2009
I will read anything Kate Christensen puts out because she is an awesome talent capable of creating vivid, engaging characters and turning a phrase of such breathtaking beauty in their simplicity it is truly astounding.
That alone warrants each and every one of her novels 5 stars in my book. However in my opinion, as of late, her writing has suffered from a lack of story. The Great Man, and now Trouble, both read as outlines for a larger, richer, more involved story. After the brilliance of Jeremy Thrane and Epicure's Lament, Trouble lacks in the story department.
When I saw Christensen at a reading in support of Trouble she said she wrote it in 3 months. I believe it. The problem is, it reads like a rough draft. Like a skeleton of a novel that not only needs further fleshing out but also could benefit from some serious editing as well. No doubt this could be the fault of her publishers who may have been eager for Christensen to capitalize on her recent PEN/Faulker award by getting something out as soon as possbible.
The story pretty much goes like this: Josie decides to divorce her husband and stops speaking to one of her friends over her decision. She hightails it to Mexico City to meet up with her best friend, legendary rock star Raquel, who is hiding out after a huge scandal. The two of them wander the city, eat, drink, talk, and flirt with men. Josie infuriatingly does not recognize that Raquel has relapsed into alcohol and herion use and as a friend, and therapist, is not so observant. They continue their merriment in Mexico and then the novel comes to a fairly lackluster and sudden conclusion.
What is really lacking with Trouble that made Christensen's earlier work so engaging is a dearth of character development. Josie is an unreliable protagonist who makes completely unbelievable choices given the fact that she is a therapist. Raquel is a two dimensional character with very little exposition to make one feel for her or her travails. And the other, more engaging characters are peripheral characters who skim the sidelines like the third friend Indrani; husband Anthony; or artist David, whose character arc becomes a complete what the f@*! cop out on Christensen's part.
If nothing else, read Trouble for Christensen's impeccable writing and wonderful use of words but don't expect much else. Or better yet, try out In The Drink or Jeremy Thrane instead.
That alone warrants each and every one of her novels 5 stars in my book. However in my opinion, as of late, her writing has suffered from a lack of story. The Great Man, and now Trouble, both read as outlines for a larger, richer, more involved story. After the brilliance of Jeremy Thrane and Epicure's Lament, Trouble lacks in the story department.
When I saw Christensen at a reading in support of Trouble she said she wrote it in 3 months. I believe it. The problem is, it reads like a rough draft. Like a skeleton of a novel that not only needs further fleshing out but also could benefit from some serious editing as well. No doubt this could be the fault of her publishers who may have been eager for Christensen to capitalize on her recent PEN/Faulker award by getting something out as soon as possbible.
The story pretty much goes like this: Josie decides to divorce her husband and stops speaking to one of her friends over her decision. She hightails it to Mexico City to meet up with her best friend, legendary rock star Raquel, who is hiding out after a huge scandal. The two of them wander the city, eat, drink, talk, and flirt with men. Josie infuriatingly does not recognize that Raquel has relapsed into alcohol and herion use and as a friend, and therapist, is not so observant. They continue their merriment in Mexico and then the novel comes to a fairly lackluster and sudden conclusion.
What is really lacking with Trouble that made Christensen's earlier work so engaging is a dearth of character development. Josie is an unreliable protagonist who makes completely unbelievable choices given the fact that she is a therapist. Raquel is a two dimensional character with very little exposition to make one feel for her or her travails. And the other, more engaging characters are peripheral characters who skim the sidelines like the third friend Indrani; husband Anthony; or artist David, whose character arc becomes a complete what the f@*! cop out on Christensen's part.
If nothing else, read Trouble for Christensen's impeccable writing and wonderful use of words but don't expect much else. Or better yet, try out In The Drink or Jeremy Thrane instead.
