Saturday, September 29, 2007

My Lost and Found Life, by Melodie Bowsher


Ashley is a rich, beautiful, and shallow high school senior when her mother disappears, accused of embezzling millions from her employers. Suddenly, Ashley's life is turned upside down and she loses everything and everyone around her. And for the first time in her life, she has to learn how to survive on her own, starting off with finding a job and a place to live.

A promising dramatic beginning gets bogged down mid-way as Bowsher runs out of story to tell. Various subplots and twists get muddled with rambling conversations that seem unrelated to the story. And by the end, Bowsher resorts to melodrama to create a climax. As a result, I found myself tempted to flip forward to the end for some payoff. It comes, but it's awfully rushed. The author shows promise, but she ran out of steam after the first 100 odd pages.

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