The Triangle Pose

By Mary Welp

Anna Wallace, college professor, food writer, and unabashed political leftist, has an ambitious newspaper editor for a husband and a baby on the way. The last thing she needs is a romantic infatuation... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0965252094
• ISBN13: 9780965252096
• Release Date: July 2005
• Publisher: Fleur-de-Lis Press
• Length: 278 Pages
• Weight: 1.01 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Show-No-Mercy Novel

The long-awaited, eagerly-anticipated, erudite, witty, sexy, cynical, conservative-bashing, liberal-loving, show-no-mercy novel came yesterday. The jacket is arrestingly attractive and the author's photo strongly suggests, "I had a hell of a good time writing this and you're gonna love it." Believe me, you will.

Hollywood, are you paying attention?

This novel has major feature-length film written all over it. If the screenplay stays true to the novel, it will be a Cannes or Sundance winner for sure. I don't know what compares. It's a romantic tragicomedy of manners. It's an epic love story with dueling political rants. And, it's a scabrous social commentary on the unexpected ways we come to realize that convention has us trapped in a sticky web. The characters are so real. You'll know them and love them, know them and loathe them, or else love them and loathe them at the very same time. And the narrative is so smooth and perfectly paced that you'll wish it would never end, except that all the food makes you so hungry.

A Nimble Debut

It is difficult to balance biting humor and bracing seriousness, but Mary Welp has succeeded in her sparkling debut novel The Triangle Pose. The book will make you laugh out loud both with joy and occasionally with discomfort at the countless truths Welp illustrates. The book is a portrait of a smart woman getting along and getting by through the daily trials--some of which she creates herself--of the times in which we live. Anna, the first person narrator, navigates a politically and socially divided landscape with confidence, but also shows how a wrong turn in a conversation or down a suburban street can lead to disaster. You'll never tire of Anna's discerning eye or her quick tongue, which make The Triangle Pose impossible to put down.

A sexy, funny, and smart novel

This engaging gem of a novel slyly captures the red/blue divide in a clever way: The Triangle Pose is set amidst a backdrop of sexual tension in pre-9/11 heartland America. Instead of giving fictional voice to the maddening diatribes of today's liberal/conservative bombast, Mary Welp smartly presents left vs. right in a thoughtful, charming, and (shudder) philosophical way. When conservative readers read -- if they dare -- protagonist Anna Wallace's point of view, they'll better understand the liberals in their lives. Likewise, no liberal should miss the musings of Jasper Clayquot, a conservative political operative whose ideology is as heartfelt as his confused feelings for Anna. Perhaps the most remarkable and refreshing facet of this book is its refusal to wallow in the emotional whining and screaming of these trying times. If you're looking for more political histrionics about Iraq, gay marriage, WMD, abortion, terrorism or evolution, look elsewhere. But if you're looking for a smart, funny, charming, sexy, beguiling political novel - with enough delicious food writing to make your mouth water - The Triangle Pose is for you.

Enthrall Me

I've been waiting decades for a protagonist like Anna Wallace. A heady mix of wit and wisdom, Anna is as strong as she is vulnerable, as opinionated as she is unsure, and as devoted to her family and friends as she is protective of her independence. She's also a college professor, a wife, a fierce liberal, a food writer, a mother, and a sage guide to the trials and tribulations of love, life, and literature. One of my favorite passages in the book occurs when Jasper Clayquot, the Christian Republican speechwriter who has become her sparring partner and paramour of sorts asks her if she's happy. Anna replies, "Happy? Who the hell is happy? Are you happy? Is your minister happy? Are the people protesting abortion clinics happy? Who says I don't acknowledge goodness? Who says I don't believe in a soul? I've got soul, brother. A few things that keep me from collapsing into despair: my friends, my dog, my house and backyard, birds chirping, the right music, French Roast coffee, candlelight, all of the books I've ever loved, Dutch paintings, New Wave movies, a good haircut, shoes and boots, sex, food (especially food), and sometimes my husband." With this, her first novel, Mary Welp joins the ranks of writers whose work has the power to point despair in the opposite direction. I loved this book.