You Could Do Better

by Stephanie Lehmann

The acclaimed author of The Art of Undressing asks: How do you know he's the one? Daphne Wells is way too busy watching television to start planning her wedding. She tells herself being glued to the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 045121854X
• ISBN13: 9780451218544
• Release Date: August 2006
• Publisher: New American Library
• Length: 262 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.4" x 8.0"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

loved it loved it

You Could DO Better - swept me away like a movie. The book way easy to read, and fun and funny and interesting. I rushed home every day from work thinking and wondering what is going to happen next. I hated having to stop in the middle of my reading to be interrupted by silly little things like SLEEP and WORK!!! Really kept me on the edge of my seet and i loved every minute of this book. I told all my friends to go out and buy it, they will love it!!

Lucy McMichael

I loved the book. The characters are so real. They stay with you long after you've finished reading the book. I also really liked all the tv trivia. The main character works at the Museum of Television and Broadcasting.

Couldn't put it down

Stephanie Lehman's You Could Do Better is funny, insightful and deceptively lighthearted. While the lead character, Daphne, may appear to be "shallow" she actually has a depth a character that is rare for the "chicklit" genre. Ms. Lehman's attention to detail allows the reader to see the reasons behind Daphne's TV addiction and actually empathize with her inability to deal with her relationship with her sister and with her boyfriend. This was my favorite book of the authors' to date. Can't wait to see what comes up next.

Fun and enjoyable read especially for TV trivia fans

TV trivia and history fans who enjoy summer-style reading will quickly devour this story and its references to TV shows: past, present, and fictional. Lehmann introduces us to Daphne Wells, a TV lover who has the perfect job: museum curator at the Museum of Television and Radio. Daphne meets Charlie, also a TV aficionado, who has written several unsold TV show pilots. As their relationship develops, Charlie works as an English teacher and has the opportunity to buy his grandmother's house in New Rochelle. He decides to buy the house and propose to Daphne. After the proposal, Daphne struggles with the thought of living life like Rob and Laura Petrie in the quiet suburbs of New Rochelle, leaving her love of city life in New York behind. The move would shorten Charlie's commute, but lengthen Daphne's. Throughout the story, we watch Daphne grapple with decisions regarding the wedding, the move, and her life with stable and "good man" Charlie. A good novel has several dimensions and in this one, we learn of the special relationship between Daphne and her older sister Billie -- a bond created by the death of both of their parents in a plane crash. Meanwhile, we follow her life at the museum and learn about the themes behind each decade of television. Jonathan Hill, the book's version of Steven Boccho or David E. Kelley and television producer of the hot and shallow TV show Supermodels, stops by the museum to look at film from a past TV show for inspiration as he's run out of creative juice. As Daphne and Jonathan get to know each other, Daphne hopes to link him with her sister, Billie, who is in a relationship with a married man. In reading about the interactions of the characters, Daphne compares her life to TV shows and lets them get in the way of tuning in to Charlie. Daphne and Charlie are likeable characters who sometimes disappoint the reader with their imperfect human behavior. Most of the book explores the "compromise" relationship between Daphne and Charlie, the bond between sisters Daphne and Billie, and figuring out what will happen with Jonathan Hill. The last part of the book feels rushed in an attempt create a conflict, resolve it, and work its way to the ending. The book might do better by condensing the interactions between Daphne and Charlie and prolonging the last bit of the book. The story contains people with professions that only a lucky few can enter; the tie in to TV history makes the story different from your average escapist novel. I appreciated Lehmann's attention to details that you won't find in most fiction books -- like a character using Spybot to clean the computer. Though it's a small detail, computer users and TV lovers relate to the little things that enhance the story. The minor faults don't affect the reader's enjoyment of the story, a textbook poolside read that takes only a few hours. I don't read much fiction, and You Could Do Better satisfied my need to read a fantasy especially since I have an int

A Smart, Funny Novel.

A smart, funny novel. Like Stephanie Lehmann's earlier novels, YOU COULD DO BETTER is funny and entertaining while also digging deep. She touches on some of her favorite subjects: sex, guilt, death, sibling rivalry... And she also has her main character Daphne face something that's a challenge for many women: asking for what you want! I don't want to give away the story, but I really identified as Daphne grew to realize that it was okay for her -- that she even deserved -- to "do better," whether it was at her job at The Museum of Television, in her relationships, or in bed... One of the interesting and fun things about this novel is how the author has worked in a decade by decade history of television. For example, you can find out how Lucille Ball changed the entire industry (and became incredibly rich and powerful in the process) because she wanted to keep her husband Desi from cheating on her.