Even Good Authors Have to Start Somewhere

The Bright Side Of Disaster by Katherine Center

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Katherine Center is one of my fave authors, but I this was an earlier work, and it's not as good as her others. But even great authors have to start somewhere.

On the plus side, the main character, Jenny, is root-worthy and relatable. My first marriage was to a guy pretty much like Dean. I get it. I understand how being young and overwhelmed can lead to bad choices. Also, Jenny's mom was a normal, good person and the subplot worked to support the main story line. Her depiction of her dad was so poignant. He was a rich, successful, charismatic loser whom she loved without qualification.

On the negative: structurally, I thought this book felt "off." The crisis and Jenny's bad decision-making came pretty late. Also, too many of her solutions were in the form of other people stepping in to help her/save her. (The Meredith reappearance just at the right time was weak, IMO.) Her character arc was completed by virtue of her having a thought bubble at the end of the story, rather than taking action. The love interest was 2-dimensional. Why did he want her so badly? What was his issue, that required Jenny to be complete?

But I'm picky. It was a decent story that I enjoyed reading to the end (which was too abrupt).



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