The Last Single Woman in America

By Cindy Guidry

Book Overview

The funniest, freshest essayist since David Sedaris, Cindy Guidry examines American culture and present-day gender relations in all their confusing, heartbreaking, and hilarious glory. After losing both her job and a potential husband, Cindy sets off to figure out why on earth she's so happy and soon must combat an onslaught of unsolicited advice from her mother, her 'have it all' friends, and a Yoda-like waxing lady, and the guy next door. Making pit stops along the way to ponder everything from the satanic origins of the Internet to her disturbing discovery that men are the new women, Cindy ultimately finds inspiration in her CD collection and renewed hope via a love letter from an Indian gas station attendant. Cindy Guidry is a self-aware woman with a razor-sharp wit, and in The Last Single Woman in America she takes us on an outrageously funny romp through her own unique mind, uncovering universal truths along the way.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0525950524
• ISBN13: 9780525950523
• Release Date: January 2008
• Publisher: Dutton Books
• Length: 293 Pages
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.4" x 9.1"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

If You're a Guy

If you're a guy and you cringe that this might be another MEN SUCK book written for only women to read and rally together around the flagpole of self inflicted injustice, this is the book for you. Although she has her complaints about men, this is a refreshingly fair-handed, often sympathetic book about both men and women and their attempts to find and understand each other in this isolating cyber-world. While there are bestsellers as well as entire television networks dedicated to the proposition that MEN SUCK, Guidry offers the possibility of individual empowerment and an unflagging belief in Love, all the while making you laugh out loud about waxing and nail polish and cats and other things men don't generally care about. Men really do want to know what women think, and Guidry tells us in a way both entertaining and enlightening.

a great new voice!

Cindy Guidry's book will make a lot of women happy. Happy that they're not alone in their confusion over the state of the modern mating game - in fact they are in excellent company! 'The Last Single Woman In America' is fresh, laugh out loud funny and spiked with deeper questions and observations on life that both men and women will relate to.

Looks can be deceiving...

First off, don't let the cover fool you. Yes, parts of it are pink, but don't mistake this for "chick lit", because "The Last Single Woman in America" is something decidedly (and blessedly) different: an island of honesty in a sea of clichéd "girl meets boy, girl ponders whether boy is Mr. Right, girl and boy have a mutual epiphany and seal the deal in a public display manifesting itself in an airport or a karaoke club" fairy tales. Insta-undying-love is great, in theory... and then there's life, which has a tendency to be a tad more daunting and complex. The author's take on her own experiences serves as a welcome antidote to the myriad simplistic, pat prescriptions out there for personal growth, skewering them in hilarious ways. Romance takes strange and unexpected turns that no single "system", self-help formula, or (in this instance) sage bikini waxer/mystic can hope to address, and that's something that this writer gets in spades. She's tart and acerbic in some passages and self-effacing in others, but underlying all are doses of wit, bravery, and hard-earned wisdom that are downright rare. At the end of the day, Ms. Guidry hasn't given up on the notion of finding a soulmate, but she's able to find happiness in everyday encounters both farcical and poignant, and in the process she takes us on a fun and truly memorable ride.

A primer for being a grown up!

This book not only made me laugh out loud and cry several times, but it challenged me to think about the kind of woman I want to be in this world. Whether you're navigating the shark tank of Los Angeles or just small town, USA--this is a great read! I found it to be a refreshing break from the traditional chick-lit fare that cannot end happily unless "they" live happily ever after. When I finished this book, I realized that I can decide to live happily ever after whenever I want.

laughing and crying!

Ms. Guidry's ability to be funny, revealing, touching and sharp, all in one essay is impressive! From laughing out loud to tearing up, this book has it all. Cindy's ability to find the humor in the most intimate of situations and expose her inner most fears makes you feel like your not alone. I recommend this book to men and women as it holds universal truths.