Saxon Bennett
Bella Books
9781594930942 $13.95
www.bellabooks.com
Meet Chris McCoy, a charming, neurotic lesbian mail carrier living in Albuquerque, N.M., and member of a group of middle-aged lesbian friends who find themselves single, AGAIN. They decide to commit themselves to finding not just a lover-for-the-moment but a "perfect mate." Thus they form the "Date Night Club" where "Instead of letting love fall to chance, they would research it, explore all the places where it might lurk or frolic and nail it to the wall of each of their futures" (40).
The club members are an eccentric mix of women who provide a great deal of heart and humor on their "quest" for love. There is Bernadette Chevez Maestas, known as B., a high-energy and highly successful realtor with a physique akin to Dolly Parton's. Sarah K. Roswell is the pastry chef/business woman behind a well known line of creme puffs available in upscale groceries. Sarah calls herself "Midge" because as a Little Person, she feels she might as well control and embrace her identity with disarming, self affirming humor. Luce is the resident bohemian-earth-mother-artist-type who works in large scale stained glass and may still be grieving her late lover. And Amadeus, a tall, blue-eyed, red-haired German Amazon, runs The Zoo, a hip restaurant that's popular with "club members."
The group makes monthly forays dubbed "date night" that include volunteering at the local pride-fest picnic and attending a book group sponsored by the local women's bookstore. In the latter scene, Alex Taylor, the author of the month's selection, is in attendance because she hopes for feedback from readers. (Her book, titled "The Heiress," bears a striking resemblance to the story line of Bennett's book Talk Back.) Particularly amusing is the hot seat on which the author finds herself when her literary use of pickles is criticized by two very uptight feminist readers. The discussion that results is bizarre and hilarious. While no reader should assume an autobiographical origin to any novel, one can not help but wonder if Bennett is exorcising some particular experience with this wickedly funny scene. Alex Taylor's rather plaintively confused comment, "The pickle heiress was meant to be funny," (75), says it all.
Date Night Club is a very fine example of what Saxon Bennett does best: She creates a funny, charming and very human ensemble cast of lesbians, then carries her readers through an arc of challenge and growth with them. I laughed out loud several times, especially in regard to B.'s type A dominating, if well meaning, approach to orchestrating not only her own life but those of her good friends. The scene with the duct tape still gets me to smile.Dog people will love The Pipster, who makes Lassie look ill-trained, and the flyball games. Date Night Club is one of the funniest books I've read in a very long time, and is in my opinion the best of Bennett's many charming novels, in that her characters are so clearly defined and articulated from the very beginning, making the story a pleasure to follow. Give Date Night Club a try, you might not find your true love, but you're sure to enjoy the evening.
-MJ Lowe
Showing posts with label Author: Bennett. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Author: Bennett. Show all posts
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Friday, June 23, 2006
Back Talk
Saxon Bennett
Bella Books
www.bellabooks.com
1594930287, $13.95
"WKRP" comes out with some queerly quirky fun!
Intelligent, witty, and classy -- not to mention beautiful -- Anne Counterman, a successful talk show host in Seattle, is facing her 40th birthday with trepidation. Over a year ago, her husband Gerald left her for a man, an event that still hurts and haunts her. Further and more currently troublesome, Anne has become bored with her radio work. In an effort to improve her show and rekindle her own interest in work, Anne finds a new web wizard to revamp her website. Enter Hilton Withers.
Hilton Withers is also at a turning point. Reared by her grandmother after the death of her mother when she was six, Hilton is "Senator Percy Withers' estranged lesbian … daughter." (15) For the last few years Hilton has been trying to decide what she'll do with her life. Her grandmother's death has made her heiress to a pickle company fortune and she has fulfilled the estate requirement that she graduate college. Currently Hilton lives in a small garden cottage behind the Victorian house she shared with her grandmother. She moved there because of the perpetual parties hosted by her two roommates and her girlfriend, Nat.
Natalie was Hilton's first love, but it is a rocky, complicated, and increasingly disconnected relationship. In truth it's time they broke up but confronting issues is not Hilton's best skill. However, at the radio station Hilton finds that she enjoys her work, begins to think of herself as more accomplished and "adult" and finds that she cares about her coworkers, one in particular.
Add to this possible romance a group of quirky characters like: Veronica, the control freak show's producer who, it turns out, could give Martha Stewart a run for her homemaker money and is a "fourth-generation lesbian" (143); Lillian, the show's septuagenarian, hard-of-hearing, call-screener; Hilton's lesbian roommates, Jessie the "irresponsible" one who is looking for her future; and Liz the grad student who is dating a woman who carries around a teddy bear named Amelia Bearhart; and Shannon, Hilton's Great Pyrenees dog, who accompanies her everywhere and is remarkably clear at expressing her opinions. (She's been known to pee on people who are upsetting Hilton.)
Back Talk is an example of what Saxon Bennett does best; She gives readers a fast-paced, funny novel that is delightful to read. She creates the lesbian-centered sit-com that you WISH were on TV, a queer WKRP if you will. Her characterization, especially early in the story, is a little weak and can make differentiating some women confusing. However, the dialogue is quick and witty. The situations range from the outrageous and bawdy -- as when Shannon acquires a large purple silicon pleasure item as a chew toy -- to the touching -- as Amelia Bearhart gets lost (of course), found, and a woman grows as a result. Add a charming romance with some satisfyingly heated exchanges and you too will want to tune in to Back Talk.
