Finding Clarity: A Mom, A Dwarf and a Posh Private School in the People's Republic of Berkeley

by Laura Novak

Clari Drake was once a former hot shot TV reporter of ample
proportions who took San Francisco by storm. Now, Clari is a middle-aged
misfit mom who tops 200 pounds and wears Birkenstocks with woolen socks in the
city everyone loves to laugh at, quirky Berkeley, California. The fur flies
when Clari takes on the ruling class at her son's elite academy where the
beloved headmaster is let go and a loser from Las Vegas takes his place. Clari
suspects the wealthy folks running the school are up to financial malfeasance
and strange social shenanigans. So she teams up with an impossibly odd posse to
right some wrongs and reclaim her glory days with the biggest story of her
career. But in the process Clari causes major problems for the rich power
brokers whom she loves to hate, while working in weekly visits to Weight
Watchers. Join Clari as she answers the Who am I? Where do I belong?
And what's in the new Ikea catalogue?

Genres: Mystery, Humor, Fiction, Contemporary, Chick Lit

242 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 10, 2011

About the author

Laura Novak is a career journalist - debut novelist. For 25 years she worked every which way in the news business, from ABC News in New York and London, to local news in San Francisco, with a stop at all-news radio in Sacramento where she sat near a guy named Rush Limbaugh. While raising a medically fragile child, Laura reported for The New York Times on everything from business and non-profits, to health and the arts. Many of her articles are collected on Scribd where she has had more than 130,000 reads of her work. "Finding Clarity" is Laura's first foray into fiction, and rumor has it the ending takes everyone by surprise.

Reviews

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

My Dad had (sort of) recommended this book, so I decided to give it a go. While it wasn't as bad as the last book he made me read, it was a big "meh." For someone with such training, I expected the writing to be waaaaaaaaaay better! The main character complaining about a grammatical error in a mailing that went out was so unrealistic when the author herself used the same bad grammar in other locations! In a nutshell, I hated the main character. I found her weak and uninspiring. What kept me interested in this book was the "mystery" of the plot. However the ending was anticlimactic and just plain SAD. In the end, nothing was accomplished, except for the main character "finding clarity." Which honestly was not interesting enough to make into a story. Oh well...

[Rolando Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the first sentence I was drawn into Laura's story of former reporter Clari Drake, now turned full time mom, struggling to come to grips with her career choices, her weight, and the strange world of the rich folk in the upscale Berkeley school to which she and her husband send their two children. When Clari and some friends uncover evidence of some shenanigans in the upper echelons of the school's management, this world gets stranger and more unsettling with each new revelation until the surprise ending.

I was blown away by the author's prowess for description. She can make the most mundane things and events meaningfully jump out from the page, and she endows her characters with layer upon layer of complexity that she peels like an onion before your eyes as the plots unfolds. I was so enthralled by her writing that I found myself doing something that I disapprove of: I was jumping chapters so I could find what happened next!

The read was also fun. Clari and her friends have a very unique sense of humor. I specially enjoyed their meetings at the Ice Pick Cafe with its very sui generis menu items. Did the author make this up or is there really such a place? The book is well written and formatted, with only a typo or two, and the links work. All in all, a thrilling and pleasant read.

So, does the hero of the story find clarity? To figure this out read the book, but consider the following: Today's world is complicated, and the motivations behind people's actions are so much more so. This is reflected in Laura's book, and she pulls no punches. Gone are the days where the good guy felt everything he did was right and everything the villain did was wrong. Finding clarity is about searching for the light amidst the shades of grey, both outside and within.

[Maybeth Shirah · Rating 4 out of 5]

well-woven and funny

[Kathi · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't particularly like this. I found the lead character whiny and couldn't stand her at all by the end.

