Rating: 
Summary: Better than any letter ~~ well, almost!
Review: Katinka O'Toole is a struggling writer in Cambridge who falls in love with the mailman. Her journey on the path of self-discovery comes complete with an ex-husband, Seamus O'Toole, a mother who falls in love with a neighbor upstairs, Louis the mailman, and Jake, the quiet, unassuming lawyer who falls in love with Katinka.Katinka, struggling with the class issue, decides to fall in love with Louis ~~ but the way she kept it a secret in fear of her mother's reaction is hilarious. As always, secrets come to light and Katinka learns what love really is. Katinka's mother seems to always try to mold her into the person she thinks Katinka should be ~~ but with Katinka feeling her biological clock ticking, she discovers that she really wants to settle down and have a family. This is just the beginning of a humorous story as Katinka reaches the crossroads in her life. It is a fun read and one that every single thirty-something woman can relate to. It is about a woman struggling against the way she was brought up ~~ only to discover that sometimes Mother does know best! It is a quick read and enjoyable enough to forget your problems for a few hours. I recommend this book for a good, enjoyable read. If you're into serious tomes, this book isn't for you.
Rating:
Summary: A good, solid novel
Review: Mail is a solid read, a good novel, with a couple of flaws, that are easily outweighed by the novel's strengths. The story of Katinka, the frustrated writer who falls in love with her mailman, struggling with whether or not he is truly "right" for her is amusing, entertaining and engaging. Katinka and the other characters are very believable, and Mail is the kind of book that will keep you thinking about it during your day, wondering what will happen next. The plot is well-paced and unpredictable, without being completely outlandish. It's not laugh-out-loud funny, but it is amusing. My one complaint is that at times the writing seemed to be almost too careful, too buttoned up. Sometimes I wished Medwed would have just broken loose, and the book could have been funnier. Taken in its entiretly, however, this is a pleasant read, a comforing read, the literary equivalent of Mom's macaroni and cheese.
Rating:
Summary: A good, solid novel
Review: Mail is a solid read, a good novel, with a couple of flaws, that are easily outweighed by the novel's strengths. The story of Katinka, the frustrated writer who falls in love with her mailman, struggling with whether or not he is truly "right" for her is amusing, entertaining and engaging. Katinka and the other characters are very believable, and Mail is the kind of book that will keep you thinking about it during your day, wondering what will happen next. The plot is well-paced and unpredictable, without being completely outlandish. It's not laugh-out-loud funny, but it is amusing. My one complaint is that at times the writing seemed to be almost too careful, too buttoned up. Sometimes I wished Medwed would have just broken loose, and the book could have been funnier. Taken in its entiretly, however, this is a pleasant read, a comforing read, the literary equivalent of Mom's macaroni and cheese.
Rating: 
Summary: One of the most charming books I've ever read.
Review: MAIL is one the most charming and delightful books I have ever read. It's fun, breezy, about real life and will make your spirits soar. You'll wish it's heroine, Katinka O'Toole was your best friend, your neighbor or your sister.
Rating:
Summary: Hip and sassy, surprisingly poignant
Review: Medwed is a writer's writer. Her characters are utterly believable, the dialogue is convincing, and anyone who says they didn't like this book is just plain jealous.
Rating: 
Summary: Genre Fiction- It is what it is
Review: Medwed's debut novel relates the romantic and literary exploits of Katrinka O'Toole. Given thatr Katrinka is mostly a frustrated wirter and lover both, the exploits are somewhat chaotic, obsessive and disjointed--but that's where the fun comes in. Over and above an adept hand at romantic comedy, Medwed has a nifty ability to cleverly encapsulate and parody the aloofness, snobbery and liberal goings and general absurdities attendant to life in and around Harvard, a skill which also adds to the fun of the book. This is a debut novel and some of the expected flaws attendant to such an effort are present--the books a tad disjointed, a few of the characters are mere characatures--but overall it's a fun book & a pleasant read. It's plane or beach fare-not too demanding and mostly rewarding.
Rating:
Summary: Pleasant, amusing light romantic comedy.
Review: Medwed's debut novel relates the romantic and literary exploits of Katrinka O'Toole. Given thatr Katrinka is mostly a frustrated wirter and lover both, the exploits are somewhat chaotic, obsessive and disjointed--but that's where the fun comes in. Over and above an adept hand at romantic comedy, Medwed has a nifty ability to cleverly encapsulate and parody the aloofness, snobbery and liberal goings and general absurdities attendant to life in and around Harvard, a skill which also adds to the fun of the book. This is a debut novel and some of the expected flaws attendant to such an effort are present--the books a tad disjointed, a few of the characters are mere characatures--but overall it's a fun book & a pleasant read. It's plane or beach fare-not too demanding and mostly rewarding.
Rating:
Summary: "Mail" is the most fun I've had with a mainstream story.
Review: Medwed's story is very appealing, especially to writers. Every sense is invoked as the reader relates to Katinka's problems. The ending is more satisfying than expected for a "mainstream" novel.
Rating:
Summary: Postage Due - Arrives Late
Review: More yes than no, but. I liked this novel, but, felt like the story ultimately was unsatisfying. Maybe that was the author's intent. All the pieces of life usually don't add up evenly. The central character here, Katinka, seems to have trouble just identifying the pieces. I couldn't help but wonder how a character that was supposedly so intellectual could be so 'emotionally dumb'. The novel does interesting things. The intermingling of various metaphors of trying to connect/communicate mix intrigingly. The novelist/artist trying to express something unique, the literature teacher trying to offer help connecting, the intensifying of a sexual relationship, the mail getting delivered and others. The novel does interesting things, but, the story itself wasn't as interesting. It felt halting and somewhat unfocused. But, I did like the book enough to order the cassette version to share with my postal employee co-workers. I'm male (and a postal worker, btw) so I'm sure there are aspects of this female character I just missed. The reasons she was attracted to some men was a complete mystery to me. She seemed (dare I say it?) a more interesting woman than an interesting person. The author effectively gets several story, subplots, up and moving. But weaving through all the unresolved emotional debree along the way made the trip feel to long. (I kept wishing the author had 'send it express rather than regular mail'.) Well worth reading, but, it would have been better if 'Mail' was written less by a novelist and more by a storyteller.
Rating:
Summary: A subtle Commentary on our not so Classless Society
Review: Shrewdly hidden in this apparently easy-to-read novel is a strong reminder of the classes that do exist in American society. Not only the mother, who weighs a person's worth by his or her academic pedigree, but almost all the characters in this novel are sensitively but powerfully portrayed as results of their economic and ethnic roots. These are not stereotype caricatures, but tangible personalities we meet every day. Medwed has even created a sack-doll, Daniella, which could easily become the American answer to the Japanese Tamagotchi toy, providing a value-building foil for the not always adorable child, Max.
Medwed's style is light, but filled with humorous
metaphors, such as this variation on Hemingway: "The earth erupts with the force of a thousand
mailbags in a thousand vestibules." Characters like authoress Katinka, pompous Professor Seamus O'Toole and high school dropout Louie Cappetti will grow on the reader; and, I shall have to be the exception who can even appreciate the oft maligned mother from Maine, as a lady who expresses openly what so many others would prefer to ignore - that we have a hierarchy of classes, even here in America.
mikeo@prodigy.net - Westchester, New York
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