Archive for May 24th, 2011
Just reviewed Susan Elizabeth Phillips’ “Call Me Irresistible” for SBR
Folks, here’s the link for tonight’s review at Shiny Book Review, first off:
Now that you’ve seen that, and have had a chance to read my review of CALL ME IRRESISTIBLE, let me elaborate a little more about Ms. Phillips’s newest effort.
First, this is Ms. Phillips’s twenty-first novel, and yet she couldn’t come up with a better “flaw” than the hero, Ted Beaudine, being a guy who makes love to his partner for several hours at a time? No matter how well this was described or set up this isn’t enough of a “flaw” — how can someone being so caring of his partner be considered a flaw by anyone?
I don’t care that Ted’s intended, Meg Koranda, believed she wasn’t “special” enough because this apparently was Ted’s standard practice with his girlfriends (Ted’s a serial monogamist, so he only has one GF at a time). Meg knows this is Ted’s policy — Ted is much too nice to point this out himself, of course, as that would be really crude — because her best friend Lucy had been engaged to Ted and nearly married him and said so. (Lucy jilted Ted at the altar.) Lucy’s comments to Meg add up to this: Ted’s every woman’s dream lover, and he’s world-class in the bedroom department because he takes his time and makes sure his partner appreciates the act before he finally gives in and takes his own. But because Ted apparently treated every woman this way, even though he has every possible good quality there is, by the time Meg and Ted get down to business, Meg does not feel like Ted’s seeing her — and that’s just wrong.
But Meg goes too far in her beliefs, believing that Ted doesn’t really care unless he loses control now and again in the bedroom department. This just doesn’t make any sense. Most women do not wish for their intendeds to lose control in the bedroom, yet Meg does exactly this. How is this believable?
Finally, the way Meg is treated throughout isn’t really believable, either. Meg is broke, desperate, without employment and a car that’s barely running that’s also out of gas, and is stranded in Wynette, Texas, with a bunch of people who hate her because they believe that Meg somehow coerced Lucy into running off and jilting “favorite son” and town Mayor despite his young age of twenty-nine or so, Ted, at the altar. So everyone goes out of the way to insult Meg, which is a very similar plot-line to AIN’T SHE SWEET? with much less justification for it, and very few of the townspeople give Meg a chance.
While this is a very funny novel in spots, and I enjoyed it because of the humor, I didn’t feel this was up to the best novels of Ms. Phillips, which along with AIN’T SHE SWEET? include DREAM A LITTLE DREAM and LADY BE GOOD. And it’s because of the lack of a true flaw in the hero — or at least a true explicit flaw (as Ted believing Meg was at fault at first is definitely a flaw in a guy who supposedly is a world-class inventor with a genius IQ) — along with how poorly the heroine is treated that just did not sit well with me. At all.
Corey Hart — 4 HRs in two days (on a roll)
Just had to point out that Corey Hart is on a major roll right now; starting yesterday, Hart had only 1 RBI and no HRs, but now (after his first at-bat in tonight’s game versus the Washington Nationals) Hart has 4 HR and 9 RBI.
Last night, Corey Hart had an outstanding game, hitting 3 HRs in one game — the first time he’d ever done it in his career — and tying a team record with his 7 RBI in last night’s game. He also had two outstanding catches in the outfield to add to his on-field spectacular.
Corey Hart started off this season on the disabled list (DL) and everyone had been waiting for him to break out and hit like he did last year (with his 31 HRs, 102 RBI, and .283 average). A few weeks ago, I noted here in my blog that I believed Hart’s swing was starting to come around as he’d had a few really good ABs (battling the pitcher for multiple pitches, even if he still made an out, or hitting the ball really hard, but at someone), and Hart had started to hit after that — unfortunately he didn’t have any RBI to show for it, but he did have some doubles and his average, overall, had climbed from below .200 to above .250.
With Hart’s 3 HR game, he has now climbed to .263 (starting tonight’s game against the Nationals), and his power stroke is definitely working — so is another trip to the All-Star game in the offing? Or how about going back to the Home Run Derby?
I like Hart, and think he’s an outstanding player with a great attitude. I’m really glad he’s started to hit, and that his defense has continued to improve.
To keep tabs on Hart throughout the season, I recommend FanGraphs:
http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=1945&position=OF
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