The Thin Pink Line

Rating:
Summary: phony
Review: The problems with this novel are many, but the most serious one is the phoniness of the writing itself. Jane is about as British as Fran Drescher. The author tries to put it on thick, but she must have learned about English speaking manner and expressions from watching skits on old episodes of the Carol Burnett Show. The improbable plot, which isn't really a parody when it should be except it takes itself far too seriously, coupled with the self-conscious and self-important voice of the author, along with the pseudo-British thing, makes for a complete disaster of a book. VERY disappointing. Avoid.

Rating:
Summary: Strange... yet fun
Review: The Thin Pink Line is a fun, engaging, yet strange novel. The synopsis -- a twenty-nine-year-old who stages her pregnancy in order to secure a marriage proposal from her boyfriend -- is original, but there are various loose ends throughout the novel.

At first, all Jane Taylor wants is the special attention and gratification of being pregnant, not to mention a guaranteed marriage proposal from her boyfriend Trevor. But then things become rather complicated as the trimesters progress, and the charade takes over Jane's life -- especially when someone offers a book deal she can't refuse. But why doesn't she just stop the charade? I wasn't able to grasp the reasons for Jane's insistence on living a lie -- notwithstanding the gigantic book deal. The author fails to provide the aforementioned insight, and Jane's erratic behavior has no actual logic. But then again, perhaps her eccentricity implies that the scheme isn't supposed to be logical...

Despite those loose ends, The Thin Pink Line offers an original plot, sharp and crisp dialogue and wonderful characters. Also, Jane's desperate attempts to legitimize her pregnancy will have the reader roaring with laughter. Red Dress Ink has released a fresh approach to chick lit with this wonderful gem. Illogical and strange conduct aside, Jane Taylor is the proverbial neurotic heroine... And The Thin Pink Line is a must read!

Rating:
Summary: Smart, Funny Read
Review: I picked up this book expecting a couple of hours of brain candy, but that's not what I got. Instead I found myself both entertained and challenged. Not only did I enjoy getting lost in Jane's wacky world, but I found myself faced with the question of just how far would I be willing to go to get what I want. This book is not your average beach read. The story is pure fun, but the writing is smart and witty.

Rating:
Summary: A Unexpected Pleasure - With Attitude
Review: Confession: I really didn't expect to like this book much. I didn't think it was going to be my kind of book. But it caught me by surprise.

Now, let's be honest...Jane's not a noble character, no paragon of virtue. But what do you expect from a young woman who decides to feign pregnancy to fit in and to get some of the privileges that she sees really pregnant women enjoy. She's self-centered and selfish. But she grows and changes through the book and the ending, while a bit contrived, leaves us hoping that Jane will turn out okay, will become a better person.

While Jane is making her difficult journey though, the reader's journey is much more pleasant. There is great wit and some really sparkling writing. Jane may not be a person you'd want as a sister or a friend at this moment in her life, but she's fun to watch.

Rating:
Summary: An amusing allegory on the importance of honesty
Review: When she is late, a condition that never happens to her, Jane assumes she has to be pregnant, which makes her elated. She spreads the word about her delicate condition and everyone especially her boyfriend treats her with care and dignity. However, a few days later her period arrives. Reluctantly, she knows she must tell everyone the truth, but besides her friends and colleagues thinking she is a bonehead, Jane enjoyed the pampering she received. She decides to say nothing and just pretend that she is pregnant.

However, Jane begins to learn the down side of her fake pregnancy, as she becomes a closet smoker and drinker since she cannot imbibe in public. She gives up her exercise class and has to fake symptoms. When her boyfriend learns of her sham, he leaves, but Jane continues with her con until the bittersweet best and worse that could happen to her occurs. Jane falls in love.

