Aneva Stout, The List: A Love Story in 781 Chapters

The List: A Love Story in 781 Chapters

Aneva Stout

Workman, Mar 2006, $12.95

ISBN: 0761142169

Using the second person throughout the 781 chapters, this is a slick amusing chick lit tale of relationships (from the female perspective). No chapter is more than about twenty-five words and each consists of a declarative sentence though several have multiple choices. Each entry leads to the next entry so that the love story goes from dreaming of meeting Mr. Right to meeting Mr. Right who turns out to be Mr. Wrong to meeting other Mr. Wrongs and finally to meeting Mr. Right, who fails to measure anywhere near the perfection metrics. Tongue in cheek Aneva Stout satirizes romance fall in love and hate novels, chick lit excessive inanities, and contemporary relationships though at times some of the entries fall right into the sand traps of the platitudes being lampooned. Still this is a one sitting pleasant read that romance readers will laugh at while wondering how anyone can own an iguana and keep their bathroom sparkling clean (at least cleaner than yours)?

Harriet Klausner