Reviews for Spin cycle
Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Margolis's last roll in the hay was Neurotica (LJ 7/15/99), a funny, sexy British romp which is exactly what she delivers again here. Rachel Katz is finally trying her hand at stand-up comedy and working as a maid for rich folks to pay the bills. She's trying to decide whether she wants to marry her boyfriend, the boring but ever-stable dentist, and working up the guts to enter a big comedy contest. Suddenly, Rachel's life is thrown into chaos when she trades sparks with Matt, the washing-machine repairman. He's definitely sexy, not at all boring, and understands all her jokes, of which there are many. What will Rachel do? Enjoy the ride with Rachel's funny parents, gay ex-husband, Barbra Streisand-obsessed ten-year-old son, and kooky friends. With a stand-up comic main character, Margolis is able to keep the witty one-liners spraying like bullets. Light, fun, and a bit silly; recommended for public libraries. Beth Gibbs, formerly with P.L. of Charlotte & Mecklenburg Cty., NC (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.
Rachel Katz is devotedly pursuing a second career as a stand-up comic, much to the chagrin of her parents and her fiance, Adam. To support herself and her 10-year-old son, Sam, Rachel works as a cleaning lady for an eccentric couple who claim to be descendants of Karl Marx. Into Rachel's seemingly organized life walks Matt Clapton, a sexy washing machine repairman. With pressure from Adam and her mother, Faye, to set a wedding date, a distraction like Matt is the last thing she needs. But as she begins to see more of Matt, Rachel finds herself in bed, and possibly in love, with him. Meanwhile, Adam has taken off to South Africa for a month and may be having an affair of his own. As Rachel prepares to enter a comedy contest that could bring her the fame and success she's worked so hard for, she finds herself forced to choose between Matt and Adam. Rachel is a first-rate comic, and this delightful novel is filled with more than a few big laughs. --Kristine Huntley
Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Can a divorced stand-up comedienne find happiness with a washing-machine repairman? Sure, says the author of Neurotica (1999)-particularly when her dentist fiance is away in South Africa. Rachel Katz isn't positive she wants to marry Adam anyway, even if her mum is busily planning the wedding. Oh, well. Adam makes a good living even if he is deadly dull and prone to nosebleeds; and, despite her dreams of glory, Rachel isn't exactly setting audiences on fire at the Anarchist Bathmat comedy club. Shelley, her best friend and neighbor, a health-food nut with gigantic bosoms, lends a sympathetic ear. Freewheeling Shelley isn't sure Rachel should marry Adam, either. Rachel's ten-year-old son Sam is indifferent, but he doesn't really think about anything except his growing collection of Barbra Streisand records. Is it possible he's gay like his father? Rachel frets over this until Matt Clapton, a hunky washing-machine repairman, becomes a distraction. He thinks she's hysterically funny, and he's happy to be her (cough, cough) handyman. Rachel feels a few pangs of guilt for cheating, but she reasons that it doesn't matter since she and Adam hardly ever had sex. She's got other things to worry about: her mum is having a bikini wax and shopping for revealing underwear. What on earth? Then she catches her parents doing something wild with another elderly couple! The truth comes out: Mum and Dad are baring their wrinkly bottoms for a how-to sex video for seniors. Oh, well. No big deal compared to the latest news flash from South Africa: Adam's dumping her for an anorexic dental hygienist who starches her underwear. Rachel can't worry about that now: she's getting ready for a big comedy competition, which she just might win if an Aussie upstart doesn't steal all her material. Life goes on, and so do the silly contrivances. Pleasant enough in a punny way, but awfully British. Lots of sex to compensate for the lame jokes.
