Rating: 
Summary: Thank God for libraries!
Review: I've read all of Jane Heller's previous books...and sadly to say, this was by far her WORST one ever written! Where was the wit? I laughed ONCE and only ONCE! The plot? Weak, tired, and made absolutely no sense whatsover! I found it ironic that the title would have the word "intelligence" when there was barely any to be found in the book. By the time I was midway in Part Two, I was thankful that I didn't buy the book and just checked it out from the library..it barely held my interest. I hung in there, HOPING that Ms. Heller would redeem herself somewhere in the rest of the book, (boy was I ever hoping!) I suspect that the next book Ms. Heller writes, I'll rent it from the library again..just to make sure I don't get suckered twice! In the meantime..I'm hoping Ms. Heller takes some vacation time and try to restore some creative engery...she could use it.
Rating: 
Summary: I read all of it, but just barely
Review: In the book's favor, the desire to find out what would happen kept me reading until the end, but that was all that kept me going.This book was not well-written, had over-the-top stereotypes as characters, was funny in about two places, was badly edited, and was very formulaic. I would not read another book of Ms. Heller's. Luckily, I didn't buy this one: it was loaned to me by a friend. I recommend reading Bridget Jones again or reading _Simply Divine_ if you want a decent novel of this type.
Rating: 
Summary: Relationships
Review: Jane Heller has written some wonderful novels in the past and I am sorry to say Female Intelligence is not one of those. There is just not much going on here to make this an interesting novel. Dr. Lynn Wyman became an instructor of "Womenspeak" in order to teach men how to relate with women in their daily interactions because of the relationship between her parents which ended in divorce. Lynn felt her father never listened to what her mother had to say and her goal in life was to help other men change their habits so that they could relate better with women. Lynn has everything going for her, she a wonderful career; she has great husband who is an absolute marvel and he also cooks and cleans; she has a bestselling novel; she has her own radio show, she does TV appearances/has articles written about her in all the national magazines/newspapers and she has four great girlfriends. What more could a woman what? Lynn's almost perfect world spins out of control when she learns some truths: the husband she thought was ideal turns out to be a husband who cheats, the news of her marital breakup is reported to the press (she thinks by her ex-husband), the career she has worked so hard to achieve takes a downward turn (because how can a woman propose to teach men to relate to women when she can't relate to her own husband); the friend she thought she could trust betrays her and the relationship between her parents was not exactly what she believed. Lynn needs a comeback in her career which she is barely hanging on to and found this in the form of Brandon Brock a CEO who has major problems in his company because he can't seem to relate to women, the top women are leaving the company because of the hostile work environment he has created and the board of directors give Brandon an ultimate "change your ways or change your job". After a difficult six-month period, Lynn transforms Brandon into the almost perfect boss, one who listens to his women employees, who cares what they think and what their concerns are and then Lynn does the unthinkable, she falls in love with Brandon. When I finally finished this novel, I felt had not really gained anything from it but you decide!
Rating: 
Summary: Howlingly funny!
Review: Lynn Wyman has a problem. She's America's #1 relationship expert, famous for her "Wyman Method," which she uses to teach men to better communicate with women. Unfortunately, she discovers her own sensitive, communictive husband is having an affair. And then the National Enquirer finds out. To redeem herself, she decides to tackle America's Toughest Boss, putting him through the paces of the Wyman Method. The result is a smart, snappy, howlingly funny novel! If you've ever read John Gray's books (or how-to books by any other relationship guru) you'll find Heller's tongue-in-cheek Wyman Method to be flat-out hysterical. The characters are people you'll cheer for, the dialogue zips along, and you'll find yourself unable to put this book down. I read it in one sitting! Jane Heller is a new-to-me author, and I know I'll go out and get her other titles after reading FEMALE INTELLIGENCE. Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: Where's the Intelligence?
