Synopses & Reviews
From the author of
The Dirty Girls Social Club comes another fast, funny, soulful, and sexy novel about friendship and love amid Latinas.
It's a jungle out there--in Los Angeles, that is, where the tangle of freeways and ingrained insincerity can make a girl feel very alone, no matter how fabulous the weather or how cute the clothes at the South Coast Plaza mall. With very different styles and attitudes, Marcella, Olivia, and Alexis are trying to crack the code in L.A, trying to snare love and success. But first they have to come together--to make their marks and plan the fun they're going to have along the way.
Marcella is a hot, sharp young television actress who's barely able to enjoy the life she's bought for herself and certainly isn't enjoying her body, which is never quite perfect enough. Olivia, whose life revolves around her toddler son, Jack, is tethered to her suburban mommy track so tightly she can almost forget the horrible thing that happened to her family when she was a child herself. Alexis is a musicians' manager with a smart mouth, an ample body, and loads of style but barely enough self-esteem to fill a Prada card case. And the boys in their lives? Marcella's had about enough of them throwing themselves at her; Olivia's boy is her son; and Alexis is still searching, not for a boy this time, but for a man.
Playing with Boys is a savvy novel with charm, style, and heart to spare.
Review
"Valdes-Rodriguez lays on the irony with a trowel and makes the same points repeatedly: people with Spanish surnames come from different places...American racism is endemic, and clueless white people never get the slang right." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"Playing with Boys will keep one absorbed until the very end. The author does a good job describing Southern California....The many different characters, both major and minor, are fun, fully developed and real." BookReporter
Review
"Valdes-Rodriguez does a fine job here confronting stereotypes with a sharp cheekiness....The problem is, Valdes-Rodriguez's characters remain one-note, and they quickly become tiresome." Chicago Sun-Times
Review
"Playing with Boys succeeds in creating less stereotypical characters [than The Dirty Girls Social Club], but the plot lacks the complexity needed to make the story compelling." Miami Herald
Review
"The problem with Playing With Boys is that, while we enjoy seeing these very likable characters triumph, Rodriguez's idea of 'making it' is grounded in wish-fulfillment. Her book never rises above the level of pandering." Dallas-Ft. Worth Star Telegram
Synopsis
The vibrant new novel by the bestselling author of The Dirty Girls Social Club.
Synopsis
The vibrant new tale by the bestselling author of The Dirty Girls Social ClubAlisa Valdes-Rodriguezs first novel caused a sensation when it was published last year. Listeners flocked to the story of six friends in Boston because Valdes-Rodriguez created utterly fresh voices and characters.
In Alisa-Valdes Rodriguezs delicious new novel, three friends—each a Latina in her late 20s—take Los Angeles by storm. Marcella, Olivia, and Alexis have bonded not only over trouble with men but about how tough it is to make life work in L.A. no matter what you do. Marcella is a hot young television actress, hardly able to enjoy the life shes bought for herself, and shes certainly not enjoying her body, which is never quite perfect enough. Olivias tethered to her toddler son and her suburban mommy track so tightly the other girls sometimes cringe. Alexis has a smart mouth, an ample body, and a great job, but about enough self-esteem to fill a Prada card case. The emotional richness and girly fun of the heroines friendship will delight listeners.
Synopsis
Praise for
The Dirty Girls Social Club:
"...a fresh spin on the best-of-friends novel that's funny, touching, and exhilarating. A winner!"
- Jennifer Crusie, author of Faking It
"Don't dare lump this novel in with...Sex and the City knockoffs. Yes, it's a compulsive beach read, but the women are smart, brassy, and messy enough to make you pause mid-sunscreen slathering."
- Entertainment Weekly
"The feel of a night out with the girls...charming...undeniably fun."
- Miami Herald
"This lively debut novel...reads like the Hispanic version of Waiting to Exhale."
- New York
Synopsis
The vibrant new tale by the bestselling author of The Dirty Girls Social ClubAlisa Valdes-Rodriguezs first novel caused a sensation when it was published last year. Listeners flocked to the story of six friends in Boston because Valdes-Rodriguez created utterly fresh voices and characters.
In Alisa-Valdes Rodriguezs delicious new novel, three friends—each a Latina in her late 20s—take Los Angeles by storm. Marcella, Olivia, and Alexis have bonded not only over trouble with men but about how tough it is to make life work in L.A. no matter what you do. Marcella is a hot young television actress, hardly able to enjoy the life shes bought for herself, and shes certainly not enjoying her body, which is never quite perfect enough. Olivias tethered to her toddler son and her suburban mommy track so tightly the other girls sometimes cringe. Alexis has a smart mouth, an ample body, and a great job, but about enough self-esteem to fill a Prada card case. The emotional richness and girly fun of the heroines friendship will delight listeners.
About the Author
Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez is an award-winning print and broadcast journalist and a former staff writer for both the
Los Angeles Times and
The Boston Globe. She lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Playing with Boys is her second novel.
Reading Group Guide
1. Do you think the relationships forged between friends or the characters family bonds are stronger in this book? Explain how the characters ties to others affects their behavior.
2. Body image and looks are very important to Marcella and other characters in this book. Discuss how those perceptions change the characters view of themselves and also whether you think the male characters in the book share those perceptions.
3. Alexis is not a typical heroine—shes Republican and Christian, among other things. Do you think those anomalies make her more or less likable as a character?
4. Playing with Boys begins with a satirical portrait of a typical Los Angeles party. In what other scenes did you feel Valdes-Rodriguez sharpened her satirists pen effectively?
5. Musicians play big roles in Playing with Boys. Compare and contrast the styles and fans of Los Chimpances del Norte, Pedro Negrete, and Goyo. Do you think one of them is more successful than the others at being a musical ambassador for their home country?
6. Valdes-Rodriguez makes it clear how much Olivias childhood has affected her actions and mind as an adult. Which of the other main female characters has brought her childhood into her adulthood?
7. How important is work to the self-regard of Olivia, Marcella, and Alexis? Explain why each character approaches work as she does.
8. Did you feel the city of Los Angeles was a character in this novel? How might the story have differed if it were set in New York City or Chicago?
9. What do you think happens to Caridad after the action in the book is over?
10. If you have read this authors previous novel, The Dirty Girls Social Club,do you think Alexis, Marcella, and Olivia are as likely to remain friends as the six characters (Lauren, Sara, Elizabeth, Usnavys, Rebecca, and Amber) in that novel? Why or why not?