October 11, 2009
This is one of those books that sounded good on the flap cover, and raised a lot of issues that I normally enjoy reading about. The delivery, however, left a lot to be desired. The book focuses on Josie, a psychotherapist in a seemingly loveless marriage, who decided to leave her husband and precocious tween daughter to focus on her mid-life crisis. Her two best friends present her with conflicting views on the situation. Indrani, a single millionaire, offers a judgmental stance, questioning whether Josie has tried hard enough in her marriage. Unable to deal with the question, Josie flees to Mexico City to be with their third friend, Raquel, a famous rock star running away from her own fidelity problems. Once in Mexico, Josie experiences freedom she apparently was never able to enjoy in her structured life back home. While intended (I think) to be Josie's coming-of-age-late-in-life story, it seemed more like a reckless and irresponsible Spring Break, only more pathetic given that the main character should probably know better. Not so say that Josie isn't entitled to some fun, but mostly she came across and selfish and strikingly lacking in self-reflection, despite her profession. I mostly found this book annoying - and Josie's entire life quite uncomfortable - from her passionless husband to her brilliant yet vapid daughter to her shallow supposed life-long friends. The shocking twist at the end failed to bring about the deep reflection I expected, and ultimately, I was left wanting run way myself - far far away from this book.
July 4, 2011
I read this because Kate Christensen has been on my list to check out for quite some time and because I was going to review her newest book, The Astral.
I was underwhelmed at first, feeling like I was reading Anita Shreve, whom I liked when I read her early books but lost interest in after a while. The story in Trouble is about female friendship, a subject usually found in very light "women's" fiction. But the writing was smooth and pulled me along. Josie, a New York City psychotherapist, decides to leave her husband, so she goes to Mexico to hang out with her best friend from college.
The friend is an aged-out rock star, a recovering addict, a woman who once had it all in terms of fame but specializes in bad ideas. They spend their days sightseeing in Mexico City, eating and (starting during the afternoon) drinking way too much into the early morning hours. They spend time with local artists. Josie begins a hot flirtation with one of the painters, intending to catch up on all the sex she wasn't getting from her husband.
Christensen's writing (the characters, the scenes in Mexico, except please-she even does a bullfight), the way she sneaks in a sense of impending doom, are what save the novel. Then the doom arrives, after which Josie goes back to New York. The trouble is, she hasn't changed much. She had her adventure in Mexico, she got her own apartment, she has a better relationship with her teenage daughter, but she is still a self-centered psychotherapist in Manhattan.
I am hoping The Astral is better.
April 23, 2011
I picked this book up on the strength of the "winner of the Pen/Faulkner award for her novel 'The Great Man'" on the cover. After just thirty pages I had to stop and look at the list of previous Pen/Faulkner award winners to verify the claim. It is true; Christensen is listed there among authors I read and admire. So I started to read again. Five pages later I put the book down. Cool-whip has more substance than the characters in this book. So far there is no plot. The characters are barely one-dimensional. The settings are non-existent, literally! "Attended a northeastern college" - ok, which one? "A well-appointed apartment" - really? How so? The narrator is so vapidly shallow that I can see why her husband's passion left the building decades before... the only mystery this book presents to me is how it got published. Harsh, I know, but I have so many other books deserving of my limited reading time. If books were breakfast cereals, this book would be puffed wheat. I haven't read the author's Pen/Faulkner novel "The Great Man" and don't think I ever will; this book, as empty of calories as artificial sweetener, leaves me desirous of never hearing the author's name again.
July 23, 2009
I finally finished my Orchard Beach read. I had a number of problems with this book, all of which were magnified by the book's end. Raquel's sudden death is handled with an unbelievable bluntness, considering that she is Josie's best friend. And the deeply mysterious, possibly sinister David? Oh, he's just gay! That explains it. On the other hand, there were some praisable details: I like the way Kate Christensen writes flirting dialogue: it's insipid, but that's because the delivery is all about inflection. No one flirts intelligently, because it scares people off. So she got that right. And I also like the way Christensen used "trundled" in her last sentence. Good word choice. But aside from that? One star. Disappointing, considering The Great Man was almost universally acclaimed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 21, 2014
If you don't suppose that a work of art has any relationship to moral behavior, then I guess you can go ahead and love this book. Otherwise, what's to like? A woman who decides that her marriage is boring, and on the night of that decision has sex with a man who is not her husband? This has that. The woman hopes her child will understand, which never really happens in real life? Check. Husband is also super-understanding of her need to find herself? Of course! Runs off to Mexico to be with her rock-star friend and immediately has a tryst with *another* guy? Sure, why not?
