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Reinventing Olivia
Nancy Robards Thompson Book Review

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Plot Summary of Reinventing Olivia
"

Five Star, Aug 2003, 26.95
ISBN: 0786255366

Six months ago, her live-in boyfriend Rich left for employment in France after spending three years together. Orlando Daily restaurant critic Karen Denton looks forward to seeing him as she flies to France tomorrow, expecting to become engaged. However, late that night, Rich calls to inform Karen that he married a French fille.

His desertion enforces Karen's belief that loved ones leave as her dad left when she was a child, her mom died, and now Rich. She leaves the house she lived in with Rich to move into the apartment of a gay person she recently met through a mutual friend. Karen also finds herself attracted to “Mr. Matchbox” who she met in her bon voyage stop at a bar just before Rich dropped his bombshell. Hunter, as he is called, desires Karen too, but she knows loved ones leave so fears the forging of a real relationship.

Though reinvention seems out of place with President Bush in the White House instead of Mr. Gore, readers will enjoy this chick lit tale. Karen's self-deprecations can become irritating yet the audience will feel she is one of us sisters. The support cast is a delightful crew from Juan who looks forward to sharing tales about beastly males to her best friend to Hunter the hunk. Nancy Robards Thompson provides an amusing contemporary story that the sub-genre will appreciate because of its That's Life philosophy of “I'm gonna change that tune when I'm back on top ...”

Harriet Klausner
"

Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of Reinventing Olivia
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/era of story - Present (2000-2010)
Struggling with whom? - Dad
Inner struggle subplot Yes
Struggle with... - angst over past traitorous lover - angst over past dead relative(s)
Family focus? Yes
Family, hating Yes

Main Male Character
Profession/status: - small businessman
Age/status: - 20's-30's
How sexual is this person? - very picky
How romantic is this person? - somewhat romantic
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - very athletic

Main Female Character
Age/status: - 20's-30's
Profession/status: - journalist
How sexual is this person? - very picky
How romantic is this person? - somewhat romantic
How sensitive is this character? - soggy whimpering jelly muffin
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - very athletic

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - Deep South

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - no torture/death
What % of story is romance related? - 80%
Focus of story - many multiple characters
How much dialog - significantly more dialog than descript
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