Review: Addled

Addled by JoeAnn Hart
3 stars


Reasons for reading: It's been on my TBR list for years; Fall Into Reading Challenge


Synopsis: "Eden Rock Country Club is a grand New England institution, a lush haven of leisure and cocktails, where gossip and intrigue lurk discreetly behind a veil of old-world propriety. But one Fourth of July, a flock of geese descends on the club's manicured lawns; never fond of outsiders, the Eden Rock denizens find these new guests distinctly unwelcome. When Charles Lambert, a bond trader with a strong portfolio but a weak golf game, accidentally kills a goose with a wayward drive, he sets in motion a series of events that will leave the club and its members changed forever. His wife, Madeline, must face the mutterings of other members about the state of her marriage—and his sanity. Meanwhile, their daughter, an animal rights activist, mounts a quixotic campaign to make the club go vegan, much to the annoyance of Vita, a talented, obsessive chef who has her own plans for the geese."


First line: "Pearls clicked on knotted strands as a tidy cluster of women gathered outside the library, nodding to the one with the ebony cane."

My thoughts: I wanted to like this book more than I did. It was still an enjoyable read, but what the social commentary aspect of it came off to me as rather preachy - there was a lot about vegetarianism (some of it meant to be tongue-in-cheek, I guess) and a lot of stuff about vegetarianism, people's relationships to animals and their food, how some people can afford to be picky about where there food comes from and others truly can't, upper classes versus those that serve them, etc. It's just not what I was looking for in a light read. And while there were lighthearted moments and happy endings, a lot of it just felt so sad - people cheating on their spouses, midlife crises, pathetic poor little rich people... There were some funny moments, particularly with dead geese turning up in the wrong place at the wrong time and a vegan girl who can't resist Ben and Jerry's or leather shoes.

The verdict: While I preferred Rattled for commentary on people vs. animals and social snobbery, this wasn't a bad read, just not what I was in the mood for at the moment.