In her fifth novel, Bittersweet (Penguin Books, 2010), Australian author Melanie La’Brooy balances themes about family conflict and sibling rivalry with an entertaining send-up of modern wedding extremes and the cult of the bridezilla.
Bittersweet – Plot Summary
As young girls, sisters Sabrina and Mimi were close. As adults, they are rarely in contact and lingering issues from a family split continue to create a rift between them.
When Mimi returns to Australia penniless and out of work after an extended stay in Europe she finds her celebrity actress sister engaged. Sabrina employs Mimi to be her bridesmaid and amongst the chaos of planning a society wedding and dealing with paparazzi, dress designers and guest lists, the sisters must also deal with the issues that have been keeping them apart for so long.
Misunderstandings, conflicting family loyalties, long-buried secrets and personality clashes lead to arguments and frustration for both Mimi & Sabrina. Amongst the family drama, there is a light-hearted look at celebrity culture and a series of entertaining mishaps, misadventures and dramas linked with the planning of the wedding.
Witty, warm and thoughtful, Bittersweet offers readers an easy, entertaining read with depth in a modern Australian setting.
Complicated Family Relationships
The relationship between Mimi and Sabrina and the gradual revelation of the events in their childhood that led to their rift offers readers a thoughtful contrast to the minutiae of wedding planning details and moments of fun. Raising issues such as depression, alcoholism, eating disorders, divorce, sibling rivalry and family secrets, Bittersweet skilfully blends more light-hearted moments with a thoughtful look at how complicated family relationships can be.
La’Brooy’s witty dialogue and gentle mocking of over-the-top weddings and superficial celebrities offers a wonderful balance to the more serious relationship themes.
Australian Author Melanie La’Brooy
Melanie La’Brooy is the author of five novels: Love Struck, The Wish List, Serendipity, The Babymoon and Bittersweet, all published by Penguin Books. Prior to becoming a full-time author, La’Brooy worked for the art auction house Christie's, in both Sydney and Melbourne, where she trained as a specialist in Australian paintings. She later worked for one of the most exclusive commercial art galleries in Australia.
La’Brooy is married with two young sons. She usually lives in Melbourne, Australia but is currently residing in South Africa. Her website includes information about her published titles in addition to a very entertaining and humourous ‘Her Story’ section.
Modern Contemporary Women’s Fiction
A modern balance of warmth and light-heartedness with more serious family relationship issues, Bittersweet is a well-executed work of contemporary women’s fiction, ideal for those readers who are looking for entertaining literature with an element of depth and substance.
Selected as one of the Get Reading! Campaign’s ’50 books you can’t put down’ in 2010, Bittersweet is highly recommended for readers interested in well-written personality driven dialogue and storylines.
Review copy details:
Bittersweet (ISBN: 978-0-14-3205868-5, 450 pages)
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