Set in L.A., this entertaining and intelligent examination of three generations of women easily transitions to audio thanks to Shine's (Alice in Bed
) witty dialogue and the narration of stage and screen actress Kalember, who expertly personifies the three very different female characters. Chic, cynical Elizabeth Bernard was recently "plucked from the toilers of the academic field" to write a movie about a modern-day Madame Bovary; her mother, Greta, has colon cancer, a surprising lesbian interest and a kind but detached doctor husband; and Elizabeth's feisty, demanding grandmother, Lotte, a former Broadway dancer, suffers from a disfiguring and possible fatal facial cancer. Read with insight and emotion, this audio book offers each woman's perspectives on the universal issues of love, aging, family and fidelity and will draw a wide range of female listeners who will no doubt find themselves identifying with at least one of the protagonists. Two of Schine's novels (The Love Letter
and Rameau's Niece
) have already been transformed into feature films, and this touching, satirical and funny tale is poised to make a similar leap. Simultaneous release with the Little, Brown hardcover (Forecasts, Aug. 25). (Sept.)
