Kiss Out - Hardcover

"She's really, really rich. . . . Besides, I love her," is Sam Lubin's reason for proposing to 18-year-old spoiled virgin Claire Allswell over the objections of his father, who insists that the bride-to-be convert to Judaism. Sam, 26, from Queens, N.Y., sings in his family-run rock 'n' roll band and refers to his poodle as his girlfriend. School dropout Claire, an "Almost Sex expert" from New Jersey, has her own reason for wanting to marry: "Nothing ever happens to me." There's lots of zany fun in Eisenstadt's ( From Rockaway ) hilarious sendup of dating and mating rituals, but much of this overdone, adolescent farce doesn't gel and the characters verge on caricature. When Oscar Arm, manager of a pet store, absconds with Claire and his identical twin, Fred, in order to smuggle parrots out of the Yucatan, surprise romantic twists develop, but the Mexican caper is so drawn out that the reader may not care who gets whom in the end. Eisenstadt needs a new shtick.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This novel is replete with unusual characters. In fact, they are so plentiful that confusion sets in almost immediately. We meet Claire, Sam, Oscar, Louette, Mary, various parents, and others--none as well developed as the reader might wish. Certainly, they could have been better developed had not quite so many ingredients been thrown into the stew. The plot is a bit hard to follow due to the many directions it takes, but the main action involves Sam and Claire's upcoming wedding. Whether it will take place or not is the question that is answered in the novel's surprising finish. Eisenstadt is very good at describing events realistically and at sketching some of her many characters in a life-like way. Recommended for extensive collections.
- Mary K. Prokop, CEL Regional Lib., Savannah, Ga.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.