Jo Barrett, Men's Guide to the Women's Bathroom

Men's Guide to the Women's Bathroom

Jo Barrett

Avon, Apr 2007, $13.95

ISBN: 0061128619

New York-based divorce lawyer Claire St. John decides to leave the Big Apple and her high-paying job to return to her hometown Austin, Texas, after catching her spouse cheating on her. Claire vows no more men in her life and considers writing a book based on the best advice column in the world: the women's bathroom.

Planning to heed the guidance of the strangers written reverently on the walls to avoid male jerks, Claire quickly gets rid of Manhattan mush as her friends and family welcome her back and her mom gives her a rent-free home. However, there is one problem in her campaign, which she calls the "Year of the Claire," that surfaces upon her reverting back to Longhorn status; she is attracted to organic food business mogul Jake Armstrong, but her salsa mouth keeps getting in the way.

This is a whimsical chick lit tale as the heroine's approach to life, relationships, and love seem inane especially when one considers she was a successful Manhattan divorce attorney. Still, sub-genre fans will enjoy this lighthearted romp as you can take the Texan out of Texas, but cannot take the Texas out of the Texan as the moment Claire returns from that foreign land across the Hudson, she reacclimatizes amidst her friends, family, and Jake.

Harriet Klausner