37

by Maria Beaumont

Book Overview

On the eve of her 37th birthday, tough and funny Fran Clark finds herself in a role she would never have envisioned: that of a desperate housewife. Once upon a time she had a vibrant career as a voice-over artist; now she obsesses over the ruthless mothers' scene at her children's school and whether or not her husband is having an affair at the office. When Fran's drinking spirals out of control, she knows she has hit rock bottom. The only place...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1401340946
• ISBN13: 9781401340940
• Release Date: March 2009
• Publisher: Hachette Books
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.2" x 7.9"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Great read!

Picked this up yesterday and have already finished it, not being able to put it down! A great piece of British fiction, great characters and a story line that pulls you in. Highly recommend it!

Extremely Entertaining

When I first heard about this book, I assumed the number "37" might refer to someone's favorite number at the gambling tables in Las Vegas. But upon viewing the cover of this book, my lame guess was instantly replaced by the clear message. It shows a very pink birthday cake with two brightly lit candles in the shape of a "3" and a "7." The candle wax drips steadily down the numbers, messing up how pretty they once looked--the perfect metaphor for the story within its pages depicting the messed up life of our increasingly depressed protagonist, Fran Clark, who barely makes it through her thirty-seventh year. So we're talking about a female character's midlife crisis. Not the newest of literary material. I promised to reward myself after reading a chapter or two with a generous portion of ice cream. Well, the ice cream never happened until close to midnight when my eyes became barely open slits, and the last page had been turned. As I sat bleary-eyed, appeasing my insistent sweet tooth, I pondered what had so captivated me about this story of the dashed hopes of our unhappy heroine. We learn early that Fran's life as a wife and mother in upper-class suburbia is spiraling downward very quickly. Her dream is unexpectedly turning into something of a nightmare... Her husband receives a promotion and suddenly spends more time in the office and on airplanes than at home; her children and housework seem to exhaust and bore her in equal measure; the women in her children's school are, by and large, competitive, self-important and clique-ish. She feels left out and inadequate. She misses the days when she was doing voiceovers for commercials but is no longer sure she has what it takes to go back to it. In short, as her self-confidence slides south, she sinks more and more into the faux comfort of cigarettes and chardonnay. While all of this is nothing new, the book manages to be extremely entertaining. For one thing, Beaumont's writing is clipped and to the point. She writes in the style of Nora Ephron, giving Fran the same wry wit and sharp observations as she goes about her errand-filled days. Fran is an endearing heroine (if often indulging in an overdose of self-pity), and I never lost my interest in her long journey back to sanity. The truth is I Iike her. I feel for her, identify with her and would be happy to have her as my friend, sobs and all. Genuine and without guile, Fran has two good friends who care about her, even when she is too distracted to notice. Her husband is also a good sort, though he too goes through an unfortunate phase of equally questionable behavior. The couple have a lot to learn. The intricate process of growing self-awareness--the very crux of this story--is touchingly conveyed by the talented author. She understands the elusive quality that can separate two people in spite of their love for one another. How does she explain this sad trajectory? What happened to the communication, once so lively and open and now so in

Loved this book!

I thought this book was a riot. The writing was good, full of funny quips and I liked the main character. As the other reviewer noted about her just kinda wallowing in her pity and doing nothing about it...well, I could so relate with this characteristic. I have depression and it gets VERY hard sometimes as a mother. I've been known to dabble in a few too many glasses of wine myself a couple nights here and there, hehe. And her not showing up to her voice readings was something I could totally relate to. I thought it was a riot. Sometimes I get so anxious about things and have many a times blown off a job interview because of just pure fright. By no means am I so tormented that I can't function. I don't want people to think I'm psycho! I swear I'm normal. But I think a lot of mothers can relate to Fran. All I'm saying is that this book was very realistic to me. And honest. I will definitely check out her other work.