How Elizabeth Barrett Browning Saved My Life

December 12, 2005
Suffering a bout of mid-30s inertia, Abby Randolph, a Harvard dropout– cum–struggling antiques dealer, has all but given up on herself. Her mother perished a year earlier in an earthquake in India. Her childhood love and ex-fiancé has penned a tell-all novel exposing Abby's awkward childhood, troubled adolescence and thwarted foray into academia. With a litany of insulting confessions, her most recent boyfriend leaves her for another woman. But when a colleague suggests she take the porcelain chamber pot left to her by her mother onto the TV program Antiques Roadshow
—where experts tell her it belonged to the poet of the novel's title—fantastic pipe dreams of uncovering treasure materialize. The pot's pedigree sets in motion a series of misadventures, forcing Abby to get in gear and off the couch. The jokes in Medwed's fourth novel (following The End of an Era
) don't always pan out, but this buoyant "dramady" is a wry, easy read for flea market scavengers and collectors alike, those who can appreciate how "objects of desire... the hairline crack in an old vase, the foxing in an old print, the clouded glass of an old decanter mark the passage of time, commemorate the history of people's lives."

Starred review from February 1, 2006
Medwed ("End of an Error" returns with the story of Abigail Randolf, who is struggling with the death of her mother and the remarriage of her Harvard professor father. Abby would rather hide in her booth at an antiques market than deal with the conflict caused by an object inherited from her mother's apartment. Forced by her friend Gus, Abby takes the object on the "Antiques Roadshow "V program only to find out that it belonged to author Elizabeth Barrett Browning and is worth thousands of dollars. This news brings ex-lover Ned and ex-friend Lavinia out of the woodwork to stake a claim to the prize, much to Abby's dismay. The reader roots for Abby as she faces her weaknesses and ultimately comes out ahead. At times, Abby addresses the audience as a trusted friend, which allows the story to come across as charming and funny without being precious. Abby is a thoroughly believable character, with flaws and strengths that many readers will recognize. Highly recommended for all public libraries." -Anastasia Diamond, Cleveland P.L."

Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.