Tasha, the heroine of the story, who also narrates directly to us, the readers, is a very messed up woman who's definition of the perfect relationship is skewed. She goes from one hot passionate relationship to the next, never understanding why it all goes belly up. Her most recent serious relationship was with Simon, who she still desperately misses and wants back. Fortunately, she's in therapy, trying to learn to deal with her issues. In the meantime, she shares with us her life. Tasha is the type of woman often commonly referred to as a slut. In sharing her story with us, she holds nothing back, letting us in on every wrong turn and mistake she makes with these wrong men. Tasha is crude, often rude, a bit egotistical about her looks and how attractive men find her - men who are arrogant, sexy, and use women like tissue. But like many women who have those traits, underneath it all is a girl with very low self-esteem who doesn't trust anyone and expects to get dumped on. Even when a nice man likes her, she can't give him the time of day if she doesn't feel turned on just being in his presence. She is the very definition of looking for love in all the wrong places. But she is also self-aware, admitting to us these very same faults. She doesn't know how to act differently and so she keeps repeating the same pattern. Simon is the one who got away. Andrew is the one who she wants to be with next. And Adam is the best friend, who she can talk to about anything and who listens to her complain about the other guys and is always there for her, but who she would never think of in a romantic way. I think we've all had an Adam in our life. At times Tasha's story made me want to cringe. I wanted to hit her upside the head and tell her to freaking get it together and quit being a whiny baby and grow the hell up. And when she made her biggest mistake, I was furious with her. But I liked her so I always forgave her and hoped she'd do better. I think this might be my favorite Jane Green book so far.
I'm about to give up on this book. I have tried to give Jane Green more chances than I can remember giving any other author. I loved Bookends, thought Jemima J was just ok and a little weird, and I could have gone either way on Mr. Maybe. Now comes Straight Talking. The back cover description does NOT give a good overview of what to expect with the book. It's not really about her friends. It's mostly just the main character and her utter inability to choose the right guy. She sleeps around with a bunch of jerks who don't care about her and mistakes that for "passion" and "romance." How old is this woman? Anyway, unlike how the back cover makes it out to be, the friends are just circling in her life and aren't all that relevant to the story. I also found the back and forth in time to be a little confusing and unnecessary. I haven't finished it yet but I'm about it give up on it (even though I only read it at the gym while I'm on the elliptical).My breaking point came yesterday when I noticed a grammatical error in the book. Green meant to use the word "now" but used "know" instead. Come on! I know this is chick lit but let's have some standards here. I think this might have to be my last Jane Green book.
What do You think about Straight Talking (2003)?
I've read Jemmima J and to me it was a bit juvenile but a cute little beach read. So when I saw this book by Jane Green, I was bit reluctant to read it. I'm so glad I went ahead and read the damn book because it hit home. Some reviewers have commented on on Tash's character, her shallowness, her penchant for dissing her friends who she loves, but I think these are the things that humanize her and keep her charcter from being a Mary-Sue type. I loved that Tash's character is a woman who has been around the block and seen the show. She does have strong bonds with her friends and I especially love her relationship with the "dowdy" friend, because that friendship helps her to grow and realize her shortcomings. I also love the concept of real love spawing from freindship and not just passion.
—Mcrumpsf
This wasn't the Jane Green that usually makes me laugh out loud although there were some moments where I smiled to myself.Tasha is 30, single and looking for the right one, but the passion must be there. She's loved 'em and left 'em and she's had some love her and leave her as well. But now Tasha knows she has found THE ONE in Andrew. Well, he was THE ONE until he left her. Another one bites the dust and Tasha is not handling it well.Tasha tells the reader her story in a very matter-of-fact way; not in the way you would talk to your girlfriends--she has those; and not in the way you would talk to a therapist--she has one of those. She tells her story almost as if she were thinking of making a documentary of her life. She tells it straight, almost to my discomfort because Tasha knows exactly what she is doing and why she is doing it. It is almost as if she wants to fail at the attempt to find THE ONE. (Well, she does have issues from her childhood that helped to form her opinions about herself and her ability to be loved.) But she plows ahead with her search for passion even at the risk of losing THE ONE when he does finally come along.I didn't like Tasha's actions or her attitude at times, but because she was such a "straight talker" and didn't excuse her actions or pretend that she didn't know what the outcome would be I couldn't help but like her anyway. She was honest from the get-go, and because of that, I found myself rooting for her to stop looking for something she had already found.If this is what dating is like in today's times.....I am so glad that I faced the dating game in a different era!
—Margaret
This was a very quick, fun read. It broke all the rules. I hate first person, loved the narrator. I hate when the narrator speaks directly to the reader ("Hey reader, what do you think?") but it worked in this book. It's not a masterpiece, by any means, but if you're looking for a simple, fun book, this is a good choice. Jane Green is a hit or miss with me. When she tries to be too serious, or pull too hard at the heart, it doesn't work (The Beach House). But when she lets her quirky characters lead, fail, and come back up again, it's entertaining.
—Allyson
