BALANCING ACTS

Author: Zoe Fishman ISBN: 9780061711800 3/2010 FICTION Publisher: HARPER

With beauty, brains, and a high-paying Wall Street position, Charlie was a woman who seemed to have it all—until she turned thirty and took stock of her life, or lack thereof. She left it all behind to pursue yoga, and now, two years later, she's looking to drum up business for her fledgling studio in Brooklyn. Attending her college's alumni night with fliers in tow, she reconnects with three former classmates whose post-graduation lives, like hers, haven't turned out like they'd hoped. Romance book editor Sabine still longs to write the novel that's bottled up inside her. Once an up-and-coming photographer and Upper East Side social darling, Naomi is now a single mom who hasn't picked up her camera in years. And Bess, who dreamed of being a serious investigative journalist a la Christiane Amanpour, is stuck in a rut, writing snarky captions for a gossip mag. But at a weekly yoga class at Charlie's studio, the four friends, reunited ten years after college, will forge new bonds and take new chances—as they start over, fall in love, change their lives...and come face-to-face with haunting realities.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

A tale of friendship, BALANCING ACTS reads like a dream! It showcases the power of female relationships and the importance of reaching for dreams. I fell into this book so quickly I didn’t even realize I’d read half of it before I put it down. Needless to say, it wasn’t long before I picked it up again and finished it. My only regret? I wish I could have stayed with these characters longer.  Charlie, Sabine, Naomi, and Bess felt like friends before the final page, and once the book was closed, I missed them!

Written in an entirely uplifting tone, BALANCING ACTS shows that women can have it all if they’re willing to grasp what’s most important to them. An informal college reunion brings the women in contact, and through shared experiences—against the soothing backdrop of a yoga studio—they support each other as each tries to “have it all”.

BALANCING ACTS is Ms. Fishman’s debut novel. I certainly hope there are many others to follow. She writes with heart and candor, two of my favorite attributes. Well done!

Kay James