Elegance (Paperback)

Louise, a 32 year old ticket agent in a theatre playhouse, comes to a crossroad. A series of events beginning with a scrawny friend of her mother-in-law inquiring about her pregnancy (she's not pregnant!) starts Louise on a course for change. She finds a book titled Elegance in a second-hand bookstore she frequents. The book, written in the 1940's by Genevieve Dariaux (also a fictional character), becomes a bible of sorts, a pseudo Dr. Phil treatment plan.

Each chapter of Elegance a.k.a. therapy session brings up a past event or interaction Louise relives with the fresh eyes of the person she's become. She creates to-do lists that she takes to the extreme but somehow manages to find a happy medium. Her journey though, is the kicker.

There are a host of amusing supporting characters - like her therapist whom Louise has been seeing since she was first married. Her therapist, known as Mrs. P. is a middle age German lady who lacks any fashion sense and seems more dependent on Louise than Louise is on her.

Tessaro has written a charming book. She takes the reader through a section of Louise's life and from her perspective laughing and crying are inevitable. Even though Louise is likeable, there were times I wished I could slap her. Throughout I kept thinking things couldn't possibly get any worse. They did. Louise has a unique way of surviving, though, and really that's all any of us want to do. Survive. By the end, I cared what happened to her. Although the book is written from a fictional standpoint there are nuggets of wisdom within that we know, but sometimes forget. Like the importance of friendship is in the quality and not the quantity.

With Ally McBeal-esque imagery, Tessaro drives home Louise's personality. Showing a side we can relate to but would never let on about. One of my favourite scenes is when she enters a Starbucks. She stands in line to place an order. She wants to "punch through the glass case and grab the whole cake and run howling into the street with it like a creature from a Hammer horror film," but instead she orders a double espresso with no sugar.

Louise learns to embrace change. She changes her cohabitation, her image, her friends, her residence and her job. She learns change isn't all that bad, and it doesn't affect the person she is, in fact it enhances it.

Elegance is a fun ride. I hope Kathleen Tessaro will produce more books along this line. I would love to see a sequel with this character along with her quirky friends.

I was entertained. I laughed, I cried, I cringed. Did I mention I laughed? I will never think of a potato in the same way again, (You'll have to read the book to find out what I'm talking about).