cover image Romantic Standards

Romantic Standards

Mitchell Strand. Creative Arts Book Company, $15.95 (320pp) ISBN 978-0-88739-249-8

A first-time novelist forgoes few romantic clich s in this earnest but tediously detailed tale of star-crossed lovers. Still in his 20s, Tom O'Leary has achieved local-hero status as the manager of a prestigious upscale restaurant in suburban Minneapolis-St. Paul. On a rare night out with the boys, he sees a beautiful woman nearly twice his age passing on the street. Their eyes meet, and it's love at first sight. The mother of two college students, former piano prodigy Grace MacPherson has been faithfully married for 25 years to an overachieving sales exec. With the kids out of the nest and hubby Steven traveling frequently, she fills her evenings playing the piano at fashionable restaurants. When Tom's boss decides to have a Steinway put in his bistro, it's no surprise that Grace arrives to play the inaugural gig. From the instant she walks into Tom's office, the pair can scarcely keep their hands off each other--though Grace is predictably guilty over cheating on her husband, who remains clueless. This novel is clearly intended to be about irresistible passion, but the lovers don't convince, probably because their romance is burdened with writing that's dry, repetitive and flat. That is, when it's not exhaustingly gushy, or just plain baffling. (Mar.)