Mourning Glory

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing!
Review: "Potential" is a dangerous word; after the fact, its most common unstated implication is "unfulfilled." So, too, with MOURNING GLORY. From the title through the final page, this novel had the potential to be terrific.

Like the title, the underlying premise of the story is clever. MOURNING GLORY tells of the quest of a down-on-her-luck divorcee who decides that she will find husband number two by haunting the funeral parlors of a wealthy town. She hopes that she will be able to focus in on a heartbroken widower desperate for the attention of a good woman before the other predatory women of the community can get to him.

This story should have been great, it should have been funny. As it was, the novel only is distasteful. While there's nothing wrong with Mr. Adler's writing, it was odd to see a book with a 2001 pub date mention Bonwit Teller's, a New York based department store that has been out of business for about twenty years. Where was his editor? Also, "garter belts" are consistently referred to as "suspenders," and a sex toy consistently is called by a technical term that women do not use.

The sole compliment that I can find for MOURNING GLORY is that, for a change, the heroine is not just some young girl with firm breasts whose worst problem is a broken fingernail. It would have been nice if the author could have offered a more thorough description of Palm Beach, where he places this novel, and which is a unique and interesting town.

Finally, the sex scenes just...lie there. To compound the problem, the sex is pretty repetitive as well. Virtually any of the female romance writers do better with these episodes. Anyone who wants to read a juicy romance should buy something by Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Nora Roberts, Elizabeth Lowell, Rachel Gibson, Jane Graves. There is a vast group of authors who do a superior job with this type of story.

Rating:
Summary: Good for single mothers
Review: As a mother of two daughters, I enjoy reading stories and novels about fellow mothers coping with their young. Which is one reason why I loved Warren Adler's new novel "Mourning Glory." But there are several more! Second reason: great plot premise. What is it, you ask? Grace Sorentino, resident of Palm Beach, Florida, and recently fired from her job at Saks Fifth Avenue, is a smart, attractive woman on the prowl for a rich man to call her own. And her hunting ground? Funerals of the wealthy. The plot immediately had me hooked. I was tired of the same old, bored, tired plot. And it's not often that the main character of a contemporary romance is middle-aged. Attractive and sexy, yes, but starting to wrinkle a bit and sag in all the wrong places. Third reason: great characters. Adler seems to have a lot of insight into the female psyche, as I found all of his characters completely believable, very real and human. The rocky relationship between Grace and her daughter Jackie added a great family dynamic to the novel, and made for some of "Mourning Glory"'s most heart-wrenching yet best moments. And last but not least: interesting commentary on relationships, truth, and true love. How does Grace cope with the fact that the man she loves is unaware of her devious plot to snare him? And how does Sam, Grace's "target," handle the truth when and if he learns it? "Mourning Glory" has all that you could want in one novel and more. I loved it, and I think you will too.

Rating:
Summary: Fast-paced and Suspenseful!
Review: As an avid reader of novels, I brought Mourning Glory with me on a trip to Venice thinking I would read it around the pool of the Cipriani. Instead I made the mistake of opening it at the beginning of my plane ride from Cincinnati only to find that I was immediately hooked and never closed my eyes through the entire trip causing me no end of jet lag in Venice. This novel has everything, humor, pathos and intrigue. Mr. Adler creates real complex human beings, throws them together with panache and suspense and forces on to turn the pages. Thankfully, the characters like Grace Sorentino the heroine of this novel linger in the mind long after the story has ended. The fact is that I read it again on the trip back and was even more fascinated as I discovered more interesting facets of the lives of the characters. I never write my thoughts about a novel, but this time I just had to register my opinion. I'm sure any reader of this book will agree with my assessment.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Summer Read! Maddening and Profound!
Review: I had never read any of Mr. Adler's book before picking up Mourning Glory. I did, however, see the movie The War of the Roses, an adaptation of one of his earlier books. I didn't know what I had missed. Mourning Glory had me hooked immediately. What I liked the most, aside from the great dialogue and fast paced reading, was the way in which Mr. Adler weaved this tale of one woman's fight to rise from the depths by finding a wealthy widow. The fact is that I am an ardent feminist and believe that a woman must seek independence on her own and not be dependent on any man's bounty. At first I was offended by Grace Sorentino's cynical approach to the method by which she chose to save herself and her dysfunctional daughter. Then I bonded with her and understood both her plight and the method she chose. This is the story of survival and in the end I cheered Grace on and understood how she might take this step. I am curious how other ardent feminists like myself might react to this story, which I found both maddening and profound.

