Treat

Rating:
Summary: True to its title,
Review: A blonde, blue eyed, wealthy sorority girl, engaged to a classmate and future attorney, Gertrude MacKenzie is the picture-perfect, blue-blood Virginia daughter. Her life is laid out before her: finish her B.S., get married, go on to get her MBA, have children with Richard, and be wife and mother to the next generation of a picture-perfect family. Yet for years Gerd, as she's known, has harbored a secret. She is attracted to women. Her feelings for women have never seemed important enough to defy the assumed structure and security of her life. Then she met Max.

Tall and striking with dark hair and green eyes, Maxine Ivers is a talented theater major who sings, writes her own songs, and acts. Max has plans to go to Yale School of Drama for a Masters. Originally from Kingsport, Tennessee, Max knows what it's like to grow up in a conservative, "company town" community and to struggle for her identity. Aware of being lesbian since she was in sixth grade, the self-confident and popular Max has dated several women during her college years, but her feelings for Gerd are different.

These two young women face several obstacles on their way to one another. Gerd has to begin the process of recreating her life as a lesbian, including an unexpected and early outing to parents, to be with Max. While Max must consider whether her feelings for Gerd mean more than her earlier relationships. These obstacles are both typical and traumatic. Can the possibility of their love withstand the strain?

The setting of Knoxville, especially the area around the University of Tennessee campus, will particularly appeal to alumnae and residents of the area. Vicars captures the beauty of the Smokies and hints at some of the charms and trials of "community" life in a small college city in the Southern Appalachias. The lead characters are bright and charming, yet well-rounded with their insecurities and fears. This reader could hear the slight lilt in characters' dialog, but is unsure if readers not familiar with the region would appreciate some of those nuances. The novel might have benefited from more development of the regional character.

Overall, however, Treat, as a story of coming out and first love is a charming debut novel for Vicars. Hopefully, it will not be her last. In the meanwhile, find yourself a front porch swing and "Treat" yourself to read this novel some summer Sunday afternoon.

Rating:
Summary: True to its title,
Review: A blonde, blue eyed, wealthy sorority girl, engaged to a classmate and future attorney, Gertrude MacKenzie is the picture-perfect, blue-blood Virginia daughter. Her life is laid out before her: finish her B.S., get married, go on to get her MBA, have children with Richard, and be wife and mother to the next generation of a picture-perfect family. Yet for years Gerd, as she's known, has harbored a secret. She is attracted to women. Her feelings for women have never seemed important enough to defy the assumed structure and security of her life. Then she met Max.

Tall and striking with dark hair and green eyes, Maxine Ivers is a talented theater major who sings, writes her own songs, and acts. Max has plans to go to Yale School of Drama for a Masters. Originally from Kingsport, Tennessee, Max knows what it's like to grow up in a conservative, "company town" community and to struggle for her identity. Aware of being lesbian since she was in sixth grade, the self-confident and popular Max has dated several women during her college years, but her feelings for Gerd are different.

These two young women face several obstacles on their way to one another. Gerd has to begin the process of recreating her life as a lesbian, including an unexpected and early outing to parents, to be with Max. While Max must consider whether her feelings for Gerd mean more than her earlier relationships. These obstacles are both typical and traumatic. Can the possibility of their love withstand the strain?

The setting of Knoxville, especially the area around the University of Tennessee campus, will particularly appeal to alumnae and residents of the area. Vicars captures the beauty of the Smokies and hints at some of the charms and trials of "community" life in a small college city in the Southern Appalachias. The lead characters are bright and charming, yet well-rounded with their insecurities and fears. This reader could hear the slight lilt in characters' dialog, but is unsure if readers not familiar with the region would appreciate some of those nuances. The novel might have benefited from more development of the regional character.

Overall, however, Treat, as a story of coming out and first love is a charming debut novel for Vicars. Hopefully, it will not be her last. In the meanwhile, find yourself a front porch swing and "Treat" yourself to read this novel some summer Sunday afternoon.

Rating:
Summary: Treat by Angie Vicars
Review: For once I agree with cover blurbs! Treat claims to be a lesbian novel that anyone will enjoy- a lofty claim. I couldn't agree more. The women are so real you want to have lunch with them. Vicars has a gift for conversation that makes it unnecessary to have to over-comment on the emotions of a love affair like some authors would do.Anyone who has ever been in love will feel everything that Max and Gerd feel as they fumble through the beginnings of a relationship.Treat is painfully funny and true.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Story
Review: I have just finished "Treat" and found it to be a wonderful story. Gerd & Max are well-developed characters that anyone can empathize with. This is in the Lesbian Fiction genre but I feel the story is much more than that. Yes, the challenges of a Lesbian lifestyle are central to the story but the story of two people in love with one another even though great obstacles face them is a universal one. I would recommend "Treat" to anyone with an open mind and a fondness for a good story that gets under your skin and makes you think about your own views about relationships.

Rating:
Summary: Good
Review: This book is quite a good read - the story is great, the characters are likeable, and the dialogue is quite witty.

This is a nice treat, if a light, pleasant romance is on your menu...