Misery Loves Cabernet

Misery Loves Cabernet
By Kim Gruenenfelder

I read and reviewed the previous book, A Total Waste of Makeup, not long ago. So, I was excited to read Misery Loves Cabernet. I had come to really care for Charlie, the main character in the first book and I really wanted to see how she handled a real relationship.

Charlie does not know how to handle a real relationship. I don't mean to spoil anything, but the "happy ending" of book one really took a nose dive within the first few pages. But what was I expecting when the word misery is in the book title? I have to say that the whole tenor of the book would be considered man-bashing escapism. And with all the alcohol consumption by all the characters, one would probably be interested in a Cabernet or more after a bit of reading.

Charlie's brother, Jamie, begins to write for a women's magazine and he tells everyone in his articles what men really want, the warning signs to know if a man is just trying to get a woman into bed and how not to turn men away. The sad part is that Charlie's new man "interest" turns up following all of Jamie's warnings -- but she doesn't realize this until the end of the book.

The good parts of the book happened when Charlie began to see what she could really do with her life besides being a personal assistant until retirement. She also tried to be more of herself without worrying about what others are thinking. At the end of the book, Charlie decides that being single is really the best thing for her at this moment in time. At the end of the book, I decided (again) that the best man for her (the one who really seems to see Charlie as she is) is her boss, Drew.

What does this book have to do with my faith? Charlie seems to be searching for something. She looks for it in men, in her job and with her family. She finds it in none of those. I think she is actually searching for God. Her character is so secularized I don't know if she would be able to recognize that for herself. How many people do we know -- including our relatives-- seem to be searching for something and not finding it in relationships, material goods or their livelihood?

I would not recommend Misery Loves Cabernet unless you have read A Total Waste of Makeup.

Happy reading!

Amelia