Her rock-star friend ends up killing herself, which wasn't obvious until, like, page 30, and which when it happens will have you saying to yourself, "Oh. Finally."
Hated it. And besides all that, it wasn't even fun.
Her rock-star friend ends up killing herself, which wasn't obvious until, like, page 30, and which when it happens will have you saying to yourself, "Oh. Finally."
Hated it. And besides all that, it wasn't even fun.
July 30, 2009
"Although a few reviewers found Trouble quite compelling, many felt that it doesn't quite measure up to Christensen's previous novels. A sensitive story about friendship between middle-aged women, it contains the author's trademark wit, sharp dialogue, and local color. However, a few critics cited Josie as a relatively simple creature when compared with some of Christensen's past women -- an unsympathetic narrator who, lacking insight into her own heart, is fascinating in only a voyeuristic way. Also, despite the title, the storyline had little sense of urgency -- from Josie's split to her Mexican adventures. For those who fantasize about leaving everything (and everyone?) behind, the consequences seem muted. That's both wishful thinking ... and not as interesting."
January 12, 2011
Kate Christensen is a master of character development, in a way that might not be immediately evident but sneaks up on you as a book progresses. At the beginning of Trouble, I thought the scaffolding for the story was kind of creaky, and I almost didn't continue after the first chapter. But then...once the setting shifted to Mexico City and the story lasered in on the two female protagonists, Christensen hooked me. Although a very different kind of story from her widely heralded The Great Man, this exploration of sexuality, loss, renewal, and reconciliation is no less authentic or layered. And, the characters have stayed in my head weeks after finishing the book, which surprised me.
July 28, 2009
One star ... I guess you can tell I didn't like this book. It's the story of middle age women, best friends, in crisis. One is a therapist bored with her marriage; the other is an ex-drug addict, fading/aging rock star. They go away to Mexico and party like they're teenagers. (I didn't quite understand how a therapist wouldn't see the dangers of supporting and participating in drinking binges with her friend who had addiction problems!) I didn't care about either character one way or the other. This was a disappointing read.
November 6, 2009
My mom recommended this to me, so I'd hoped that it would have some message. I read it avidly, which is not true for many books, but I got mad at the end.
All I can glean is "don't think that just because you've asked a psychologist to accompany you on a trip that you'll be able to avoid killing yourself" and I'm not the only one who foolishly thinks that if you put on a condom half way though sex that it's safe.
All I can glean is "don't think that just because you've asked a psychologist to accompany you on a trip that you'll be able to avoid killing yourself" and I'm not the only one who foolishly thinks that if you put on a condom half way though sex that it's safe.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 30, 2015
i really liked kate christensen's essay in "selfish, shallow & self-absorbed" so i grabbed this book without really knowing much about it. i thought it was fascinating and well-written, and very melancholy, which is just what i was in the mood for. read the whole thing in maybe 3 sittings, would definitely pick up more by her.
May 17, 2009
I have been a big fan of two of Kate Christensen's prior offerings. This one was disappointing. The writing is strong but the plot is tired and the characters flat. Reads more like a formulaic bestseller than the literary fiction I've come to expect from Christensen.
July 29, 2009
Started out pretty good but fell flat about 1/3 the way through when the characters changed locale to Mexico. Another book where women seem so desperate to have sex - what is up with that? I guess sex sells - enough already.
June 5, 2017
This book wasn't a smooth ride, by any means, but I still felt like I was on vacation. I loved the fallible characters and the journey they took through Mexico City for one week in December. Can't wait to read more by Kate Christensen.
August 18, 2009
what? her other books are good! this one is like a soap opera that meanders thru mexico city. it did make me want a good chimichanga, and it was entertaining, but that's about it.
