Godmother, The

Lack of character development:
Tessa spends a lot of time explaining to us just who she is and why she thinks the way she does - then when she is described or criticized by her friends, there seems to be a huge disconnect. I really did not get a clear picture of who she was, and I never liked or cared what happened to her.She is supposed to be a lawyer, but her critical thinking skills don't support that role. She doesn't seem to have professional friends either, just the ones from her adolescence, (which seems to be on-going.) The rest of the cast (it does read like a made for TV movie) are pretty stock: the cold, mean mother Marguerite, the needy Helen, the coke-head Neil. There was too much sudden shift: the childless couple go from intense (and quite credible) grief to a complete reversaL of attitude, to the extent that they are insulted and appalled that Tessa suggest that they adopt the twins. Really? Likewise, Tessa goes from "being in love' with Ben to a sudden "enlightenment" about the true nature of their relationship. Real people and really well written characters take time to change and go through a process. They don't just go "Oops!I was wrong; here's the new me!" I did think the story line was interesting and the writer is certainly able to hold our attention and keep things moving. I will try to read more of her books, in the hope that she will get better at the character aspect. She is actually a good writer aside from that. I also read the beginnig of the "Step-mother" which was included at the end of my book copy, and I noticed the same lack of real characters: who are these people and why on earth should I care about them? One more negative, and this may be just a bias, but my God these people drink a lot! Maybe that was a purposeful plot element, but no one seems to learn anything from their alcohol abuse. All in all, it would have been a good read if the characters were better developed. But as it is, only so-so.

Typical British fiction fluff read:
I enjoyed this book although I found some of the circle of friends and dialogue to be a bit fluffy and unrealistic at times. This sort of idealistic view of friendships and dating can be a very British trait when it comes to contemporary fiction. The dialogue is a little contrived and the plot can be over-exaggerated and sometimes a bit hard to relate to. The overall story was entertaining and I did find it to be a quick read but I don't see this book as a true stand-out among other books of its kind.

Witty and fresh:
I absolutely loved this book. It's great for a bit of light reading - certainly not challenging, but well-written and engaging enough to keep me interested on some long train trips. I found myself reading it late into the night, thoroughly involved in Tessa's world. Well done, Carrie Adams!

REALISTIC, WITTY AND FRESH:
Praises to Carrie Adams with her modern writing of Tessa King, who is unmarried but chosen to be Godmother for her friends. Nice blend of characters that keep you interested in Tessa's involvement with them, and written with such wit that you want to read more from this author! I can see a connection between this novel and Sex and The City--modern, current, unpredictable, witty and fresh. Started reading The Stepmother, only to learn Tessa reappears in this second book and so far, not disappointed. I look forward to more from this talented author.

Decent but not great:
I started off really enjoying this book but somewhere in the middle I felt like Tessa was a little too self-absorbed and somehow turned everything into being about her. however, it was an easy read and definitely one I wanted to see how it all turned out. But I have definitely read better British fiction.