The Smart One

Reviewed by Sandie Kirkland for RebeccasReads (9/08) Bev Bloomrosen is having a midlife crisis. She's 35, hoping to change careers and start teaching art, while hoping to move from New York to Las Vegas. She's divorced, unattached and still embroiled in sibling rivalries with her two sisters. Clare, the oldest, is known as "the pretty one" and is married with two children, perfectly happy as far as Bev knows. Joey, her younger sister and "the talented one", is a former rock star and drug addict. That leaves Bev in the middle, known as "the smart one" but wondering what to do with her life. While she waits to hear about the Las Vegas job, her summer gets complicated. First of all, there's the issue of Kenny Waxman, the boy next door who broke her heart in high school. Kenny is living in his parents' house while they try to sell it and also at loose ends waiting to hear about a job. Bev finds him just as appealing now as she did twenty years ago, but should she take the plunge and get involved again with him? Then there is Clare, whose marriage is not as happy as it seemed and who is contemplating an affair. Bev feels she needs to stop this and gets involved with the man she suspects is the one Clare is attracted to, her contractor, Leo. Joey is mysterious, disappearing for days then back involved in family matters. To top things off, the sisters make a gruesome discovery, an industrial drum stored under the Waxman's house which contains a pregnant woman's body. Who is responsible for her pregnancy and death? While this all sounds grim, Ellen Meister writes about these situations in a lighthearted manner, making them seem like normal family issues and bringing them to a successful resolution. The characters are well defined and believable, and the reader soon begins to cheer them on as they encounter difficulties. The writing is light and breezy, and draws the reader along to the end. Readers who want a light read with lots of romantic action and resolution of family difficulties will find this book very enjoyable.

Sibling rivalry, the 'burbs, murder, sex and very funny one-liners: what's not to like about The Smart One? I read this book with the same gusto with which I might have consumed one of the confections on the cover, but the writing's too smart to consider it Empty Calorie fare. The sisters Bev, Clare and Joey are real human beings, and Meister draws and colors them with love, humor and an artistic ease worthy of her protagonist. As much as they might bicker, intrigue, misstep and want to shake each other, they are never boring. Meister's prose seems effortless--testimony to how very well she writes--and her grasp of family dynamics is adept and rings true. IMHO, it's even better than Confessions of the Applewood PTA--more mature and grounded, even while maintaining the same excellent sense of humor. Buy it; enjoy it; pass the word. Susan O'Neill, Author: Don't Mean Nothing: Short Stories of Vietnam

My mother always told me, "Friends may come and go, but a sister is forever." She had six sisters, so she knew what she was talking about. My father had four sisters and I have three. I grew up in a world of sisters and feel like I have a pretty good handle on sisterhood, and so does Ellen Meister. At the core of her charming, thrilling, and often hilarious new book--The Smart One--are sisters. Three sisters to be exact--Bev, Clare, and Joey--each playing the role she thinks is expected of her. It seems the sisters hide behind these roles of smart, pretty, and wild, especially when they are together. It is only when they bond together to try to solve a decades old mystery that they learn the truth about each other: and that is that they no longer need these labels. In fact, maybe they are all smart, pretty, and wild. What's most important is that they love each other and they are there for each other (even when irritated with each other). Like Ellen herself, this book has a lot of heart and these characters will stick with you long after you have finished reading. Like sisters to you, they are forever. Read this book.

I couldn't put this book down. Meister's writing is deft and witty, and the characters are engrossing and the plot is compelling. Meister proves Wolfe wrong -- and Kansas's famous Dorothy correct -- you can go home again. And then she mines that concept for gold. When Bev Bloomrosen, the "smart" sister, is cornered into living in her parents' home for the summer, it starts a series of snowballing events that are either going to destroy her family or cement their bonds. An old flame breezes into town, charming Bev (and readers) with his nonstop wisecracks just as Bev and her sisters make a ghastly discovery practically in their own backyard. I absolutely fell in love with Bev, who manages to hold her own when it comes to funny one-liners, and was more than enamored with the rest of her family, too. Meister manages to masterfully mix a dark mystery with sizzling romantic entanglements and heartwarming (and sometimes heartbreaking) family drama. I know plenty of people are going to call this a "beach read" because it is a riveting, engrossing pageturner, but it's also blessed with a charm and intelligence that make it resonate with class and soul. Just like its main character, this book is one of the smart ones.

I have been waiting for my preordered copy of THE SMART ONE for several months. What a treat to have it arrive yesterday. I had trouble putting it down once I started and spent the entire day devouring each and every page today. It's a wonderful intertwining tale of 3 sisters...3 different sisters...The Pretty One, The Wild One and The Smart One. Having never had a sister, I thought I might be an outsider looking in, but I really understood the dynamics of sibling rivalry regardless of gender. It made me think of the relationships and roles among me and my two brothers and how important our relationships are. Need a great read for the beach, your next plane ride or vacation? This is the perfect book. It has suspense, mystery, romance, volatile relationships and great characters. Yet, it is also down to earth making it seem that you and I could also be characters in this novel. Kudos to Ellen Meister for another fun, delightful and worthy summer read. Plus, the cover graphics alone are deliciously tempting enough to send you to the nearest bakery to enjoy a baked good while eating through this yummy novel. Joanna Keating-Velasco, Author A Is for Autism F Is for Friend: A Kid's Book for Making Friends with a Child Who Has Autism In His Shoes, A Short Journey Through Autism