Cynthia Hartwick

I don’t usually read series out of order, but I’d picked up the sequel to this book a bit over a week ago, when some woman standing next to me in the bookstore recommended it. It was funny and interesting, so I went back to find the first book in the series.

Ladies with Options tells the story of the founding of the Larksdale Ladies and their investment club – how they begin after being told they’ll have almost no financial cushion once they or their husbands retire, and how they decide to take matters into their own hands.

It’s the beginning of the ’80’s and personal computers in every house aren’t yet a reality. The Ladies have a young college student they are mentoring, who is taking computer science classes, and suggests they look at these new companies called Dell and Microsoft, and invest in them.

It’s fairly easy to predict what happens. The side stories of the Ladies are not so predictable – one has a marriage that must be rebuilt, one discovers her sexuality, and one finds true love.

This novel is a lovely light read, if you want a book that will make you laugh and cheer.