Description:
Carla Richards is a lot of things. She's a waitress at
Anchorage's premier dining establishment, Mexico in an Igloo; an artist who
secretly makes erotic dolls for extra income; a divorcée who can't quite detach
from her ex-husband; and a single mom trying to support her gifted
eight-year-old son, her pregnant sister, and her babysitter-turned-resident-teenager.
She's one overdue bill away from completely losing
control-when inspiration strikes in the form of a TV personality. Now she's
scribbling away in a diary, flirting with an anthropologist, and making
appointments with a credit counselor.
Still, getting her life and dreams back on track is
difficult. Is perfection really within reach? Or will she wind up with
something even better?
Review:
Dolls Behaving Badly by Cinthia Ritchie
5 out of 5
Carla Richards is a
lot of things. She's a waitress at Anchorage's premier dining establishment,
Mexico in an Igloo; an artist who secretly makes erotic dolls for extra income;
a divorcée who can't quite detach from her ex-husband; and a single mom trying
to support her gifted eight-year-old son, her pregnant sister, and her
babysitter-turned-resident-teenager.
She's one overdue bill away from completely losing control-when inspiration
strikes in the form of a TV personality. Now she's scribbling away in a diary,
flirting with an anthropologist, and making appointments with a credit
counselor.
Still, getting her life and dreams back on track is difficult. Is perfection
really within reach? Or will she wind up with something even better?
This is a wonderful
book for single moms to read. It really
relates to the problems we go through on a daily basis. I love the serious issues that Ritchie deals
with in this book that show how much a single mom handles.
Carla is single mom
and waitress. She can barely pay her
bills and feels like a failure. Carla
decided to start a journal, and the book goes through the journey of her
journaling. She is a very strong woman
that does not give herself the credit she deserves. I could relate to the money problems she
faced and constant feeling like you are not good enough. This woman takes care of her son, friends,
sister, and her son’s babysitter. My
favorite part is that she makes erotic dolls on the side for money. It is something that Carla is embarrassed
about, but at the end of the day it makes her the extra money she needs. It also lets Carla work on her art which is
what she really wants to do.
Sandee, her best
friend, gives her the strength to date.
It is a hard situation because Carla does not feel good enough for
him. Sandee is the one that keeps
pushing her to give him a change and to not give up. While Sandee seems like the friend who just
wants to play the field, she really is a confused woman like Carla. Women can relate to having a friend that acts
like they know exactly what they want out of life, but in reality they want
something completely different.
Laurel, Carla’s older
sister, was the good daughter. She
married well, had a great job, and a beautiful house. This gets turned upside down when Laurel has
an affair and gets pregnant. Laurel goes
from the high-class business woman to living with her little sister in a
trailer. It is hard on her pride and
takes Laurel a while to cope with the changes she is going through. Her affair ended, and then her marriage fell
apart. Laurel has no job now and is
relying on Carla. She retains the snobby
attitude throughout the book even though her life does a 180.
Stephanie, the babysitter,
is the one that gives Carla her ultimate strength. This teenager comes from a home filled with
drugs, parties, and alcohol. She is
trying to make the best of it and do something with her life. Stephanie ends up moving in with Carla, and
the friendship they have helps both of them.
Stephanie does not hold things back.
She will tell the truth and push people out of the way to make sure that
those she cares about are safe. It is
this kind of person that gives Carla the help she needs to not always feel like
a failure.
Jay-Jay and Barry are
the son and ex-husband. Poor Jay-Jay is
just the normal kid that is too smart for his own good. While he acts like a typical child, it is the
laid back nature he has that helps keep Carla sane. Barry is the ex-with-benefits. They can’t move past each other enough to
stop having sex even though they don’t love each other anymore. He is a good friend to Carla and helps her no
matter what the issue is.
Gramma is the motherly
figure that Carla keeps coming back to.
The advice that Gramma gave Carla as a child continues to back to her
throughout the book. The home cooking
that Gramma used to make is the same food that Carla makes to comfort her
family. Gramma gives Carla the sense of
peace, even though Gramma died.
When I started the
book, I was not sure I would like the layout because it was her journal
entries. I really did like the flow of
the book. The characters were amazing,
and each one added to another layer of Carla.
The growth that Carla experienced through the book showed that
circumstances can change if you are willing to put forth the work and have a
good support group. I loved the range of
emotions that run through the book. The
characters go through real issues that many people would relate to. I would definitely recommend this book to
every single mom out there and everyone else.
Being a mom is a hard job, and this book shows it like it is.
Happy Reading!
Kim
