Beauty and the Mustache: A Philosophical Romance

Cipher-Naught

Beauty and the Mustache:  A Philosophical Romance
Penny Reid
2014

The Summary
"There are 3 things you need to know about Ashley Winston:  1) She has six brothers and they all have beards, 2) She is a reader, and 3) She knows how to knit.

"Former beauty queen, Ashley Winston's preferred coping strategy is escapism.  She escaped her Tennessee small town, loathsome father, and six brothers eight years ago.  Now she escapes life daily via her Amazon kindle one-click addiction.  However, when a family tragedy forces her to return home, Ashley can't escape the notice of Drew Runous--local Game Warden, reclusive mountain man, bear wrestler, philosopher, ad everyone's favorite guy.  Drew's irksome philosophizing in particular makes Ashley want to run for the skyscrapers, especially since he can't seem to keep his exasperating opinions--or his soulful poetry, steadfast support, and delightful hands--to himself.  Pretty soon the girl who wanted nothing more than the escape of the big city finds she's lost her heart in small town Tennessee."

The Good
I enjoyed this novel immensely.  Ashley was a quirky character with a foul mouth and an unexpectedly sharp, shining wit.  She's intelligent, she's sassy, funny and self-deprecating, and she's very relatable.  She was also clumsy and awkward, but she was willing to take charge of her mistakes--like nipple twisting Drew by mistake within the first two pages (how embarrassing)--and recovers quite well.

Moreover, she's so incredibly familiar.  I related to her on an emotional level, because I have often felt the emotions she's felt, good and bad:  overwhelmed by obligation, fraught with uncertainty and doubt, love for a parent, affection for siblings as I learn new things about them and, suddenly, become best friends, excitement and relief to find a new book.  It sparked an instant, personal connection that I appreciated.

Overall, it was a fun, emotional but unexpectedly feel good book.  I really enjoyed reading about Ashley and the various antics her brothers would get into, and I loved that there was a gradual strengthening in her family as she takes care of her mother and gets to know her brothers again.  It's bittersweet and, occasionally, tragic, but it's incredibly heartwarming.

The Bad
As I've lived in the area Ashley often describes, I was a little disappointed by the setting.  That is, I think much of the imagery I envisioned came less from the author and narrator, and more from my own memories.

Take her descriptions of the Smoky Mountains, for instance.  They were seriously lacking.  Where were the descriptions of the winding roads, the trees, the softly sloping mountains in the distance as the landscape slowly marched into a deepening blue, the haze on a cloudy day or the startling clarity of the sky when the sun shines?  I've seen some beautiful places in this area, so I really think the author missed out with her narrator.  She could have told us so much more about her hometown.

Also, I was really bothered by the country slang Ashley used.  For example, I have literally never heard anyone in Appalachia say "butter my biscuits" or "that's melting the butter on my biscuits" or anything of the sort.  I've known a restaurant called "Butter My Biscuit," but I have literally never heard anyone say it in earnest.  It was pretty laughable.

Some of the folksy, country-fried sayings Ashley pulled out were just a little too much for my tastes.

The Ugly
Cancer.

Grab your Kleenex folks.