Maggie Alderson Pants on Fire

Pants on Fire

Maggie Alderson

Berkley, Sep 2005, $14.00

ISBN: 0425205711

In London Georgiana "Georgia" (not Georgie or George) Abbott, catches her fianc with another woman. Needing to move on and mend her broken heart, Georgia accepts a job at Glow magazine in Sydney, Australia, though her friends and family think going Down Under to turn one's life upside down seems excessive.

In Sydney, Georgia joins the party scene, as expected by someone who works for a magazine that offers information on orgasms for the 18-26 (by 27 you know or are too frigid to matter) female. Georgia realizes the men she meets are clones of the cheater she left behind; even the tongues are as slimy as that limey she dumped. Though Billy Ryan's tongue makes her reconsider having a first born with him, he introduces her to Rory Stewart who mourns the loss of his three older brothers in a plane crash. Rory cares for his devastated family taking up farming and having given up art. He and Georgia are attracted to one another, but he fears commitment feeling overburdened with his family load.

Though the disproportionate promiscuity and overindulgent drug usage is over emphasized, fans will appreciate this chick lit tale as the English transplant does Sydney (and a few males). The story line is often amusing, but the support cast for the most part come across as superficial. Rory is the only person who truly cares about others, which leads to his dilemma of choosing between the woman he loves, and tending to his broken family. He keeps Maggie Alderson's tale alive with his deep feelings, especially his frustrations of that of the caretaker who has abandoned his desires, sacrificing his life doing the good deeds.

Harriet Klausner