Reviewer Candace Lybarger: Candace is a young wife, mother, and lover of all books. She received her Master's Degree in Early Childhood Education from The Ohio State University. Candace taught 3rd grade until an opportunity presented itself where she could work from home and be with her toddler. In addition to spending time with her family, Candace enjoys reading, music, history, traveling, and spending time outdoors. Her perfect day in a nutshell would be sitting in the sun with a book...or two!
Author: Beth Gutcheon
Publisher: William Morrow
Publishing
ISBN: 006193142X
Gossip, by Beth Gutcheon,
is a novel surrounding a group of well to do friends living in
Manhattan's Upper East Side. The story is told from the view
point of Lovie, an unmarried, sixty-something high end boutique
owner. Without a family of her own, Lovie considers her two
best friends and their children her family. Dinah is a well
known and equally high maintenance gossip columnist/author/aspiring
chef. Quiet and dignified Avis is a successful high end art
dealer. In these three women Gutcheon is able to spin a
realistic story about life, love, loss, and the everyone's ever
present enemy- gossip.
Gutcheon begins her story in present
day New York with Lovie working in her store. Hiding Dinah in
another room so that the New York gossip mongers and press leave her
alone, Lovie begins flashing back to when she, Dinah, and Avis
attended the same boarding school. Lovie and Dinah were friends
from the start. However, Lovie and the older Avis did not grow
close until adulthood. With that said, Avis and Dinah were
never friends. It was during Avis's marriage to an alcoholic
that Lovie really began to cherish her friendship with Avis.
While remaining unmarried, Lovie watched as Dinah and Avis had
children of their own. She became the Godmother to Dinah's
little Nicky and was just as close to Avis's Grace.
It took
me a little while to find my footing with Gossip. It was hard
for me to follow the flashbacks involving many unfamiliar characters
right off the get go. However, I'm glad I did not give up
because Gossip had quietly hooked me by the time I read further into
the novel- to the point that I didn't want to put it down. Yes,
that was me running on the treadmill at the gym reading this book.
Gutcheon did a great job in creating realistic and 3 dimensional
characters. I may not live the New York lifestyle as her
characters, but I can still relate to their hopes, dreams, and
nightmares.
Gutcheon triumphantly tackles many issues
including September 11th, death, affairs, alcoholism, the recession
and of course gossip. The way Gutcheon wrote about September
11th particularly captivated me. Dinah's ex-husband worked in
the World Trade Center and because of being late he was not yet to
work that morning. However, he was in the middle of the chaos
and Gutcheon does a fabulous job of describing not only his feelings,
but also those of his children and ex-wife before they knew he was
out of harms way. In Gossip, the whole climate of the upper
class transitioned from that of 'living the good life' to being face
planted back into reality.
I was shocked when I read
the ending of Gossip. It takes a lot to catch me off guard, but
Gutcheon was able to pull it off. She definitely throws her
readers for a loop with the conclusion of her novel. I
recommend Gossip to readers young and old. In it you will find
a heart warming and wrenching tale of life.