Life's a Beach
Claire Cook, 2007
Hyperion
272 pp.
ISBN-13 9780641939020
Summary
When Must Love Dogs was published, the Chicago Tribune called it "pitch-perfect" and the Washington Post declared, "Readers will hope that Claire Cook will be telling breezy summer stories from the South Shore of Massachusetts for seasons to come." Luckily for her legions of fans, Cook returns with another sparkling romantic comedy that's reminiscent of Must Love Dogs in all the right ways, but very much its own animal—about a relationship-challenged single woman, her quirky-to-put-it-mildly extended family, and the summer the shark movie came to town.
Life's a bit of a beach these days for Ginger Walsh, who's single at forty-one and living back home in the family FROG (Finished Room Over Garage). She's hoping for a more fulfilling life as a sea glass artist, but instead is babysitting her sister's kids and sharing overnights with Noah, her sexy artist boyfriend with commitment issues and a dog Ginger's cat isn't too crazy about. Geri, her BlackBerry-obsessed sister, is also nearly over the deep end about her pending fiftieth birthday (and might just drag Ginger with her). Toss in a dumpster-picking father, a Kama Sutra T-shirt-wearing mother, a movie crew come to town with a very cute gaffer, an on-again-off-again glassblower boyfriend, plus a couple of Red Hat realtors, and hilarity ensues. The perfect summer read, Life's a Beach is a warm, witty, and wise look at what it takes to move forward at any stage in life. (From the publisher.)
About the Author Bio
• Birth—February 14, 1955
• Where—Alexandria, Virginia, USA
• Education—B.A., Syracuse University
• Currently—Scituate, Massachusetts
Raised on Nancy Drew mysteries, Claire Cook has wanted to write ever since she was a little girl. She majored in theater and creative writing at Syracuse University and immersed herself in a number of artistic endeavors (copywriter, radio continuity director, garden designer, and dance and aerobics choreographer), yet somehow her dreams got pushed to the side for more real-life matters—like marriage, motherhood, and a teaching career. Decades passed, then one day she found herself parked in her minivan at 5 AM, waiting for her daughter to finish swim practice. She was struck with a now-or-never impulse and began writing on the spot. By the end of the season, she had a first draft. Her first novel, Ready to Fall, was published in 2000, when Cook was 45.
Since then, this "late starter" has more than made up for lost time. She struck gold with her second book, Must Love Dogs. Published in 2002, this story of a middle-aged divorcee whose singles ad produces hilariously unexpected results was declared "funny and pitch-perfect" by the Chicago Tribune and "a hoot" by the Boston Globe. (The novel got a second life in 2005 with the release of the feature film starring Diane Lane and John Cusack.) Cook's subsequent novels, with their wry, witty take on the lives of middle-aged women, have become bestsellers and book club favorites.
Upbeat, gregarious, and grateful for her success, Cook is an inspiration for aspiring writers and women in midlife transition. She tours indefatigably for her novels and genuinely enjoys speaking with fans. She also conducts frequent writing workshops, where she dispenses advice and encouragement in equal measure. "I'm extraordinarily lucky to spend my time doing what I love," she has said on countless occasions. " The workshops are a way to say thank you and open doors that I stumbled through to make it easier for writers coming up behind me.''
Extras
From a 2004 Barnes & Noble interview:
• I first knew I was a writer when I was three. My mother entered me in a contest to name the Fizzies whale, and I won in my age group. It's quite possible that mine was the only entry in my age group since "Cutie Fizz" was enough to win my family a six-month supply of Fizzies tablets (root beer was the best flavor) and half a dozen turquoise plastic mugs with removable handles. At six I had my first story on the "Little People's Page" in the Sunday paper (about Hot Dog, the family Dachshund) and at sixteen, I had my first front page feature in the local weekly.
• In the acknowledgments of Multiple Choice I say that even though it's probably undignified to admit it, I'm having a blast as a novelist. To clarify that, having a blast as a novelist does not necessarily mean having a blast with the actual writing. The people part—meeting readers and booksellers and librarians and the media—is very social and I'm having lots of fun with that. The writing part is great, too, once you get past the procrastination, the self-doubt, and the feelings of utter despair. It's all of the stuff surrounding the writing that's hard; once you find your zone, your place of flow, or whatever it is we're currently calling it, and lose yourself in the writing, it really is quite wonderful. I've heard writers say it's better than sex, though I'm not sure I'd go that far.
• I love books that don't wrap everything up too neatly at the end, and I think it's a big compliment to hear that a reader is left wanting more. After each novel, I hear from many readers asking for a sequel— they say they just have to find out what will happen to these people next. I think it's wonderful that the characters have come to life for them. But, for now, I think I'll grow more as a writer by trying to create another group of quirky characters. Maybe a few books down the road, I'll feel ready to return to some of them—who knows?
• When asked what book most influenced her life as a writer, here is her answer:
I get asked this question a lot on book tour, and I'm always tempted to say anything by Jane Austen or Alice Munro, just so people will know I'm well read, and sometimes I'm even tempted to say something by Gogol, just so people will think I'm really, really well read. But, alas, ultimately I tell the truth. The Nancy Drew books influenced me the most. I think they taught me a lot about pacing, and about ending chapters in such a way that the reader just can't put the book down and absolutely has to read on to the next chapter. I also think these books are responsible for the fact that I can't, for the life of me, write a chapter that's much longer than ten pages.
