Nancy's Theory of Style
Grace Coopersmith
Gallery, May 18 2010, $15.00
ISBN: 9781416598862
Bay area socialite Nancy Carrington-Chambers believes in style before substance so she had the perfect wedding, but three years of marriage has not come close to her nuptials. Todd is a boorish bore who shows no idea what proper decorum requires. Sick of her husband, she leaves their mansion to focus on Froth, her event planning consulting business while living in their San Francisco apartment.
To prove her worth as a planner, Nancy accepts the mission impossible of changing the stuffy Barbary Coast Historical Museum fundraiser into a must attend gala as opposed to a must stay away event. Nancy’s British assistant Derek Cathcart adds class to her efforts, but she is confused by her attraction to the openly gay expatriate. Meanwhile, her cousin Birdie dumps her four years old daughter Eugenia on Nancy and leaves without a look back. Nancy finds an unstylish unconventional family of sorts with her as the center and Derek and Eugenia joining her while her affluent upper crust parents demand she show class and style by returning to her husband; but then there is also Rick to consider.
This is an amusing contemporary that is superb when it keeps the relationships somewhat light; when the story line switches to poignancy it loses some momentum as that profoundness clashes with the overall humor of the tale. Still with a strong support cast and coming of age super lead, fans will appreciate Nancy’s Theory of Style that mirrors the School for Scandal (by Sheridan) until she pragmatism forces her to revise her belief system.
Harriet Klausner
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