I didn't like any of the characters in Patty Friedmann's book, Odds, except for George Duffy, the fireman. The others were too mean (George Duffy, the lawyer, and his son, George); too good to be true (Gregor, Ella and her husband); too clueless (Anna and her mother-in-law); and too weird (Dorothy). All of them were predictable.

What I loved about this little volume was Patty Friedmann's skillful use of humor in handling subjects such as adultery, drowning, compulsive gambling, and biological aberrations. That's a stupendous accomplishment. It kept me turning the pages.

ODDS is an amazing new book by a quirky New Orleans writer. Friedmann's writing is full of humor, wit and charm. The book centers around the life of Anna Riggs Duffy, and the after-effect of a choice that she is forced to make in the face of a tragic swimming pool accident. This book is a true rarity-- it will make you aware of the fact that we are all "dealt a hand" in some way or another, and it sheds light on our struggles to survive the odds that life gives us.

Odds should be the next Oprah selection. If not, you should definately choose it for your book club. It is filled with issues near and dear to everyone's heart: how do you react in a crisis? after a crisis? how much is your marriage worth? how well do you know your spouse? what's is the impact of your spouse's parents on your marriage?

All these issues and more are raised through the tale of a woman and her children. While this book is a quick read, it is definately not a story you will soon forget. Buy one for yourself and one for your best friend. Then sit down and talk about it. Honestly.

I had serious trouble getting into this book. While it is well written in terms of use of language, it's also very disjointed, split into chapters rotating somewhat irregularly between the mother, daughter, and son. Wilson, the son, is a very interesting character and finally I read all his chapters ... starting from the end of the book and working backward. There is no coherent plot and while there's tension between the characters, I haven't yet gotten fond enough of Wilson to care. Nor will I.

I'm still giving this book three stars instead of two because I suspect a different sort of person than me (one who favors family relationships and bizarrely interesting people over tight plotting and narrative flow) might very well enjoy Secondhand Smoke.

Secondhand Smoke by Patty Friedmann is a novel of complex and sometimes toxic figures, blame, and the search for redemption. Jerusha Bailey is a harsh, cigarette-addicted mother whose chain-smoking habit may have been responsible for the death of her husband Woodrow. Jerusha also has two estranged children, who cannot flee far away enough from her and her scornful ways - yet when she meets ten-year-old boy living next door to here and who has an abrasive mother, she and the boy come to share a special bond in this twisted yet surprising and all-too-human tale. Secondhand Smoke is a compelling read from beginning to end. Also highly recommended is Patty Friedman's earlier books, Eleanor Rushing (1582430772,[$$]), and Odds (1582431809, [$$]).

Patty Friedmann's earlier books were just quirky enough to keep readers such as me looking for her next work, but this new book is such a quantum leap that I was wondering what took her so long. Comparisons to Flannery O'Connor and John Kennedy Toole are obvious, but nonetheless accurate. If O'Connor had let one of her characters speak in the first person voice, she might have anticipated Friedmann's Jerusha Bailey. MIGHT have, but Friedmann's creation is totally unique. Vulgar, profane, and a failure as a parent...Bailey is still a compelling woman. You would not want to be her child, or her neighbor, but you won't forget her.

I was instantly pulled into the first-person tale of Eleanor Rushing. However, shortly into the story she relates an event of sexual abuse (concerning herself as a child) that I found so disturbing I almost quit reading. I was glad I continued, because it is an amazing tightrope job of writing, in an entertaining manner, the life story of a traumatized child who grew into a delusional schizophrenic. As in real life, one is not always sure where the line is drawn between reality and delusion, but Patty Friedmann carefully and cleverly points the direction to truths. The book was so well written that I would guess some major book reviewers shyed away from endorsement because of the uncomfortable sexual content.

Eleanor Rushing is both compelling and funny. About an economically spoiled but emotionally deprived young woman who lost both her parents in a tragic accident when she was 13, Eleanor Rushing catched your attention and does not let go. Eleanor, the heroine (if you can call someone this wacky a heroine) acts out all our compulsive obsessive fantasies about men. Yet we, and the other characters in the book, never dislike her. As entertaining as Eleanor is, my favorite character is Naomi, the black maid, who, with perfect pitch, presents the classic New Orleans black housekeeper, the one who can see through everything and everyone, the one with enough street wisdom for all the other better educated characters in the story. This is a must read for the summer.

ELEANOR RUSHING is a compelling read. It is disturbing and shocking and knocks you into or out of your preconceived notions of what is. New Orleans and her delusional soulmate,the title character, ELEANOR RUSHING, are seated comfortably at the table of pathos, eating a sumptous plate of perversity while growing increasingly drunk on glass after glass of pleasure before the veracity of ELEANOR'S passions is rended.