Cold Feet

by Tara McCarthy, Pamela Ribon, Lisa Tucker, et al.

Say "I do" to five surprising stories of women grappling with love and marriage and whether to walk down the aisle or run away.
In Elise Juska's "Perfect Weather for Driving," Megan and Joel's sunset fender-bender makes for a great drunken story at his friend's wedding, but the reality is hardly romantic. Stuck in a New England hotel waiting for the verdict on their Volvo, the two are forced to take stock of their own damaged relationship...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 141650754X
• ISBN13: 9781416507543
• Release Date: May 2005
• Publisher: Gallery Books
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.72 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.4" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Pretty good collection

This is a pretty good collection of stories about women who are afraid of nuptials -- usually their own, but the last story features a woman who is afraid of someone else's because she's agoraphobic (afraid to go outside). If you like Downtown Press novels, you will probably enjoy this collection, which features all Downtown Press writers. The first story, "Perfect Weather for Driving" by Elise Juska, was one of my favorites. Although Elise Juska's writing style is kind of slow and reflective, the plot and characters were engaging. The story is about a woman who is dating a workaholic. They have no plans to get engaged, but they're attending a wedding, and of course this makes them assess their own relationship. The woman is keeping a secret from the man. The second story, "Losing California" by Tara McCarthy, was just okay. I didn't really like her novel, "Love Will Tear Us Apart," and this story followed the same formula: lots of stuff about the music industry, an overabundance of quick plot turns that leave you jarred, and an unsatisfying ending. If you skip this one you're not really missing anything. The third story, "Sara King Goes Bad" by Pamela Ribon, had its good points. It's about a good girl who goes bad, just for one night. I won't give away the details but it seems as if the things she does are too easily forgiven. I know for one my husband would be very upset if I did them. The fourth story, "The Happiest Day of Your Life" by Heather Swain, was very good although something disturbing happened in it. Heather Swain has a gift for creating a warm, cozy family setting that makes you want to read more. In this story, there's a conflict between her mellow Wisconsin family and her Brooklyn lifestyle, more specifically her plans to get married in Brooklyn. The fifth story, "Emily & Jules" by Lisa Tucker, is a little weird. I'm not sure I would call it chick lit. Rather than dealing with women's issues, it's primarily about agoraphobia. Emily and Jules meet online through an agoraphobic group. Then Emily realizes she's not agoraphobic - she can drive around and go outside just fine, no panic attacks - but she feels the need to deceive Jules on this point so he won't feel alone. Overall, this is worth checking out if you like chick lit or other Downtown Press books. If you're going to skip any stories, I would skip the second and fifth.

five amusing chick lit pre-wedding tales

"Perfect Weather for Driving" by Elise Juska. PhD candidate in statistics Joel and adult fluff graduate Megan leave Philadelphia together to attend the same wedding. As they share a hotel room when they are in an accident, will they prove opposites attract? "Losing California" by Tara McCarthy. The wedding of Colin and Allison is delayed due to a tragedy. She is secretly happy the wedding is delayed. On a whim, Allison flees the West Coast to meet her favorite singer Michael Madsen in Nova Scotia; Colin pursues. "Sara King Goes Bad" by Pamela Ribbon. Sara has been the good girl all her life so just before her marriage to Mitchell she abandons decorum figuring this will be her only chance. However, her one night wildness leads to capers including out of this world sex. "The Happiest Day of Your Life" by Heather Swain. Annie has ignored her upcoming wedding and has only three months to go. However, before she can analyze why she has no enthusiasm for her big day, a bomb explodes on the subway and her fiancé Ben is amongst the missing. "Emily & Jules" by Lisa Tucker. Emily and Jules are in love, but have never met. Instead these chat line pals share in common agoraphobia. When her brother David invites Emily to his upcoming marriage to Clara, she knows she must attend. Her only hope is if her virtually best friend accompanies her, but first they need to meet. These five chick lit pre-wedding tales are amusing with serious undertones that make for a strong anthology. Harriet Klausner