I couldn't finish this. This is a tirade, replete with axe grinding. Sophomore jinx? Or is this writer tired, too old for Cosmo, too young for Social Security? I think the latter ...

I really admired Cupid & Diana, this auhtor's previous novel. Here she delivers on the same formula of offering an interesting portrayal of a woman's efforts to get her personal and work life in order as she struggles between the choice of two men. Here the main character, Nicky, works for a PR firm, that is hired to help a union negotiate a strike at a hospital in Winsock (read: Woonsocket) Rhode Island. Meanwhile, she's trying to deal with a recent boyfriend who cheated on her and a more-distant ex, whom she's suddenly reunited with because he's working with the nurse's union as well. Bartolomeo populates the novel with a lot of characters and offers some very intersting behind the scenes details of managing a strike. Her bio on the back sleeve mentions she did similar work as Nicky for a teacher's group. I have three complaints about this novel, however, that made it less enjoyable than Cupid & Diana. First, the first third of the novel reads like a series of character sketches written for an intro to creative writing class. We're introduced to an endless series of people -- some of them seem indistinguishable -- and the story grinds to a halt as we get a long, detailed description of each character. And some of these details seem to make the characters come across as merely cute novel creations and not real people -- e.g. the sneaky sycophant who also has a passion for contra dancing and children's toys, the saintly friend who takes care of everyone but herself, and oh by the way also has wacky ideas about religion. Second, much of the dialogue reads like bad TV or movie scripts, in which a lot of narrative exposition about the character's past is stuffed into the dialogue. People who know each other well don't communicate with long details about what happened in their shared history. Third, and perhaps most annoying is Nicky's jaded view of nearly everyone and everything she encounters. At times, it becomes almost laughable. Even minor characters -- a pizza delivery boy, a hotel clerk, even a pair of dogs -- have to get Nicky's petulant observations about how bored, unhappy or bothersome they are. A character this cynical needs a little awareness or sense of humor about her pessisimism to be tolerable, and this character has neither. Still the story carries itself along. And the author has a considerable talent for capturing specific details of how people dress and populate their living and work spaces. I look forward to Bartolomeo's future efforts, but this story was not as tight or well written as Cupid and Diana. Anyone who likes these tales of woman balancing their work and career demands should also take a look at Sara Lewis's novels. They're very good and fun, easy reads.

I really enjoyed Bartolomeo's second novel, "The Side of the Angels." Yeah, there was a fair amount of romance (for the ladies), but the strike plot was very interesting, and Bartolomeo makes a lot of funny and interesting observations. Honestly, I never understood what Nicky (the female lead) sees in Tony (her lughead love interest), but as I said, I wasn't reading the book for the romance as much as for the plot. I did like the Louise character though, maybe because I once dated a gal like that. Anyway, I never would have read this book if my girlfriend hadn't recommended it, but I'm not sorry I did. It was a fun read, and I'd highly recommend it.

I picked up this book on a whim (it was on sale). I don't regret the purchase. Bartolomeo writes with a light, breezy style that is enjoyable and will have you snickering at some of the scenarios. The one drawback in the book to me was that it was a bit too overwritten. There were barely any pages that didn't have the main character reminiscing about an event long past. Overall, I recommend reading this book if you're looking for a light read for a Saturday. Enjoy.

I thoroughly enjoyed this fun tale of complicated relationships, sisterly squabbles, and self discovery.

The book is written from the perspective of thirty-something Diana, a Washington D.C. vintage clothing store owner. It delves into the relationships she has with Phillip and Harry, two very different attorneys. In her musings, Diana compares the safety, connectedness, and simplicity of one relationship with the adventure, intimacy, and joy of the other. She repeadly asks herself the question -- How can a relationship be so comfortable and wonderful and yet so suffocating? This is a question I'm sure most people have asked themselves from time to time.

These dating issues are intertwined with stories of Diana's relationship with Cynthia (her understanding, underwear-modeling sister), her mother (a fashion guru/alcoholic), and Franny (her pious, overbearing, misunderstood, older sister).

Christina Bartolomeo has a great gift for characterization. I appreciate that this tale is not black and white -- rather a mix of beautiful greys. By this I mean, each character has his/her good points, bad points, sad stories, and idiosyncracies. That makes the characters real and delightful.

I can't wait to see what else Bartolomeo has in store!

I'm sad to say that I finished CUPID AND DIANA last night. Sad because I adored the book! I loved the familiar feeling I got from the writing style and exchange between characters. The soap opera plots were very amusing. Having lived in DC for a while, I liked all the little references to different places around town. This was perfect summer reading: not too involved, didn't waste time with unnecessary details just to fill pages, was not utterly pretentious like so many books I come across nowadays. With a simple and humorous story, she got to the point and made no bones about it. I really liked Ms. Bartolomeo's writing style, and look forward to reading more by her. Besides, it would make the most delightful little movie with the right cast. So far, I've got Callie Thorne as Diana, Joanna Going as Cynthia, Kyra Sedgewick in a cameo as Rafaella, James LeGros as Phillip and either Jon Favreau or Jeremy Piven as Harry since I can't decide which one I like better... but I digress. I really enjoyed the book. Open to casting suggestions and/or other reading recommendations.