Week 36 of the Around the World in 52 Weeks Reading Challenge: A book from your TBR/wishlist that you don't recognize, recall putting there, or put there on a whim

Week 20 of the Popsugar Reading Challenge: A book you picked because the title caught your attention

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

The mother of a private school student, who is a former news reporter, goes on a crusade to find out why the much-loved head of the school was forced into retirement and a totally unqualified man was brought in to take his place.

[Suzanne Rosenwasser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Make way for Clari Drake - and for author, Laura Novak who has imbued her lead character with the guts and humor a girl needs to haul around a rear end that holds a perpetual care contract with Weight Watchers. Not to mention Mrs. Drake's other baggage, all of which she carries with a lovable mania.

Novak's mystery takes place in Berkley, (known to others as Berzerkley), California and offers the reader a good look into the "village people" from the ridiculous heights of their manors in the Hills to the communist depths of the seedy, Ice Pick Cafe. In these environs Mrs. Drake begins FINDING CLARITY about the dark-doings of the pseudo-academics who have commandeered her sons' beloved private school, the posh and well-respected, Bidwell-Coggins (B-C).

Novak has a knack for nailing human idiosyncracies and she has dealt out a fair share to her Berkley buddies in FINDING CLARITY, but the author's true talent appears in the threads of integrity sewn into the fabric of her tale. Moral behavior represents itself in the characters of Clari and her friends- Elspeth Waldron, the Queen of Patchouli Oil and a Buddhist of the Eight Fold Path and Sydney Green, B-C Dean of Students who is "self-possessed, proud and unique, like an exotic black pearl in an ocean of manufactured beads," among others.

DOWNLOAD this ebook to your nearest Kindle device today. Take Clari Drake with you on your rounds, sit with her while you get your oil changed or wait for a root canal. I promise, spending time with Novak's clever repartee will while away your time and make you want to take a ttrip to the Ice Pick for a Soviet Sub.

The even better news? Clari Drake has gotten herself involved in something else that is none of her business, so another mystery will unfold for e-readers soon. In the meantime, find yourself a bit of clarity today.

[Barbara Alfaro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wit is alive and well and rushing through Laura Novak’s brilliant mystery novel “Finding Clarity.” Clari Drake is a heroine readers can identify with: a loving wife and mother, a former “career girl” – and not a Size 2 dress size! I was rooting for Clari by the end of the first chapter. With her reporter’s instinct intact, Clari knows there’s something rotten, not in Denmark, but in the private school in Berkeley that her two sons attend. Clari and her friends – Elspeth, a Buddhist librarian, Sydney, the beautiful dean of students, and Carlos, a gay school teacher – do some serious detective work to find out what happened to the former headmaster of the school. The sleuthing episode at a party where Clari’s attire leads to a case of mistaken identity is hilarious. Clari is wise to almost everything except to what a terrific individual she is, especially when she wants to deck anyone who calls her son Zack a “midget” instead of dwarf or little person -- and when she describes Elspeth: “She was so serene and so bloody self-possessed I wanted to curl up in her lap and completely regress until she agreed to take me home like a stray.” You’ll want to curl up too in that comfy chair with your copy of “Finding Clarity,” an absolutely great read.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone who spent over a decade working in a school environment I can understand how the running of a school can encompass all areas of life and this was portrayed well in this story. However, I did struggle with some of the characters, some of whom did seem a little stereotypical and a contradictive at times: Clari seemed to search for a world where her son wouldn't be subject to prejudice and yet Clari's prejudice towards the rich parents and a teenage goth left me somewhat bewildered, but maybe Laura Novak is cleverer than I and has shown that not everyone is perfect and we all have prejudices that we need to deal with. I really enjoyed the explanation of certain characters behaviour toward the end (trying not to give any spoilers here) to the point that I really wanted to read more about the headteacher and what happened next for him. Putting my little criticisms aside, because they are little, the book is written with a great sense of humour and had me chuckling throughout. I would recommend it to others to read.

[Sandy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought this was pretty bad. The characters were stereotyped and I couldn't work up any interest in any of them - and then, suddenly,the author would throw in some things that came out of nowhere, to try to make the "villains" less villainous.

