The Trials of Tiffany Trott

In this hilarious and distinctly British debut novel, 37-year-old Tiffany Trott, a recently dumped London copy writer, takes desperate measures to find Mr. Right, or at least Mr. ""ok-looking-bordering-on-the-almost-acceptable."" Armed with expensive cosmetics and designer duds, Trott vows to waste no time on golfers, ""commitophobes,"" cross-dressers, or men with the distasteful names Terry, Kevin or Duane. Wolff cleverly chronicles the inevitable disillusionments befalling Trott as she responds to personals ads, attends singles events, signs up at introduction agencies and goes on a long list of blind dates--only to meet the likes of a lecherous television reporter and a ""Seriously Successful"" married man. Trott's compulsive list making, large circle of friends and unique ability to commiserate with household appliances set up Wolff's one-liners. Her distinctive humor is consistent, most memorably in Trott's experience as birthing coach to an unmarried friend--she graciously accepts the assumption that she is a lesbian partner. Quaint English vocabulary--""nosh,"" ""knackered,"" ""beastly,"" ""pernicketiness""--will add to the amusement for stateside readers. (Aug.)