At first brush, readers will think THE THIN PINK LINE is a silly chick lit tale, but that would be a mistaken classification. Instead, the story is an amusing allegory on the importance of honesty and caring for others. Jane is a delightful key player whose web of lies proves more difficult to maintain with every passing moment. Readers should take a chance on something different as the morality lesson venue is cleverly interwoven inside a jocular plot.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Will make you laugh and cry!
Review: Jane is over the moon when she is late and decides that because she is never late, that she must be pregnant. Visions of wedding bells, etc. fill her head, and the world turns a rosy pink hue. Unfortunately, her period does arrive a few days later, meaning that all the dreams she has had are down the drain, and she will have to admit to everyone who has been so nice to her because of her condition that it was all a mistake. That does not make her very happy, so she decides to go through with being pregnant.

The results are interesting. Yes, people are nicer, but there are drawbacks. First off, she can no longer smoke or drink in public. There is no baby, so she has to work to be able to exhibit the symptoms that people are expecting. She has to give up her exercise classes, and Trevor, her boyfriend is not very happy with her, especially once he finds out the truth.

Trevor's leaving does not change the plan, though. Jane continues being "pregnant," receiving accolades for her bravery. There is yet another twist. She falls in love, and her new love does not have any idea she is "expecting".

The complications abound with every passing page, as does the bittersweet hilarity. Jane learns valuable lessons about honesty, love, and putting others ahead of herself before it is all over and done, but it will take a miracle to save her.

***** This is an extraordinarily different book, one that will make you laugh and cry both. It also leaves you wondering, what happened. Jane is just a typical person, one you can almost identify with. She and her fellow cast members join the rising trend of characters who are not extraordinary, just people. *****

Rating:
Summary: Simply Awful
Review: The heroine of this book, Jane Taylor, has the most reprehensible morals imaginable. I thought the premise of the book was really clever and that it would prove to be quite funny, but I was disappointed. During Jane's "pregnancy," she gets sympathy for conditions she doesn't have, plays with the emotions of both friends and family, accepts gifts for her imaginary baby without a second thought, and walks away from the love of her life because she is too immature to finally fess up to her charade. Finally, the end of the book is supremely ridiculous and a lovely example of deus ex machina.

There are more problems with the book then the ones listed above (trying to trap a man into marriage, improbable reactions from other characters to Jane's insanity), but many of them would constitute spoilers. Overall, I do not recommend The Thin Pink Line.

Rating:
Summary: Very disappointed
Review: I bought this book along with others. I finished the first 2 books, in 2 days, which were great (Running With Scissors and The Dogs of Babel). Then I got to this book, I find the writing style annoying. There's a lot of unnecessary run on's that is making it impossible to enjoy. There's a lot of pointless information-at least that's how I feel. The other 2 titles are such great books, I recommend them.

Rating:
Summary: I LOVED this book!
Review: This book is bloody brilliant. In some ways, it fits in the genre of Bridget Jones in the sense of Very-Funny-29YearOld-Single-British-Working-Girl-Copes-with-Boss-and-Screwy-Love-Life-and-Dreams-of-True-Love-and-Marriage, except that this is much better. (B.J. was sometimes too ditzy and too incompetent at work for my taste.)

My favorite aspect of this book? The protagonist kept surprising me. That's not typical for the average romance novel, which this is sort of, but not really. This one goes beyond the usual.

The smart-ass heroine is very, very funny (of course) but quite tender-hearted (of course). Best of all, there's a wry, wise twist that I can't tell without spoiling it. Let's just say the heroine ends up in a very different place than she (or I) would have expected.

This is a Don't Miss book, a fabulous read.

Rating:
Summary: This is a very good, very entertaining, read.
Review: I'm not usually a fan of what could be called 'Chick-Lit' or 'Brit-com', just so that's clear. However, I was given an advance copy of The Thin Pink Line to read on a long flight and was very pleasantly surprised. First of all, the dialogue (one of my first criteria) is crisp, well written and sounds real in the mind's ear. Next, there are moments that are laugh-out-loud funny. The novel is very well paced and moves right along. The only criticism I may have, and this is purely from a personal point of view and has nothing to do with the writing, is that I found it very hard to sympathise in any meaningful way with Jane, the protagonist. However, if someone like me who doesn't read much along the lines of this sort of thing enjoyed it very much, I'm sure people who do will find that The Thin Pink Line stands head and shoulders above the rest.