Publisher's Synopsis
From the privileged world of New York's Upper East Side to a trailer park in Galesburg, Mississippi, to the Left Bank of Paris, plus numerous stops in between, here are ten short stories of women dealing with life's issues and problems that are at once universal and unique. These are vibrant female characters from all over the world and from all walks of life. Together, they celebrate woman in her many roles-mother, daughter, worker, wife, lover, sister, and friend. In Neon Jungle, Elsie Stewart tells you her story about growing up as an '80s teenager in a shitty but still nice, lower-class ghetto known as a trailer park. What was it like? She describes it here: "Looking back, it felt like we were living dangerously close to disaster each day. That trailer always held us, as I've seen cats hold mice, still living, inside the arched space of their mouths." In Of Wisdom and Wiggly Shoes, Jessica Earle's challenge is the high-pressure, high-stakes game of getting her son into the best private school. To do that, she must look like she belongs: "From the corner of her eye, Jessica caught the woman's piercing stare, whose distinct dark brows were reminiscent of Joan Crawford and were observing her intensely as if she were a butterfly under a microscope. Jessica's pulse raced as she pivoted slightly, purposefully giving the woman a better view. That's it, that's the angle I was aiming for, thought Jessica. Soak it in, lady. I'm ready for you!" In A Promise in the Moonlight, Janis, an aeronautical engineer before she decided to stay home and be a full-time mom, is seeking to recapture the essence of a promise by her poet husband in Paris and will not settle for less. At once stirring, poignant and ironic, these insightful stories capture the essence of being a woman-in all its similarities and diversity.