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BOOK
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From Merrimon Book Reviews
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Vintage Babes
by Elizabeth Oldfield
A novel of
wisdom, compassion and spunk for women of any age
After a rich
history of publishing romance novels, Elizabeth Oldfield
writes that she was eager to fill the gap in books that explore the
lives of women "of a certain age." The vagueness of the age definition
is appropriate here because her new release, VINTAGE BABES, will appeal
to a wide range of women whose life experience makes them crave a
certain maturity, wisdom and common sense in the characters. Even
better, despite their age, this author's characters have rich lives
that are still open to the kind of new turns and changes that can occur
when one's heart and sense of humor remain open.
VINTAGE BABES tells the story of
three older women whose friendship
changes their outlook and their lives. Carol, the narrator, is a
divorced woman in her mid 50s who works for the local Dursleigh
newspaper. At the beginning, Carol's fantasy is to have a young escort
by her side to take her to all those twosome affairs and parties but go
away when she doesn't need him. Carol wants all the would-be
matchmakers to leave her alone. An escort seems the best solution to
being a single woman of her age. Tina, a glamorous but widowed former
media star, does not like getting older. When her husband dies, she
feels helpless in managing her financial affairs and the town's
residents prefer to gossip rather than lend a helping hand to this
talked about gold-digger. Jenny, a plump stay-at-home mom and Carol's
close friend, lacks confidence to enter the career world against the
wishes of her husband.
After some
funny escapades and meetings at Tina's husband's
funeral, Carol has some encounters with the new young editor
replacement who wants to bring change to the paper. Despite initial
impressions and comical encounters with Tina, Carol and Jenny get roped
into coming to Tina's aid. The two friends congregate at Tina's house
around a young hip gorgeous personal trainer and the three exercise
together. Their friendship, courage and spunk lead them in directions
they never would have imagined at the beginning.
The narrator
Carol is full of spark, humor along with a little
bite, but also wisdom and common sense. Elizabeth Oldfield's first
person narrative style and characterization draw one into the heart of
the story. Suddenly, the reader finds herself completely lost in the
world of the town and its inhabitants. Through Carol, the author gives
the reader a wonderful mixture of humor and wisdom--- and a sense of
compassion as well ----that grows and grows upon the reader in a quiet,
gentle and imaginative way. By the end of the book, the reader realizes
that Elizabeth Oldfield's writing has invited her into magnificent
world that creates a positive glow on one's own life ---not a
superficial quick pop culture slogan but the glow and happiness that
comes from the wisdom, humor, friendship and compassion that hopefully
living brings. This reader certainly hopes that the author will bring
her readers back to the wonderful world of Dursleigh and its
inhabitants in the future.
Publisher: Accent
Press, Ltd (February 2008)
Reviewed by Merrimon,
Merrimon Book Reviews
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