Straight Talking: A Novel

Being English, I've had this book since way back when... I adore Jane Green (along with Cathy Kelly, Marian Keyes, Sophie Kinsella, Adele Parks et al) because she does chick lit at it's best. Although this is one of the first of her books, it's the last I've read (Besides "The Other Woman) I read "Spellbound" first (I think it's been renamed "To Have and To Hold" for the US???) cuz I borrowed it off a friend. Loved it. Greens books are light, easy reads and yes, the are superficial in places but, you know, what I don't want a deep and meaningful read! In places they can be very witty(British sense of humour and all that jazz) "Straight Talking" isn't her best book. "Mr Maybe" and "Jemima J" are, in my opnion. But anyway, buy it. It's fun.

I've recently become sooo addicted to Jane's books. I'm starting the 4th in the collection. Once I get past about the 20th page, I'm glued and read the books just about anywhere I can and have been known to finish them in one day. The characters are like people we all know and love and find one that is identical to us. Without fail, there are unexpected twists, and invaluable life lessons. Often things I think "that would ONLY happen to me!!". Her books are fun reads and I can't recommend them highly enough!

This book captured my interest from page 1 !! If you are a single woman in your 30's, you will easily relate (although you may not always agree with Tasha ). Green writes in the 1st person, drawling you into the story, as if Tasha herself is telling her tale directly to you . Tasha, is the kind of woman other woman despise , glamourous job, figure, but under the surface , she still suffers from childhood issues that have formed problems in her adult life . Her mother never thought she was good enough, and her father was unfaithful . Adam , is her best male friend , and he is everything she dreams about, but she is blind (as we all are sometimes), until she almost loses him . This book will make you laugh out loud, get angry at Tasha , and finally be happy for her at the end . If you love all things british (including the cheeky humor ) you will enjoy this . Tasha is a realistic character, she has flaws, but she is not perfect, although she appears to be on the outside.

A story developed around Tash, a single and looking woman, frustrated by the everyday life of being single. Her story had me laughing out loud and completely involved in her story. It's a story intended for entertainment, not a literary work of art. I feel any single woman can identify with Tash's struggles between wanting what you can't have and finally getting what is right for you. Sometimes you don't always know what's right and any woman can identify with that, and also with her 3 other friends she has lunch with every Sunday (sounds like a certain popular HBO series, huh?). Great read!

I have read many books, and this is the first time I've actually truly related to a character. Tasha may be 30 and in London, and I'm 24 and in the Midwest USA, but we are not very different. I read another one of the reviews, and it says that the character is unlikable. But I don't think you're supposed to like her. She's not supposed to be the perfect heroine of the other books. She has her insecurities, and she makes decisions that she knows that she shouldn't be making, but does them anyway, and she falls in love with guys that treat her like dirt. The whole book is about her discovering the important aspects of love and friendship. I love the British humor, and the blunt, straight-forward writing when it comes to the thoughts going through the narrator's head. I could not put this book down right to the end. I'm making all of my friends read it, including my best guy friend because I know he'll find the resemblance frightening.