A Gate at the Stairs, by Lorrie Moore

an unfortunate - 2 STARS

About the book -

Tassie Keltjin, 20, a smalltown girl weathering a clumsy college year in the Athens of the Midwest, is taken on as prospective nanny by brittle Sarah Brink, the proprietor of a pricey restaurant who is desperate to adopt a baby despite her dodgy past. Subsequent adventures in prospective motherhood involve a pregnant girl with scarcely a tooth in her head and a white birth mother abandoned by her African-American boyfriend—both encounters expose class and racial prejudice to an increasingly less naïve Tassie. In a parallel tale, Tassie lands a lover, enigmatic Reynaldo, who tries to keep certain parts of his life a secret from Tassie. 

My review -
Well I wouldn't go as far as saying I hated the book, but I did have a strong dislike for it. Half of it was B-o-r-i-n-g! and the other half was just plain annoying. I didn't like any of the characters. Tassie, besides her name being cute was dull and dim, all she ever had to say was "OK" and "Yes" I kept waiting for her to speak her mind, but that never happened! I think I would have liked it better if it had. Then the other main character, Sarah was rude and obnoxious, but I actually liked her better! At least she had a personality. I am proud to say I finished the book, I did not quit in the middle although I was tempted.

The one thing this book did have going for it was there tons of great one-liners! The kind you want to write down so you can use years alter.

"Love your enemies; you made them"

"for a pretty penny, or maybe not pretty exactly, but a penny with a great personality" hahaha

A car passed us with a "Bears Stink" bumper sticker. "Is that referring to football or actual bears?"  "Football." I said

Read this book for yourself, obviously some people liked it. It was A New York Times Book Review Best Book of the Year. It was just not my cup of tea.