MY
SYNOPSIS
Imagine this: You are a barrister in a very respectable
chamber and you have made quite a name for yourself. Besides juggling a hectic
job between a husband who hasn’t quite committed since the doctor beamed a
congratulations at him, you have a twelve-year-old daughter who means the world
to you.
All courts break into disorder when you lose a case against
Jack Cassidy (your college ex who stole your virginity and stole others’ wives too), get to work to be
laid with an order to clear out of your chambers, and go home to find your
husband cheating on a Piranha in Prada ex best-friend of yours who’s always
made it a point to beat you in everything in your life (even slapping her cock
in your husband’s face). Really, there can’t be any kind of low, lower than
this.
When your husband decides to pack out and clear out all your
accounts, in hopes to “find” himself in India, you are distressed, because now
you have no money to afford the lifestyle you are used to, no money to take
care of your teenage daughter who’s suddenly without a father (what you’ve
dreaded the most), and amongst all the hell you have Jack Cassidy on your
behind (quite literally) offering you a helping hand if you just decide to go
on a date with him. But then you have your mum…
Your Aussie solicitor cougar sixty year-old mum whose
wardrobe is the kind of jungle with the kind of leopard prints you’d like to
avoid and a mouth full of wisecracks and a distaste for anything men (except
sleeping with them). Until she proposes to you, you two should form a
two-woman, mother-daughter, solicitor-barrister law firm that will only
champion women who have been downtrodden by men.
Exactly how your troubles begin…
Now you live in the small cottage of your mum, trying to
raise your coming-of-age teenager, in a house with a victim of rape willing to
fight back her offenders (say hello to rocks slamming through your window
embodying death threats with bad grammar), a Russian Countess friend of your
mum’s ready to back the law firm if only you’d appear when she rings her bell
and holds up her glass for more Vodka (say hello to constant partying, barking
with raucous laughter and reminiscing old days with your mum when you are
asleep), an old lady who shot the balls off sex offenders with a gun (at least
you could say hello to good meals), and Jack Cassidy dropping by to laugh in
your face at how unsuccessful you are turning up to be just because you refused
his offer.
Clearly, with no one else to rely on, all you have to get
you through is a block of your favourite Cadbury Chocolates and just sitting
tight awaiting everything to palm out well. But sometimes do you just have to
take the law into your own hands in order to get your way? And what about the
consequences?
MY
REVIEW
I freaking loved, loved this book! So you know in my review,
I’d be shaking you by your shoulders and yelling in your face (forgive my
spit), leaving you disorientated with nothing to do but help me walk you to a
bookshop to let you get copies for yourself and anyone who borrows from your
shelf.
Ha-ha! I love Kathy Lette!!!
This book is frigging amazing. WE all love our chick-lit,
humorous, snappy, and delicious. But when it attacks an issue we all can relate
to, haha, it’s an effing plus too. Domestic abuse, still a paramount issue in
our world today, violence towards women by men, women being put down by men in
every field of life. This book should have been titled A Guide To Stay
Thick-Skinned And Fight For Your Rights As A Feminist and a WOMAN. Every housewife, blogger mum, corporate wife, business
woman would eat this book up like it’s the main course instead of merely
holding centrepiece on a brunch table. A star to the cause.── ★
Secondly, oh you would simply adore the storyline! Fab in
all directions. Woman experiences a day in terrestrial hell and loses
everything (fab), woman seeks comfort from her mother or rather, is jumped from
behind by mother (fab), woman and mother decide to open a law firm (abso-fab!),
woman and mother decide to defend a Good Granny Gone Mad (delightfully fab!).
It’s new and fresh and like a John Grisham novel… only more interesting! A star
to the storyline.── ★★
Matilda the main character has the loveliest bestest chick-lit
voice I’ve ever read in while. She joins the Gusty Chick-lit Women Club
following names such as Bubbles Yablonski (Sarah Strohmeyer), Stephanie Plum (Janet
Evanovich) and Davis Way (Gretchen Archer). The exact lead you would need in a
book that doesn’t fail to fight for equal gender rights. With her whiplash
wits, her I Don’t Know How She Does It attitude balancing her job between her
child, and falling victim one too many times to Cadbury chocolates, I’m not
sure of a person who would read this book and be like, “I didn’t quite take a
liking to Matilda.” (you are a freaking Barbie, that’s what you are!). It
certainly goes to show you do not need an armoury besides chocolates to be a
Woman Sleuth.
And you’d think the other characters are as bad as rotten-egg
scented fart. IT’s one of those books that every smidgen character delivered
and was developed so perfectly you’d be thinking, hell, why don’t these books
come in multiple-character first-point-of-views too?! From the amazing,
super-cocky Jack Cassidy who’s always in time to snatch our lead’s block of
chocolates and leave her disoriented. Roxy, our lead’s mum who has a truthful
and funny opinion about everything you can’t resist giving her a “Nice one
there.” compliment and a fist-bang. Countess Flirtalotsky whose love for
plastic surgery would make Joan Rivers give up her TV spot and go tuck that
double-chin properly. Phyllis the granny who’d stop at nothing to blow up
anything that has offended her grand-daughter. Portia, the adorable daughter,
who’s taking after her grandmother despite her mother’s horrors. Petronella,
the Piranha in Prada always a court robe away from our lead to win cases
against her then go back home to fuck her husband. Nathaniel, the super-charming(*) man always a
step away to help(*) our lead emanating very-gentlemanly(*) charms. Loads of
characters I can’t kill your suspense to mention because their appearance takes
the reader on a whole new surprise level. But a star to fabulous
characterization. I would certainly go dancing at this book’s club book launch
just to meet all the characters and bang foreheads with them.── ★★★★
I know, I have gone on and on. But if I don’t give a spot to
the humour and suspense in this book, I would leave out that guffawing (I mean,
laughter barked out like I was a pit-bull) got me spewing my favourite shirt
with my favourite wine, and that suspense got me biting my nails (a bad habit,
I know). Certainly, I didn’t get the memo when I received a copy and I need a
refund (in the form of a new favourite shirt, a new favourite wine and a spa
treat for which I could skip the manicure part and get the much-needed
massage)!── ★★★★★
So my rating is definitely a: SIX stars out of five stars!
Kathy Lette’s amazing latest, Courting Trouble is available
on Amazon. And I’d take this moment to wish her happy pub day since I missed it
on the 14th of this Month and wish her all the best in her career as
a deranged writer (like she so openly simply states in twitter bio).
I recommend this book to every woman who believes in cause
of this book and not the courts. Every woman who’s been at the front-row or
even the backseat and yelling “Atta girls” for those in the front row (because
the second-in-commands are important as the firsts) championing for equal
gender rights. Every woman partial to topics such as Rape, domestic abuse, and
violence against women (because who isn’t?) should also grab this book. And if
you just want an amazing chick-lit big enough to lead book discussions at
brunches and book clubs, pick this book.
Standing ovation for Kathy Lette.
My work not done here. Off to post my review on Goodreads.
