Girl Talk

Although I didn't know what to expect from Girl Talk, it was not such a touching, honest portrayal of a relationship between a mother and daughter. Our heroine, now a single advertising executive living in Manhattan, looks back on a rather bizarre summer she spent with her mother, tracing events that took place then and thinking about the effects they have had on her present life. A complicated, somewhat strange woman, Lissy's mother used this summer to tell Lissy 'the truth' about herself and her life - and it these stories that form the basis of the novel, introducing characters, revealing their experiences, and so on. The result is a complicated, touching, honest, delightful depiction of life, love, happiness, relationships, deception and so on. It's a novel that's definitely about people rather than events, and Julianna Baggott is definitely an author to watch. I was very pleasantly surprised by this book, and enjoyed it so much that I hope others will check it out as well.

After my wife devoured the book, I picked it up and was instantly hooked! Baggott perfectly captures and describes an era of time that I instantly identified. The humor, which at times is both subtle and obvious, coupled with a diverse cast of characters, makes the reading of Girl Talk an excellent choice for all.

Baggot's book begins with the adult narrator realizing she has relived the life of her mother, and the book proceeds to show us just why. Time and memory have a lovely slippery effect here, Lissy's 15th summer becomes her mother's 16th, which becomes her own present. What sets this book apart, though, is the wit and uniqueness of Baggott's voice and characters; she places us firmly in a world where life itself is absurd--not to mention the cast of characters that come with it.

GIRL TALK is one of those novel that starts out being about one woman -- one woman with a BIG problem that is only going to get bigger -- and ends up being about all women. About the world in which women live, the secrets they keep, the fights they choose and the ones they pass. Their mothers, their friends, their lovers and their ghosts. The ending will remind you that Baggott is a poet, as well as fiction writer. You will not be disappointed.A wonderful addition to writers who came of age after the Vietnam War!

"Girl Talk" is a hilarious and tender novel, the kind of book you buy for your mother, your sister, your best friend!