I'm excited to announce that the Manic Mommies Book Club will be reading Helen of Pasadena in January (2011). Several of the manic mommies listeners must also be fans - I can't tell you how many email requests I had for this book to be a book club selection in 2011.
Update Jan 2011: We had a wonderful discussion with Lian, the call is available on iTunes or click here to listen online (lower right side of page)
Synopsis: Helen Fairchild leads a privileged existence. It only bothers her a tiny bit that she has never quite fit in with the proper Pasadena crowd, never finished that graduate degree in Classics, and never had that second baby. But the rigid rules of Pasadena society appeal to Helen, the daughter of Oregon fiber artists, even if she'll never be an insider.
Type: Fiction
Quick Take: Recommend - I loved reading this book, it's what I like to call smart women's lit! I even teared up towards the end of the novel when I thought someone doing righting a wrong (you read that right, tears). But I can't tell you the scene or the event or it would spoil a storyline.
This book makes you think about the person you dreamed you would be before life got in the way. Helen's sudden loss doesn't allow time for sulking, after months of finding her way she rediscovers herself (a strong, confident, independant person, someone people respect and want to be near). We will have so much to discuss when we meet in January.
The interview at the back of the book suggests that the author is working on two other books set in Pasadena. I wonder how long I have to wait for her second book to be published.
Rating: 4/5 stars
Source: Review Copy