Trouble: A Novel

When I first got this book, I looked it over briefly ans was disappointed in my selection. It looked like a chick book and I am a 66 year old, testosterone laden retired Navy officer. When I finally ran out of other stuff to read, in desperation I picked up "Trouble". In about 15 minutes I was totally enthralled. This is a great read providing even dumb old men an insight into the thoughts of middle age women closing in on there mid life crises. I took one break for dinner and then immediately returned to my reading. It is a delightful story that anybody over 40 will find something to identify with. The story takes an unforeseen turn at the end that I was not suspecting at all. This is a great read and receives five stars from this old guy who used to believe, that it's better to die than look bad! Oink Oink.

Yes..this books a keeper ! Written for the real modern --today---woman...... It tackles real stories so many of its readers could be facing at the moment as well. The characters are well written for this sort of novel / semi romance --with tinges of danger and lots of interest. She fills them out nicely at least to a point where you can FEEL them as if they were real people . The way she intertwines current events with the characters ---keeps you into the book and reading with interest to the end. No fillers here--no multiply pages saying nothing but taking up space. In this book--every page says something about the characters or what one of them is feeling or doing...or why. This book was written for real woman...adult woman.I don't think young persons would really understand the interactions of a long time married woman or the problems that such a person would face....divorce..nor other woman functioning as modern day cougars ! I do not normally enjoy novels that much . ...but this one kept me turning the pages and enjoying every minute of it !

Fantastic book that I could not put down about three independent women who have been friends since college: Indrani is a single professor and a perfectionist, Josie is a married Manhattan psychotherapist with an adopted tween, who has just decided to separate from her husband, and Raquel lives in Los Angeles and is a famous rock star who hasn't put out a hit album in years. Indrani, who has long struggled with her own relationships with men, disapproves of Raquel's affair as well as Josie's decision to just "let" her marriage go without trying to work things out. They are now all in their mid-forties. After Raquel is in the tabloids for being with an actor in his twenties (who has a pregnant girlfriend), she escapes to Mexico City and begs Josie to join her. She's upset and needs her old friend down there for support. Josie sees it as a great opportunity for an escape from New York and to catch up with her close friend. The two women have a wonderful time exploring the city, drinking and eating, and catching up. But Raquel's depression and addiction return and the vacation takes a traumatic turn. Trouble is about strong, unconditional love and female friendships. It is also about lifelong dreams and career goals and what makes us happy. Christensen is a brilliant writer who creates believable, empathetic characters to whom you can instantly relate and bond with throughout her novels. When Trouble ends, you will still think about the characters.

Trouble tells the story of the mid life crisis of three friends from college. The main character is a therapist from Manhattan who comes to the realization that her marriage is over early in the book. Her daughter, who has little attachment to her, stays with her husband. Faced with two weeks off of work and no one to need her she takes up her best friends offer of a vacation to Mexico. Her friend is a rock star who is trampled through the tabloids as a Charlotte who screwed a younger man while he another women was pregnant with his child. Unable to handle the pressure she escapes to Mexico. The third friend is of minor importance to the story. She is a professor with inherited money, a poor track record with men, and the sole desire to start a family. This story is not for everyone. It is of the breakdown and eventual rebuilding of one women. It is a tale of drugs, sex, and death. But anyone who has had to rebuild their life from a divorce can relate to the overall theme of the book. The writing is great and the characters come to life.

I have been a fan of Kate Christensen's novels since the publication of In The Drink about ten years ago. In Trouble, Christensen takes a genre, in this instance the middle-aged chick lit, and completely turns the genre on its head, defying all expectations with terrific results, just as she did in In the Drink. Trouble opens at a Manhattan cocktail party with the narrator, Josie, a 45 year old married woman flirting with a younger man. She catches sight of herself in a mirror and suddenly realizes that she wants out of her marriage. You think you know where this is going, right? It's not going there. While Trouble certainly has its share of humor, it is of a more sardonic bent than would be expected of a novel with that set up. Trouble is a sharply written, smart work, an honest, frank exploration of women's lives. Josie leaves Manhattan for Mexico at the request of an old college friend trying to escape her own mistakes. There, Josie ruminates on her life, her marriage, her relationship with her daughter. There are no zippy endings here, where all is resolved neatly. Instead, Trouble reaches an honest resolution that is true to life and the messiness it can sometimes bring. Trouble is a terrific, enjoyable read, not light fiction, but smart fiction. Enjoy!