The Rumor    by Elin Hilderbrand Order:  USA  Can Little, Brown & Co., 2015 (2015) Hardcover, CD, e-Book    Reviewed by Jessica Maguire In a word, I'd have to say meh to this novel. Certainly not horrible by any stretch, and although entertaining, I was bored with the plot and story in general. Reading this novel was like reading a soap opera (which I do not like) in print. Two friends, Maddie and Grace, have problems that leave me saying, with a hint of sarcasm, 'Well, cry me a river!' Maddie, a novelist, has writer's block. I don't know of a writer who doesn't! And Grace, poor baby, is doing what she can with her gardener to get her garden so perfect it that it puts the gardens in Architectural Digest to shame. I'd rather read about people with real problems and issues I can either relate to, or at least empathize with. It should come as no shock that Grace and the gardener are having an intimate relationship even though Grace is married. Of course, Grace fills in Maddie about all the details of her marriage, the trials and tribulations of her two teenage daughters, and the juicy details of fun with the gardener. Predictably, Maddie suddenly overcomes her writer's block, as Grace has provided her a wealth of ideas. As you have probably guessed by now, Maddie writes about Grace's problems and the rumors, with the entire East Coast town nattering about it, get back to her husband. With the cat out of the bag, an entire can of worms, or two, is opened. The author has been described as capturing the 'nuances of female friendship.' Perhaps that is my problem with this novel. The female friendship is portrayed as a soap opera complete with back-stabbing and gossip, a theme that I am not overjoyed with. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Contemporary books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews