(Ed note: I got mixed up on dates and Mom's reviews got away from me. They'll be catching up for the next few weeks. Sorry.)
The years that I spent being a member of the PTA never involved the drama that Ellen Meister has written about in her debut novel, SECRET CONFESSIONS OF THE APPLEWOOD PTA. That is a good thing.
Maddie, Ruth, and Lisa belong to the Applewood PTA. At first they are not necessarily close friends, but when it is announced that the Applewood Elementary School has been selected to be the location of an upcoming movie starring George Clooney, they find a common goal--and enemy.
Ruth is part of the new wealth in town. Her husband had been on the brink of making his fortune when he had a stroke. On coming out of a coma, his first word was, “Sue”. The nurses thought that he was asking for a woman, but he had been a lawyer and his wife knew what he meant. The settlement moved them to the richest neighborhood in town.
Maddie is feeling that her husband has lost interest in her. He is busy with his job and she believes that he may be having an affair. Her marriage is in trouble and she needs a project. Whether that project is an affair of her own or the in fighting the PTA will be her big concern.
Lisa is the only one of the three who seems to have it all: a devoted husband, beautiful children, and a large, gracious home. One day, Lisa’s alcoholic mother shows up on her doorstep and we learn why Lisa works so hard at creating the perfect life for herself.
The women have to form a relationship to make the film company pick their school as the location for George Clooney’s movie. If their school is selected, the film company will build the sports complex that the community needs.
Potentially dangerous affairs, marriage woes, the appearance of an old flame, embarrassing family members, a little larceny, and maybe a bit of blackmail will help to form a firm friendship of the three women.
If all of this sounds like your favorite soap opera, you may be right. It is very close to a “desperate housewife” type of plot, full of sex, cat fights, friendship, and women searching for happiness. Meister keeps the novel from being trite by making her characters more than stereotypes of themselves.
The book is laced with humor and gives us a group of women with spunk who learn how important our female friends are---even if they themselves are a little flawed. It was a good vacation read.
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