Today is release day for Laura Lippman's latest novel - Dream Girl.Here's the premise....."After being injured in a freak accident, novelist Gerry Andersen lies in a hospital bed in his glamorous but sterile apartment, isolated from the busy world he can see through his windows, utterly dependent on two women he barely knows: his young assistant and a night nurse whose competency he questions." There are so many possibilities in this plot!
I don't want to spoil the details for you, but let me say that Misery and Gaslight sprang to mind as I started listening. But Lippman puts her own spin on things as the book progresses, with a nice gotcha at the end.
Dream Girls is fully stocked in unlikable characters. I found Gerry to be a pompous, self inflated lout who is quite sure in his own mind that he is not. He's been married many times and is also quite sure he has been a more than adequate lover to many along the way. The two young women he has hired are Victoria, the personal assistant and Aileen the night nurse. Victoria seems passable, but his hiring of Aileen had me questioning his competency. Which of course, is part of the plot....
As always, Lippman's writing is clever and I quite enjoyed the dark, satiric humor she ascribes to Gerry's inner dialogue. Lippman slowly builds the tension with every new turn in the story. And we explore Gerry's life through his past memories and present predicament.
And....Tess Monaghan makes a cameo appearance! I miss her...sigh....
I chose to listen to Dream Girl. The reader was Jason Culp and he was the perfect choice for this tale. His voice has a lovely gravelly undertone that's quite pleasant. He enunciates well and is easy to understand. Culp's voice suited the age of the character and cemented my mental image of Gerry. He speaks at just right speed, allowing the listener to fully appreciate every word. He captures and projects that dark humor so well with his voice. Different voices used for the the supporting cast. And this was the perfect book to listen to, rather than read, for me.
Hear for yourself - listen to an excerpt of Dream Girl.
Hmmm....I'll have to think about this one. I will admit that am not a big fan of Misery. Might have been my first King book that I didn't care for. However, it's Laura Lippman. Think this one will be library try. And, Luanne, may I say that I always love your reviews and also the fact that you share so many that you've listened to. I'm always up for a good audiobook. :-)
ReplyDeleteAww, thanks so much Kay. Listening seems to be working out better for these tired old eyes lately!
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to read Dream Girl, so glad you loved the audio as my turn just came up from the library. Nice review.
ReplyDeleteThanks Diane! Let me know what you think after you've listened.
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