Review ~ Z: A NOVEL by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

After years living of living in Los Angeles, novelist Nix Carter returns home to Connecticut to care for her ailing father. As she reconnects with childhood friends, she encounters a window washer who also happens to live in a mansion, throw lavish parties and go by the name of Zorro. Yes, Zorro. But is he really the caped man of legend? Or just an eccentric who drives a horse-drawn cart and wears a cape while washing windows? And what will happen when the townspeople who once flocked to his parties and drank his champagne become suspicious of him? A contemporary re-visioning of The Great Gatsby, Z is a smart, quirky novel that has it all: comedy, drama, romance, adventure, even swordplay. Lauren Baratz-Logsted at her best.  ~From GoodReads

Wow. What an interesting story! The synopsis states the Z is a re-imaging of The Great Gatsby. I don't know about that, because I've never read that novel. But I will say that this book reminded me of Don Juan de Marco. You see, in that movie, Johnny Depp, in all his mid-90s glory, believes he is Don Juan, a great lover of women. His psychiatrist spend the movie trying to figure Don Juan out, to cure his delusion, all the while becoming more and more inspired by him. In Z: A NOVEL, we have Diego, who also dresses like and goes by the name Zorro. And while no one is trying to "fix" Diego, almost all who meet him fall under his enchanting spell.

I will say, I couldn't stop reading Z. This is the second of Baratz-Logsted's books I've read and I find her style suits me. Nix, who's point of view tells the tale, was a fun character to see the story through. Her family, father Carmine and grandfather, were equally enjoyable. The were often the comic relief in the story. Diego was quite charming, of course. Anyone who could make people not only jokingly believe that he's Zorro, but also leave him be, is pretty much awesome. The storyline that focuses on Nix and Diego was great, I couldn't get enough. Their relationship was sweet, and a tad spicy. Very nice.

There were parts, though, that I felt detracted from the story. The storyline that revolved around the neighbor, cheating spouses, and just basically annoyingly crazy jerks just didn't do it for me. I felt the story would have been more well-spent expanding on Diego and Nix's romance. And, I'm not crazy about the fact that the big question was never answered. Though perhaps, if I think about it, only adds to the endearing mystery of Diego.

Z: A NOVEL was a fun story for me. Once I began, I didn't want to stop until I'd reached the conclusion. And while I didn't love everything about it, I did like it quite a bit.


Favorite Quote:

"I continued to study him sharply, particularly since he'd verbally cross-pollinated "whackjob" with "blowdryer", but all I could see was what I'd been seeing all along: a man with an amazing smile, formal speech pattern and intense gaze that looked at me as though he was looking straight into my best self and forgiving the worst, as though he'd known me all my strange life." (ebook, 26%)


Published March 15th 2012 by TKA Distribution

You can purchase Z: A NOVEL at:
Amazon


Source: Received from author in exchange for an honest review.