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“Busy Woman Seeks Wife ”

written by Harriet Klausner on 26/04/2009

Busy Woman Seeks Wife

Annie Sanders

5 Spot, Apr 2009, $13.99

ISBN: 9780446505444



Marketing executive Alex Hill is too busy to worry about her domestic fiascos as she spends seemingly 24/7 on creating an ad campaign to introduce a new sportswear product line. However, ignoring her home proves futile when her flighty mother Bean falls and needs caretaker help; the former sixties model moves in with Alex.



Alex seeks a "wife" to clean the house, cook meals, and care for mom. Her friend Saffron finds her Ella, who after one day leaves without notice as she has a better offer. Instead Ella, without informing Alex, pleads with her out work actor brother Frankie to take over her position so that someone is there for Bean. He agrees and enjoys cooking idolizes Bean whom was a paper thin role model, and performs the household drudgery. Saffron and Bean hide Frankie from Alex because each believes the exec would never accept a man doing this type of work well. That subterfuge fails when Alex finds Frankie at her home; she fires him and throws everyone including Bean out. However, not only is her house back to shambles and her eating fast food, the new product launch falls apart. Frankie and his posse of pushy females want to save Alex's butt if she lets them.



Though absolutely predictable in a Lucy- Ethel harebrained way, once all the players are introduced, BUSY WOMAN SEEKS WIFE is an amusing wacky contemporary that plays on gender bending and the role of superwomen in modern society. The key cast members are fully developed with each having several flaws hyperbolized to add to the zaniness of the plot. Ironically, each key character is also very caring of the others in their relationships, which leads to a strange ethics of protecting one another even if that means lying. Fans will enjoy this madcap screwball comedy.



Harriet Klausner