Joy Ride (New Fiction)

Madeleine Gibbons--a traditional wife and mother of two--finds herself taken with the sensuous, reckless Joy Castleman, who intrigues Madeleine even as she betrays her and causes her to question much that she believes

Howell's ( Balancing Acts ) wickedly perceptive and entertaining novel about a manipulator who, for once, is out-manipulated--set in New York City where women become predators hunting down men--proves an unpredictable joy ride, as its title promises. The plot thrives on the tension between an unlikely duo: Madeleine Gibbons, conventional "heart-of-gold" housewife and mother of two, a transplanted Midwesterner and still-life painter--and her friend and betrayer, Joy Castleman, once a bestselling feminist novelist, now deep in debt, a money-minded narcissist fond of enemas and posh restaurants, whose feverish sex life with male and female lovers feeds her fictional fantasies of male brutality and domination. The story is narrated by Madeleine, whose slightly smug (yet catty) tone betrays a certain hollowness in her personal life, which she constantly compares to that of the friend she idolizes and scorns. Madeleine's slow coming-around to Joy's point of view--that all women end up as servants to men--makes for pat, preachy feminist sermonizing, but the romantic machinations point up the varied strategies women adopt to survive in a man's world.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Madeleine Gibbons is both fascinated and repelled by the willingness of her friend Joy Castleman to exploit anyone she can, including Madeleine herself. As she chronicles Joy's exploits, Madeleine finds herself more and more angry with her own role as a woman. Examining her life, she realizes that the choices that she can make as a woman need not confine or demean her. She finally rejects Joy's values, turning instead to Marisa, the self-assured, career-oriented wife of Joy's lover. As a cautionary tale and a symbolic representation of women's roles, the novel falls somewhat short. Characters need more definition and motivation, and the reassuring resolution seems too easy. Further, the style is glib, the title's play on words being an example. Large collections of popular fiction might consider.
- Elizabeth Guiney Sandvick, North Hennepin Community Coll., Minneapolis
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.