Jennifer Weiner Certain Girls

Certain Girls

Jennifer Weiner

Atria, Apr 2008, $26.95

ISBN: 9780743294256

Thirteen years ago to her shock the fictional account of her life story, GOOD IN BED, became a best seller. However, Candace 'Cannie' Shapiro chose to let her fifteen minutes of fame expire; instead she settled into married life with Dr. Peter Krushelevansky living the suburban mom's PTA lifestyle.

However, her beloved tweener daughter Joy has just read her mom's semi-autobiographical fiction and is embarrassed to call her mom. With her bat mitzvah coming up, Joy wants to spend more time with her biological father Bruce Guberman and less with her mother. Joy would also like to meet her mother's father while her father Peter wants another child with his gene pool; in terms of DNA the perfect surrogate is Cannie's younger sister, but she is a bit of a wacko. However, Joy decides to go west to visit her maternal grandfather throwing her family's world off kilter.

The poignant story line rotates viewpoints between the combatants as mother and daughter are at war over Cannie's past out there for everyone to know she is GOOD IN BED, mortifying her offspring. Fans will enjoy the insightful look at the travesties of being human as your past is used by your offspring to haunt you (every mother's two-edged curse). A stand alone as much of the key events of Good in Bed are rehashed mostly with Joy's perspective bringing freshness to what would otherwise be reheated leftovers; fans of contemporary relationship dramas will want to read the evolution of Cannie from free spirit to harassed mom.

Harriet Klausner