A Big Storm Knocked It Over

You know how you learn a new word and suddenly it's everywhere? And you can't stop using it because it seems to apply to everything? I recently read about the late writer Laurie Colwin and then kept seeing her referenced, most notably in my favorite food blog, The Kitchn. I checked out a couple books from the library and as I was reading, knew they had come to my attention for a reason.
A Big Storm Knocked It Over seemed like a cup of tea on a snowy winter afternoon. An alternate title could be, "A Year In The Life of an Aging City Living Liberal Who Wants to Grow Up But Doesn't Know Exactly How". Jane Louise is our heroine, and she really is ours. Perhaps I'm making assumptions, but I assume most women worry about having children, about pleasing their spouses and about doing what is right in our day to day lives. Jane Louise has had a nice non-traditional wedding, marrying the kind of guy she never thought she'd end up with. She is a graphic designer for a boutique book publisher and has a best friend, Edie, she calls several times a day. Her family is disappointed with her life choices, although none of them have really been bad.
Not much happens in this book. Jane Louise enjoys and has anxieties about her marriage. She considers her friends more of her family than her actual family and she deftly navigates a slimy boss and slimier writers-- all who she still maintains professional and friendly relationships with. She is saddened and heartbroken when a close friend suddenly stops confiding in her and is pleased when she becomes pregnant and loves it. She worries about the safety of her job.
I loved that Jane Louise and Edie were so close that they planned their pregnancies so their children would grow up together. And I loved that they made snotty, sarcastic comments to the Babies R Us sales clerk. I loved that this book was written when smoking was still allowed in offices and that business lunches had cocktails. When Sven repeatedly comes on to Jane Louise, she always has a smart comeback.
Jane Louise reassures me. I know that I still have time to have a family and find my place, but it is nice to know that the mundane and the simple anxieties are chronicled. I'm looking forward to more Laurie Colwin.
netflix rating: 5/5 stars