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Playdate
by
Thelma Adams (Goodreads Author)
“Adams is that rare writer who sends out every laugh with a sting in its tail. Most novels fade from the memory. This one sticks.”—Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
Inside their picture-perfect homes, the residents of this quiet California suburb are not at all what they seem.
Lance is a former weatherman, now a buff yogi, stay-athome dad, and manager of his daughter’s Girl Scou...more
Inside their picture-perfect homes, the residents of this quiet California suburb are not at all what they seem.
Lance is a former weatherman, now a buff yogi, stay-athome dad, and manager of his daughter’s Girl Scou...more
Hardcover, 304 pages
Published
January 18th 2011
by Thomas Dunne Books
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This novel basically takes Tom Perrota's "Little Children" and fashions the same storyline into something more blatantly obvious and cliche. The message was often spelled out across the page and the major conflict of care-giving fathers seemed overly dramatized.
I didn't hate this book, but I often found myself cringing at parts of it-- not just at the morality play philosophizing of it but also some of the descriptive writing was cloying and garish. Now, I am a huge fan of ornate detail, give m...more
I didn't hate this book, but I often found myself cringing at parts of it-- not just at the morality play philosophizing of it but also some of the descriptive writing was cloying and garish. Now, I am a huge fan of ornate detail, give m...more
Playdate
Thelma Adams
What happens when you and your husband are in an intimate position and your sixth grade daughter walks into the room? Even better what happens when she lashes out at her mother because she thinks she is strangling her father? What happens when one little girl is totally resentful of having to move from her home leaving all of her friends and having to go to a new school? Belle hates where she lives and no matter how hard she tries and how many bribes her mother puts in front...more
Sep 19, 2011
Diane
added it
Playdate by Thelma Adams, who lives in upstate New York and is the film critic for US Weekly magazine, tells the story of Lance, Darlene and their ten-year-old daughter Belle. They have just moved to Encinitas from Barstow because Darlene is opening a restaurant with a new partner, Alex, who lives in their new neighborhood.
Lance gave up his job as a TV weatherman in Barstow, and now he takes care of Belle and runs their new household. Darlene is spending a great deal of time with the demanding A...more
Lance gave up his job as a TV weatherman in Barstow, and now he takes care of Belle and runs their new household. Darlene is spending a great deal of time with the demanding A...more
Mar 29, 2011
Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Forthright, funny in places, and at times frightening both emotionally and physically, Playdate is a subtly disquieting domestic drama that lures the reader into Encinitas on the Pacific coast where life has a materialist, status symbols culture and monogamy is not a prized concept. The Ramseys, Lance, Darlene, and Belle, newcomers from Barstow, are awash with new experiences in this upscale community.
Darlene, in her element in Encinitas, gives little thought to how her husband and daughter are...more
Darlene, in her element in Encinitas, gives little thought to how her husband and daughter are...more
Lance is a former weatherman turned house-husband. His wife, Darlene, is busy opening up the first in what could be a chain of new restaurants targeted at working mothers.
The two have one child, sixth grader Belle. They're considering having more and while Lance is excited, Darlene may not be as enthusiastic. She's so driven by her job and starting up her business that she is slowly becoming disconnected from Lance and Belle. Meanwhile, Lance is connecting with other women in his life, included...more
The two have one child, sixth grader Belle. They're considering having more and while Lance is excited, Darlene may not be as enthusiastic. She's so driven by her job and starting up her business that she is slowly becoming disconnected from Lance and Belle. Meanwhile, Lance is connecting with other women in his life, included...more
Lance is a former weatherman turned stay at home dad. While his wife Darlene, the one with ambition works to start her new business a diner, which she and business partner Alec hope will turn into a franchise. Alec lives down the street and can't see past branding, even his own family it seems. Wren his wife at home is trying to live up to his branding, while dealing with there doesn't know/care where the boundaries are and will cross them nanny and her two boys.
Lance, Darlene, and Bella (their...more
Lance, Darlene, and Bella (their...more
Once you get past the cheesy cover and title, this is a good book. I received this first reads book with a book that I hated from the same publisher. I decided to give it a chance since I needed some mindless fluff. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find out the authors direct writing about characters with emotional depth. At times I wanted the characters to get fleshed out but by the end all was made clear and satisfactory.
Thelma Adams developed great characters and an interesting story ce...more
Thelma Adams developed great characters and an interesting story ce...more
I have mixed feelings on this book. I enjoyed the message which basically is it doesn't matter who raises the kids, all the jobs are important but they go hand in hand. It isn't just the moms who are important it is the dads too. This life is one big puzzle and we need all the pieces.
