false 4 0 false false Wed Sep 16 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 07 09:23:48 -0700 2009 Thu Sep 17 06:37:10 -0700 2009
I had heard that this book was a thinly-veiled novel about Laura Bush, so I determined not to do any more research on it before I read it, just to keep my perspective as fresh as possible. On the whole, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, and I was very impressed with Curtis Sittenfeld (this was the first of her books for me). The main character, Alice, was really accessible and likable for me, and I had a little thrill each time she referenced a book I loved as a child.

For the first two-thirds of the book, I didn't perceive major, obtrusive parallels to real life. However, the last third, which is very close to the present, was awkward for me. I felt like I was eavesdropping or something. Regardless, I was pleasantly surprised by this book, and I've just borrowed a Laura Bush biography from the library this week to do that delayed research. ]]>