Piece of Work
by Laura Zigman
Published by Time Warner Books
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Reviewed by Maria Hoeffer
Julia Einstein is gladly a stay-at-home mom to three-year-old Leo, more than happy to have left behind her jet-setting career as a celebrity publicist. Life is great until her husband loses his job. Julia stresses while watching the savings dwindle and her husband seems less and less interested in finding a job, any job.
With much reluctance, Julia throws herself back into the work world, but discovers in the fickle world of publicity, all she is able to get is a second rate job as a publicist to "has-been" celebrities trying for a comeback. She is assigned to re-launch the career of Mary Ford, a screen legend whose fame peaked nearly 50 years before. Ford happens to be demanding, openly nasty and has an ego the size of New Jersey.
Julia struggles through the days trying to manage a larger-than-life has-been, a smarmy boss who creates trouble at every turn and a husband who has become Mr. Mom. To top it all off, she misses her son terribly and questions whether she is being a good mom at all.
This chick lit novel is aimed at a slightly older audience, one that is past the shoe-shopping, barhopping single's life to one who is married and starting a family. While Zigman raises many questions about women's roles and the delicate balance between work and family, her characters fall somewhat flat and lack personality that could really bring them to life. Often relying on stereotypes instead of character development, the reader is not compelled to identify deeply at all with or care about any of the characters.
While providing some amusing situations, Julia's career is so outlandish that it seems unbelievable. Piece of Work provides a light way to pass an afternoon on the beach, but lacks the substance to really enter the reader's heart.
Armchair Interviews says: Piece of Work examines a woman's struggle to have it all, to make sacrifices for her family and hold it all together.