Official Review: Afterglow by Ute Carbone
Posted: 22 Aug 2014, 11:17
[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Afterglow" by Ute Carbone.]
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Afterglow by Ute Carbone is the story of a 51 year old woman faced with the rocky road to survival after the demise of her 31 year marriage. How do you navigate the unknown waters of divorce? Not very well at first. Add to that the fact that your husband was having an affair with their 30 year old son's girlfriend - oops make that ex-girlfriend and you have reason to bury yourself in Ben & Jerry's.
This was a delightful and often hilarious look at how a woman in her fifties handles divorce, family issues and of course the world of dating in modern times. The author has a sometimes sarcastic, sometimes twisted sense of humour but it was all enjoyable. The characters were fun though occasionally a bit over the top. Her neighbour and best friend's philosophy is a laugh and the vendetta with Red somewhat unreal. How she handles all this and her numerous brushes with the law will keep you reading for sure.
But I must not forget her attraction to the 30 year old Mitch, her son's friend! If nothing else this will keep you reading to see how their affair turns out. Naturally son Patch is not too happy about this turn of events. Could life for a kindergarten teacher in menopause get any more exciting? Well yes in fact it could if you are India Othmar. Her ex-mother-in-law of course cannot accept their separation but then her son is not divulging the reason behind the split. He is also trying to win India back. Rightly so she is torn and not sure what is the right decision to make.
This was an enjoyable book so the official rating I will give it is 4 out of 4 stars. Unofficially I would rate it just a bit less at 3.5 stars for one reason. Although I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it was well written, and I laughed out loud at some of the antics of her dates and her neighbour, some of the events were just a bit far fetched. For example the incidents in her vendetta with Red, the flying instructor went a bit far. Does on really dump a load of granite on someone's car? The romance between her and Mitch was also just a bit of a stretch. As an older woman myself I can relate to being attracted to someone younger, even much younger but 22 years difference is just a little much to swallow. It would have been just a bit more believable if maybe it was around 12 years difference or even possibly 15. But then maybe the authors purpose was strictly to entertain not be believable..
I would recommend this to anyone that enjoys a light romance with some humour thrown in, particularly women in the "older" age bracket.
***
Buy "Afterglow" on Amazon
Buy "Afterglow" on Barnes and Noble
Share This Review
This was a delightful and often hilarious look at how a woman in her fifties handles divorce, family issues and of course the world of dating in modern times. The author has a sometimes sarcastic, sometimes twisted sense of humour but it was all enjoyable. The characters were fun though occasionally a bit over the top. Her neighbour and best friend's philosophy is a laugh and the vendetta with Red somewhat unreal. How she handles all this and her numerous brushes with the law will keep you reading for sure.
But I must not forget her attraction to the 30 year old Mitch, her son's friend! If nothing else this will keep you reading to see how their affair turns out. Naturally son Patch is not too happy about this turn of events. Could life for a kindergarten teacher in menopause get any more exciting? Well yes in fact it could if you are India Othmar. Her ex-mother-in-law of course cannot accept their separation but then her son is not divulging the reason behind the split. He is also trying to win India back. Rightly so she is torn and not sure what is the right decision to make.
This was an enjoyable book so the official rating I will give it is 4 out of 4 stars. Unofficially I would rate it just a bit less at 3.5 stars for one reason. Although I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it was well written, and I laughed out loud at some of the antics of her dates and her neighbour, some of the events were just a bit far fetched. For example the incidents in her vendetta with Red, the flying instructor went a bit far. Does on really dump a load of granite on someone's car? The romance between her and Mitch was also just a bit of a stretch. As an older woman myself I can relate to being attracted to someone younger, even much younger but 22 years difference is just a little much to swallow. It would have been just a bit more believable if maybe it was around 12 years difference or even possibly 15. But then maybe the authors purpose was strictly to entertain not be believable..
I would recommend this to anyone that enjoys a light romance with some humour thrown in, particularly women in the "older" age bracket.
***
Buy "Afterglow" on Amazon
Buy "Afterglow" on Barnes and Noble
