KAYE TROUT'S BOOK REVIEWS 1

I specialize in reviewing Print-On-Demand (POD) published books for my website and Midwest Book Review. Please query for a review by email to hgunther234@hotmail.com.

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

SKIPPER'S REVENGE by Julie Teahan

iUniverse
2021 Pine Lake Rd, Lincoln, NE 68512
www.iuniverse.com
Genre: Fiction/Romance
Rating: Good
ISBN: 0595369375, $15.95, 210 pp


This story is a contemporary classic romance about Paige Sheehan and her definitive obsession about Mattel’s Barbie doll, the blonde goddess with the large breasts, and Skipper, Barbie’s less glamorous younger sister, with whom she identified. Paige actually had a boyfriend named Ken and did lose him to a Barbie beauty, which reinforced her belief that all the beautiful men belonged to the beautiful Barbies. As all romances must have a happy ending, and this one is no exception, you’ll have to read the book to find who the lucky man was.

Julie Teahan is a good writer with a Janet Evanovich style of humor, but on the lighter side–not nearly as outrageous. Her protagonist, Paige, is generally in a mess or making a mess of something, somewhat reminiscent of a Stephanie Plum novel. The book is well-edited and a fast read. Allow me to quote to give you an idea of the author’s style of writing, from page 9:

""According to statistics, 2.5 Barbie dolls are purchased every second worldwide, resulting in two billion dollars in sales annually. For over thirty years, little girls and big girls alike have viewed her as the ideal woman. Perhaps the reason much of the world sees her as ideal is the fact that she has never been a bridesmaid–never forced to wear an overpriced puffy-sleeved satin creation, never made to eat phallus-shaped confections at the bachelorette party, and never paired with a groomsman who would have been mistaken as the ring bearer. After all, never having to do these things would be . . . ideal.

However, I knew the world’s obsession with Barbie went beyond her never-a-bridesmaid status. I had studied her and the women she represented since my childhood, realizing I was not one of them. Over the years, I had developed a theory that most women could be slotted into one of two categories: Barbie or Skipper. There were distinct differences between the two. "Barbies" come readily stocked with beauty and accessories galore. They, like their namesake, appear to drift through life unaware and unconcerned with anything outside of their Mattelian universe.

"Skippers" are the younger sisters, impatient to grow up from their awkward adolescence and fill the high-heeled shoes of their glamorous sibling. Their identities are not well-defined, and as such, they are eternally stuck in the process of becoming. . . .""


If you like light, humorous romances and Julie’s writing style, you certainly might want to read this book.

Skipper’s Revenge is Julie Teahan’s debut novel, and it is a fine accomplishment.

Reviewed by Kaye Trout - July 26 2006 - Copyright


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