title: Generation Ex: Tales from the Second Wives Club
author:  Karen Karbo 
description: Providing solace, advice and commiseration for anyone trying to make sense of a family tree gone haywire with divorce and remarriage, this hilarious latest effort by novelist and journalist Karbo (Motherhood Made a Man Out of Me) is like a fresh breeze setting everything right. From the first page, she grabs her readers by the shoulders and gives them a good, hearty shake, advising them, for example, that when one has to coexist with one's own ex, spouses' exes and the children of the various unions, "failing to know when to shut up is a genuine liability." Most importantly, she advises, one should fall silent when compelled to speak uncharitably about one's ex to the child one had with that person. In fact, Karbo emphasizes, many exes stay locked in old patterns for the sake of their children, resulting in a limbo she terms "divarriage." Of course, children can also provide a handy excuse for maintaining contact with an ex. Her numerous evocations of scenes between ex-spouses achieve an unerring blend of screwball comedy, tragic drama, feel-good fantasy and stalker flicks. Engagingly relating such incidents as the time her partner's ex-wife methodically cut up several pairs of Karbo's underwear with cuticle scissors, along with excerpts from a book of poetry by her best friend's ex-husband called My Ex-Wife Looks Like Ginger Rogers, Karbo makes ample use of her narrative instinct and canny eye for human foibles. (Apr.) Forecast: Dozens of self-help books on divorce have enlivened the market, but Karbo's contribution is a new breed. If she's half as engaging in person as she is on the page, her national author tour could help the book earn big sales. <BR>Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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  **KAREN BOOTH** is a Midwestern girl transplanted in the South, raised on ’80s
  music and repeated readings of _Forever_ by Judy Blume. When she takes a break
  from the art of romance, she’s listening to music with her college-aged kids
  or sweet-talking her husband into making her a cocktail. Learn more about
  Karen at [karenbooth.net](http://karenbooth.net).
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Also by Karen Booth](Contents.xhtml)
  
  
  The Sterling Wives miniseries
  
  
  Once Forbidden, Twice Tempted
  
  
  High Society Secrets
  
  
  All He Wants for Christmas
  
  
  
  
  
  Discover more at [millsandboon.co.uk](http://www.millsandboon.co.uk).
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Dear Reader,
  
  
  I’m so excited to have another Texas Cattleman’s Club book out in the world!
  Writing for this series is such an honor. It’s had an incredibly long run with
  Harlequin for a reason—readers love it, and the authors do, too!
  
  
  My contribution to the latest installment is Blue Collar Billionaire, an
  exciting and epic case of opposites attract