The Essential Charlotte

Meet Charlotte, a quiet and shy girl who wants so desperately to go unnoticed. Until her mother, an eccentric worldly artist, suddenly dies and leaves Charlotte the shock of her life. Charlotte's father, whom she thought to be long dead, is alive and well. And now for Charlotte to gain possession of her mother's loft, her father is now also her roommate. Charlotte's quiet life is now turned upside down as she tries to survive this year with a stranger. Follow Charlotte as she finally finds the meaning in her life and what it truly means to have a family. ***** Wonderful! The way Charlotte is portrayed, every woman should feel a connection. I think that there is a little bit of Charlotte in all of us. I am going to lose no time in locating a copy of this author's first book, because I am a huge fan now. ***** Reviewed by K. Blair.

I loved the author's humor, wit and sensitivity. She really captures the emotions of loss, betrayal and loneliness of the main character, Charlotte. A was glad the ending was top your typical happy ever after.

Although I usually limit my reading to demanding material - I'm currently reading Borges' Selected Non-Fictions and Muldoon's Moy Sand and Gravel, and recently finished Faulkner's As I Lay Dying - I read 'Charlotte' on the advice of a friend. Although not equal in difficulty, vocabulary, or style to my usual reading, I was thoroughly immersed in the characters and plot. The background theme, a woman required by her mother's will to live in an apartment with her formerly absent father, while initially far-fetched, played out nicely, and the relationships with friends and lovers were consistently engaging and plausible.

A friend of mine gave me this book to check out. I was skeptical, thinking it was one of those formulaic chick-lit books. For example, I just read one called Apocalipstick, that was a complete Bridget Jones knock-off. Anyway, while this book is entertaining, also has depth, believable characters and doesn't depend on a fairytale, Prince Charming ending.Although I live in D.C., I liked the New York setting, the characters and plot were interesting and a little off-beat. If you're looking for something a little more than boy meets girl, girl acts like[a fool] , boy likes her anyway, I would recommend this book.

I really enjoyed this book. Ms. Schmais does a good job of inventing a very absorbing plot line, as well as characters that really drew me in. I found myself identifying with with Charlotte in a lot of ways. I highly recommend it.