Desperate Housestrifes (Life Swap - Jane Green)

Member Name: kirstymack80

Product:	Life Swap - Jane Green
Date:	30/04/06 (129 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: light, fluffy, no brainer

Disadvantages: slow to get started, annoying characters

Vicky Townsley is a 35 year old singleton living in London, a features editor for ‘Poise’ magazine.

Amber Winslow is a Yummy Mummy, living the American dream in Connecticut. She has a rich husband, the kids and the dog - and yet *still* she feels less than satisfied. Sometimes not even her Manolos can cheer her up.

While having a throwaway conversation with her sister-in-law, a plan is hatched by Vicky for a new idea. Why not offer one lucky married reader a ‘life swap’ for a month, trading places with Vicky, a sort of ‘real life Desperate Housewives’?

I don’t think it will take a genius to realise who the lucky ‘married’ woman is. Yup. But what happens when they attempt to live each other’s dream?

* Characters *

Firstly I took a while to warm to both characters. I found Green focused mostly on Amber and immediately I didn’t like her much. Although she wants for nothing and spends all her time shopping and deciding which expensive outfit to buy next, she’s still not happy and spends all her time trying to keep up with the Joneses. Spoilt and annoying springs to mind.

Green also uses many ‘English’ sayings which frankly don’t work on an American character - primarily “Rubbish” which as far as I know is not used at all over there. Again this irked me. She also spent far too much time waffling on about money/wealth/riches/spending which wasn’t necessary as the reader can gather what kind of lifestyle Amber has pretty early on in the book.

Vicky was slightly less annoying luckily. I say slightly for a reason. She gets ’involved’ with a sleaze ball actor who treats her like dirt and she keeps running back for more. *sigh*

* ‘Larfs’ *

Sadly a character called Hugh Janus is brought into the book which causes much *ahem* mirth. Does he have a brother called Lar or a cousin called Sor? Oh dear. Maybe my sense of humour is on the wane but really it wasn’t *that* funny. It's just as well then that his name is pronounced Jan-us to make him a respectable someone or other who's fairly important on television's Channel Four.

The book does have its amusing moments - some of the bitchy Americans who judge Amber on her décor rather than personality have to be seen as sad creatures with nothing better to do than check their nail polish. Amber spends far too much time trying to impress these people and, I think, that's why she comes across so badly.

* Story *

The premise is good - is the grass always greener on the other side? However the actual ‘life swap’ seemed ages in coming and doesn’t occur until half way through the book. It’s all very well introducing the reader to the characters but after a little too much of Amber’s wealth shoved down my throat, I felt a “Get on with it” coming on. There is very little in way of a sub-plot - the whole book is based on the ladies trading lives with each other.

Once the Life Swap begins things did liven up somewhat and it was like a peak into reality tv. That’s more like it!

* What I liked *

Jane Green didn’t ‘big up’ the swap in that she tells of Vicky’s struggle with her new found position as Mom. You can identify with the character when both children are crying because they miss Amber and she doesn’t really know what to do to comfort them. Amber’s husband, Richard, is also weighed down by a secret that can threaten to tear apart the family he cherishes. Does this have something to do with Vicky?

Meanwhile Amber seems to fit into Vicky’s role at the magazine very well. She is invited out nearly every night as the single gal and even manages to turn a few heads along the way. She is a different person when taken out of her own environment and realises that she missed working and wasn’t happy with her shallow existence. She needed a new challenge and Life Swap gave her the chance to do just that.

Probably my favourite character was Kate, Vicky’s sister-in-law. She lives in the country with Vicky’s brother, and their three kids. She’s run off her feet but loves her role as cook/cleaner/agony aunt and seems to be the most genuine woman in the whole book.

* What was bad *

There are two characters called Deborah which I found confusing. Perhaps it was supposed to be clever - the fact that both characters had a best friend with that name, and indeed even more strangely Amber’s best friend in America called Deborah is, in fact, English. Once I’d read this I was a bit baffled and had to flick back a few pages to see if she *was* actually one and the same person.

The story is told in the present tense, which I always find a bit off-putting. Chapter one is voiced as if we’re peering into Vicky’s life, sort of like Mary Alice’s commentary on ‘Desperate Housewives’ - perhaps this was what Green was aiming for.

* Overall *

I did like the story. It didn’t keep my attention solidly for large chunks at a time, unlike some of her previous offerings. I’m not sure if it’s just because I’m older now and am not enjoying the books as much or whether the storyline wasn’t really engaging enough. I’ve read all of Green’s books and if you’re a big fan of hers you won’t be disappointed. This is a good book and despite its flaws I did enjoy it. The idea is clever and the characters will hold your interest, even if you do find them irritating. However it’s not her best offering - ‘Bookends‘ is still my favourite and ‘Babyville‘ I didn‘t think much of at all. This sits in between the two.

It’s a 3 star effort which is just an average middle-of-the-road type of rating.

* Other info *

Previous books by Jane Green are Jemima J, Bookends, Straight Talking, Mr Maybe, Babyville, Spellbound and The Other Woman.

This particular book, Life Swap is currently available in either a metallic pink or turquoise jacket and has an ISBN of 0-141-02172-1 and is published by Penguin. The RRP is £6.99 but I got it in good old Tesco for £3.73 (Asda have it too at this price).

464 pages.

www.janegreen.com

Thanks for reading.

Summary: Is a life swap just what the doctor ordered?