Review: Fabulous in her fifties
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 10 14, 2013
What happens when a beautiful highborn mermaid is banished and finds herself a dowdy middle-aged human in a small town with no friends? She does have a year of "online support" from a workaday mermaid she contacts through a tablet and a series of special buttons that give her certain knowledge and skills, but otherwise she is on her own, with advice to find a man to take care of her ASAP.When Barbara (formerly Isabella) finds herself in this position, she decides she will not only survive, but thrive, and show the family she resents that she can become a major success on her own. She takes the skills she already possesses and adds to them through her magic buttons along with hard work, which allows her to write book. Meanwhile, she works hard to earn her way and learn about life, with the support of several humans in the community. She sometimes makes mistakes and hurts people, but she learns and grows.It took me a little while to warm up to Barbara. At first, she seemed spoiled and self-absorbed, but as she struggled onward, her personality evolved and I began to root for her. I have mixed feelings about the magic buttons, but Barbara did work very hard on her own as well as taking advantage of her support, and she took responsibility for herself and earned her success. I enjoyed this affirming and entertaining novel, and I highly recommend it.