Heart’s Desire Laura Pedersen
Reviewed by Michelle Boucher-Ladd
Youth and wit is at the essence of Heart’s Desire, a new book
to paperback by Laura Pedersen. The sequel to Beginner’s Luck,
the card shark Hallie Palmer is back from college for the summer,
looking to make tuition and lose her virginity with much advice from
her legal guardian Bernard and his pornography writing mother Olivia.
Bernard has just lost the love of his life, Gil, in a break-up which
Bernard denies ever happened. He is determined to enlist Hallie to win
Gil back. Meanwhile Hallie’s younger sister Louise is running with the
wrong crowd, her ex-boyfriend has been hired to build a coy pond, Cappy
her former boss and bookie is running a high stakes poker game, Cappy
very sexy grandson has asked her out, and her boyfriend Ray has given
her an ultimatum.
Throughout the book there are
many witty play-on-words, creative theme parties, futile trivia, and
more quotes than a boatload of insurance salesmen. Bernard’s love for
musicals and opera is magnified in his grief over Gil. The last words
of
many a diva put Hallie and Olivia on edge about Bernard‘s mental
condition. Just when you think Bernard has completely lost it he pulls
himself together and decides he would like to adopt a child. The town’s
chief benefactor, Edward Kunckle the Third, or as Hallie calls him
Edward the turd, blocks the adoption process to get back at Hallie for
beating him at poker. And just when things couldn’t be worse Rocky the
family chimp goes on a drinking bender and trashes the house.
This is a very cute story that wraps up very neatly in the end, much
like many of the novels found in the chick lit genre. It is definitely
a feel good kind of read. The humor is what sets it apart from other
coming of age stories. My favorite bits are the Unitarian Haikus:
“Seasons of our lives
Naming, wedding, funeral
Must choose Birkenstocks.”
And
“What do you mean that
You didn’t vote yesterday?
End of friendship.”
Even if you haven’t read Beginner’s Luck, the
past is brushed over in an elucidatory fashion so that you get a brief
history of all the characters and reading them out of order isn’t a
problem. Heart’s Desire is a great little summer pick-me-up. Readers
who enjoy books by Meg Cabot and Janet Evanovich will also enjoy Laura
Pedersen.
One to
watch for: coming October 31 The Big Shuffle- the third in the series
of Hallie Palmer books