Wednesday, April 10, 2019

"Trophy Life" by Lea Geller


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When I originally saw the cover and the title of this book, I expected it to be a fluffy chick lit novel. So I decided to pick it up as a palate cleanser after reading a long classic. I was in a for a pleasant surprise.

Our main character Agnes Parsons, a thirty-something stay-at-home mom of a three-month old Grace, is married to a much older wealthy man and lives in Santa Monica, CA. She has a full-time housekeeper and a nanny, and her life consists of yoga classes, beauty salon appointments, lunches with other moms and dinner dates with her handsome husband. Agnes gives little thought to where the money comes from and how it is managed. She is just focused on looking pretty and wasting her days away. So when she gets the news that her husband lost all the money, is in trouble with the law and has to go into hiding, she is in complete shock. She is forced to move across the country to New York and take a job of an English teacher in an all boy boarding school.

Agnes is unexpectedly really good at being a teacher. She is also for the first time connecting with her baby and learning to stand on her own two feet. This is definitely a book about growth and self-discovery. I really liked Agnes as a character and I also think her transformation was well-executed. I did find it a bit unbelievable that a poor girl who grew up in foster families would so quickly forget what it feels like to be strapped for cash or not know about junk food aisles in a supermarket. But overall her portrayal was quite realistic. I also loved her Californian perspective on New York. 4 out of 5 stars, a very enjoyable read.

An e-ARC was provided by NetGalley.com.

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