Swapping Lives

by Jane Green

Jane Green's back with more chick lit, but, as my co-worker said, it's not as good as her other novels. Swapping Lives follows the lives of two 30-something women, Amber Winslow and Vicky Townsley. Amber lives the perfect married life, but feels like a desperate housewife. Vicky is the features editor of Britain's Poise magazine and bachelorette about town. Their lives converge when Poise's editor-in-chief wants Vicky to be the subject of a "swapping lives" story, in which two women with completely different lives discover that the grass may not be greener on the other side of the pond.

The plot is predictable, the characters are not sympathetic, and the build-up to the actual swap is too long and drawn out. I was disappointed in this novel. Green's novels are usually absorbing; this one is mediocre at best.

8/14/06