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Something kept me reading this book to the end. It wasn't the plot, which was predictable. It wasn't the characters, who weren't very likable or deep. Maybe I read to the end because it was mindless entertainment, sort of like easy-listening music or a stupid sitcom: It offered a little escape. The novel, Plain's 22nd, is the story of two women: Gwen, the plain and earthy daughter of a wealthy businesswoman, and Jewel, a beautiful social climber. Each is jealous of qualities of the other. Gwen ends up married to honest Stan, a laborer, and Jewel marries Jeff, a rich but shifty business owner. After Stan goes to work for Jeff, he finds some irregularities in the firm's finances and the business begins to teeter. Will both couples be destroyed in the collapse? Will the women's jealousy ruin them? I could give away the ending, but you can probably guess how it goes. Besides, everyone needs a little escape now and then.

JUDY ROMANOWICH SMITH, NEWS DESIGNER

This collection of short stories would be better described as a grouping of unsatisfying snapshots. The stories are about lonely people trying to connect or stir passion in their lives. A woman stands with her son through tragedy but ultimately fails him. An isolated pregnant woman befriends a Korean immigrant and begins bathing at her house. But in general, the characters didn't inspire me enough to want to connect with them. Most of the stories end with a fizzle instead of a spark. But usually, they just end -- sometimes bafflingly so. The book has moments of strong writing and even poetry. Descriptions of the mundane -- a packed suitcase, a wedding ring sent through the mail, a dinner of clams in a beach cabin -- are scattered like colorful beads throughout, along with themes of water, aging and loneliness. But the beads need a string and a clasp. Of the stories, the final piece, "The Nursery," stands out. "Dangerous Women," a tale of a student enamored of her professor, intrigues, but it's a tease that evaporates. The weakest of the lot is "Carmel," which is so forgettable I forgot reading it merely a day later. In the end of "Swimming With Strangers," the characters are all still, well, strangers.

HOLLY COLLIER, NEWS COPY EDITOR