Is the grass greener on the other side? (Life Swap - Jane Green)

Member Name: KLockwood75

Product:	Life Swap - Jane Green
Date:	01/05/09 (130 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fast paced, good characters, interesting story line

Disadvantages: Slightly predictable, generic chick-lit

At the moment, I'm in the process of re-reading a lot of my old books to decide what to keep, what to attempt to sell on Amazon Marketplace and what to take to the charity shop. This might mean a few reviews from me on books that have been out for a few years, instead of focusing on new releases, but I guess it doesn't matter when a book was written, just whether I enjoyed it or not.

'Life Swap' by Jane Green was originally published in 2005 and I have the large-format airport edition so it was obviously a pre-holiday purchase. I couldn't really remember much about it from the first time I read it - I remembered the basic storyline but was very hazy on the details, so I decided to re-read it this week.

The story centres on the lives of two main female characters, one living in London and one living in Connecticut, USA. Vicky is a London-based journalist working on 'Poise' magazine (which I think is loosely based on 'Red' magazine). She is in her mid-30s and single, with no serious long-term relationship on the horizon. All her friends have settled down, got married and had children and she is envious of the lives that they lead. In contrast, Amber lives in a Connecticut town which is populated by the families of Wall Street bankers - they have a massive house, lots of money, two beautiful children and seemingly the perfect lifestyle. However, despite all her material possessions, Amber feels that there is something missing... in the attempt to fit in with the lifestyle of the wealthy and competitive Wall Street wives, she has lost her own sense of her identity.

The magazine that Vicky works for decides to run a story about a life swap, where Vicky has to swap lives with another woman for a month. This is a familiar theme for those who watch 'Wife Swap' on Channel 4, although in this situation the two women have to immerse themselves completely in the other woman's life, right down to wearing all their clothes (they do get to keep their own underwear though!) and they don't get the opportunity to implement their own rules in the second week. After Amber's husband brings home an import copy of 'Poise' magazine, she decides to apply for the life swap hoping it will answer the questions that she has about her life. For Vicky, the life swap promises the opportunity to see if she really wants the life she feels that she is missing out on - whether life as a wife and mother is as good as she believes it will be. So, is the grass always greener on the other side?

The two main characters in this book were well developed and easy to relate to. I preferred Vicky out of the two women as she was more instantly likeable - she seemed like a normal 30-something women with normal issues and insecurities. I did like the character of Amber as well, although there was something a bit more irritating about her. The supporting characters were also well written and you did get some insight into the lives of both women through their interaction with others. It was interesting to read the way that Jane Green made her characters interact with each other's friends and family, and the way in which their relationships develop in their different circumstances.

The book had some funny moments and some more serious, thought-provoking ones. It is essentially a light holiday read, but it does make you think a bit at times. I think it's easy for us all to think that other people have the perfect lives if they've got something that we believe we want for ourselves (money, children, 'perfect' husbands, a stunning house with a swimming pool in the garden) but sometimes what you do have doesn't make you truly happy. That is the underlying message of this book and I think it makes for a good story.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It is a chick-lit novel which is perfect for a bit of escapism, and it is a bit predictable in places, but I thought it was well-written and fast-paced enough to keep me turning the pages. I found the characters absorbing and was able to sympathise with them both at times which I think is important for me when reading this type of book - if I don't like the main character, and don't feel that I can relate to them, I tend to lose interest fairly quickly. If you haven't already read this, I'd recommend it as a summer holiday read.

Summary: A good summer read - I enjoyed it!