Friday, August 19, 2011

Review & Giveaway: A Catered Affair by Sue Margolis





Paperback, 369 pages
Published August 2nd 2011 by NAL Trade
ISBN: 0451233352 (ISBN13: 9780451233356)


At age 34, Tallulah, or Tally as she prefers, thinks she has it all; a job she loves as a London human rights lawyer and having the most perfect fiancé she could imagine. Josh finally proposed to Tally after they had been dating for quite a while. Tally knows he has somewhat of a commitment phobia but is sure he is past all that. Josh is a prospective spouse even her father would approve of, a pediatric cancer specialist. Her mother, Shelley, on the other hand, is less than thrilled. You'd think any Jewish mother would be tickled pink her daughter is marrying a doctor but not Shelley.

Yep, she thinks Josh  is a tad boring. Maybe that's because "Mom" still has a  bit of  the rebellious hippie in her. Tally's late father was the staid, conservative parent; the one Tally looked up to and took his ideals to heart. Her mother at one point after moving to the suburbs said her husband "condemned her to spiritual death by garden sprinkler." Tally's mom is still a bit of a character . . .  a bit over the top, a bit pushy, a bit irreverent and definitely a bit opinionated and eccentric.

Just a month before the big event, opinions on the details are starting to clash. Tally and Josh would be happy to have a small event but Tally's Nana Ida thinks otherwise. She wants a big, fat Jewish wedding while insisting she doesn't want to interfere . . But, . . . . well, you know how that goes. I loved Nana Ida and thought she was one of the stars in the book. She proved her worth when the whole thing fell apart. You got it; Josh doesn't show up and Tally is devastated. No sense wasting a reception, Nana Ida tells her. Tally makes a total fool of herself getting drunk and propositioning everyone including the caterer.

Life has to go on and Nana Ida goes into full matchmaker mode but to no avail. Tally finally comes to the conclusion that she needs to be true to her own ideals not those of her father or anyone else. Untimately, Tally discovers to her benefit that maybe Josh's no-show act was a good thing after all.

This was my first experience reading Sue Margolis and it sure won't be the last. I liked the subtle British humor and the quirkiness of some of the characters. Before A Catered Affair, Sue has nine other books to her credit. You can read more about the author at her website.

For fans of British chick-lit/romantic comedy à la Wendy Holden or Jill Mansell, this is a recommended read. Lots of fun in these pages!

Disclosure: A review copy of the book was provided by Nal Trade/Penguin in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thanks to the publisher's generosity I have one copy to giveaway.

Giveaway details: Open to US only and deadline to enter is August 27th  at 5 PM.  Please be sure to leave an e mail address in your comment. Bonus entries available for this contest are as follows:

+1 for posting on your facebook page with link to giveaway
+2 for being a follower, old or new. Just remind me how you follow and under what name.
+3 for blogging (sidebar is fine) or tweeting about the giveaway. Leave me a link, please.  Good

luck!

17 comments:

  1. This does sound like a really interesting book, and now I am curious about why Josh didn't show, and how Tally gets over it! You wrote a really great review that has me very inquisitive and curious about this one, so I would love the chance to be entered in your giveaway, and thanks for hosting it!!

    zibilee(at)figearo(dot)net

    ReplyDelete
  2. I really like Jill Mansell and think this sounds great too! Thanks for the info and chance to win!

    +2 I am a GFC follower.

    JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  3. I haven't read anything by this author but I too am curious about why Josh didn't show. Nana Ida does sound like a character! I'll be checking this authors web page.

    +2 follower

    barnhart72 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  4. This does sound fun!

    - I shared on FB:
    https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001504870656

    - I'm an old follower (Mary)

    - I tweeted:
    https://twitter.com/#!/bookfanmb/status/104628239162548225

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh this sounds like a fun read, I like romantic comedy.
    And your review just sparked my interest even more.

    I am a follower. (Ann)

    I will post about this on my sidebar.

    iowagramma.ann@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm so glad you liked this one. I hope to read it soon. No need to enter me.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thank you again for the chance to win this book. I am a fan of chick-lit books. This sounds like a good book.

    +1 facebook link - http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/profile.php?id=100000589520359

    +2 old follower - griperang

    +3 blog about contest - http://griperangsbookmarks.blogspot.com/p/giveaways.html

    griperang at embarqmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  8. Sounds like a wonderful read!
    kpbarnett1941[at]aol.com

    ReplyDelete
  9. It does sound like fun. And I'm almost positive I've read something by this author before. her name sounds incredibly familiar.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thanks for this great giveaway. Looks wonderful. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  11. This looks like an interesting giveaway. I enjoyed the review. Many thanks. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  12. This sounds like a great book. I'm already curious!

    sharonsnote at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  13. What an interesting premise. Thanks for the giveaway.
    Love & Hugs,
    Pam
    pk4290(at)comcast(dot)net

    ReplyDelete
  14. I follow your blog via GFC
    Love & Hugs,
    Pam
    pk4290(at)comcast(dot)net

    ReplyDelete
  15. This sounds like a lot of fun! Please enter me. kathy(at)bermudaonion.net

    ReplyDelete
  16. This is a new author for me. Thanks for the chance to win.

    +2 GFC follower as sandyg265

    sgiden at verizon.net

    ReplyDelete
  17. thanks for the opportunity to read this novel....i'm a follower, too :)

    karenk
    kmkuka at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete

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