Book Review: A Page Out of Life by Kathleen Reid

As a scrapbooker, the new novel A Page Out of Life by Kathleen Reid, excited me. Finally, someone was telling the story of scrapbookers. The novel, all about a group of Southern women who enjoy scrapbooking, is reminiscent of those other chic-lit novels about knitting or book clubs. The novel focuses on a select few women from the scrapbook group as they go through turning points in their lives.

Ashley is a mother of four who feels overwhelmed by her matronly responsibilities and wishes her husband would spend more time helping her out instead of golfing. In her sweatpants, the only things that fit her these days, Ashley feels that she pales in comparison to her famous model mother. She also suspects that her weight gain after the pregnancies disgusts her husband.

Tara lives alone in an extravagant house and wishes that she could find the man of her dreams. At the same time, her strained relationship with her international journalist father takes a turn for the worse when he sends her a mysterious letter that begins "Dear Lee." Not knowing who "Lee" is, Tara finds herself wondering if her father is having an affair. She doesn't condone his behavior as she knows it will hurt her mother, yet at the same time Tara can't control her feelings for her married professor.

Libby is a gardener and substitute teacher. With three grown children and some grandchildren, she couldn't be prouder. But when her youngest son is arrested for fraud, she doesn't know what the truth is anymore.

How do these women cope? One word: scrapbooking. Or so it would seem.

The first part of the book sets up the storylines with only one real mention of a scrapbook "crop," as they are called. And no scrapbooking is actually done at this luncheon meeting. Instead, the women munch on gourmet turkey sandwiches and sit around in their lovely clothes (frumpy and self-conscious Ashley takes the time to notice the clothing in detail) talking about art and Hindu gods and... scrapbooking?

I've been to a few crops in my scrapbook career and no one ever showed up in a dress. T-shirts and jeans were the standard outfits and the snacks were certainly not gourmet, unless you count M & Ms and soda among the finer things in life. And while scrapping, we never discussed great works of art by French painters. Instead, we talked about kids, significant others, boobs, the upcoming holidays, movies, etc. Reading that passage, to me, felt a little unrealistic. Perhaps it's simply a culture difference between myself and the Southern characters in this novel.

The handful of other passages that revolve around the group's Tuesday morning scrapbook meetings don't fare much better. While some mention is made of people scrapping, the connection between scrapbooking and how it helps the three main women cope with their problems is never really made. Instead of using their scrapbooks to escape reality, the women use food, redoing their homes, and retail therapy to keep busy. In fact, for the longest time, Libby can't even bring herself to scrapbook while her son's trial is underway. Scrapbooking certainly serves as a backdrop to the lives of these women and the secrets they uncover, but it doesn't go any further. While the story certainly became entertaining by book's end, A Page Out of Life didn't capture the scrapbook culture for me.