-MJ Lowe
Bella Books
www.bellabooks.com
1594930287, $13.95
"WKRP" comes out with some queerly quirky fun!
Intelligent, witty, and classy -- not to mention beautiful -- Anne Counterman, a successful talk show host in Seattle, is facing her 40th birthday with trepidation. Over a year ago, her husband Gerald left her for a man, an event that still hurts and haunts her. Further and more currently troublesome, Anne has become bored with her radio work. In an effort to improve her show and rekindle her own interest in work, Anne finds a new web wizard to revamp her website. Enter Hilton Withers.
Hilton Withers is also at a turning point. Reared by her grandmother after the death of her mother when she was six, Hilton is "Senator Percy Withers' estranged lesbian … daughter." (15) For the last few years Hilton has been trying to decide what she'll do with her life. Her grandmother's death has made her heiress to a pickle company fortune and she has fulfilled the estate requirement that she graduate college. Currently Hilton lives in a small garden cottage behind the Victorian house she shared with her grandmother. She moved there because of the perpetual parties hosted by her two roommates and her girlfriend, Nat.
Natalie was Hilton's first love, but it is a rocky, complicated, and increasingly disconnected relationship. In truth it's time they broke up but confronting issues is not Hilton's best skill. However, at the radio station Hilton finds that she enjoys her work, begins to think of herself as more accomplished and "adult" and finds that she cares about her coworkers, one in particular.
Add to this possible romance a group of quirky characters like: Veronica, the control freak show's producer who, it turns out, could give Martha Stewart a run for her homemaker money and is a "fourth-generation lesbian" (143); Lillian, the show's septuagenarian, hard-of-hearing, call-screener; Hilton's lesbian roommates, Jessie the "irresponsible" one who is looking for her future; and Liz the grad student who is dating a woman who carries around a teddy bear named Amelia Bearhart; and Shannon, Hilton's Great Pyrenees dog, who accompanies her everywhere and is remarkably clear at expressing her opinions. (She's been known to pee on people who are upsetting Hilton.)
Back Talk is an example of what Saxon Bennett does best; She gives readers a fast-paced, funny novel that is delightful to read. She creates the lesbian-centered sit-com that you WISH were on TV, a queer WKRP if you will. Her characterization, especially early in the story, is a little weak and can make differentiating some women confusing. However, the dialogue is quick and witty. The situations range from the outrageous and bawdy -- as when Shannon acquires a large purple silicon pleasure item as a chew toy -- to the touching -- as Amelia Bearhart gets lost (of course), found, and a woman grows as a result. Add a charming romance with some satisfyingly heated exchanges and you too will want to tune in to Back Talk.
-MJ Lowe
Wednesday, April 7, 2004
Talk of the Town
Saxon Bennett
Bella Books
193151318X
"Lesbians need a patron saint. We could call her Saint Vulva." (100.) This musing from one of the women in Saxon Bennett's novel, Talk of the Town sets the tone for much of the humor and antics.
Bella Books
193151318X
"Lesbians need a patron saint. We could call her Saint Vulva." (100.) This musing from one of the women in Saxon Bennett's novel, Talk of the Town sets the tone for much of the humor and antics.
Mallory, an attractive, intelligent lesbian who runs the successful Kokopelli-was-an-Alien vending machine company in Phoenix, Arizona is seeing a psychotherapist to deal with the trauma of her broken heart. Three years ago Caroline left. Since then, Mallory has worn nothing but pajamas and spends a great deal of time lost in her imaginary world aka the "Republic of Mallory." That is until she meets a new physician in town, a woman named Del.
Mallory's best friend Gigi is an artist who struggles with her ambivalence over artistic success while she works at the local sex toy shop. Although in a relationship with Alex, Gigi loves to flirt and she has flirted with Mallory for years. Still she has been true to Alex. Or has she? Kim is a nurse who works with Del and is getting over her relationship with Ollie. Meanwhile, Alex realizes that her happenstance relationship with Gigi might not equal love.
If you're starting to feel like you'd like to have a score card to keep track of some of the antics of these women, you're not alone. Bennett's cast of characters is sometimes confusing to the reader. This is particularly true in the book's early pages. However, this weakness is mild in comparison to the story's pleasure factor. There are lots of witty and touching moments in Talk of the Town as well as a few surprises.
Bennett's women are intelligent, delightful entertainment that is reminiscent of early Rita Mae Brown novels, including her use of fiction to depict and detail contemporary political issues. A favorite example for this reader are the antics of Gigi's Aunt Lil with her partner and other crones who live in a trailer park in the desert. These women have been known to receive a misdemeanor or two for their political actions. "They sent Anita Bryant a rainbow colored set of dildoes, the President a box of cigars with pubic hair attached, [and] Jerry Falwell a leatherman Billy doll" in their mailing campaign alone. (101)
Bennett's clear affection and appreciation of lesbians allows for her to poke fun at some of the community's foibles without becoming pedantic. As with life, not everyone is wonderful but most have redeeming qualities. And Bennett's optimistic approach to life makes for amusing, often charming moments. A fast paced, entertaining read, Bennett has introduced an interesting ensemble cast of lesbians. Apparently the first of several books featuring these women, Talk of the Town is primarily Mallory's story. There are clearly threads left to explore in this crowd. This reviewer will be looking forward to future installments.
-MJ Lowe
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