The plot was inherently unbelievable - no matter how hard I tried to "willingly suspend my disbelief," I couldn't get around the problem I had with believing that the whole central event of the plot could actually happen as described. I'll accept almost anything in a fantasy/sci fi novel, but not in one that's supposedly a "real world" mystery - it needs to have some plausibility. And, whenever things got impossibly lame, the author would toss in some other bizarre facts.

I find it very hard to abandon a book once I've started, so I stuck with this one to the end, but am grateful that it was relatively short. I was delighted to come to "The End." I got this one free on kindle, and it was worth every penny I paid for it.

[Ingrid Ricks · Rating 5 out of 5]

The voice in this story reminds me so much of Bridget Jones Diary. It's impossible not to fall in love with Clari Drake --a funny, smart, self-deprecating mom who adores and obsesses over her two sons but can't ignore her hard-hitting reporter roots, especially when the story of a lifetime appears to fall into her lap. When Clari decides to dig into the mysterious, sudden departure of the headmaster at her son's elite private school and his seemingly fraudulent replacement, readers are taken on a wild, hilarious, unexpected ride.

FYI...I just noticed that this book is FREE today on the Amazon store.

[Kent · Rating 2 out of 5]

While this started out as an interesting story about a rising TV reporter turned struggling full-time muck-raking, fast smack-talking Mom, it quickly became redundant and tiresome. The story line was innovative, but after a while it became lost in the author's attempts to keep the lead character smart and sassy and the out of place denigrations of real world notables were distracting. If you've got nothing else to read, this is one to consider.

[Sherri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Completely not what I was expecting as I thought it was another book (long story) - but what a pleasant surprise! A little bit of mystery, a little bit of humor and a little bit of newly found friendships. The ending had an unexpected twist that I did not see coming even though several characters in the book warned that things weren't what they seemed.

[Theresa C · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this is usually my kind of summer reading - easy, quick, interesting, but not too heavy - I was disappointed in the pacing and plot moves of this book. At times it was confusing, and I found myself wanting the characters to just get on with it already. I didn't dislike the book, and I certainly found Clari likable and interesting; I simply had higher expectations for this mystery.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really liked the characters, and could feel for the main character being a mom of 2 boys! But I thought a sleuthing story would involve murder and it didn't. The plot and solved mystery didn't really do anything for me.

[Linda Howe Steiger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of verbal highjacks, alliteration, and cleverness in this satiric romp about the life and townies of Bezerkley California (not to be confused with the university which co-locates). Looking forward to Laura's second book--a real murder mystery. Maybe move over Carl Hiaasen.

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting mystery novel featuring Californians of all kinds in a tale of intrigue about a school

[Cathy B · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was looking for something humorous and light. Did have these aspects to it but never got investing in the story or the characters.

[Lori · Rating 1 out of 5]

Available for free rental on Amazon Prime. Think this would have made a better short story.

[Dayle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very funny...

[Stacy Pitts · Rating 2 out of 5]

Couldn't finish it...

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not care for it

[Candy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book! It posed laugh-aloud moments as well as a harsh assessment of the pretentions in a posh private school.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

really enjoyed it

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved her snarky writing style and sense of humor. The story was fun. Sometimes a little hard to follow. Overall a nice light read.

[Sue · Rating 2 out of 5]

The title pretty much explains it. It's okay if you don't have anything else to read.

[Shannon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too liberal for me.

[Cathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mostly liked the main character, but this book (especially the end) felt problematic in many ways.

[Shalini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun central character and setting(the republic of Berkeley) overcome the average mystery plot

[J. A. Lewis · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh my gosh, I hated this book. I couldn't finish it. The F word, the constant reference to "little people" as dwarfs or something worse. Simply not my genre.

[Jane]

This could have been a great, funny novel, but instead it was dumb.