Book review: Patty Jane's House of Curl by Lorna Landvik

Patty Jane's House of Curl by Lorna Landvik was not what I expected. When some people from the book club said they "loved" the book because "it was fabulous!", we thought, "Great!" After the previous book (the Bonesetter's Daughter) we needed an easy & fun read.

I'll give it "easy" but "fun" I'm not so sure. The book did have some humorous parts, but it was depressing, sometimes dark, and I have to say incredibly predictable. Don't worry, I won't give anything away. The book takes place in Minnesota so it was neat to "see" the streets and sites back in the 1960's. However, I don't think that non-Minnesotans would truly get the feel for the places the characters visited.

Patty Jane and her sister Harriet grew up in an alcoholic household and pretty much relied on one another to get through life. Patty Jane married a hottie and got pregnant on their wedding night. Thor, her hottie husband disappears days before the baby is born. I must confess that I was thisclose to not reading further until Thor ran head-on into a tree one icy winter evening. I read to find out what happened to him.

After Thor's disappearance and her depressive episode, Patty Jane opens a neighborhood beauty parlor to financially support her family. She soon decides that classes would be a great addition for the ladies who come to the shop, so she offers a variety of classes, ranging from art to Hollywood gossip. Her mother-in-law, now living with Patty Jane, bakes delicious Norwegian treats for the women to enjoy with theior coffee and tea, and Harriet, an incredibly gifted and multi-talented artist, sometimes plays harp. Of course the women in the beauty parlor gossip as well.

I must confess that I did get misty-eyed near the end of the novel, which means that Lorna Landcik did a great job in developing a few characters. I'll give her props for that. However, of all of the book club picks, this is at the bottom of the list for me. Sorry Patty Jane. You're just not my cup of tea (pun intended).