View source for Woman on Top by Deborah Schwartz

{{infobox
|title=Woman on Top
|author=Deborah Schwartz
|reviewer=Sue Magee
|genre=General Fiction
|summary=After nearly a decade as a widow, Kate returns to the dating scene and looks set to be 'acquired' by a wealthy New York banker. The pages turn themselves in thiscompelling story about finding yourself.  Definitely recommended. Deborah Schwartz popped into Bookbag Towers to [[The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Deborah Schwartz|chat to us]].
|rating=4
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|pages=347
|publisher=Laudan Press
|date=May 2013
|isbn=978-0985817701
|website=http://www.deborahschwartz.net
|video=
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>B00D3WHBJK</amazonuk>
|amazonus=<amazonus>B00D3WHBJK</amazonus>
}}

Kate and Jake had one of those brilliant marriages that looks set to last forever along with two wonderful children.  But Fate is always hiding around the corner with its foot stuck out, waiting to trip you up and Jake was diagnosed with cancer.  They both fought to do everything that they could to find a cure but within two years Kate was a widow. For nearly a decade she dedicated herself to the children and to making a career as a healthcare lawyer so that she could support the family.  When she was ready to look for another relationship she met Len.  It wasn't his looks that attracted her or his stature (she'd hastily searched out her flat shoes), but he did seem to have something about him.

It wasn't his wealth either.  Len was a wealthy New York banker and was quite free with gifts and trips to places where the rich and famous are seen, but Kate wasn't on the breadline and she wasn't the sort to be ''bought''.  And Len could be difficult.  Fidelity was a moveable feast (or possibly even an unwelcome concept) and everything had to be about ''Len''.  So why did Kate get involved with him?  Well, widows, single women who are post-relationship and particularly those with children are vulnerable.  It's worse if you've been in a ''good'' relationship because you're caught between the devil of knowing that you'd love to be in that situation again and the deep blue sea of knowing that in comparison any relationship is likely to be a disappointment.  And if you have children who really want to be in a two-parent family it's even more difficult.

Deborah Schwartz can write. She tells a brilliant story - I found myself reading long into the night just to find out what was going to happen next and Kate was so real that I could have rung her up to have a chat.  Len came off the page surprisingly well too - a man child who has no sense of anyone but himself, but who can, just occasionally, hit the right note.  I say that Schwartz can write not because she tells a brilliant story and has believable characters, but because she kept me poised between understanding why Kate stuck with Len and failing to understand why she'd even looked (down) at him in the first place.  There are an awful lot of relationships like that, but putting the nuances into words takes real skill.

It was fascinating to watch Kate grow into herself and the children mature too.  They've all stayed in my mind and I'd like to thank the publisher for sending a copy of the book to the Bookbag.

If this book appeals then you'll probably also enjoy [[Sweet Salt Air by Barbara Delinsky]].

You can read more about Deborah Schwartz [[:Category:Deborah Schwartz|here]].

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[[Category:Women's Fiction]]