| Ruth Cole is a little girl when the first section of this book, set in 1958, opens. Her father is an author world famous for his children's book. But he really doesn't like to write - what he really likes to do is draw. And what he really likes to draw is young mothers, women whom he seduces one after another. Her mother knows about his affairs - which obviously anger her. Still, she is preoccupied with the couple's two sons, who were killed several years earlier in a car accident. In the summer of 1958, Ted Cole hires Eddie, a boy of fifteen, to be his assistant. As it turns out, he really wants the boy to sleep with Marion. Marion and Eddie do in fact begin an affair which will have ramifications Ted never thought of - Marion ends up leaving Ted, Ruth, and Eddie at the end of the summer.
The second section of the book is set in 1990. Marion has now been missing for more than thirty years. By this time, Ruth has grown up and become a famous author in her own right. By chance, she meets Eddie, whom she knows was her mother's lover. She is thinking of marrying her editor when she goes on a book-signing tour to Amsterdam where she witnesses a gruesome crime, in the city's Red Light district. The third section of this book, which takes part in 1995, brings all the elements of this story together. | ||
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Plot & Themes Tone of book? - humorous Time/era of story - 1980's-1999 Romance/Romance Problems Yes Kind of romance: Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book Taboo sex story? Yes Lover is Main Character Gender - Female Profession/status: Ethnicity/Nationality Main Adversary Identity: - Male Age: - 60's-90's Profession/status: Eccentric/Smart/Dumb: Yes Eccentric: Intelligence - Average intelligence Setting How much descriptions of surroundings? - 5 () United States Yes The US: - Northeast Europe Yes City? Yes Writing Style Sex in book? Yes What kind of sex: - actual description of hetero sex - Boob talk! Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog |
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