Talk of the Town

Rating:
Summary: Light a candle for Saint Vulva and join in the fun!
Review: "Lesbians need a patron saint. We could call her Saint Vulva." (p100.) This musing from one of the women in Saxon Bennett's novel, Talk of the Town sets the tone for much of the humor and antics.

Mallory, an attractive, intelligent lesbian who runs the successful Kokopelli-was-an-Alien vending machine company in Phoenix, Arizona is seeing a psychotherapist to deal with the trauma of her broken heart. Three years ago Caroline left. Since then, Mallory has worn nothing but pajamas and spends a great deal of time lost in her imaginary world aka the "Republic of Mallory." That is until she meets a new physician in town, a woman named Del.

Mallory's best friend Gigi is an artist who struggles with her ambivalence over artistic success while she works at the local sex toy shop. Although in a relationship with Alex, Gigi loves to flirt and she has flirted with Mallory for years. Still she has been true to Alex. Or has she? Kim is a nurse who works with Del and is getting over her relationship with Ollie. Meanwhile, Alex realizes that her happenstance relationship with Gigi might not equal love.

If you're starting to feel like you'd like to have a score card to keep track of some of the antics of these women, you're not alone. Bennett's cast of characters is sometimes confusing to the reader. This is particularly true in the book's early pages. However, this weakness is mild in comparison to the story's pleasure factor. There are lots of witty and touching moments in Talk of the Town as well as a few surprises.

Bennett's women are intelligent, delightful entertainment that is reminiscent of early Rita Mae Brown novels, including her use of fiction to depict and detail contemporary political issues. A favorite example for this reader are the antics of Gigi's Aunt Lil with her partner and other crones who live in a trailer park in the desert. These women have been known to receive a misdemeanor or two for their political actions. "They sent Anita Bryant a rainbow colored set of dildoes, the President a box of cigars with pubic hair attached, [and] Jerry Falwell a leatherman Billy doll" in their mailing campaign alone. (p101)

Bennett's clear affection and appreciation of lesbians allows for her to poke fun at some of the community's foibles without becoming pedantic. As with life, not everyone is wonderful but most have redeeming qualities. And Bennett's optimistic approach to life makes for amusing, often charming moments. A fast paced, entertaining read, Bennett has introduced an interesting ensemble cast of lesbians. Apparently the first of several books featuring these women, Talk of the Town is primarily Mallory's story. There are clearly threads left to explore in this crowd. This reviewer will be looking forward to future installments.

Rating:
Summary: Amusing, light-hearted goodness
Review: Now that I look back at the two other reviews of this book, I can't remember what prompted me to buy it. However, I am glad that I did. This was a very delightful book with very colorful characters and some downright funny scenes. I got a little confused in the beginning since there were so many characters, but soon straightened that all out. It's a page-turner, believe me. I finished it in two days since I couldn't wait to find out what was happening next.

The downside is that since there were so many female characters, I felt like some of them weren't given enough development. I could not put a face to any of the girls. Describing someone as having blonde hair and blue eyes does not give enough information. I have no idea how old any of these characters were. How tall were they? What kind of clothes did they wear (Mallory, we knew)? Did any of them have parents other than Mallory, Gigi and Taylor? At times since there was so much going on, it seems like the little details were ignored.

Overall, a good book. Would I recommend? Yes. Will I buy the sequel? Yes.

Rating:
Summary: Amusing, light-hearted goodness
Review: Now that I look back at the two other reviews of this book, I can't remember what prompted me to buy it. However, I am glad that I did. This was a very delightful book with very colorful characters and some downright funny scenes. I got a little confused in the beginning since there were so many characters, but soon straightened that all out. It's a page-turner, believe me. I finished it in two days since I couldn't wait to find out what was happening next.

The downside is that since there were so many female characters, I felt like some of them weren't given enough development. I could not put a face to any of the girls. Describing someone as having blonde hair and blue eyes does not give enough information. I have no idea how old any of these characters were. How tall were they? What kind of clothes did they wear (Mallory, we knew)? Did any of them have parents other than Mallory, Gigi and Taylor? At times since there was so much going on, it seems like the little details were ignored.

Overall, a good book. Would I recommend? Yes. Will I buy the sequel? Yes.

Rating:
Summary: Quirky Love Tale
Review: What a quirky, humorous and engaging tale Talk of the Town is. When you first begin the novel, it proceeds slowly and then it grabs your attention, making you sit up and take notice - and you definitely will need to focus to keep with the lives and loves of the many characters that make up Talk of the Town.

Mallory and Gigi are childhood best friends who have been through numerous girlfriends, outrageous family members, and damaging insecurities. The latest rough patch hits Mallory at the start of the novel, who was dumped by her girlfriend and realizes that she's in love with Gigi. Gigi, other the other hand, can't seem to be faithful to her lover, Alex. Her last indiscretion, though unfound, scares her enough to go straight (no pun intended).

What follows are the trials of Mallory, Gigi and their friends, who find out true love is about tackling anxieties, following your heart, and being true to your loved ones. They all learn love is far from being simple. Talk of the Town is hilarious at times, sad at others. You'll enjoy it if you like eccentric tales of lesbian romance.