Second Draft of My Life: A Novel

Charlotte Dearborn has just abandoned her career as a novelist to become an elementary school teacher. The likable, sad-sack heroine of Sara Lewis's fourth novel, Second Draft of My Life, Charlotte hasn't failed as a writer--her novels had all been praised by critics--but she is flailing financially, and at age 42 feels that a regular paycheck, benefits, and a chance to shape young minds surely outweigh the solitude, poverty, and constant disappointments of the writing life. At least that's what she tells herself. To prove her point, most of the chapters open with a recollection of a specific letdown in her literary career: the last-minute cancellation of a talk-show appearance; slow book distribution that wastes hard-won publicity; a rejection from a much-admired editor. This book will be a painful read for any professional writer, since hard knocks of this kind are no exaggeration. Luckily, Charlotte's troubles will seem comic to everyone else who reads this funny, well-crafted tale. As it turns out, Charlotte is stepping onto a road that will lead her back to her writing and her better, forgotten self. Like Robert Peck's assertion that everything important in life can be learned in kindergarten, Charlotte's survival proves that anyone who learns to handle a class of first-graders can handle anything at all. --Regina Marler