**Updated 1-31-19 for Live Well Be Fabulous’s 21 Days of Loving Me 2019 Marathon**
When I first read the synopsis describing Pauline’s story and her misadventures, I became intrigued. In this woman, a married mom who suddenly finds herself facing the trials of single parenthood for the first time, I saw images of life similar to mine sprinkled throughout the synopsis.
Plus, this book was my first full read of the year. I’d been dabbling in a couple of other stories and had quickly lost interest. So when the author’s publicist contacted and asked me to read this one, I jumped at the chance.
Okay. Here’s a brief summary of Pauline and her Perils. Pauline, a thirty-something-year-old wife to Donald (the husband without a clue or tact) and mother of three kids: Serenity (wild child from her first marriage), Jack (the Donald lookalike) and Olympia (the baby diva) suspects her non-romantic husband might be cheating on her.
So begins the journey into several misadventures that range from the dismally sublime (car breaking down on the side of a road) to the outrageously crazy (oldest daughter, who happens to be bisexual, and who almost has the baby she’s carrying, the one conceived with her homosexual guy friend Jude, in the bathtub on a snowy night).
Was that a mouthful, or what? We’re not done just yet. Toss in a studly poetry teacher who has soft brown eyes and a set of biceps to make you dehydrate from panting over him and you have the backbone of the storyline that moves this novel along.
**Spoilers ahead**
What I enjoyed:
1. Serenity – Pauline’s oldest daughter. Her “I just don’t even give s@@@” attitude toward everything actually worked out well in this novel. It brought a calming aspect to Pauline’s at times over-the-top tantrums. In fact, I enjoyed all the scenes that included Pauline’s kids. The whole family accurately represented what I imagine many struggling parents (single or married)
face daily as they struggle to raise teenagers in this world of quick, fast and in a hurry.
2. Wit and humor thrived in this novel. It was chock full of funny scenes and unpredictable circumstances. Pauline’s mother stole one particular scene and I found myself wishing there were more parts that dealt with the love-maybe hate relationship between these two.
3. Well-developed secondary characters leapt off these pages. I had no complaints there. I can still recall details about each one of the supportive cast members I met during the course of the story. And the writer has a way with description that truly places you in the scene. For example, when Pauline and Michael escaped on a weekend trip together, I felt like I was in the moment and felt just as uncomfortable as Pauline did. Sensory detail is one of this author’s strengths, and I’m sure she’ll continue to grow stylistically from this point on.
What I didn’t enjoy so much:
1. The Pauline, Michael, Donald, Lindsay love quartet. It had less to do with a dislike of love triangles than it did a lack of connection to the three main characters who were responsible for Pauline’s perils. From the beginning, I had the feeling Michael and Pauline weren’t right for each other. The chemistry between the two just didn’t light my fires the way I’d hoped it would. Especially after the pair hit it off at the beginning of the book.
And then there’s Donald. Sighs. Another man who didn’t deserve to have his wife’s support the way she went out of her way to do. I kept hoping Pauline would suddenly turn into the female version of Clark Gable and say: “Quite frankly, my dear, I just don’t give a damn anymore.” However, Pauline didn’t put Donald in his place. And he truly deserved it. In my humble opinion, he gets away with too much. So the ending was rather lukewarm for me.
2. Pauline’s neverending perils brought on by her flighty decisions or lack thereof in certain cases. Although the story was wittier than most of my latest reads, I found myself growing restless as Pauline’s life spiraled more and more out of control. I’m not sure, but I think part of the problem was I saw too much of my life in this character minus the outcome of the tough decisions I had to make back then. It became a bit tedious to read one mishap after another as Pauline’s lack of ability to make a concrete decision affected everyone around her.
**End of Spoilers**
Overall the Perils of Pauline was witty and well written. Lovers of chic lit (the old-fashioned kind with fade to black sex scenes) and shows like Parenthood will probably enjoy this book. However, it’s not truly a romance, so don’t go into the story with those expectations. The title accurately portrays the contents inside the book, and I think the author did a good job by comically portraying the life of a woman enduring the trials of married life.
