Saturday, July 11, 2009

The Practice of Deceit by Elizabeth Benedict

The Practice of Deceit was a book I got from Borders a couple of weeks ago. It was part of their "Bargain Books" and sounded like something I may enjoy, but different from what I normally read. I am glad I did, as I really enjoyed this book and give it a B+.

Back cover:
In this razor-sharp novel of marriage and divorce gone awry, Elizabeth Benedict navigates the turbulent waters of love, power, and vengenace with biting wit and penetrating insight.
When Manhattan psychoterapist Eric Lavender meets the sexy, stylish lawyer Colleen O'Brien Golden, his bachelor life suddenly loses its long-standing appeal. Soon he moves to Scarsdale to join olleen and finds a life of domestic bliss as a husband and father with a new baby and an adorable stepdaughter. But Eric's suburban oasis is threatened when a legal conflict of interest with Colleen turns up disturbing evidence of a hidden past.

This story was quite interesting. At first I thought I may be a bit bored with the story, but giving myself the 50 page rule, I sat down on my porch to read a few pages and the next thing I knew, twilight was setting in and the mosquitoes were coming out to play. Ms. Benedict does a wonderful job of telling the story through the eyes of a man, and shows the other side of divorce. I feel like quite often in books, the man is always made out to be a monster, and it was refreshing to see not every husband is a jerk. Ms. Benedict seems to have an extensive backlist, including one book titled Almost, that was a New York Times notable book, and I do plan on checking out some more in the future.

I do have one more library book to read, but I may pick up one more of my own to read first. I am so happy that it's only early afternoon on Saturday, and even though summer school starts Monday, I have all of my errands finished, cleaning completed, and lesson plans done so I can enjoy the summer weather (finally) while reading some more great books! Happy reading everyone and have a FANTASTIC weekend!

2 comments:

Literary Feline said...

It's hard to pass up a bargain book, isn't it? Sometimes we end up bringing home books we might not normally have read otherwise. I am glad you ended up liking this one, Kristie!

I've noticed that too--that often the man is portrayed as a jerk in divorce situations. It's refreshing when there's a more balanced view presented.

I hope you are enjoying your weekend!

Kristie said...

You are completely right... bargain books allow us to try books we may not otherwise get a chance to read. I'm having a wonderful weekend... hope you are too!