It’s been awhile since I’ve read a book and it feels so good to be back! I’ve had such a busy few weeks, and I hate when people use that as their excuse for not reading, but this time, it’s true – I promise.
I also said I was going to read a different book next, but when the library says “Not Renewable” – your reading order shapes up pretty quick (I’m currently staring at a stack of three books due back this coming Saturday – whoops!).
So, here we are. And from the looks of things, I’ll have a little more time to read in my near future, so consider Blanche’s Book Club BACK.
Our read this week was “Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win” by Jo Piazza, which was a pick on my Summer Reading Guide. Here is the book description from Amazon:
From Jo Piazza, the bestselling author of The Knock Off, How to Be Married, and Fitness Junkie, comes an exciting, insightful novel about what happens when a woman wants it all—political power, a happy marriage, and happiness—but isn’t sure just how much she’s willing to sacrifice to get it.
Charlotte Walsh is running for Senate in the most important race in the country during a midterm election that will decide the balance of power in Congress. Still reeling from a presidential election that shocked and divided the country and inspired by the chance to make a difference, she’s left behind her high-powered job in Silicon Valley and returned, with her husband Max and their three young daughters, to her downtrodden Pennsylvania hometown to run in the Rust Belt state.
Once the campaign gets underway, Charlotte is blindsided by just how dirty her opponent is willing to fight, how harshly she is judged by the press and her peers, and how exhausting it becomes to navigate a marriage with an increasingly ambivalent and often resentful husband. When the opposition uncovers a secret that could threaten not just her campaign but everything Charlotte holds dear, she has to decide just how badly she wants to win and at what cost.
A searing, suspenseful story of political ambition, marriage, class, sexual politics, and infidelity, Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win is an insightful portrait of what it takes for a woman to run for national office in America today. In a dramatic political moment like no other with more women running for office than ever before, Jo Piazza’s novel is timely, engrossing, and perfect for readers on both sides of the aisle.
I read this book in 24 hours – it was relatable in some ways, but also just a fun world to jump right into. I was curious how I’d feel reading this book post-2016 election, but it was still a unique story, with a very unexpected ending.
I found it entirely refreshing, and since this was my first Jo Piazza book, I’m definitely looking forward to reading more from her.
The next book Blanche’s Book Club will be reading is “Puddin‘” by Julie Murphy. Follow me on Instagram @Orangejulius7 and see my thoughts on the book in real time. Have a great Monday!
The Bitter Lemon 