Female Intelligence FROM THE PUBLISHER
Bestselling author Jane Heller delivers a charming romantic comedy about the way men and women communicate with each otheror don't!
In a modern twist on My Fair Lady, Lynn Wyman is a linguist who teaches alpha-males how to talk with women. A specialist in sensitivity training, Lynn has a successful practice,
supportive friends and a devoted husband. Life is granduntil she learns that her hubby isn't so devoted after all. Splashed in the tabloids, his betrayal ruins her career; the expert on male/female relationships failed to keep her own male from straying! Now, she must claw her way back. But how? The answer dawns on her when she sees impossibly macho Brandon Brock on the cover of Fortune's "America's Toughest Bosses" issue. She thinks, if I can transform this guy into 'America's Most Sensitive Boss;' I'll be back on top. Can Lynn tame this beast, who is incapable of sharing his feelings? Can she share her own feelings and admit that he has won her heart?
About the Author:Jane Heller is the author of seven novels. She lives in Stuart, Florida.
FROM THE CRITICS
USA Today
...the dialogue is hilarious.
Publishers Weekly
Why can't a woman be more like a man? Be careful what you ask for, as Lynn Wyman learns in Heller's (Sis Boom Bah; Name Dropping) rollicking new comedy, a sendup of female-centric pop therapy and alpha male behavior. Lynn is the linguist mastermind behind the Wyman Method, whereby manly men are taught the fine art of communicating in Womenspeak. Her husband, Kip, seems to be the poster spouse for what she preaches he has lasagna on the table when she returns home, asks how her day was, cries at the drop of a hat. But then Lynn discovers he's been unfaithful, and her ensuing loss of credibility results in a sharp decline in her multimedia fortunes. What's a Wyman to do? Humbled by her error in judgment, Lynn remains committed to the Method and hatches a plan. Hunky but boorish Brandon Brock has just made Fortune's cover for a feature on "America's Toughest Bosses"; if Lynn can turn him into "America's Most Sensitive Boss," she figures she'll be back on top. How she goes about it, particularly once she realizes that she's falling for him, is the stuff romantic comedies are made of. Good lines plus precision timing add up to a lot of laughs as the author trains her sense of cultural irony on the complex contradictions between what women say they want, what they think they want and what they really want. Heller has always been adept at devising clever premises, and this is no exception. Agent, Ellen Levine. Author tour. (Apr. 21) Forecast: Sis Boom Bah was just optioned by Julia Roberts's Shoelace Productions. If produced, the film will boost sales of all of Heller's titles, including this one; meanwhile, Female Intelligence seems ripe for the plucking by a production company. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Library Journal
Protagonist Lynn Wyman has her own business teaching men "Womenspeak" so they can communicate with the females in their lives. Her career is blossoming until her stud of a house-husband's affair is reported in the tabloids. Poor Lynn; her consulting business is close to failing, so she sets out to land a macho, politically incorrect Fortune 500 CEO as a client to get back on track. Her plots and schemes to get this (handsome, single, rich) man get Lynn started on a series of learning experiences about women friends, men, ambition, and romance, along with some misunderstandings that are cleared up by the end. Reader Donna Rawlins gives the perfect voice to Lynn and her adventures through the minefields of men-women relationships. A fine addition to public library light romantic comedy collections. Barbara Valle, El Paso P.L., TX Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
AudioFile
Psychologist-linguist and proclaimed relationship specialist Dr. Lynn Wyman teaches men how to communicate with women. She's got a spot on the radio, appears on early morning TV, has a booming practice, and finally lands a husband. But when trouble brews between her and that husband, the media have a field day, and Dr. Wyman's career spirals downward in a hurry. Donna Rawlins has fun with this narration. With tongue-in-cheek innuendoes and humorous cliches, Rawlins becomes Lynn Wyman and reveals her self-discovery as she relates the doctor's last-ditch effort to climb back up to the top. Funny, charming, kooky, and intelligent, Donna Rawlins is spot-on as Dr. Lynn Wyman. B.J.P. (c) AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
The author of Name Dropping (2000) spins a feminist plot with a few decidedly retro twists. Gorgeous linguist Lynn Wyman teaches men how to communicate with women, and her methods get results. She's rich, famous, and married to a sensitive, caring, hunky carpenter who likes to chat about his feelings . . . but not only with her. Lynn throws hubby out after she picks up an extension phone and overhears his whispered conversation with a ladylove. She's crushed, but at least the whole world won't know her perfect mate has been fooling around. Then a tell-all article appears in a supermarket tabloid, and Lynn is furious. She assumes her soon-to-be-ex wrote it for revenge and for the money she's not about to give him. Her career is in jeopardy, until she accepts the professional challenge of a lifetime, egged on by four loyal girlfriends. America's Toughest Boss," Finefoods CEO Brandon Brock, has just made the cover of Fortune. But his multimillion-dollar company is losing prized female executives right and left because Brandon believes in speaking his mind. Full-speed-ahead-and-damn-the-torpedoes has always been his philosophy, and it's gotten him where he wants to go. Normally, Lynn wouldn't give someone this arrogant the time of day. True, he's handsome, sexy, and masterful, but those macho qualities don't interest her. Well, maybe they interest her just a teeny bit. In fact, she doesn't mind going out with him now and then to unbelievably expensive restaurants and being treated like a queen, even if he doesn't like her friends. Actually, Brandon seems to think that one of them wrote the article, and all hell breaks loose when Lynn finds out he's right.Entertaining,lightweight satire. Author tour