Good in Bed, by Jennifer Weiner

Well, two weeks ago I proclaimed that Jennifer Weiner's Goodnight Nobody wasn't the pinnacle of the chick lit genre. It all makes sense now - see, she already wrote the book that is the pinnacle of the chick lit genre, and it's Good in Bed.

As with most of Weiner's heroines, Cannie Shapiro is a sarcastic, full-figured Jewish woman who went to Princeton. (See, that's me! If I were Jewish and went to Princeton, that is.) She's in the midst of breaking up with her long-term boyfriend, and picks up a copy of Moxie magazine to find that he's the new "male perspective" columnist. It gets better, though - his first column is entitled "Loving a Larger Woman." Good God in heaven, pass the margaritas.

I can't go much further into the plot without giving too much away, but this is as funny and witty as the rest of Jennifer Weiner's books (I'm done now, so you won't be subjected to any more.) It features a chain-smoking lesbian named Tanya, a hyper rat terrier named Nifkin (do NOT google), and a wide-eyed movie star who hides from her publicist. The only bone I have to pick with Good in Bed is the fact that the movie star's name is Maxi. I suppose I can forgive that in the name of hyperbole.

The best thing about Good in Bed is the way the story feels real. It doesn't wind up in a perfect, happy ending. Cannie doesn't become a new woman and learn to love herself after losing fifty pounds, as happens in Jane Greene's otherwise delightful Jemima J, and scads of other women's novels. The pothead ex-boyfriend doesn't turn himself around, begin a successful investment banking career, and show up on Cannie's doorstep with roses and a tearful reunion. There's only one piece of predictable romatic entanglement, and it's very manageable. I was rooting for it to happen, so I'm satisfied. It was a thoroughly enjoyable, fun read that didn't insult my intelligence.

In summary: I loved it. It's probably worth the price you'd pay at the airport bookstore. And that's a pretty high recommendation.