Smart Women by Judy Blume

First off, let me start off by saying that I did not enjoy Smart Women at all. I'm glad it was one of those used book deals I got and I didn’t pay full price for the hardcover. All the characters were disfunctional and not very appealing. The title of this book is called “Smart Women” and clearly that was a sarcastic title as it should have been called “Dumb Women”

I kept reading it though because it was Judy Blume and I was hoping it would all turn around. This book also lacked the Judy Blume style that we all know and love. In fact I was sure I was reading another author because none of her style was present.

I’ve never been so frustrated with a bunch of women ever. It seems that they were so concerned about getting a man in their life and totally disregard the welfare of their children. They all had such self esteem issues but I wasn’t even routing for them to turn it around. I never have been through a divorce where children and step families are involved so I can’t really relate to the situations of an unstable environment, jealously, the questioning of your children on the other parent’s activities or just the yuckiness that goes along with those situations. However I grew up in a step family and although I do have some personal lasting issues and there were times I was not pleased with my mom’s decisions, she was nothing like the characters here.
So here is a synopsis of the “Smart Women”

Margo, asks her boyfriend- who also happens to be the ex of one of her friends B.B., and has a daughter of his own- to move in with her after only a few months of dating. She never even discussed this move with her two children that live with her or even had a conversation with her friend about it. Even without all the extra complications it is not very "smart" to move in with someone after such a short a period of time.

Meanwhile, her teenage daughter Michelle (who I couldn’t stand!) is getting involved with one of her mother’s no-good ex-flings- right under her own roof (literally)- and the mom Margo does almost nothing to intervene. Seems her new man advised her to leave it alone and that it was good for her to lose her virginity in a safe at home environment. WHAT THE F**K? Seriously! Never, never, never would I allow a man to sway me advice like that with my own daughter. (really Smart eh) What mom wouldn’t try to fight or lock up her 17 year old daughter from an experienced player type of guy in his early 20’s???? And to top it all off, the mom, Margo, had slept with him in the past and called him a f**king machine!!!!!

The another "smart" woman, B.B.,(the friend of Margo and where BB’s ex is now living) marries a guy she is only lukewarm about and what she puts her daughter Sara through is horrible. She drills her about Margo and her ex. Poor kid just wants to have time with her dad and make her mom happy. Turns out BB ends up in a psychiatric ward so clearly she had issues. Poor Sara! She was the only character in the entire book I liked.

Finally the other “smart” woman, even though is a Mensa candidate, Clare takes back her ex, the jerk who left her to run off with a young bank teller that she nicknamed "donut". Better to be in a bad relationship than to be alone?

To bad Smart Women depicts 40 year old divorced woman as such dependant, self-absorbed, desperate, low self esteem creatures. Well that is my last comment and then this book is out of my mind.