Learning To Walk Away

I have not had great luck with Jen Lancaster fiction in the past. I love her memoirs. Nothing makes me laugh harder than a Jen Lancaster memoir. I have been the crazy laughing girl on the bus reading a Lancaster memoir many times.

But when it comes to her fiction, I’m less impressed. There was the first one that was based on her experiences renovating her home. As a long time regular reader of her blog, I felt like much of the book was a repeat. Then that time travel one came out, where the main character is a horrible person because she was a horrible person in highschool so she ends up back in highschool and is supposed to do better this time and everything is magically fixed in the end.

But still I keep hoping that Lancaster’s fiction writing will get stronger. That eventually she will write a novel that will make me nearly wet myself from laughing. I thought maybe Twisted Sisters would do it. Third time’s the charm and all that.

I got about 60 pages in on my bus ride and made a decision to just leave it there. It was the same as the other one. Brash, bossy, successful, immaculately turned out preppy 30 something Reagan has everything going for her professionally but personally her relationships could use some work. She has an older sister with a bunch of kids who she despises for having a bunch of kids, and a younger sister that can do no wrong even though she lives at home and is only a cosmetologist.

Reagan works as a psychologist on an Oprah style improvement show. She makes her living by being pushy with people. But of course she doesn’t do the same things in her own life. I’m sure that there will be some kind of massive breakthrough in the middle of a professional crisis since the only thing that defines Reagan is her job. But I couldn’t stick around to find out.

I’ve read this story before. I’ve definitely seen the movie!

I didn’t laugh once in those 60 pages. Not even a chuckle. Definitely some eye rolls. Reagan might have been all kinds of successful but she was also a bitch. She looked down on others because they didn’t make the same life choices as her. She seemingly only respects those that have money and/or power and I’m not really down to spend a few hours with a person like that even if she ends up learning something life changing herself.

I think Twisted Sisters might have been the last attempt I make at reading Jen Lancaster’s fiction. I’ll stick with the memoirs.