Review: Now, I'm not an elitist, I love books like "Briget Jones' Diary", and "Amanda's Wedding" (Highly recomended); but this book was terrible. It's not only the frivolous nature or the impracticality of the book that made it so bad; but characters were flat and shallow, the plot was innane and predictable, and the events that took place would never happen. This book was so disappointing. The "two stars" are for the fact that it is not the worse book in the world, and some parts are funny, and- who knows? you might even like it; even though it's mostly bad. It started off "okay", so I stuck it through the end- but I still didn't like it. I have to strongly emphasize, if you are thinking of buying this book- DO NOT.
Rating:
Summary: Horrible!
Review: Terrible, unbelievable dialogue. Example, from a woman: "Between work and the kids, I barely have time to take a crap." This has got to be one of the worst books I have ever read.
Rating:
Summary: Horrible!
Review: Terrible, unbelievable dialogue. Example, from a woman: "Between work and the kids, I barely have time to take a crap." This has got to be one of the worst books I have ever read.
Rating:
Summary: Doesn't add up to expectations
Review: The book jacket, as well as various critics, promised a droll and ironic look at the female psyche in Female Intelligence. However, this book is neither droll nor ironic enough to make it interesting. The tale of Dr. Lynn Wylan, a psychologist who specializes in male and female relationships, and her lack of clue on how to handle her own relationship crisis when she discovers her husband's infidelity reminds me of a Delia Ephron or Olivia Goldsmith novel. I am not a fan of Ephron and Goldsmith, but that's beside the point. The novel lacks the wit and voice that would have otherwise kept me interested. When it comes to women's fiction, I'd rather stick with the single-in-your-twenties/thirties-living-in-London/New York novels written by the likes of Helen Fielding and Laura Zigman.
Rating:
Summary: Get's Boring Pretty Quickly
Review: The jacket drew me in...first time I've read one of Jane Heller's books. Chapter 1 kept my interest, Chapter 2 I started to lose interest, and by Chapter 5 - I was wondering if it was ever going to get better. It didn't. I read it...but was disappointed. First of all, this female character isn't very intelligent. The main male charater is totally unrealistic. No Fortune 500 CEO would waste the time of day doing what this guy did...... It was totally unbelievable. It was suppose to poke fun...but I just didn't get it and thus didn't find any of it amusing at all. Oh yea, except for Chapter 1............. I probably won't read any more Jane Heller's.
Rating:
Summary: Not as funny as it thinks it is.
Review: The premise of this book - poking fun at the experts who advise men and women how to communicate with one another - is promising, but the book didn't live up to expectations. Lynn, a humorless and self-satisfied linguist, has developed a language she calls "Womenspeak" that she teaches to men who are at risk of losing their wives or their jobs because of their communication problems. The majority of the book focuses on her attempts to teach this "language" to Brandon Brock, a famous CEO known as America's toughest boss. Again, this is a premise ripe for amusement, but Heller repeatedly misses the mark. First, the "scripts" she encourages Brandon to use are preposterous, not funny. I know I was supposed to be amused when Lynn tells Brandon to initiate a conversation with a female executive by saying, "Susan, I don't know how you metabloize desserts, but that chocolate mousse I had last night went straight to my thighs." No female executive worth a damn thinks like that in a professional situation or wants her boss to talk like that. Second, Heller grossly confuses insensitive behavior with sexual harrassment. When a boss calls his female employees "snookums" or tells them their legs look "hot", you're not looking at a failure of communications. Basically, this book is a very broad farce, not a witty and insightful look at the bizarre disconnects between male and female communications. For a hilarious look at the same subject, chose "Love Songs for the Tone Deaf" by Asher Brauner. Not only did I think that the author's humor was off the mark, but I also was unable to really connect with any of the characters. Brandon was OK, but Lynn was a complete boor for most of the book. Lynn's female friends make frequent appearances, but they were all so goofy and unappealing that I never learned to tell them apart. I never could figure out why Lynn put up with them and couldn't have cared less if she was able to resolve her issues with them. The only thing that kept me reading was the possibility of a romance blossoming between Lynn and Brandon. That part of the book was actually pretty good. Too bad it was surrounded by so much drivel.
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