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scottishlassJust finished the latest book of my most recent favourite writer, Jennifer Crusie.
Bet Me is a funny, sad, and damn well written book, her best IMHO so far :) I stayed up till 7 AM this morning to finish it and I had to gasp more than one time from laughing. It was sooooooo funny.
So what is Bet Me about? A boy, a girl and their crazy family and friends and their respective exes ... THAT is the short version. The longer version is not so simple.
Minerva Dobbs, a round, chubby shoe obsessed actuary, gets dumped by stupid, shallow David Fisk because even after two months of dating she wouldn't want to sleep with him. And he dumps her - of all places - in a themed sports bar called The Long Shot.
Being mad at the world, men in general and at herself in particular for wasting two good months on this moron, Min joins her two best friends Liza and Bonnie at the bar. Liza and Bonnie, also called Sweet and Tart or redhead and mini-blonde, check out the men and decide to *give* their recently dumped friend a man.
But not any man ... the wildest hit and run player in the city and a gambler of 10 Dollar bets to boot - Calvin Morissey who has a reputation as a womanizer.
While Min plucks up to go over to ask him out (just so she can get back at her ex and why shouldn't she for a free meal), David - who still believes that Min is frigid but would make a wonderful wife and mother to his children and that she should be grateful to him to take her even if she is a little *round*, makes a bet with Calvin - betting he won't get Min into bed during a one months time span for 10.000 US Dollars. But first Calvin has to make Min leave the bar with him for ten Dollars. Declining the first but accepting the latter to get rid of his stalking ex, Calvin tries to do his best to get Min out of the bar (and out of his life).
Of course, Min overhears the first bet and - mad as a hatter - she decides to play Calvin, being immune to his reputed charm and being as bristly as possible. What does she have to loose other than making fun of a renown womanizer and getting even?
What then follows is not only getting even but getting ahead of themselves. Both of them developping a strange obsession for Elvis, in Min's case with The King and her determination to only get back into the dating game if she finds a reincarnation of Elvis Presley and in Calvin's case with Elvis Costello and a fateful repetition of the song SHE and trying to ditch the passes of his ex, beautiful psychotic psychologist Cynthie who is determined to marry Calvin for her newest book and to support her theory of Four Steps to Love.
Fighting their attraction only leads to more chaos and confusion, and even though Min and Cal try to resist, fate, the chaos theory, the butterfly effect and a strange fairy tale theory and an irresistable Chicken Marsala let them both bump into each other, over and over again.
David and Cynthie who want their exes back, try to throw a wrench into the works as well by drawing friends and family into the mix. There is a wedding with music from Julia Roberts Movies, doughnut seduction, bondage and betrayal, and Calvin and Min are in the center of it.
The story introduces both main protagonists' family and friends, their needs, wants and of course their obsession with eating food or non-eating to be fashionable. Even the background characters are well drawn and either have you in fits of laughter or wanting to bitch slap them.
It is a wonder that both Min and Calvin, coming from such dysfunctional families, stil retain not only a sense of humour but also a deep sense of respect, love and a good head for egging each other on.
It is funny, sensitive, annoying (not your loud voice-calling Nanette, Min's mom) and desperately romantic story :)
Bet Me is a funny, sad, and damn well written book, her best IMHO so far :) I stayed up till 7 AM this morning to finish it and I had to gasp more than one time from laughing. It was sooooooo funny.So what is Bet Me about? A boy, a girl and their crazy family and friends and their respective exes ... THAT is the short version. The longer version is not so simple.
Minerva Dobbs, a round, chubby shoe obsessed actuary, gets dumped by stupid, shallow David Fisk because even after two months of dating she wouldn't want to sleep with him. And he dumps her - of all places - in a themed sports bar called The Long Shot.
Being mad at the world, men in general and at herself in particular for wasting two good months on this moron, Min joins her two best friends Liza and Bonnie at the bar. Liza and Bonnie, also called Sweet and Tart or redhead and mini-blonde, check out the men and decide to *give* their recently dumped friend a man.
But not any man ... the wildest hit and run player in the city and a gambler of 10 Dollar bets to boot - Calvin Morissey who has a reputation as a womanizer.
While Min plucks up to go over to ask him out (just so she can get back at her ex and why shouldn't she for a free meal), David - who still believes that Min is frigid but would make a wonderful wife and mother to his children and that she should be grateful to him to take her even if she is a little *round*, makes a bet with Calvin - betting he won't get Min into bed during a one months time span for 10.000 US Dollars. But first Calvin has to make Min leave the bar with him for ten Dollars. Declining the first but accepting the latter to get rid of his stalking ex, Calvin tries to do his best to get Min out of the bar (and out of his life).
Of course, Min overhears the first bet and - mad as a hatter - she decides to play Calvin, being immune to his reputed charm and being as bristly as possible. What does she have to loose other than making fun of a renown womanizer and getting even?
What then follows is not only getting even but getting ahead of themselves. Both of them developping a strange obsession for Elvis, in Min's case with The King and her determination to only get back into the dating game if she finds a reincarnation of Elvis Presley and in Calvin's case with Elvis Costello and a fateful repetition of the song SHE and trying to ditch the passes of his ex, beautiful psychotic psychologist Cynthie who is determined to marry Calvin for her newest book and to support her theory of Four Steps to Love.
Fighting their attraction only leads to more chaos and confusion, and even though Min and Cal try to resist, fate, the chaos theory, the butterfly effect and a strange fairy tale theory and an irresistable Chicken Marsala let them both bump into each other, over and over again.
David and Cynthie who want their exes back, try to throw a wrench into the works as well by drawing friends and family into the mix. There is a wedding with music from Julia Roberts Movies, doughnut seduction, bondage and betrayal, and Calvin and Min are in the center of it.
The story introduces both main protagonists' family and friends, their needs, wants and of course their obsession with eating food or non-eating to be fashionable. Even the background characters are well drawn and either have you in fits of laughter or wanting to bitch slap them.
It is a wonder that both Min and Calvin, coming from such dysfunctional families, stil retain not only a sense of humour but also a deep sense of respect, love and a good head for egging each other on.
It is funny, sensitive, annoying (not your loud voice-calling Nanette, Min's mom) and desperately romantic story :)
