This was a great vacation read (balanced as it was with The Crying of Lot 49.) Pure early aughts chick lit that somehow found its way to my bookshelves (I reach in and find mystery books pretty frequently.) Palmer is a good writer, and smart and funny. A lot of this is already dated, and the resolution of long brewing family dysfunction is way too rapid but it was moving and sweet and in a couple parts actually wise. It gave me all the feels while also making me laugh a lot. It was also a love letter to LA, which was nice to read. A high 3 that easily merits the round up to a GR 4 LT 3.5. ( )

Well-written, from what I remember. ( )

This charming story about a quirky heroine pulled me in from the beginning, and kept me reading right through to the end. Elisabeth Page's family is overwhelming: two famous novelists (her father and her brother) and a terrifyingly competent socialite mother. Her lover, in contrast, is barely there, showing up for a few days between assignments when it suits him. Elisabeth has carved out her own space (as a pastry chef in the best French restaurant in LA) and her own life, but it's not making her happy. Suddenly life begins to change. A lovely new man appears, and Elisabeth has an unexpected chance at a television career. Dealing with all this unnerves her, and seeing how she learns to cope is fascinating. A lovely novel with a nice feel for restaurant (and family!) politics, and for Los Angeles. ( )

Not so fluffy chick lit. Very introspective, finding-yourself. Needing the safe/stable over the exciting but undependable, but still having to risk something to get it. Leaps of faith and all that.

I liked the recipes at the end, because I bake. :) ( )

Review: Seeing Me Naked by Liza Palmer.

While the title may seem racy to some, the story is not. The nakedness is pretty much the baring of Elisabeth’s soul, not her clothing. She is a modern society heroine, flawed but human. Some of Liza Palmer’s witty dialogue, plotting and pacing are first rate. I wasn’t to sure about the book at first but than I started to see and feel the humor when I replaced the main character Elisabeth with someone from my reading group. After doing this I could really picture some of the scenarios as humorous and entertaining. Hopefully, she is not offended by this.

Seeing Me Naked is an interesting delightful novel about what’s really important in life. Elisabeth Page never felt she lived up the standards of her award winning novelist father, or even her literary genius brother. Just being a pastry chef didn’t feel adequate when it came to her upper class family and friends. With all the family drama, humor and other desirable characters Elisabeth brought out her true self which I liked. The bluntness, her rude attitude, her quirkiness and honesty made the novel more enjoyable. Even though some thought of her as a pompous ass, I loved her character.

So, through Elisabeth’s journey she juggles so many issues at one time. She is determined to hold on and control her so called organized boring life. She learns to love herself and finally learns what love really is and the sacrifices that it requires, that’s it’s not just something you do when it’s convenient but also when there are obstacles. Most people with her type of attitude are scared to have others see you naked, but if they are to love you, blunders in all, it’s the only way to be.
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