Book Review - His Son"s Teacher by Kay Stockham
Jennifer Rose is a recently divorced school teacher who is about to begin her summer vacation hiding from all the things she hates about herself.
Her self esteem is in the toilet and she's about thirty pounds heavier than she wants to be.
Handsome, sexy Nick Tulane is a successful single father who is feeling like a failure because his son isn't making the grade at school.
That's the premise Ms.
Stockham sets up for the hero and heroine to meet.
From there she goes into deep territory.
She tackles two difficult subjects - being overweight and illiteracy.
Being overweight in America is synonymous to committing a crime.
There are hundreds of diets, pills, and drugs that are marketed to women every year.
Magazines, movies, and television scream at women from every corner - "be a size two and your dreams will come true.
" It's enough to make you sick.
I admired the way the author tackled this issue -- by having the heroine lose weight the old fashioned way - diet and exercise.
She creates a realistic set of circumstances for our heroine Jenn, and her character grows from a vulnerable, shy wallflower, to a self-confident, in-charge woman.
The author also doesn't have the happily ever after include our heroine becoming a size two.
The hero, Nick, is successful, but he's got issues.
His relationship with his family is strained, his son is flunking out and he has his own secret that keeps him from fully being part of the world around him.
The author tackles the subject of adult illiteracy and what that means to an individual in a visual world.
How can one read a street sign, a newspaper, or follow directions, when they can't read.
The relationship between Nick and Jenn is a slow build, and one that I found very satisfying.
They learn about each other and help each other overcome the things in their lives that have made them withdraw from the world and others.
Ms.
Stockham has the ability to introduce secondary characters and in a moment the reader can totally grasp the nuances of those characters.
If there is one criticism, it would be the repetition.
There was a few times where the author repeated the main character's problems and I felt it wasn't necessary and detracted from the progression.
It's a tender story, with a relationship that isn't hurried, instead it is created with care and a stable foundation.
I'm looking forward to reading more of Kay Stockham's books.
Her self esteem is in the toilet and she's about thirty pounds heavier than she wants to be.
Handsome, sexy Nick Tulane is a successful single father who is feeling like a failure because his son isn't making the grade at school.
That's the premise Ms.
Stockham sets up for the hero and heroine to meet.
From there she goes into deep territory.
She tackles two difficult subjects - being overweight and illiteracy.
Being overweight in America is synonymous to committing a crime.
There are hundreds of diets, pills, and drugs that are marketed to women every year.
Magazines, movies, and television scream at women from every corner - "be a size two and your dreams will come true.
" It's enough to make you sick.
I admired the way the author tackled this issue -- by having the heroine lose weight the old fashioned way - diet and exercise.
She creates a realistic set of circumstances for our heroine Jenn, and her character grows from a vulnerable, shy wallflower, to a self-confident, in-charge woman.
The author also doesn't have the happily ever after include our heroine becoming a size two.
The hero, Nick, is successful, but he's got issues.
His relationship with his family is strained, his son is flunking out and he has his own secret that keeps him from fully being part of the world around him.
The author tackles the subject of adult illiteracy and what that means to an individual in a visual world.
How can one read a street sign, a newspaper, or follow directions, when they can't read.
The relationship between Nick and Jenn is a slow build, and one that I found very satisfying.
They learn about each other and help each other overcome the things in their lives that have made them withdraw from the world and others.
Ms.
Stockham has the ability to introduce secondary characters and in a moment the reader can totally grasp the nuances of those characters.
If there is one criticism, it would be the repetition.
There was a few times where the author repeated the main character's problems and I felt it wasn't necessary and detracted from the progression.
It's a tender story, with a relationship that isn't hurried, instead it is created with care and a stable foundation.
I'm looking forward to reading more of Kay Stockham's books.
