Good Reads / Community Library Notes
Better Luck Next Time
Julia Claiborne Johnson
Review by Priscilla Comen
Better Luck Next Time
Julia Claiborne Johnson
Review by Priscilla Comen
Better Luck Next Time by Julia Claiborne Johnson is the story of a ranch outside of Reno, Nevada where women wanting a divorce must reside for six weeks before obtaining it. Nina is flying in to the ranch in her newest bi-plane and Emily is meeting her in the ranch’s stage coach after driving herself from San Francisco in her Pierce-Arrow automobile. Margaret and Max hire Ward because he’s a handsome Cary Grant type of cowboy.
The next day he’s commanded to drive Nina and Emily to their lawyer in the city. The Pierce-Arrow is covered with a tarp but the cat has had her kittens in the back seat. Emily says she’ll have to buy a new car. At dinner at the ranch, Max dishes out the food, Margaret had cooked, and conversation flowed. Ward carries a small notebook in his pocket to write all the great comments he hears such as “he was taller when he was sitting on his wallet.”
The women at the table regale each other with tales of old boyfriends, most of them dead.
Ward drives Emily and Nina to their lawyers’ offices in town and Nina arranges the chairs so she can hear Emily’s testimony from the bench outside where she and Ward sit. When Emily clearly tells how her husband Archer cheated, her daughter Portia, said they wouldn’t play monopoly any more so her father wouldn’t cheat. Nina on the bench says “Cheaters cheat,” and she moves to the car.
During Depression era 1938 Reno was called The Big Store because you could get anything there, including gambling and gangsters and gin. Author Claiborne Johnson has done her research well on that era and given her novel realism.
One night Emily comes to Ward’s room and gives him Nina’s gun to hide. He makes sure it’s empty and hides it under his bed. One evening there’s a costume party and everyone comes dressed up. Ward finds two women he doesn’t recognize: Nina is naked with only a mask and Emily is vomiting into the bushes, her mask still on. They find the Pierce-Arrow with its top down, doors open, key in the ignition. Ward helps Emily out of her costume and she creeps into the front seat. Emily had taught Nina how to drive every night. Ward carries Nina to the couch in the library and covers her with a tablecloth. The woman they call Zep because of her weight draws it out and Nina ends up on the floor. The Zep apologizes as Nina stumbles up the stairs to her room. Zep says she used to be slim too.
The next day as Ward is hanging sheets on the line to dry Nina and Emily say they want to go swimming at the lake nearby to get rid of their headaches. Ward bought sandwiches at a nearby deli and the girls are overjoyed to find food after their swim. Ward wants the salami but Emily eats it first.
When they get back to the ranch Emily’s daughter Portia is at the ranch and moves into one of the rooms. Portia’s arrival is like a match on a stack of dry wood. Nina thinks she can talk sense into her. She teaches Portia how to ride Dumpling, the gentle horse, bareback. If she can do that she can learn how to fly Nina’s airplane.
Ward gets a message to call his uncle Daniel Horn. The next day all the women go into Reno to shop and Portia wants a cowboy hat. Ward drives them and gives Sam the station wagon. While they’re in town Portia spies her father kissing another woman and Emily sees him too. Portia is shocked and Sam gives Portia his hat. Sam sees Nina’s friend who turns out to be her old husband Hugh. They hug for a long time and Nina cries when he leaves. Why are they getting divorced Sam wonders but doesn’t ask.
Ward opens the envelope and finds inside two wedding rings. Inside the smaller one is an inscription, “I’d be lost without you.”
A note says that both his parents are deceased. Emily feels terrible for Ward.,
Now we read that Ward is an old man and recalling how actress Myrna Loy had asked him to dance at a USO party for military men. When she asks where he’s from he says Reno where not everyone gets divorced. Was he right? Later Emily climbs into Ward’s room and asks where Nina’s gun is. When he says all men will fall in love with her, Emily unbuttons her blouse. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Many years later, what happens to Ward? Does he become a physician? Does he marry someone? Does his parent’s perfect marriage make it impossible for him to repeat that? Did Ward really love Emily? Find out in this “romp” of a novel about Reno and women on the new fiction shelf of your local library.
The next day he’s commanded to drive Nina and Emily to their lawyer in the city. The Pierce-Arrow is covered with a tarp but the cat has had her kittens in the back seat. Emily says she’ll have to buy a new car. At dinner at the ranch, Max dishes out the food, Margaret had cooked, and conversation flowed. Ward carries a small notebook in his pocket to write all the great comments he hears such as “he was taller when he was sitting on his wallet.”
The women at the table regale each other with tales of old boyfriends, most of them dead.
Ward drives Emily and Nina to their lawyers’ offices in town and Nina arranges the chairs so she can hear Emily’s testimony from the bench outside where she and Ward sit. When Emily clearly tells how her husband Archer cheated, her daughter Portia, said they wouldn’t play monopoly any more so her father wouldn’t cheat. Nina on the bench says “Cheaters cheat,” and she moves to the car.
During Depression era 1938 Reno was called The Big Store because you could get anything there, including gambling and gangsters and gin. Author Claiborne Johnson has done her research well on that era and given her novel realism.
One night Emily comes to Ward’s room and gives him Nina’s gun to hide. He makes sure it’s empty and hides it under his bed. One evening there’s a costume party and everyone comes dressed up. Ward finds two women he doesn’t recognize: Nina is naked with only a mask and Emily is vomiting into the bushes, her mask still on. They find the Pierce-Arrow with its top down, doors open, key in the ignition. Ward helps Emily out of her costume and she creeps into the front seat. Emily had taught Nina how to drive every night. Ward carries Nina to the couch in the library and covers her with a tablecloth. The woman they call Zep because of her weight draws it out and Nina ends up on the floor. The Zep apologizes as Nina stumbles up the stairs to her room. Zep says she used to be slim too.
The next day as Ward is hanging sheets on the line to dry Nina and Emily say they want to go swimming at the lake nearby to get rid of their headaches. Ward bought sandwiches at a nearby deli and the girls are overjoyed to find food after their swim. Ward wants the salami but Emily eats it first.
When they get back to the ranch Emily’s daughter Portia is at the ranch and moves into one of the rooms. Portia’s arrival is like a match on a stack of dry wood. Nina thinks she can talk sense into her. She teaches Portia how to ride Dumpling, the gentle horse, bareback. If she can do that she can learn how to fly Nina’s airplane.
Ward gets a message to call his uncle Daniel Horn. The next day all the women go into Reno to shop and Portia wants a cowboy hat. Ward drives them and gives Sam the station wagon. While they’re in town Portia spies her father kissing another woman and Emily sees him too. Portia is shocked and Sam gives Portia his hat. Sam sees Nina’s friend who turns out to be her old husband Hugh. They hug for a long time and Nina cries when he leaves. Why are they getting divorced Sam wonders but doesn’t ask.
Ward opens the envelope and finds inside two wedding rings. Inside the smaller one is an inscription, “I’d be lost without you.”
A note says that both his parents are deceased. Emily feels terrible for Ward.,
Now we read that Ward is an old man and recalling how actress Myrna Loy had asked him to dance at a USO party for military men. When she asks where he’s from he says Reno where not everyone gets divorced. Was he right? Later Emily climbs into Ward’s room and asks where Nina’s gun is. When he says all men will fall in love with her, Emily unbuttons her blouse. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Many years later, what happens to Ward? Does he become a physician? Does he marry someone? Does his parent’s perfect marriage make it impossible for him to repeat that? Did Ward really love Emily? Find out in this “romp” of a novel about Reno and women on the new fiction shelf of your local library.