Best Intentions

Emily Listfield spins a winning tale of the challenges facing thirty-nine-year-old Lisa Barkley. On the surface her life would inspire envy. With a high-powered job, a handsome husband, two beautiful daughters, a gorgeous apartment, and a beloved best friend of long-standing, it seems as if Lisa has it all. But underneath the shiny veneer, her life is slowly unraveling. On an impulse, she checks her husband Sam's voicemail one morning, and is shocked to hear a woman's voice whisper she's going to be late for their meeting, adding, "Can we make it six-thirty? Same place." Those two little words, "same place" set wheels turning in Lisa's head. Is that why Sam has seemed distracted and distant lately? Dear God, could he be having an affair? Thus starts a series of events that has Lisa questioning her marriage, her mothering, her friendships, and her very role in life. Plus her best friend, Deirdre is involved in a physically abusive relationship. What should Lisa do? Financial pressures begin to mount: Her daughters are enrolled in a pricey private school. Sam's job stresses him more and more as he struggles to break important stories. Lisa's job seems to be in jeopardy, as her firm is sold to a much larger one, and heads begin to roll. Add to the mix, a reunion of their college friends begins to unearth some long-buried traumatic secrets. It's as if a stack of dominoes begins to fall, as each event further robs Lisa of her sense of herself and her hard-won security. This is a smart novel that takes the reader into the competitive world of seemingly successful people. All that glitters is not gold, and it sure makes for interesting reading. Listfield makes you care for Lisa, Sam, and their family. I was pulling for them all the way, and the author does not disappoint. Excellent!

I have a love-hate relationship with chick lit, so it took me a few days to start on this one. The jacket information about the heroine's confronting issues in her marriage didn't do the book justice. It's smart, funny, and well written. Ms Listfield knows New York (some of her thinly disguised parodies will have the insider howling); she infuses self discovery with cleverness and a gift for language; and she manages to give us a pretty good whodunit as a bonus. I was hooked from the stunning 2-paragraph prologue and was kept guessing until the end. More to the point, I've ordered her other books. This is a real winner!

Is it possible that the world you carefully constructed can shatter in an instant based on an assumption you made after hearing a voice message on your husband's cell phone? This is what Lisa Barkley begins to think after hearing the muffled message from an unknown woman to her husband. On the outside, Sam and Lisa are happily married with two daughters, Claire and Phoebe. Lisa holds a top position at a PR firm, while Sam is a journalist. They met and fell in love during college and married shortly after graduation. Their daughters attend private school on the Upper East Side. Lisa never thought to question her marriage until she hears this voice message. She shares her concerns with her best friend, Deirdre. Deirdre does not share Lisa's suspicions and tells her it's probably nothing. Lisa tries to shrug it off, however she just cannot seem to let it go. Meanwhile an old college friend comes to Manhattan to interview for a job and to celebrate his 40th birthday. Jack is Deirdre's former boyfriend and the four of them get together for a night of celebration and to reminisce. Jack and Deirdre entertain the idea of resuming their past love, only this time both have significant others. Jack is now married to Alice and Deirdre is in a relationship with Ben. The four friends' reunion sets the stage for past secrets, betrayal and lies to be revealed. Can we truly leave our past in the past? If we try to correct past mistakes, are really doing more harm than good? Best Intentions is a book that you can easily get lost in. I was captivated within the first chapter and began to wonder if Sam was truly having an affair. Without giving too much away, the novels twists and turns and I began to question each character's motive. At one point I truly felt for Lisa because I didn't know who was telling the truth and who was not. I have to admit, after finishing the book and finally knowing Sam's side of the story, I still had my doubts. This is the first book I read by this author and it will not be the last. Best Intentions is one I highly recommend. 4.5 Stars

From its cover image and description, I wasn't sure I was going to like BEST INTENTIONS. It appeared to be a tarted-up soap opera, a high-toned example of chick lit. But I was wrong. BEST INTENTIONS turned out to be one of the best novels I've read in a long time. It weaves so many themes in its captivating, engrossing story that it was always a pleasure to sit down with the book and read...and it was often hard to get back up and get on with the demanding business of life. BEST INTENTIONS is about life in 21st century Manhattan, when marital discord, economic uncertainty, and dreams unfulfilled at life's mid-point all come together. It is a book that can be enjoyed for its gripping story (it's a bit of a murder mystery and a well-done one at that), for its delicate portrait of a marriage in trouble, and for its telling observations on contemporary society. In short, it's a good read, whether you read between the lines or not. And Listfield (whom I had not read before) is an amazing writer: her characters are sympathetic and flawed, her word choice is impeccable, and her ability to fade into the background as her story takes place in the reader's mind is enviable.

Into a world of privilege that includes private schools, high-level careers, and upward mobility, the seeds of doubt are planted and lie fallow, waiting for the opportunity to blossom and spread like a malignant disease. At first, Lisa Barkley begins to feel the doubts about her career, which seems to be hitting a wall - an outside company has purchased the public relations firm where she works - and the expenses that barely allow them to keep afloat seem to be growing rapidly. And Sam, her loving husband, seems remote. Secrets crop up, nurturing those seeds of doubt, until finally everything escalates into a terrifying morass of fear, dread and panic. Best friend Deirdre, always so reliable, now seems unpredictable. An old lover from Deirdre's past joins the troops, reminding them all of their carefree college days, but his presence only complicates the situation. Outsiders inflict their own worrisome thoughts into the mix - one David Forrester is there to offer support, but also to fan the doubt flames - and soon Lisa doesn't know who to trust or what to believe. Then, finally, a tragic death brings everything to a crashing climax, escalating the doubts to suspicion, mistrust, and fear. Will all of their worlds crash and burn? Can anything be salvaged, and if so, what will fall into place after the final resolution of who did what, with whom, and why? A fascinating portrayal of a privileged world that lends credence to the warning to "be careful what you wish for," Emily Listfield's Best Intentions: A Novel delivers all that it promises. The author carefully reveals the multi-layered social universe that, on the surface, appears untouchable and successfully drives home the point that none of us are exempt from life's tribulations. Laurel-Rain Snow Author of: Web of Tyranny, etc.