The Murderous Urges of Ordinary Women

Meltzer's book is so drop-dead funny you maybe should get your cholesterol checked before reading it. And you maybe should hide it from your friends because if they pick it up, they may not let you have it again until they've finished. If you feel about good books the way I do, that kind of behavior is a serious threat to a friendship. Better than hiding it, get them all copies: I can't imagine a better gift from one middle-aged wannabe vigilante to another.

Lois Meltzer has written a whimsical and sexy book called, "The Murderous Urges Of Ordinary Women". She brings together four ordinary women, best friends, who have awakened to find their still vibrant Selves wrapped in the folds of middle-aged bodies, suddenly marginalized by the passing of time. At first upset that they have become "invisible", they come to realize they can use this to their advantage. And if they can, so can other women in their situation. And so their "Book Group From Hell" decides to go global: they put up a website, "call-to-flabby-arms.com", the purpose of which is to liberate their peers from lives without efficacy. And so it begins. Small things at first: rudenesses are redressed; insults are repaid. Later, as the movement grows: banks are robbed; an eco-rapist is blackmailed into doing the right thing; a Supreme Court Justice is kidnapped... all with the intention of making at least a few of the things that are wrong, at least a little right. And the invisible, dispossessed women are, sure enough, beyond (or below) suspicion. That is until a technical virgin of an investigative reporter begins to sniff around... From the cover art to the very last page, Lois Meltzer pulls the reader in and never lets go. A masterful humorist, her insight into human behavior deepens our understanding of ourselves, even as we find ourselves laughing out loud.

This gem is subversive in the very best sense of the word. Unlike most books about women coming of middle age, this one has far more depth, wit relevance and humor. In fact, it actually has a plot! It goes far beyond the superficiality of sagging body parts, dating younger men, buying houses in Italy or exacting revenge on the ex-husband. This book offers far more: a sharp, incisive, insightful look at the power middle-aged women have -- in the bedroom, the office, the community -- precisely because they tend to be 'invisible.' And while you will laugh all the way through it, it will also make you think. There are an awful lot of middle-aged women out there right about now. We're a force to be reckoned with! Meltzer's book is sure to start a movement.

This is a wonderful read on many levels. It is the funniest and truest book I've read about our human capacity for `murderous urges', but it is much more. Meltzer delivers a hilarious saga with, among other things, paeans to the unsung heroes and heroines who actually contribute to making civic life work. Add cultural commentary, delivered as comeuppance to mean girls and would-be masters of the universe, and you have laugh out loud diversion combined with inspired alternatives for facing murderous urges. Rarely are moral and ethical resolutions developed with such subtlety and wit.

I didn't know what to think when I saw the subject matter of this book. I am an almost 60-year-old woman who has read a lot of books, particularly about women, so I was curious. I am so glad I ordered the book. This is one of the most original takes I have ever read on what it really feels like to be a middle-aged women. I can't imagine that any woman my age has not experienced the emotions of the picturesque characters that inhabit the book. It makes me wonder whether I am ready for my own acts of revenge. The book is witty, well-written, incredibly funny, and will hopefully take off like a rocket. AARP women, NOW women, Reader's Digest women, this book is for you!!!