« previous | main | next »
woman after my own groovy and clueless heart
Two weeks ago, waiting for Alex to meet me at Barnes and Noble – hey, we’re yuppies, what do you expect? – I reluctantly tracked down This Book That Everyone Tells Me Is So Great But I Really Doubted It. Promising myself I only had to read a few pages to confirm what I was already sure of, I plopped myself in the travel section and was well into the second chapter before I realized Alex was standing over me, snickering. Guiltily, I looked up: “I am sooo busted.”
It was inevitable. Not only had I sworn no interest in Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress, presuming it to be another of those books with the hot pink covers bearing linear chicks holding whimsically drawn martini glasses, I resented the word “hypocrite” in itself, feeling that women should stop feeling like they’re selling out their inner feminists to get married.
But, I’m a firm believer in embracing what you loathe, figuring out what ticks you about it, and sizing up whether it actually worth all those negatively charged ions you throw in its direction. Also, after twenty minutes, I was totally hooked.
Still, it was a rough start. Though her early childhood stories were both sweet and endearing, after the eighth or fiftieth, I nearly had a cavity. Such foibles! Such defiance! I get it.
Thank god I didn’t quit because I swear, the story about “finding unexpected nirvana” at David’s Bridal, oh! Mrs. Gilman sang that song just for me. I, too, stood in the middle of the exact type of cookie-cutter wedding warehouse, clearly designed to make any sane woman flee to Vegas, and found a dress that “curved where I curved” and flattered me, me, me! I didn’t have to apologize for my rack size, my staggering waist-to-hip ratio, or my lack of interest in spending two month’s rent on a five-hour gown. I didn’t try on a sample, I tried on my dress. And, best yet, I followed my gumption, knowing that the dress that cost five times more was not capable of making me looking five times better.
I am, after all, a total hottie. Or something.
The rest of her stories about planning her wedding are equally in tune with mine – the realization that yes, you might want to record this day with more than your friend’s camera phones, and a band is easier than a six-deejay rotation that will require overseeing, and if the band is going to be cheesy, you might as well pick the cheesiest band you can and assure people it was intentional, and well, you’re going to need to serve those out-of-town guests something more than champagne, and why don’t you let them sit at a table with tablecloths, and why kill yourself renting tables and forks and plates and chairs and waiters when this here little WeddingLand hall will do it all for you?
My only discomfort with the book is that she is so obviously a better writer than I am, I might need to have her “disappeared.” Or, at least to not read anything else from her, lest it kill the pipe dream that I have something worthwhile to contribute to the literate world. That said, I am so inspired by this Reading Something I Was Certain I’d Hate, I’ve decided to tackle another book I’ve sworn off for arrogant reasons.
And thus, I start Cooking for Mr. Latte this week.
comments (12)
Francesca, I hope you'll understand. It's just research!
1 | deb | August 1, 2005 05:00 PM
I knew you'd like it. I think I left a comment way back when to that effect. She'd goond, isn't she? I loved the story about her meeting Micke Jagger.
2 | wendy | August 1, 2005 05:37 PM
Not a thing wrong with buying off the rack. The first dress I tried on at David's Bridal was the dress for me. It was perfect and I still love it. Congrats!
3 | mrs.steger | August 1, 2005 08:44 PM
Nice that you liked her book... her other book (Kiss My Tiara or something like that) isn't as good so don't bother, or maybe...read it and you won't feel that she's a better writer:)
4 | Lisa | August 2, 2005 09:29 AM
While I did enjoy Hypocrite.. I wasn't all that jazzed by Cooking for Mr. Latte. There was not enough to it to justify it. I found myself skimming it.
5 | susannah | August 2, 2005 09:42 AM
I laughed out loud a few times during Hypocrite. Plus, the Jewish Week editor she mentioned also gave me my first break there, so I'm hopeful that I'll be able to "break out" soon too...
6 | Esther | August 2, 2005 11:04 AM
mom always said, "don't judge a book by its cover!" or something like that.
7 | megan | August 2, 2005 04:59 PM
Cooking for Mr. Latte! I am SO HOT for Tad Friend. And after reading that book (and her previous, about cooking in France), found myself unable to tear after the author because she's such a sweetheart. EVEN THOUGH SHE HAS STOLEN MY TAD.
8 | Georgia | August 2, 2005 05:50 PM
Love that book! Love your blog!
Other good reads: Laura Notaro
Hollis Gillespie
9 | Lisa Ann | August 3, 2005 09:40 AM
I have had that book sitting on my bookshelf for months - your gush may just mean I actually have to read it now. Have you heard of Chelsea Handler - she too has a book that is just hilarious.
10 | Ari | August 3, 2005 12:18 PM
ooh I do enjoy Laurie Notaro - I have several of hers on my bookshelf. Maybe in the spirit of summer re-runs, I'll reread some of my old favorites! :)
11 | susannah | August 3, 2005 12:56 PM
I laughed quite a bit reading that book. You're right, she's a good writer. But, come on, so are you!
12 | Eileen | August 4, 2005 02:09 PM