Caitlin, on the other hand, lives part of the year with her wealthy mother Phoebe, who’s just moved to Albuquerque, and summers with her father Lamb, equally affluent, on the Vineyard. Victoria, or more commonly Vix, lives in a small house her brother has muscular dystrophy her mother is unhappy, and money is scarce. In sixth grade, when Victoria Weaver is asked by new girl Caitlin Somers to spend the summer with her on Martha’s Vineyard, her life changes forever. The years pass by at a fast and steamy clip in Blume’s latest adult novel (Wifey, not reviewed Smart Women, 1984) as two friends find loyalties and affections tested as they grow into young women. In the end, Diane and her friends cook up an extremely satisfying and well-timed showdown that will leave readers satisfied.Ī sweet, but not saccharine, comic novel. The author’s real-life experience with professional fundraising makes such concerns in the novel ring true. Brown’s exploration of Hal’s character also goes beneath the surface to look at the politics of Boston’s academic and Brahmin worlds.

Hal’s well-drawn narcissism is funny and exasperating, and the excerpt from the book he’s “writing” is a dead-on portrayal of egotistical self-delusion. Diane’s wry, comic voice is smart and enjoyable, and her romantic travails realistically lead her to greater self-knowledge.

The characters’ well-developed back stories allow readers to make sense of their personalities and choices. A novel that features abandoned pets and animals could be heavy-handed, but Brown ( (A)Musings, 2013, etc.) has a light touch, acknowledging sadness but avoiding gratuitous sentimentality. (At one point, Diane describes him as “ Brad Pitt on the outside, Borat on the inside.”) When Hal finally overreaches, Diane and friends begin a covert investigation, aided by Diane’s friend and roommate Genie, a reporter for a local paper-but Diane’s relationship with Mark, Hal’s son, complicates things. They sympathize with Diane, but Hal is the board of directors’ golden boy, despite his crudity and malapropisms. Her co-workers-Hal’s assistant, Betty, and Southern belle fundraising director, Mary-Day-are smart women, dedicated to animal welfare. But her boss, Hal Mason, keeps thwarting her best ideas in favor of his own vanity projects. Fed-up employees of a Boston pet-shelter network plot the comeuppance of their egomaniacal boss in this comic novel.ĭiane Salvi, 25, the new communications director of the Animal Protection Organization, is a conscientious animal lover who wants to make a real contribution.

Animal Cracker by Andi Brown