However the affairs and the way the kids were just pushed through the book really didn't catch my fancy too much. Maybe this book is just too modern for me. I didn't think I would get through it, I made it halfway...more
However the affairs and the way the kids were just pushed through the book really didn't catch my fancy too much. Maybe this book is just too modern for me. I didn't think I would get through it, I made it halfway...more
3 likes · like · see review
Ms. Adams has written a current tale of what is the right way or wrong way of raising your child. Should a stay-at-home dad be drilled by the questions."So, what do you do?" "So, your wife is the bread winner in the family, huh?" What is important to Lance (dad) is to give Belle (daughter) the love & attention an eleven year old needs. While Darlene (mom) is more concerned about the success of her new diner/business & her power hungry partner Alec. This debut novel brings up everyday con...more
I won this book from Goodreads and really enjoyed reading it. It was a sometimes funny read that dealt with the subject of being a stay-at-home parent. Being a stay-at-home parent myself I liked how the book showed that it is an important, rewarding job. I enjoyed reading about the main character Lance, a weather man turned stay-at-home dad. He was not perfect, but tried very hard to be a good dad to his daughter. The best scenes for me in the book were the times he was talking with his daughter...more
I won this as a first-reads on GoodReads. Thanks GoodReads and Thelma Adams. This book was kind of ho-hum to me. I think that it was meant to be a quick, light read and I guess it qualifies for that. The description contains reviews saying how humorous and funny this story is. Frankly, I didn't find it to be that entertaining. I tried to like or connect with the characters, but they seemed very stilted and plastic-like. (Much like the Barbies on the cover art. In fact, the cover was the funniest...more
Playdate by Thelma Adams
Meet Lance and Darlene Ramsay and . A middle class, suburban California couple with a ten year old (going on 40) daughter. The Ramsay family has recently moved from the desert town of Barstow to a lovely middle class neighborhood. Lance has left the business of being a weatherman to become a house husband and Darlene is on the verge of opening her first restaurant in what she hope becomes a chain that will give Ihop a run for it’s money. Lance is, although he will not ad...more
Meet Lance and Darlene Ramsay and . A middle class, suburban California couple with a ten year old (going on 40) daughter. The Ramsay family has recently moved from the desert town of Barstow to a lovely middle class neighborhood. Lance has left the business of being a weatherman to become a house husband and Darlene is on the verge of opening her first restaurant in what she hope becomes a chain that will give Ihop a run for it’s money. Lance is, although he will not ad...more
THis was almost, but not quite, a total waste of time. Unhappily married couples, a precocious 11 year old, the launch of a new franchise, a stay at home, wonderful father who is involved with the wife next door, the wife who just happens to be married to the business mogul trying to promote the franchise for the 1st guy's wife, and ends up involved with her, though only very superficially..... kids, all knowing nanny, santa ana winds, fires, betrayals...nothing very deep or meaningful. blah, bl...more
I did finish this book (mostly out of boredom rather than interest) but it leaves me wondering. Is everyone cheating on their spouse in some form or another? I know I'm not, but the casualness of the characters in this book towards their spouses made me sick. I can understand the peaks and valleys of relationships, but come on. Don't go seeking out comfort somewhere else and especially not neighbors and business partners.
These characters were pretty unsympathetic, and by the end, I wanted to ye...more
These characters were pretty unsympathetic, and by the end, I wanted to ye...more
Hello. I hated these characters. Don't people feel guilty about cheating anymore? Lance didn't seem to feel much guilt at all. What if Wren was having his baby? He didn't seem to care to investigate.
The characters in this book were not likable except for the children.
I was disappointed that no one got caught. Everything just ended perfectly on a perfect day......barf.
I'm using the book for book club. I'm sure it will be a good discussion, but I would had chucked it across the room if it wasn'...more
The characters in this book were not likable except for the children.
I was disappointed that no one got caught. Everything just ended perfectly on a perfect day......barf.
I'm using the book for book club. I'm sure it will be a good discussion, but I would had chucked it across the room if it wasn'...more
I won this from Goodreads, and I thought it would be something like Little Children, minus the pedophile. Unfortunately, thought it was a light read that passed the time, none of the characters had any depth to them. I couldn't bring myself to care about any of them, even the little girl, whose personality was a little too grown-up for her age. I found it unlikely that Lance was so attractive that apparently everyone was flinging themselves at him, even the babysitter.
The main topic in the book was the affair between Lance and Wren, the spouses of the business partners. Normally, what I enjoy about chick-lit is the humor and the bonding of the characters; but these characters felt very isolated from one another and the book just wasn't funny. I would have never bought this book and would have been disappointed if I had to wait for it at the library.
Do couples fall out of love with one another. A wife of one couple, Wren, and the husband of the other, Lance began a sexual affair that turns emotional. I think many men and women have issue with men being the househusband. THis book was all over the place and asks the questions do 2 infidelities make a right? There was no happy ending to be seen by me. Only vaguely entertaining.
A light read about marriage, family and gender roles. A family of three struggles to adjust to moving to Encinitas, CA with an on-coming wild fire as a backdrop. The wife is now working long hours with her business partner, their next-door neighbor, in an effort to open her own chain of diners. Her husband Lance cannot find work and so is now the house-husband who takes care of their 10-year old daughter who is finding her new school hostile.
I thought this book would be similar to Little Children by Tom Perrotta--the set up is the same with two couples one with a dad in charge of the kids and the other with the mom in charge who are having an affair. Unfortunately this version was really boring, so I stopped reading it after three chapters.
Are Belle and Sam 10 or 26? I know kids can be precocious but jeez haha. I thought it was a decent book, did make me laugh out loud a few times, although did not care at all for the theme of cheating, even if it is "tantric" the character has trouble deciding if its really betrayal to his family.
I would actually give this a 2.5. It was an easy, light read. Not a fan of affairs at all but I did like how the book ended. Loved the relationship between the Father and Daughter...every daughter deserves that type of relationship with their Father.
I can't fairly review this book because I couldn't get past the names of the characters, which I hated. It kept me from ever getting into the story. You will have to decide for yourself if this who is cheating on who book is for you.
A decent beach/summer read. A cheating spouse, tough marriage, kind of story with a little bit of a deeper theme of defining yourself by what you do, rather than who you are.
Unpleasant characters about whom I don't really give a fig making bad decisions, but yes, I will agree that the book is sharply witty.
Mar 11, 2011
Kirstin
marked it as to-read
Heard about this on the Lori and Julia radio show...sounds kinda like a show I would watch, not an award winner, but entertaining.
I liked this book although I thought some of the dialogue and inner think of the characters was not believable.
This book was so much FUN and also gritty and real. Great read. Funny, contemplating real issues- really well paced.
One of those books that you only finished it to see how it ended. Didn't really care about the characters.
Entertaining but nothing stunning. Good, quick read but not mind blowing or thought provoking at all.
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May 29, 2012 02:32am