Myself to Blame
Reeks: Frieda and Julian
Geoffrey A. Feller
- Frieda
- Hamel
- loves
- men.
- But
- when
- it
- comes
- to
- having
- relationships
- with
- them,
- something
- always
- goes
- wrong.
- Told
- in
- two
- parts,
- Freida’s
- story
- begins
- in
- 1981.
- Starting
- college
- at
- the
- University
- of
- Minnesota,
- Frieda
- sheds
- her
- past
- as
- an
- unpopular,
- ugly-duckling
- high
- schooler.
- During
- her
- freshman
- year,
- Frieda
- must
- choose
- between
- two
- very
- different
- lovers
- even
- as
- her
- grades
- suffer.
- The
- most
- important
- and
- lasting
- relationship
- Frieda
- has
- turns
- out
- to
- be
- with
- Helen,
- whose
- courage
- and
- acerbic
- wit
- inspires
- her.
- “Boyfriends
- come
- and
- go
- but
- real
- girlfriends
- last
- forever,”
- Helen
- says,
- a
- sentiment
- that
- becomes
- tested
- by
- tragedy.
- In
- the
- second
- part,
- the
- thirty-plus
- Frieda
- is
- living
- in
- Minneapolis,
- enjoying
- greater
- success
- as
- an
- office
- worker
- than
- she
- has
- in
- the
- dating
- scene.
- A
- promotion
- at
- her
- company
- is
- offset
- by
- a
- frustrating
- affair
- with
- a
- married
- man
- followed
- by
- a
- fling
- with
- a
- guy
- whose
- jealous
- girlfriend
- goes
- on
- the
- attack.
- Struggling
- to
- overcome
- her
- own
- mistanthropy
- to
- help
- a
- friend,
- Frieda
- meets
- an
- exciting
- younger
- man
- while
- she
- isn’t
- looking
- for
- romance.
- Although
- the
- tall
- and
- handsome
- Julian
- holds
- Frieda’s
- interest,
- what
- makes
- them
- compatible
- could
- be
- some
- of
- their
- worst
- habits.
- When
- a
- coworker
- is
- accused
- of
- misconduct,
- Frieda’s
- decision
- to
- help
- him
- puts
- her
- professional
- reputation
- and
- personal
- safety
- at
- risk.
- Not
- your
- typical
- chick-lit
- heroine,
- Frieda
- describes
- her
- triumphs,
- failures,
- and
- traumas
- with
- dry
- wit
- and
- an
- unsentimental self-awareness.
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