Cannonball #30: Smart Women by Judy Blume
by Caroline
Is the title ironic? I will never know.
Writing reviews of mediocre books is the worst, because I don’t even feel moved to say anything. I’d never heard of Judy Blume’s 1983 novel Smart Women, which speaks to its (un)importance in the world — if I listed all the Judy Blume books I’ve read and truly loved, it would take forever and be annoying. But those are children’s or YA books, and Blume’s heyday as a writer for adults didn’t come until over a decade later with the impressive Summer Sisters. In fact, this book came out around the same time as Superfudge, which is also a book I loved.
Middle-aged divorcees Margo and BB become friends and then lose each other when one dates the other’s ex-husband: Really? It doesn’t play out much more interestingly than that in the long form, and I was bored by all the main characters, who were either stockish or actively obnoxious. Margo’s teenage daughter Michelle had enough attitude to fuel several nu metal albums and was way, way beyond the behavior of anyone I’ve ever met, even AS a teenage girl. Margo did gross things and BB was a total headcase, neither of them acting these parts out in a relatable way.
I don’t know, it was a fast read and wrapped up pretty nicely, but it all felt stupid and pat. During the ongoing conversation about the equally pat and indulgent qualities of Eat, Pray, Love, I wished this tale of middle-age crisis had more substance. Instead, it had all the me-first priorities without the beautiful locales.
On the other hand, reading Smart Women made me want to run back into the arms of my favorite female writer — ANNE LAMOTT. She has a new one out and I need to get my hands on it. It is also about a mother and troubled teenage daughter, but I know Lamott can handle that relationship expertly.
Cannonball logo font: Sketch Rockwell. For more on the Cannonball Read, see Pajiba.
no responses