It seems appropriate to title this review with a quote from RENT, because about three-quarters of the way through, I had to get up and put the soundtrack on just to get it out of my head.
I understand the author's point - HIV/AIDS is a non-sequiter that completely disrupts lives. That said, it ran away with the narrative and turned the book from enjoyable chick lit escapism to, well, RENT (complete with reference to a drag queen named Angel!) A guide for my fellow musical theater buffs:
Cath = Roger, closed off from the world until the right person comes along
James = Mimi, flawed but still the right person
Lucy = Mark, the straight friend who wants to help everyone
Josh = Benny, gets a bad rep but isn't so bad after all
Portia = Maureen, every time she came into the story I heard "Tango: Maureen" even before the plot shifted!
Si = sometimes he's Collins, sometimes he's Angel
Luckily, I love RENT. I enjoyed this book even though it threw me for a loop. It's worth a read if you like Jane Green's writing (although Jemima J is still hands down my favorite book of hers), or if you're in the mood for chick lit with a message. Just make sure you have your RENT CDs handy if you're prone to adding soundtracks to books in your head!
I understand the author's point - HIV/AIDS is a non-sequiter that completely disrupts lives. That said, it ran away with the narrative and turned the book from enjoyable chick lit escapism to, well, RENT (complete with reference to a drag queen named Angel!) A guide for my fellow musical theater buffs:
Cath = Roger, closed off from the world until the right person comes along
James = Mimi, flawed but still the right person
Lucy = Mark, the straight friend who wants to help everyone
Josh = Benny, gets a bad rep but isn't so bad after all
Portia = Maureen, every time she came into the story I heard "Tango: Maureen" even before the plot shifted!
Si = sometimes he's Collins, sometimes he's Angel
Luckily, I love RENT. I enjoyed this book even though it threw me for a loop. It's worth a read if you like Jane Green's writing (although Jemima J is still hands down my favorite book of hers), or if you're in the mood for chick lit with a message. Just make sure you have your RENT CDs handy if you're prone to adding soundtracks to books in your head!
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