The Last Single Woman in America by Cindy Guidry

From the Publisher

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.

Publishers Weekly

Realizing she is the only single woman during the bouquet toss at her friend's wedding, Guidry, a former Hollywood film executive, deems herself "The Last Single Woman in America." Along with being 40-something and unwed, she had just lost her job and her boyfriend; however, she remains in good humor and believes that with "a handful of Dave Matthews CDs" she'll be okay. Guidry offers her view on men (feminism has encouraged women to be easy, therefore men no longer appreciate the value of women), the perks of knowledge (why take advanced yoga when you know all the moves in the beginning course) and her take on the Internet (the overconnected Web population is limiting face-to-face contact with such tools as Internet dating), all the while hurdling the obstacles facing single women. If 40 is the new 20, Guidry does a good job portraying this by exhibiting the maturity level of someone half her age, making it hard to believe her anecdotes. At one point, she attacks her mother at a dinner party by questioning whether she slept with a leprechaun to produce her son, Guidry's always lucky brother. While amusing, Guidry barely offers deeper insight than thoughts on bikini waxes and acupuncture sessions for her pet. (Feb.)

Audrey Snowden - Library Journal

Labeled a memoir, this is really a collection of essays born from adversity. Guidry struggles to redefine herself while making the transition from film executive to unemployed Hollywood individual, and she continually encounters resistance in a landscape where being single is considered by many as being incomplete. But these are only some of the conflicts Guidry examines. No one is safe from her pen; the state of her parents' marriage comes under fire, and her neighbors, her ex-boyfriends, and even she herself are all targets. (She's careful to begin the book with a disclaimer stating that while these stories are emotionally true, some facts have been altered for effect.) The end product succeeds: Guidry does not take herself too seriously, and she has a sharp eye for comic detail. Although her observations about sex, gender relations, and the world today are pointed, for the most part, she handles her characters with gentleness. A fresh and funny first book that would make a good purchase for any popular collection.

Kirkus Reviews

Personal essays track the dating travails of a film executive in her 40s, attempting to prove that single isn't synonymous with second-best. Lightly humorous and rife with references to pop culture, the 24 pieces collected here are fueled by the author's myopic quest for fulfillment. Manufactured as a nonfiction simulacrum of Sex and the City, Guidry's memoir reads like a tawdry diary recounting exploits and missteps with one man after another. She makes myriad claims to be happy without a husband; indeed, her constant need to defend her choice to be alone to everyone in her life does inspire sympathy. Her book's greatest draw, however, is also its undoing. Guidry's musings about being alone in a world of couples are initially witty and ebullient, but she prattles incessantly about herself in a manner that eventually becomes grating. Her occasional sex life, or lack thereof, is not a substantial or entertaining enough subject on which to hang 300 pages. Guidry's critique of men in Los Angeles and her internal monologue about the choices that have left her professionally successful and personally alone are the least interesting aspects of her story. Cliched statements lifted from the side of a box of Celestial Seasonings tea and admissions on the order of, "Sure, I'd like a man, but I don't need a man," are writ large as revelatory. The real underlying question is not whether Guidry will find a romantic partner, but to what else she might devote her considerable energies and enthusiasm if and when she has room in her life for someone other than herself. Rambling and self-involved.

Product Details

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Table of Contents