There's another variation of this question that I'm asked all the time on book tour: Who are your favorite authors? I always answer it the same way: My favorite authors are the ones who've been nice to me. It's so important for established authors to take emerging authors under their wings. Two who've been particularly generous to me as mentors and friends are Mameve Medwed and Jeanne Ray. Fortunately, they both happen to be very talented—and funny—so if you've somehow missed their books, you should read them immediately.
(Author bio and interview from Barnes & Noble.)
Book Reviews
A fun beach novel with moments of depth.... A delightful and surprisingly compelling page turner.
Boston Globe
As always, Cook's delightful way with dialogue and her deft demonstrations of how family members manage to support one another even while driving each other crazy, make reading this book a day at the beach.
Hartford Courant
Dive into this gleefully quirky coming-of-age story centered on.... a 41-year-old. With the help of her hippie parents, Boyfriend the cat, and a shark-crazy movie crew, Ginger Walsh is finally growing up—and there's no escaping a few growing pains.
Redbook
Midlife love, laughter, sibling rivalry and self-discovery.... Goes down as easy as it sounds.
People
Ginger Walsh, 41, has ditched her job in sales and moved above her parent's garage with a cat she calls Boyfriend—despite (or because of) her casual relationship with alluring glassblower Noah. As big sister Geri gets anxious about her impending 50th, their parents decide to sell the house, and Geri's second-grader Riley lands a small role in a horror movie being filmed in their quaint New England town. Ginger babysits Riley on the set and meets a gaffer who may be charming enough to make her forget all about Noah. Cook's wit and unflagging heart save this moderately paced beach read from its anticlimactic ending.
Publishers Weekly
In this lighthearted, breezy read, Cook displays a wry sense of humor and knows how to write realistic characters.
Library Journal
Flakey younger sis tries to shake her inability to commit. Ginger Walsh has always been envious of those possessing passion and conviction. Over the years she's blindly wandered from job to job and man to man. Now 41, Ginger is back in her hometown falling into a spinster-like existence. She freeloads off her parents and earns spare cash babysitting the kids of her annoyingly composed sister, Geri. Geri and Ginger have never gotten along, with Geri always taking the straight and narrow path and Ginger opting for the road less traveled. Now Geri's 50th birthday is looming, and she feels trapped by her roles of executive, wife and mother. As for Ginger, she wonders if her restless ways have kept her from experiencing the joys of family and a fulfilling career. When a movie crew lands in their small New England town, the sisters are given a chance to shake things up. Ginger takes Geri's kids to the movie's casting call, and though Ginger doesn't get discovered, one of Geri's kids is picked for a speaking part in the movie. Since Geri is obsessed with her career, she pawns the caretaker role off on Ginger. Ginger leaps at the chance to be a de facto stage mom. Accompanying her nephew on location will help her avoid analyzing her latest flagging romance and perhaps spark some creative energy. Soon the sisters will need each other to confront disappointment and heartbreak. While their rivalry provides a few giggles, the overall effect feels forced. Cook (Multiple Choice, 2004, etc.) ably catalogues the issues facing 40-something women, but the generic settings and tepid romances prevent this book from taking off.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
1. Are you a Ginger? Do you have a sister just like Geri? Do you think most women you know fall into one category or the other?
2. Have you ever met an Allison Flagg in real life? Was she dead-heading a beach rose?
3. Do you think Ginger ended up with the person she was meant to be with? If you could date either Noah or the gaffer, which one would you pick and why? Do you think their characters are based on real men, and if so, do you think Claire Cook has their phone numbers?
4. The father in Life's a Beach is a bit of a dump picker. Do you have a family member who can't stay away from the dump? Is there a Take It or Leave it, a Put 'n' Take, or a Swap Shop in your town? (Or a great dumpster in your city?) What's the best thing you ever found there?
5. Ginger Walsh, the heroine of Life's a Beach, is transitioning from a life in sales to what she hopes will be a more fulfilling life as a sea glass artist. Claire Cook always wanted to be a novelist, yet didn't go after her dream until she was in her forties. If you decided to quit your current job, what dream would you pursue?
6. Who is your favorite minor character in Life's a Beach? Why?
7. Would you ever let one of your own children become a child actor? Why or why not?
8. Ginger's older sister Geri is struggling with how to celebrate her fiftieth birthday. What will/did you do for yours? Of all the ideas listed in "User's Guide to the Fun, Feisty and Fabulous" at the back of the book, which one would you most like to try?
9. When book groups met to discuss Must Love Dogs, they often served Sarah's Winey Macaroni and Cheese, made without butter, with white wine instead of milk, and served in wine glasses for best effect. What will your book group serve when discussing Life's a Beach? (Check out LitLovers book club menus. Click on America-New England. —LitLovers Ed. )
10. Which scene in Life's a Beach made you laugh the hardest? Which one brought a tear to your eye? Which one gave you the biggest jolt of recognition?
(Questions issued by publisher.)
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