Editorial Summary from Goodreads: Helen Fairchild is leading a privileged Pasadena existence: married to a pillar of the community; raising a water polo-playing son destined for the most select high school; volunteering her time on the most fashionable committees. It only bothers Helen a tiny bit the she has never quite fit in with the proper Pasadena crowd, never finished that graduate degree in Classics, and never had that second baby. But the rigid rules of society in Pasadena appeal to Helen, the daughter of Oregon "fiber artists," even if she'll never be on the inside.And then along comes a Rose Parade float, killing her philandering husband and leaving Helen broke, out of her "forever' house and scrambling to salvage her once-rarefied existence. Enter Dr. Patrick O'Neill, noted archaeologist, excavator of Troy and wearer of nubby sweaters. A job as Dr. O'Neill's research assistant is the lifeline Helen needs to reinvent herself, both personally and professionally. Ancient mysteries to solve Charity events to plan School admissions advisors to charm If Helen wasn't so distracted by her incredibly attractive boss, she might be able to pull off this new life. Helen's world widens to include a Hollywood star, a local gossip columnist, an old college nemesis, a high-powered Neutron Mom, an unforgiving school headmistress, the best Armenian real state agent in the biz, and, of course, the intriguing Patrick O'Neill. While uncovering secrets about ancient Troy alongside her archaeologist boss, Helen discovers something much more: a new sense of self and a new love. With it's keen social observations, laugh-out-loud scenes and whip-smart dialogue, Helen of Pasadena reads like a roman clef and unfolds like a romantic comedy. Along the way, this novel delivers humor, insight and wisdom on reinventing yourself.
I listen to Lian's weekly podcast, The Chaos Chronicles and to her and her sisters' podcast, The Satellite Sisters. I wouldn't have picked up this book to read except that I really enjoy Lian's take on the world and she's like a virtual friend who speaks to me via my ipod regularly while I'm in the trenches of housework and running the kid-taxi-service. It was impossible for me to read this book without giving Helen Lian’s voice. (Which was a good fit for the character, in my opinion, although she claims Helen is not an autobiographical character. Hmmm… she certainly could be an embellished upon Lian.)
I don't gravitate toward books that aren't urban fantasy/paranormal type books. Chic Lit is generally too fluffy and not enough of an escape for me. Real life fiction is often too REAL for me to escape into. I also have very little time to read a real book printed on paper (and my eyes are starting to fail me, even with my dime-store reading glasses) and prefer to be able to multitask while listening to books via Audible. I didn't expect to like this book all that much - but I did!!
I liked this book for reasons completely different from what I'm usually looking for in a story. I found the characters believable, even though my neck of the woods couldn’t be further from the social circles of Pasadena. Helen is likable and relatable; Patrick was sufficiently hunky and real (Indiana Jones-ish); Helen’s friends are loyal and could exist in Pasadena; her “enemies” were worthy of my contempt. The story felt real enough, with Helen’s mis-steps and lack of self confidence endearing. Helen’s mother’s perspective was probably the most like my own – as she is rather dumb-founded at the social circle etiquettes and the self-imposed stresses of getting your children into the “Best” private schools to avoid the perceived notion that their children’s futures depend entirely upon acceptance. The romance was somewhat predictable, but engaging and not overly Chic-Lit scripted. I wanted the romance to work out and was only slightly put off by Helen’s inability to recognize that she was worthy of Patrick. All in all, I enjoyed this story of reinvention and found the catty women hilariously dispicable.
What has been important personally about the story was that it leads me to reflect upon my life, and how it could be like Helen’s: her social circle of moms, her faith in a stable life and her value to the world.
My local community of moms, my involvement with PTA (in a public school, not a private Pasadena school) and how solid (or flimsy) my relationships with other moms are; how valuable my volunteering is to me and how others might see it, and perhaps how easily I would/will be replaced by the next SuperMom with volunteer time and passion. Are my efforts truly valuable to my children (as I at least like to tell myself, and my husband), or do I do it as a way to replace what might otherwise be successful career accomplishments? Am I doing it because laundry is so entirely thankless and I'm starving for someone to value me? Is that ok?
It also has me thinking about the financial partnership of marriage, and how fragile that truly is. My marriage is strong and stable (thankfully!) but it has me thinking about my level of trust and dependency upon my husband to continue to be the bread winner while I manage the home, the curricular and extra-curricular activities of the children, volunteer excessively in PTA and have a general day-to-day focus on healthy meals and clean laundry. What would be my financial value if it had to be penciled out and reconciled? I’ve made choices, (choices that I like very much), but that have meant a certain level of sacrifice of my money-making abilities. The reading of this story coincides with my real life dealings with a friend’s divorce and their financial battles; and my own feelings about who should get what when the bread-winner husband and the stay-at-home mom have to have the financial battles over child support and spousal support. Who should carry the financial weight of the children’s upbringing moving forward? If we were to divorce, and our marriage has been based on him making 90% of our income, while I provide 10%, should he be legally bound to maintain 90% of the cost of the children or is 50% equitable? Who’s time is more valuable? Which “crimes” against the other spouse should be financially penalized? What is equitable when the husband has an established career and higher income, while the wife tries to reinvent herself as an independent employed woman, and has an income substantially less than his as a result of the 10 year break from the work force to raise their children. It’s complicated and painful to watch. It’s challenging to remain impartial (at least emotionally) when we were once happy couple-friends with kids the same ages who wish to remain friends. I’m feeling the weight of it heavily these days…
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