Title: Man Camp
Author: Adrienne Brodeur
Published in July 2006 by Random House
Genre: Contemporary Humor
ISBN: 0-8129-7190-6
Men are definitely not on the menu du jour for best friends Martha McKenna and Lucy Stone. These two sassy, sophisticated gals are in a bind, and no amount of fancy language, flowers, pleas, or intimidation is going to work. Both of these women are too smart for the competition it seems, and although Lucy seems well paired, and in a serious relationship, there are definite bad waves on the sea of love. La Luna, a local wine bar, is their favourite place to meet, and as usual, Martha is her requisite twenty minutes late. Lucy has already tried out Martha's tried and true silence to rebuff one unwanted male, causing her to remember Martha's dateless status and their pact. It starts on this frosty January evening when Lucy pointedly reminds Martha about their New Years Eve pact, and Martha's total rejection of the dating premise. As their evening wears on, plans get wilder and wackier, and Martha decides the problem with men centers around their ability to interest the females, and to live up to the feminine ideals. In an odd way, Lucy can relate to this, for her job as biologist centers around the sexual selections and mating rituals in the animal kingdom. She has studied the patterns of numerous birds and animals, and can agree with Martha on a lot of these things. As far as Lucy is concerned, there is volumes to be learned in the ways of courtship, and she agrees with Martha something needs to be done.
As things progress in this ongoing discussion, Martha decides that in combination with her other skills, she is going to add a new business to her list. One she is going to call FirstDate. The object is to let her services as a dating coach because she had found that most of the men she has dated are the worst when it comes to first dates, and often she would rather they NOT call back. As Eva, the bartender at La Luna, and Lucy listen to Martha's newest idea, and find out she has taken steps to actually carry through this, things begin to get silly. Seeing no real opportunities at the bar, the pair head home, leaving Eva to wonder what they will think of next. Eva doesn't have long to wait. FirstDate is a success, with the first week of business booked every night but February 14th, and Martha is just as satisfied to stay home with Hannibal, her orange tabby. As she shares her sushi with him, she wonders how Lucy is making out with her romantic and rustic weekend with Adam. Lucy, however, is having a far from "Romantic Get-Away" and the complete silence in the car on the way back to the city has her starting to re-evaluate her whole relationship with Adam. With a seriously gone wrong blind date set up by Eva, Martha begins to get the idea that men need a camp to learn "Man Skills" something like the girls camp Lucy went to when she was younger. Her disastrous weekend with Adam and his complete ineptitude seems to spur Lucy along in her wake, and the idea of "Man Camp" is born.
Cooper Tuckington has no idea what he is walking into when he comes to visit Lucy for a week. They have been best of friends since college, and the relationship, comfortable as it has always been is one of deep and sincere friendship. He has always had a soft spot for Lucy, and her friend Martha, and it is with delight that he squires them around the city, seeing the sights with them, and looking at the city through their eyes. For Cooper, the city is a fine place to visit, but home is his farm in rural West Virginia. For him life of a southern gentleman farmer on his Neola farm, although difficult at times, is sweet. But as usual, Cooper always finds himself keeping as busy in the city as he is on the farm. Between Martha's crooked shelf, courtesy of her unhandy man-like brother Jesse, and Lucy's clogged drains, he not only fixes their problems, but sets in to motion and reality the total man camp agenda. For Lucy and Martha the plan is clear. Where else can they hope to make a man out of the neurotic friends, brothers, lovers, and other assorted acquaintances than at Cooper's Farm. He can't help but actually be intrigued at this idea, the idea of extra free help at an important time in his farming year also weighs in their favour. Cooper knows it is a wild idea, but he can also sympathize with the girls after hearing about the state of affairs with the horrible experiences of Martha's FirstDate clients, and Lucy's regrettable short-lived romantic non-weekend with Adam.
By the time Cooper's week ends and goodbyes are said, the idea of using Cooper's farm has rooted deep in all their minds, Lucy realizes that it is true, the idea may just work. Although Lucy is somewhat put off and a tad jealous that Cooper seems to have a thing for Martha, she is on the whole happy for them, but her ongoing problems with Adam and his dependence grows. Convincing Adam and Martha's brother Jesse to go along with the plan, even though the girls are using the deception that they will also be counselors and not campers works, and the erstwhile campers find themselves in the midst of the rolling West Virginia hills. This motley crew of misfits from the city social scene cause Cooper's eyebrows to raise when he realizes not a one of them even knows the simple mechanics of changing a tire, and it isn't the only surprise he will endure. He understands now what the girls were telling him is true, and so he mentally readjusts his agenda accordingly, and naturally slips into the role of teacher to men who need to know the simple "how to's" of life. The week may not be easy, but with the tire changing lesson fresh on his mind, Cooper has to admit Lucy and Martha may not have been so far off the track, and decides to do is best for their "man-campers."
Say hello to Adrienne Brodeur and her delightfully written and ultra witty read Man Camp. You will be intrigued from beginning to end on this one, and have to shake your head at the girls and their view of the "Metrosexuals" in their world. It is not a point of putting down the opposite sex, but with a degree in biology, specializing in mating behaviors, and a teaching position at Columbia, biologist Lucy Stone just can't seem to come to grips with the ineptitude of the urban male. Her best friend and actress Martha McKenna is in agreement on this as in her own area, men just don't seem to be what they advertise themselves, and she too is totally fed up. A male in point is her younger brother Jesse, who seems to have more neuroses than Freud. Martha just knows if he doesn't straighten up and get in the game, he is going to lose out with his current flame, Andrea. Martha doesn't want to see her brother hurt, and by golly, Man Camp might just be the answer for them all. When push come to shove, and the girls get boyfriend, brother, and FirstDate clients to the farm, the fun and laughter continue to flow.
Man Camp truly goes beyond witty. It is good for more than the few scattered chuckles, and is in part downright hilarious when it looks at the modern dating scene of the big city woman. Once can't help but admire the witty repartee between Lucy and Martha, and their trials and tribulations in the area of love and romance. When you throw in a friend who is as macho as the big city men are effeminate, you are really in for some great laughs. Man Camp is book every woman needs to read, and for those men who are evolved enough, it would be totally entertaining. It goes beyond the surface, and in an underlying plot it is touching and a bit sentimental, but always on the mark. Ms Brodeur looks on the world of dating with a different eye, and the look is refreshing, different, and just plain funny. Man Camp is a must buy for those who appreciate great humor, some nifty romance, and a lot of lessons in human behavior. The adventures of Martha, Lucy, Cooper, and the "Man Campers" will keep you in stitches, and chuckling in remembrance long afterward. The silly antics, and the underlying strengths of these characters will have you wishing for more from Ms Brodeur. Look for Man Camp at a bookstore near you, or order it from Amazon.com. I think you will love it as much as I did for certain.
Yours in good reading,
Rose!
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