December 12, 2015
I recognize that Trouble and The Astral aren't her best work, but Christensen never fails me.
December 16, 2018
First of all, I love Christensen’s writing. The descriptions really draw you in, and main character Josie tells this story with a sharp wit and interesting insights. I loved the way that she described the world around her.
The story started out so fascinating - a woman coming to an epiphany about what she wants from life. Her husband of fifteen years is depressed and boring, and her thirteen-year-old daughter shuts her out. Josie decides to divorce listless Anthony. A therapist, she ruminates about what is wrong with her marriage and what to do about it and shows such smart thinking and emotional intelligence about all of her relationships.
BUT... then the novel ends up being mostly focused on a trip Josie takes to Mexico City with her best friend, who happens to be a huge pop star and recovering drug addict. The story morphs into a sort of Stella Got Her Groove Back for white people, complete with constant drunkenness, a handsome and attentive brown man, and lots of satisfying sexual chemistry and eventual sex.
As a parentheses, I thought that Josie’s wokeness and smarts went right out the window when it came to processing Mexico and the Mexican artists she meets. Her perceptions were condescending and exoticizing and I couldn’t tell if Christensen did that to show how her character would really think (believable) or if she was clueless too. Josie’s best friend Raquel,a Latina of mixed Hispanic/Jewish heritage, doesn’t do much to shed light on the culture, and I thought her character was pretty flat.
So all the teasers that were set up at the beginning of the novel... how will Stella (I mean Josie)find happiness for herself? How will she deal with her divorce, the stresses and dissatisfactions of her life? Most of all, what will improve her always disappointing relationship with her daughter? ...end up moving to the background, unsolved. Unless you count their resolution as going to Mexico and spending five sensuous days drinking and fucking, and then a tragedy happens (predictable yet also nonsensical and removing once again the book from the realm of real life), and then you come home and we don’t see how everything gets worked out.
I liked that the novel focuses on female friendship, but in the end, I don’t know what it asa whole really has to say about it. Typical to this book. In the midst of a bunch of mixed messages and escapism, Christensen inserts this gem:
(About her best friend) “Maybe she and I had failed each other by allowing each other to be ourselves, and maybe that was the inevitable consequence of true friendship.”
Perhaps the most frustrating for me was the way that Josie describes her relationship with her shallow and distant daughter, yet the actual interactions with her are all polite and drama-free, then the relationship is seemingly cured, like all of Josie’s other problems, by her stint in Mexico.
The plot of this novel frustrated me more than the writing enchanted me.
The story started out so fascinating - a woman coming to an epiphany about what she wants from life. Her husband of fifteen years is depressed and boring, and her thirteen-year-old daughter shuts her out. Josie decides to divorce listless Anthony. A therapist, she ruminates about what is wrong with her marriage and what to do about it and shows such smart thinking and emotional intelligence about all of her relationships.
BUT... then the novel ends up being mostly focused on a trip Josie takes to Mexico City with her best friend, who happens to be a huge pop star and recovering drug addict. The story morphs into a sort of Stella Got Her Groove Back for white people, complete with constant drunkenness, a handsome and attentive brown man, and lots of satisfying sexual chemistry and eventual sex.
As a parentheses, I thought that Josie’s wokeness and smarts went right out the window when it came to processing Mexico and the Mexican artists she meets. Her perceptions were condescending and exoticizing and I couldn’t tell if Christensen did that to show how her character would really think (believable) or if she was clueless too. Josie’s best friend Raquel,a Latina of mixed Hispanic/Jewish heritage, doesn’t do much to shed light on the culture, and I thought her character was pretty flat.
So all the teasers that were set up at the beginning of the novel... how will Stella (I mean Josie)find happiness for herself? How will she deal with her divorce, the stresses and dissatisfactions of her life? Most of all, what will improve her always disappointing relationship with her daughter? ...end up moving to the background, unsolved. Unless you count their resolution as going to Mexico and spending five sensuous days drinking and fucking, and then a tragedy happens (predictable yet also nonsensical and removing once again the book from the realm of real life), and then you come home and we don’t see how everything gets worked out.
