Page, Jean Reynolds

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PAGE, Jean Reynolds

PERSONAL: Born in NC; married; children: three.

ADDRESSES: Home—Seattle, WA. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Ballantine Books, 1745 Broadway, New York, NY 10019.

CAREER: Former art publicist in New York, NY; freelance writer.

WRITINGS:

A Blessed Event, Ballantine Books (New York, NY), 2004.

Accidental Happiness, Ballantine Books (New York, NY), 2005.

Contributor of articles on dance to various periodicals.

SIDELIGHTS: Jean Reynolds Page's first novel, A Blessed Event, focuses on Joanne and Darla, best friends since childhood. The two women find their friendship in jeopardy, however, after Joanne offers to act as a surrogate for Darla, who has been unable to conceive. The situation puts a strain on everyone, and things only worsen when Joanne inexplicably drives her car right into Darla's bedroom. While Joanne ends up brain dead, the baby survives, leading to a heated custody battle. Kaite Mediatore, in a review for Booklist, remarked on Page's "tight plotting, sympathetic characters, and intriguing moral issues." A contributor to Kirkus Reviews called the book a "solid if melodramatic first outing."

In Accidental Happiness Page tells of two women who find themselves thrown together when the man they both love, Benjamin Melrose, dies suddenly in a car accident. Gina, Benjamin's widow, accidentally shoots Angel, Ben's daughter from a previous marriage, when she mistakes her for a prowler. Soon both Angel and her mother have moved in with Gina, making for a bizarre period of mourning. Harriet Klausner, reviewing for MBR Bookwatch, called the book "an intriguing extended family drama," while a contributor to Publishers Weekly wrote that "Page steps easily into the shoes of her appealingly flawed characters as she weaves a convincing spell."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, February 1, 2004, Kaite Madiatore, review of A Blessed Event, p. 951; January 1, 2005, Patty Engelmann, review of Accidental Happiness, p. 822.

Kirkus Reviews, December 1, 2003, review of A Blessed Event, p. 1378.

MBR Bookwatch, January, 2005, Harriet Klausner, review of Accidental Happiness.

Publishers Weekly, December 20, 2004, review of Accidental Happiness, p. 36.