ROMANTIC COMEDY
by Curtis Sittenfeld
Curtis Sittenfeld is one of my go-to authors. When I see she’s got a new book out, I pretty much buy it and read it right off. And my admiration for her writing continues with Romantic Comedy. Main character, Sally Milz, writes for a weekly Saturday night comedy show, “The Night Owls.” Burned by past relationships with men, she has mostly given up on finding love. In fact, she becomes so cynical, that she writes a sketch for Night Owls about what she has dubbed “The Danny Horst Rule.” Danny, one of her co-writers on Night Owls, has started to date a well-known, gorgeous actress who previously hosted the show. Sally’s Danny Horst Rule ridicules the very real double-standard whereby a good looking, famous woman will date a relatively normal-looking, moderately successful man. Her contention: the opposite would never happen. Who has ever seen a normal-looking, moderately successful woman dating a gorgeous, superstar man?
But that is exactly what happens when Sally works with guest host and musical sensation, Noah Brewster. As they develop scripts together during the week leading up to the show, Sally can hardly believe the sparks that seem to be flying between them. She does just about everything possible to sabotage the possibility of them getting together. But as the book progresses and Night Owls goes on hiatus during the pandemic, Sally takes a chance and drives across country to visit Noah. What ensues are months of lockdown together and the opportunity to really get to know each other beyond those superficial first impressions.
Sittenfeld delivers a great love story in Romantic Comedy, although an unconventional one. She expertly brings Sally to life as a complicated woman trying to navigate love in a complex world. You will cringe and scream and root for Sally all the way through this fabulous novel. (Liz)
A SECOND HELPING
I love every book I read by Curtis Sittenfeld. She truly is a master writer and Romantic Comedy is no exception. A bit deeper and more serious than the title implies, I was nonetheless delighted by the late-night television setting and the painfully slow unfolding of romance between two successful, funny and smart people in their late 30s. Don’t miss this one! (Lily)
