Real Women Eat Beef: Tracy McArdle

Most people make plans when they're younger, life plans that they want to or feel that they need to accomplish. As she edges towards 40 Jill Campbell has fullfilled her accomplishments; a stylish Manhatten marriage, a high paying job as an ad executive, and a beautiful high-rise apartment. But as with many things, the package is better then the contents and when Jill's marriage implodes it takes her job, her apartment, and her city with it, leaving Jill to restart back in her hometown of Boston. Is the new version of life really going to be any better then the old?

After picking up the pieces of her former life Jill packs her bags and moves back to Boston for a fresh start. Driven by an unknown urge she buys a house in a small town just outside of Boston and moves in, sans man and with no real ability to take care of a large house, or herself. Her rescue comes in the form of a twelve year old girl who is more comfortable with her tomboyish ways then she is with her maturing body. Sarah proceeds to take Jill through the joys and pains of her new "life in the country" and Jill attempts to impart some of her womanly wisdom to Sarah. Throw in a baby horse, a few goats, and a rugged-yet-studly handyman-about-town and Jill might find that what she thought she wanted was very far away from what she needed.

Though this book did have some moments of humour it really wasn't my cup of tea. I found myself unable to connect with Jill on any level. A large part of the book was her internal and sometimes external monologues about her father and his fiance. Now keep in mind that her mother died when Jill was very young. Her father decides to get remarried after 30 years of being a widower and all Jill can do is go on about how he is betraying her mothers memory. Sorry but I don't buy that. The guy has been alone for 30 freakin' years. Let him have some fun! This may be a good read for some but for me it was just another mediocre piece of chicklit and I don't recommend it.
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Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Downtown Press (January 9, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1416503226
ISBN-13: 978-1416503224
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