Book Review: False Advertising
Australian Fiction by Popular Author Dianne Blacklock
A single pregnant woman and a recently widowed young mother make unlikely housemates in this engaging story by Australian author Dianne Blacklock.
Popular Australian writer Dianne Blacklock combines likeable characters and a charming if formulaic plot in the romantic novel False Advertising (Pan Macmillan, 2007).
False Advertising Storyline
The well-organised routine of Helen Chapman’s life falls apart when her husband David is run over by a bus. With a young son to care for, she is forced to take in a boarder to help make ends meet.
Irresponsible Gemma Atkinson has given up a promising career in advertising to follow what she thinks is love, only to find herself abandoned by her slacker boyfriend and pregnant with his child. Determined to make a success of her life, Gemma returns to her previous place of employment, and takes up a position as personal assistant to the new managing director, Miles Davenport without disclosing the pregnancy.
Dealing with Life’s Unexpected Events
False Advertising describes how two women cope when their lives don’t turn out quite the way they had planned. Gemma resolves to prove to both her family and old friend Charlie that she has given up her immature ways, and is ready to settle down and provide for her baby.
Helen’s life provides much of the conflict in the novel. She is burdened not only with somewhat stereotypical interfering and disapproving in-laws, but also with a mother with Alzheimer’s in a nursing home. In addition to the loss of her husband, Helen is coming to terms with the fact that their life prior to his death had not been particularly fulfilling and her guilt upon entering a new relationship.
Appealing Australian Romantic Fiction
Despite this seemingly bleak scenario, there is plenty of humour in the novel, particularly in the secondary characters such as Gemma’s pretentious yet well-intentioned parents and younger sister Phoebe. Gemma too is an engaging character, despite her obvious flaws and readers will enjoy following her attempts to get her life back on track.
While the conclusion of the novel is to some extent predictable, this is a minor objection, as the appeal of the story lies in the characters, and fans of romantic fiction will be satisfied with the outcome.
About the Author
Blacklock has been compared with other popular romantic fiction writers, such as Maeve Binchy and Cathy Kelly. She certainly deserves such praise, as her books have a warmth and humour that makes them easy and enjoyable to read. The fact that all her novels are set in Australia is particularly gratifying for Australian fans of the genre.
False Advertising is Blacklock’s fourth novel following Wife for Hire, Call Waiting and Almost Perfect.
