Jill Amy Rosenblatt, Project Jennifer

Project Jennifer

Jill Amy Rosenblatt

Kensington, Aug 2008, $14.00

ISBN: 9780758223586

Joan knows Nietzsche the late nineteenth century philosopher is at fault that her former fiancee Michael, whose relationship skills are shallower than a wading pool, married the "Jennifer", super person taking what she wants from the weak and meek. On top of losing Michael to a stronger predator, Joan's boss Fred Lutz, who attended the infamous wedding, fires her as she got the cushy job as a favor to Michael; he needs to give the job to a friend of Jennifer. Finally affirming bad things come in three, her landlord Christine kicks her out of the apartment because she needs it for her recently married niece.

Joan is sick of being kicked to the curb. She vows to become Nietzsche's superwoman a Jennifer. However as she asserts herself, her friends and her widow mom thinks she is becoming too aggressive. After interviews with Attila the Hun, Felix Unger and Madam Van Winkle, she obtains a new personal assistant position to Tim Wells while Project Jennifer succeeds.

This is an engaging chick lit tale with a deep message of 'to thine own self be true,' which fascinatingly mirrors the tale; the heroine is at her most interesting as confused, flawed but likable Joan and at her least when she becomes a Jennifer clone. The support cast is solid especially her ex, her two best friends, her mom, and of course her image of the Jennifer. Although the tale loses some steam when Joan becomes superwoman Jennifer, fans will enjoy her metamorphosis while wondering will she revert back to being Joan who everyone admires.

Harriet Klausner