Book Review: Single in Suburbia by Wendy Wax

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books, fiction, reviews, Single in Suburbia, Wendy Wax

Nothing is more fun and yet concerning to those watching me than when I laugh and sob at the same time.  Wendy Wax accomplished this in her book Single in Suburbia.  It was a hilarious description of a heart wrenching expression that brought on this fit of giggles and tears.  Single in Suburbia had me chuckling almost every chapter; pair that with the character Amanda Sheridan who really knows how to put a cheating husband in his place, and you’ve got a book I could hardly put down.

Single in Suburbia follows jilted wife Amanda, replacement wife Brooke, and divorcee Candace as they help Amanda keep her house after her husband lost everything.  In order to keep Amanda’s family afloat, they start Maid For You, a cleaning service specializing English speaking French maids after Amanda discovers that being a stay at home mom does not dazzle prospective employers.  She, Brook, and Candace dress in wigs and gaudy make-up as  they clean, snoop, and realize that no family is as perfect as it seems.

Do you see people or do you see workers?

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employees, Germany, Gilmore Girls, help, host family, maids, money, Single in Suburbia, Starbucks, study abroad, wealth, Wendy Wax

You enter your favorite book store, coffee shop, or restaurant and someone rings you up.  Are you talking on your cell phone?  Do you ask them how their day was?  Do you see a person standing before you or do you see a worker bee sent from the cosmos to wait on you?  Our tendency is to look down on those serving us, but one thing I picked up from my host family in Germany is that every job is important, therefore every person who performs a job is important.  Imagine if all of the janitorial staff vanished overnight.  Sometimes we don’t appreciate what we have.

Thankfully, society seems to agree with my host family.  People who disregard the help are seen as snobby rather than admired.  Take these examples from the TV show Gilmore Girls and novel Single in Suburbia…