Rating:
Summary: Highly recommend
Review: If there is one book to recommend this season, then I would have to say Warren Adler's Mourning Glory. I can't tell you the last time I read something that so captivated me with laughter, intrigue, and bawdiness. My youngest daughter read Mourning Glory as well and we have been arguing about it around the dinner table. She thinks this books pushes the Woman's Movement back forty years. I personally wouldn't go that far but Mourning Glory definitely takes a closer look at the Modern Woman.

Rating:
Summary: A perfect blend!
Review: In this sweltering summer heat, reading Warren Adler's "Mourning Glory" was like a nice long gulp of delicious iced tea- refreshing and thirst-quenching! It certainly satisfied my thirst for a good book! This is Adler's first offering since "Random Hearts," a novel I also enjoyed. If you've read "Random Hearts" and enjoyed it, then you'll love "Mourning Glory." It's even better. What I loved about the novel, first of all, was the plot. Crazy but believable. An attractive, intelligent middle-aged woman Grace Sorentino down on her luck decides to get rich quick- by finding a rich husband via attending funerals of the Palm Beach Florida wealthy. Does she succeed? Well, she does find a recent widower to call her own, a handsome, dignified man named Sam. The plot thickens when love is thrown into the mix, and suddenly Grace's secrets threaten her happiness. But she isn't the only one with something to hide, Sam has secrets of his own as well. Also included are a wayward daughter and her skinhead, Neo-Nazi boyfriend. They add convincing and compelling family drama and reality to the novel. If you're looking for the perfect blend of humor, drama, laughter, and emotion, you can't go wrong with "Mourning Glory."

Rating:
Summary: Mr. Adler still has it!!
Review: Move over, Oliver and Barbara Rose. Here comes Grace Sorentino! Since Warren Adler is one of my favorite authors, I couldn't wait to read his latest. And what a great book it is! Extremely funny, a little off kilter (in a good way) and sometimes brilliant, this book should be on everyone's list!

Rating:
Summary: Sad and pathetic
Review: This book is a waste of time. For a book that is supposed to "gives hope to despairing single females on the verge of 40." I found it insulting and empty. Our "heroine" loses her job and decides to do as other women have done, go catch a wealthy man. This is hope? Am I supposed to feel empowered that at the age of 40 the only way to better myself is to somehow attach myself to a lonesome widower by telling one lie after anther? In addition she is browbeat by her teenage daughter. Her solution to dealing with a child who is wildly out of control is to take sleeping pills and masturbate. Save yourself, leave it on the shelf.

Rating:
Summary: Sad and pathetic
Review: This book is a waste of time. For a book that is supposed to "gives hope to despairing single females on the verge of 40." I found it insulting and empty. Our "heroine" loses her job and decides to do as other women have done, go catch a wealthy man. This is hope? Am I supposed to feel empowered that at the age of 40 the only way to better myself is to somehow attach myself to a lonesome widower by telling one lie after anther? In addition she is browbeat by her teenage daughter. Her solution to dealing with a child who is wildly out of control is to take sleeping pills and masturbate. Save yourself, leave it on the shelf.

Rating:
Summary: Digging for More than Gold
Review: Versace, de la Renta, Givenchy. The great designers are the gods of a better life in the world of Grace Sorentino and her daughter Jackie. But as a divorced beautician with an out-of-control teenage child, how do you get there?

By marrying up, the manager of Saks Fifth Avenue's Miami store says to Grace as she fires her at the request of a high-paying customer with unreasonable expectations. Ring around the finger. Snare a wealthy widower, preferably a Jewish one.

Desperately, Grace follows her advice. Against all the odds, she hooks Sam Goodwin, a very wealthy transplanted businessman from Brooklyn, at the funeral of his socialite wife. Posing as a friend of the deceased, Grace offers to collect her clothing and donate it to charities. Along with the clothes, she collects Sam's interest, which spirals into love.

Also desperately, Jackie has fallen for Darryl, a skinhead who is filling her with greed, bigotry, and disrespect for her mother. Believing she is entitled to the trappings of wealth, she will do anything for money: theft, prostitution, and blackmail.

Grace is just about to land Sam when disaster strikes. Does Grace have the strength to see herself through the ultimate catastrophe and conquer wealth, power, and love?

The reader cheers on Grace as she struggles with her self-respect and integrity throughout the book. Is she any better than a gold digger? Can she instill in Jackie compassion and decency? She keeps asking herself these questions, and tries to answer yes. Grace confronts the obstacles to her goals in a surprising climax, in which the reader feels her release her pent-up frustration with her life and try to untangle herself from her web of intrigue and deceit. One may wish she would lose her passivity earlier in the book, but it adds to the power of the ending.