Alice Brown's Lessons in the Curious Art of Dating

by Eleanor Prescott

[Leah]

Eleanor Prescott’s debut novel interested me as soon as I heard about it. A novel about matchmakers? Yes, please. I don’t think you can beat a novel about matchmaking and I can’t quite believe no one hasn’t already jumped on that idea for a job and written a book about it already. Never fear, though, as Eleanor Prescott has and I eventually, after much putting off and much putting off, purchased the novel for my Kindle (it was inevitably going to happen and, man, was it a good idea). Due to an insanely busy work schedule it has taken me two whole weeks to finish the novel but it kept my attention the entire time. Normally, if it took me that long to finish a novel and I had had massive gaps in between reading it I’d have forgotten everything as soon as I started reading it again, but not Alice Brown’s Guide to the Curious Art of Dating (did the author have title tips from Claudia Carroll? Boy, is that a mouthful! ).

With a title like “Alice Brown”, I expected the novel to be told entirely from Alice’s view point. So I was pleasantly surprised that, actually, the novel is told in third-person from various people. Alice is most definitely the main character but we also meet Audrey, Alice’s boss; Kate, Alice’s client; Lou, Alice’s best friend; John, Audrey’s husband and Sheryl, Audrey’s matchmaker rival. The difference in style and the distinct voice each of the characters had was astounding. Prescott has written each character so differently and with their own quirks and foibles and you didn’t even really need to be told whose chapter it was, it was that clear. I found myself enjoying all of the characters, although I did find Lou just a touch crude at times, and even Audrey managed to somehow touch me, although I will admit, the most I think I ever felt for her was pity, which is never what you want, is it? I pitied her lookout on life, the way she saw Alice and treated Alice, the delusions she told herself, and it was very much the chapters of Alice and Kate that buoyed me up, they both were lovely, warm characters with such a great outlook on life.

The matchmaker setting of “Alice Brown” was perfect. I loved it. I love the whole idea that Alice was born to matchmake, that she dreamed up matches in her head before putting them together, that she knew instinctively which couples would head up the aisle or not make it (which, obviously as Alice is such a believer in love) rarely happened. In a time where online dating is massively popular, it was nice to see the old school version of finding love. For me, I think that’s the best way. I don’t think you could pay me to online date, ever. I just thought the whole idea, the execution, the writing was right up my street and I wished I had bought it sooner! It was just such a thoroughly enjoyable, romantic novel. Prescott has definitely made her mark with me and I am thoroughly impressed with her writing style. The utterly brilliant news is that her second novel is out in January, and I absolutely cannot wait. This was a stunning debut novel, and I really, really loved it. “Alice Brown” is a novel for all the romantics out there.