Such a Girl: A Novel [Hardcover]

Kendall feels contented until she sees Jack, owner of New England?s very successful Sullivan Brewery who is staying at the hotel. Kendall handles herself reasonably well during the encounter, but as he leaves his look back is filled with disappointment that shakes her to the core of her essence. Kendall realizes what she lost when she stopped being Sullivan?s Ken; she decides she must try to win back his love. However, Jack not only has to forgive, he wonders if she desires him because he is a success?

As CLUELESS DID TO Jane Austen's EMMA, SUCH A GIRL provides the same delightful treatment to the author?s PERSUASION with Ken being Anne Elliot and Sullivan is retired naval officer Frederick Wentworth. The enjoyable second chance at love story line reflects a realistic social order that though the plot takes place in the twenty-first century could have easily been in the early 1800s. Sullivan is a wonderful protagonist as he wants his Ken back in his life, but doubts he can trust her with his heart. Ken regrets the error that shaped her life, but shows courage as she decides to prove she is his significant other forever. Together they make an intelligent and witty tale.

Karen Siplin gives us the story of Kendall Stark, a phone operator at posh hotel with celebrity clientele. When one of the guests turns out to be the former boyfriend she dumped years before?with the approval of her friends, who thought that he was going nowhere fast and taking her along for the ride?it brings about a lot of questions for Kendall. Aside from the love that she is struggling not to still have for a now highly successful and engaged Jack Sullivan, Kendall now struggles with thoughts of her dead end job, her relationship with a co-worker who is a married man, her purpose in life and the choices she?s made to get there. She evaluates the ?unsuccessful? lives of herself and her friends as her ex comes back to gloat before the woman he never stopped loving and her judgmental friends.

Siplin writes in blow-by-blow motion that makes no to attempt to create a world for the reader, but rather states things as-a-matter-of-factly and leaves the rest up to the reader?s imagination. Her talents are so great that she is able to do this and allow the words and motion to convey strong tensions and emotions between and within the characters. However, because of this writing style, some of the pivotal characters, namely Amy, Nick, and Gary, do not come off the page and tend to blend into one another or do not come across as uniquely as they possibly could.

Such A Girl is a moderately paced thought provoking novel as well as a subtle love story. This minimal drama story is a great alternative read from a writer with a highly distinctive and enchanting voice in fiction

Readincolor Reviewers
Cherlyn Michaels