Trouble (novel) explained

Trouble
Author:Kate Christensen
Country:USA
Language:English
Genre:Fiction
Published:2009 (Doubleday)
Media Type:Print (Hardback)
Pages:311
Isbn:9780385527309
Oclc:235945923

Trouble is a 2009 novel by Kate Christensen. It is about two 40-something friends, Josie from New York and Raquel from Los Angeles, and their adventures in Mexico City.

Reception

The New York Times, in a review of Trouble, called it "a terse and tough little novel" but also wrote "Readers love trouble, too, and “Trouble” doesn't have enough of it. The best part of this novel comes early on .. Over the border, the tension of the novel is forsaken, and it becomes little more than a travelogue, reducing particular lives to anonymous dots. For a writer, that's real trouble."[1]

Library Journal was less critical, writing "The compelling plot will keep readers turning pages, even as clouds of tension and despair drift ever closer.", and Booklist wrote "Bewitching readers with a narcotic blend of eroticism and suspense, Christensen raises unsettling questions about our inability to understand ourselves or others and marvels over our consuming fascination with ritualized confrontation, whether it's the voraciousness of the paparazzi or the ancient drama of the bullfight."[2] BookPage Reviews found it "a smart and sexy look at the way libido plays into the female midlife crisis", and concluded "Still, it's refreshing to read about middle-aged women who are given not only agency, but also vivacity and desire.,[3]

Trouble has also been reviewed by The Washington Post,[4] Kirkus Reviews,[5] the Los Angeles Times,[6] Publishers Weekly,[7] and The Daily Beast.[8]

Notes and References

  1. News: Hart Hemmings . Kaui . July 3, 2009 . Sunday Book Review: Misery Loves Company . New York Times . February 4, 2017.
  2. Web site: Trouble : a novel . Buffalo and Erie County Public Library . February 4, 2017.
  3. Web site: Trouble: A Novel: Reviews . catalog.wccls.org . February 4, 2017.
  4. News: Zeidner . Lisa . July 17, 1994 . Fiction: Book Review: 'Trouble' by Kate Christensen . Christensen excels at positioning her invented characters in the recognizable world of the actually famous. . The Washington Post . February 4, 2017.
  5. Web site: Trouble . 28 August 2013 . Despite lively sex and some clever early scenes, the novel has a tepid half-baked quality. . Kirkus Reviews . Kirkus Media LLC . February 4, 2017.
  6. News: Noriyuki . Duane . June 28, 2009 . Book Review: 'Trouble' by Kate Christensen . "Trouble," the latest novel by Kate Christensen, has a fantastic first chapter. .. Unfortunately, the rest of the book never quite measures up to the promise of this beginning. . Los Angeles Times . February 5, 2017.
  7. Web site: Trouble . March 2, 2009 . when Christensen’s on a roll, her wit is irresistible. . Publishers Weekly . PWxyz LLC. February 4, 2017.
  8. Web site: Chick Lit for the Smart Set . Caryn James . Trouble may not have the heft of The Great Man, but it is easily Christensen’s sexiest book and among her wittiest. . May 28, 2009 . thedailybeast.com . InterActiveCorp . February 4, 2017.