SOMEDAY, SOMEDAY, MAYBE: A Novel By Lauren Graham

Hardcover, 352 pages
Published April 30, 2013 by Ballantine Books
Genre: women's fiction, chick lit, contemporary novel, romance, humor, New York
Rating: 5 stars plus
Amazon

"...someday, maybe, I'll go into one of these stores instead of just walking past them looking hungrily into their windows, ...someday, maybe, I'll be carrying a real purse and wearing  heels like a grown-up lady instead of walking down Fifth Avenue in Doc Marten combat boots with an apron and a corkscrew and a crumbscraper in my canvas book bag. Someday, someday, maybe."

Someday, Someday, Maybe: A Novel by Lauren Graham 

She is the unforgettable lead character of acclaimed tv series (Gilmore Girls and Parenthood) and first class actress of big screen comedy features (Bad Santa, Because I Said So, Evan Almighty): it doesn't come as a surprise that at her debut as a writer, Lauren Graham proves to be a great caliber author, capable of conveying in her first novel all those trademark qualities of verve and witty humor that delivered  her breakthrough role as Lorelai Gilmore to such a huge fame and vast fan base.

It takes just a look at her biography to understand that Someday, Someday, Maybe is a fictional work 'loosely' based on her experience as a young actress struggling to find her way in the acting scene of a mid '90s New York. Lauren's voice is so fluent and consistent, her use of first person POV and interior monologues so intimate and pleasant, her dialogues so catchy, the protagonist's reveries so zany (in a way that can better be described as the "Lorelei" signature way) that all I could do after turning the last page of this engrossing debut was to hope that in a not too distant future the effervescent actress/producer will adapt  her first novel to the big screen or even pen a sequel. 

Everything in this sparkling cocktail of enthralling story concept and convincing characters gels with quirky humor and devastating sense of comedy. The combination of lighthearted tones and bittersweet reveries is seamless and glows with a delicate sheen of romance. I applaud the author for her ability to recreate a perfectly believable 'mid '90s New York City feel' with her vivid and evocative references to pop icons and memorable fashions of that particular era.

New York City is a hard place to live in for a young woman, especially for an aspiring actress with no agent and only few commercials in her acting portfolio. Franny Banks' dreams may be big, but money in her pockets is scarce and, although accepted into the acting classes of a prestigious coach, she has been wasting her innate comedian talent on commercials for detergents and ugly blouses, surviving on waitressing jobs, totally forgettable tv gigs, and a huge dose of self-deprecating humor. Her self-imposed deadline of three years to land a career as an actress, or pack her pride, head back home and settle for a happy normal life in the suburbs, is only six months away...six months to understand if she's the kind of person who can succeed "in a business that's completely indifferent to her efforts […], full of people who constantly talk about how real they are, but seem to her to be a bunch of phonies." Just when it seems that she is ready to abandon the stage of her New York adventure, as jaded and depressed as a J.D. Salinger's character, startling epiphanies will open Franny's eyes on an ever-valid life lesson and fundamental truth of the show business: in a world that feeds on illusions and functions on a set of rules that glorifies pretence and appearance, real talent doesn't need to compromise. 

(Photo Credit: Jeff Lipsky/CPI Syndacation)

About the author

Lauren Graham is an actress best known for her roles on the critically acclaimed series Gilmore Girls and Parenthood. She has performed on Broadway and appeared in such films as Bad Santa, Evan Almighty, and Because I Said So. She holds a BA in English from Barnard College and an MFA in acting from Southern Methodist University. She lives in New York and Los Angeles.