May 14, 2011

Don't Judge a Book by its Cover

Cleaning Nabokov's House: A NovelThe first lines drew me in. It summarizes the whole book. 

"I knew I could stay in this town when I found the blue enamel pot floating in the lake. The pot led me to the house, the house led me to the book, the book to the lawyer, the lawyer to the whorehouse, the whorehouse to science, and from science I joined the world."

Barb Barrett just lost everything: her husband, her children, her home, and her financial security. She’s a 39-year-old divorcee virtually alone in the world. Determined to start anew, she rents a house that once belonged to notorious author Vladimir Nabokov. In cleaning the house, she discovers a manuscript about baseball and love. It may or may not be written by the great Nabokov. Barb creates a plan to finish the manuscript and get it audience ready. Meanwhile, she struggles with losing full custody of her children to the "ex-person" and starts an unconventional sexy business.

From the cover, I would have never guessed this book contained all that it did. I am pleasantly surprised. It drives home the point to not judge a book by its cover, or a manuscript by its presentation. You just may discover a bestseller.

It’s an original story with intriguing sub-plots. It’s a story of self-fulfillment and a woman’s journey to succeed at any cost. Baseball, romance, and small town living tales blend well. The characters are realistic. The wit is not forced. The book is overall different…in a very good way. The writing is sharp; Leslie Daniels applied her editing and publishing background to create a well-written debut novel. I will definitely be on the lookout for more of Daniels work.



Title: Cleaning Nabokov's House: A Novel
Author: Leslie Daniels
Published: March 2011
Pages: 322
Edition: ARC
Rating: ♥


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