Friday, 23 February 2024

Manhattan Dreaming, by Anita Heiss

Lauren is a smart, educated, beautiful woman, with loving and supportive family and friends; at 30 a leader in her field of indigenous art curation. So why is she in thrall to a rugby league player, who is clearly just not that into her? A fabulous job opportunity in New York gives her the chance to break her unhealthy addiction to this man who treats her so poorly and opens up a whole new world of dating. The first third of the book is dedicated to establishing Lauren’s world and character, as well as her bafflingly awful relationship. Heiss clearly conducted meticulous research into the world of indigenous art, as it’s all there on the page and her vision of an indigenous gallery in Old Parliament House is a neat one. When the story moves to New York it becomes a travelogue, Lauren’s experience of the city is over described and over explained, the level of detail is boring. The ‘surprise’ twist ending is strongly signalled and so no surprise at all. Lauren’s sudden shifts of direction detract from her credibility as a character. This novel was published in 2010 and the technology references date badly – My Space and Blackberry! Nevertheless if offers a fresh perspective on chick lit that could have been a much better read.

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