HAND-ME-DOWN

Author: Lee Nichols ISBN: 0373895232 6/2005 CHICK LIT Publisher: RED DRESS INK

For Anne Olsen, new and improved is the only way to live. So how'd she fall for a secondhand man? Charlotte had the Malibu Barbie with a full wardrobe, Emily inherited a slightly used Barbie with two outfits and Anne was left with a one-armed, bald Barbie who enjoyed nudist colonies. It's little wonder that at twenty-nine, Anne drives a new car, eats only from freshly opened packages and thinks antique is a euphemism for moldy. After growing up in the shadows of her older sisters—one a swimsuit model, the other a pop-feminist-Anne's personality is one part sibling rivalry and two parts VD (stands for Vague Dissatisfaction, and yes, it itches). Now she's the self-professed underachiever in the family, determined to find happiness on her own terms. But when her sister's ex-boyfriend-seemingly perfect, potentially interested-reenters her life, Anne's got to ask: Could she possibly fall in love with a hand-me-down man.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

It took me about twelve chapters to decide that HAND-ME-DOWN was an okay book. The first eleven chapters I had trouble staying awake to read. The last seventeen chapters I enjoyed reading because of the smart and witty exchanges between Anne and her love interest, Ian. It is not that the book is boring. HAND-ME-DOWN needs more developed and likable characters to make it an interesting read.

Anne Olsen, the main character, is obsessed—and I mean obsessed—with new things. She refuses to wear, eat, sit-on or even date hand-me-downs. Some people might find this obsession cute or quirky. I found it extremely irritating, especially because of the multiple triads that Anne has overused things.

Anne also has a wasteful dissatisfaction with her life. She is the youngest of three sisters and uses that family status to complain about almost everything. So much of the dialogue was focused on Anne hating herself, used things and her profession, that I found it hard to like her. Really, I wanted to slap her.

Ian Dunne, Anne’s love interest, has the potential to be a strong and supportive secondary character. Unfortunately, he is under-developed and over-shadowed by Anne’s problems. Ian only makes occasional appearances in the book, and when he does the interactions focus on Anne and her dilemmas. Instead of a love interest, Ian is more of a shoulder-to-cry-on, motivational cheerleader, pick-up-the-pieces-and-put-them-back-together guy.

The premise of HAND-ME-DOWN is good. A girl spends all of her life receiving hand-me-downs from her older sisters and does not want one of their old boyfriends. However, the book should be renamed, "Anne, the Spoiled and Self-Centered Sister."

Kendra Wheeler