Seducing Harry: An Epicurean Affair
by Judith Marks-White
Published by Ballantine Books
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Reviewed by Sharon Broom
Coco Plotnick Hollander Harding is over 50, on her second marriage and needs some spice in her life. It seems the 'burbs' (she's a New York girl at heart), her wealthy and nice husband Parker (who is lacking in sexual prowess), aren't cutting it.
Coco writes a humor column for Connecticut's Seaport Gazette, and she's been assigned to write a humor piece about, of all things, vegetables. She meets Harry (a high-priced plastic surgeon) at a Chaine des Rotisseurs event, and the two quickly embark on a hot and heavy banquet of infidelity.
Love and lust is delicious for the unfaithful Coco and Harry, until the lustful couple and their spouses receive a series of anonymous letters and phone calls. It's just a matter of time before disaster strikes--and the outcome is not what anyone expects.
Judith Marks-White's Seducing Harry: An Epicurean Affair is a quirky novel with interesting, if not shallow, characters. Her ability to write about the mundane and make it funny and sassy is wonderful. The humor columns made me laugh out loud and the discussions about food kept me looking in the refrigerator, wishing I could feast on some of the delectable dishes discussed.
My criticism is that the subject matter of infidelity is treated as such a normal and acceptable occurrence. I found that sad. I'm not a prude, but the use of the 'f' word turned me off. And the sex scenes are vivid and lustful, not loving. But I think, that's what Coco wanted. She didn't want love, she wanted orgasms. If she couldn't get 'hot sex' from her husband, she'd get it where she could.
Judith Marks-White's writing is so much fun, I'll look for her next novel, even though I had problems with how infidelity was handled in the first novel.
A fun, fast-paced book with wonderful, quirky writing.
Armchair Interviews says: But, if you're not into casual infidelity and vivid sex scenes, Seducing Harry: An Epicurean Affair might not be for you.