I liked that the novel focuses on female friendship, but in the end, I don’t know what it asa whole really has to say about it. Typical to this book. In the midst of a bunch of mixed messages and escapism, Christensen inserts this gem:
(About her best friend) “Maybe she and I had failed each other by allowing each other to be ourselves, and maybe that was the inevitable consequence of true friendship.”
Perhaps the most frustrating for me was the way that Josie describes her relationship with her shallow and distant daughter, yet the actual interactions with her are all polite and drama-free, then the relationship is seemingly cured, like all of Josie’s other problems, by her stint in Mexico.
The plot of this novel frustrated me more than the writing enchanted me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 8, 2019
Hmmmm... I am really not sure how I feel about this book. I finished it a few days ago and never go around to writing a review. I gravitate towards books where the main character is a therapist because I am a licensed clinical social worker in private practice (albeit in a very small town, not Manhattan, like Josie, the protagonist). Many people expressed dissatisfaction with the way that Josie realized she needed to leave her marriage --- a sudden epiphany dawned on her when she glimpsed herself in the mirror at a party. I do think that we can have a momentous decision come crashing down if it has been kind of brewing in the background. And Josie was aware that her marriage had grown pretty stale. There were other things that I found harder to swallow, such as how her inability to connect with her [teenage] adopted daughter suddenly transforms when she leaves the dad. Also, she jets off to Mexico City to support her rock star best friend (from college), and doesn't seem to quite get the memo that her friend is suicidal. So, she goes off to have the best sex of her life while said friend overdoses. Like, really? You are a therapist! She TOLD you quite bluntly she was done. She had clearly relapsed and was back on hard drugs. What did you think might happen?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 25, 2018
I was looking for The Last Cruise, which was checked out of the library, but found this and thought I'd get familiar with Kate Christensen.
Well... It was so ludicrous at times, I could barely get through it. Let's start with Josie's family's reaction to her request for a separation. Husband: Oh. That's sad. Let's take our clothes off and just sleep through the night. Daughter: Go for it, mom. I know you've been unhappy.
Maybe that's the way things go on Planet Wishful Thinking, but here on Earth, no kid wants their family to break up. Unless they're getting abused, and even then, kids' loyalties are strong.
The only remotely believable response came from the friend, whom Josie subsequently considered dumping. Further dispatches from Planet WT: Being lusted over by younger guys. Nothing wrong in principle, of course, but in this fantasy fest, it's just more fantasy. Ugh. Though I'm still going for The Last Cruise (when that ship comes into the library).
Well... It was so ludicrous at times, I could barely get through it. Let's start with Josie's family's reaction to her request for a separation. Husband: Oh. That's sad. Let's take our clothes off and just sleep through the night. Daughter: Go for it, mom. I know you've been unhappy.
Maybe that's the way things go on Planet Wishful Thinking, but here on Earth, no kid wants their family to break up. Unless they're getting abused, and even then, kids' loyalties are strong.
The only remotely believable response came from the friend, whom Josie subsequently considered dumping. Further dispatches from Planet WT: Being lusted over by younger guys. Nothing wrong in principle, of course, but in this fantasy fest, it's just more fantasy. Ugh. Though I'm still going for The Last Cruise (when that ship comes into the library).
January 11, 2025
I loved this book, another discovered treasure living on my bookshelf. I think I picked it up at a library sale. This is the first book I've read by this author, though I think I've read some essays by her back in the day. The main character Josie, a psychologist in NYC, makes a sudden decision to end her marriage and ends up running off to Mexico City to spend time with her rock star best friend who is escaping a scandal. I loved spending time with Josie - we get to travel with her, eat the foods of the city, see the sights, and watch as she meets some new friends. There are elements of romance and themes of female friendship. I was enthralled the whole time.
February 18, 2021
I enjoyed this book because it made me feel like I was visiting Mexico. I didn't love the plot line as much as the feeling of being transported. The armchair traveler that I am. Takes a good writer to do this.
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