Cupid and Diana

by Christina Bartolomeo

A Novel about Finding the Right Man, the Right Career, and the Right Outfit

Diana is the owner of a vintage clothing store teetering on the brink of disaster. She and her fiance still have not set a date for their wedding. And it's becoming more difficult than ever for Diana to define her role in her big, unruly Catholic family.The arrival of Harry casts a new light on her life and its possibilities. Now all she has to do is figure out whether Harry's warmth and great sense of humor is a better bet than the calm security her fiance has to offer.

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Chick Lit, Humor, Contemporary, Novels

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Julie Ehlers · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was cute and well-written and more profound than I was expecting. I loved that it was published in 1998 so there was no real mention of internet or cell phones--the main character opened a vintage clothing store and they advertised it with flyers and postcards! We didn't know how good we had it back then. In short, I was looking for something to calm my hamster wheel of a mind, and this did the job.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. It is one I squeeze in everytime I have a break from school, stay up reading late, and carry around just in case I get a moment. The characters are well developed, the plot twisting and engaging, and the romance steamy.

[Sherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

" A novel about finding the right man, the right career, and the right outfit" - that's what the cover of this charming book says but it's so much more than that. I suppose if I had to classify this book I'd say " Chick Lit" but well written, witty, and thought provoking chick lit. There's a pure entertainment aspect to Cupid and Diana as well as a sharp wit and humour that kept me reading. I'm not usually drawn into a romantic story yet this one made me empathize with the sadness many women feel when they are not part of a couple. Christina Bartolomo's depiction of one woman's quest for love, romantic as well as familial surprised me as I normally would not read "that kind of book". Just goes to show you can't judge a book by it's cover :) I loved it!

[Elena · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh... This was disappointing and annoying from start to finish! Did it really warrant a movie adaptation?!? This book, read by 11 people, has a movie made after it?!? Wow...

Why I didn't like it:
It irked me how dysfunctional this family was - the competitiveness, cattiness, meanness, and just plain distance and coldness between the sisters. The only two that had some sort of a relationship were Diana and Cynthia...
Then the cruelty of the father towards Diana ! Wow! Can parents really be like that?!
Moving on to Diana's relationships... Philip was ridiculous with his "I think it's time we got married - you might leave me if things stay the way they are now..." - wow, how romantic!! But Diana wAs no better, cheating on him for months - why not just dump him?! And doormat Harry?! Well he didn't seem to care that Diana was engaged - he would take her any way he could, without putting up a fight or even acknowledging her fiancé! She would tell him she's going away with Philip for the weekend and Harry would say "ok!" meanwhile making her mixed tApes - pathetic loser! Then Harry totally does a 180, when Diana finally breaks up with Philip - soon after that, out of nowhere, Harry says he has to go back to his ex wife??!!! Like what the hell?!?
The ending made me want to kill them all - when Diana storms out of her sister 's wedding because Harry snapped his fingers! She sent him a love letter a month before, to which he never replied and then all of a sudden he sends a note saying "if you still remember your friend Harry, gimme a call!" - Ummmmm, what?!? She sent him an f-ing love letter and he replies that he wants her to call him (if she remembers him)?!?! Like, make a single damn move loser!!! Ughhhhh!! So in the end - they've been back together for 6 months - they are talking before bed and after naming all their pathetic quirks and why their relationship is so awkward, the book ends by Harry saying "there are worse ways to live..." !!!! Really?!? Wooow - romantic factor = -100 !!

I've accidentally seen the movie adaptation of this book! Totally different (maybe marginally better) but they manage to make Harry a cancer patient?!? Like - why?!?!?! Stupid....

[Janine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This wonderful story really makes you feel you personally know the characters. It is well written and entertaining.

Diana, a vintage clothing store owner, is torn between two men. Philip is the safe choice and he wants to marry her. But Diana feels she really doesn’t fit in his world. Harry is the man she has lots of fun with, but he is married and only in town temporarily. Though his marriage has no passion, he still feels committed to his wife. Diana falls in love with him anyway.

I also enjoyed the sisterly bond between Diana and Cynthia. Even though they do not agree on everything, Diana respects her sister and her advice on how she should run her clothing store. Together they make it a huge success.

On the day of Cynthia’s wedding, she reveals a secret to Diana that forever changes her world. Can true love finally be in the cards for Diana?

[Holly]

This sophisticated romantic comedy was a jewel of a discovery for me. A grown up story of a woman succeeding in both love and business, it's a delightful little read. And it made Christina Bartolomeo one of those writers whose work I seek out. Whenever I see a new title of hers, it's a sheer pleasure. Cupid and Diana isn't cloying chick lit. It's sassy, witty prose wrapped up in a pink package.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 3 out of 5]

I refuse to condemn myself for reading this book. It's just a gentle little love story. Not one thing more. No big insights into life, not even into family relationships or love relationships. Nada. Just a dip into another person's shoes for a few hours, a fun little weekend fling with a sweet romance novel.

[Monica · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had such a hard time identifying with Diana. She didn't have much business sense yet she bought a vintage clothing store and wondered why it didn't succeed. I don't even think she grew as a character based on some of her decisions later on. Easy read but not a really good read.

[Colleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Total chick lit and not very good chick lit at that. It was an OK quick read but don't expect much from it, the storyline was pretty stupid as was the main character.

[Phair · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars.
Not terrible, but just a little better than OK. This had been moldering among my stash for years until I closed my eyes and pointed on my "chick lit/romance" shelves to pull a book for my May goal of reading a chick lit title. A few brief points rose to the level of interesting or thought provoking but much of the book was tiresome with tons of family dysfunction, "where is my life going" soul-searching and constant relationship waffling. The best part was about the renovation of her failing vintage clothing shop. At least it was short and only took up one day of reading.

[Becki · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wish I had known that the protagonist was a cheater before I started reading. I never would have started.

And she gets her happy ending? Yeah, that's some crap.

I'm gonna sell this book this weekend.

[Brooke ✨]

DNF. Boring. I didn’t find Diana very likable and actually kinda felt bad for her loser boyfriend.

[Jules · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light, romantic comedy. Predictable, but enjoyable.

[Erika · Rating 2.75 out of 5]

Got it as a gift. It was fine. Real but bland

[Sandlynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read Christina Bartolomeo's book, Cupid and Diana, back in January and am now writing a review in August, so my memory regarding the details is a bit fuzzy. The book was published back in 1998, and I'm pretty sure I picked it up at a local library sale in Washington, D.C. I only mention that because I live in Washington and the author, at the time, also lived in D.C. So, what really attracted me to this book was the on-point and detailed Washington, D.C. setting. I could literally picture exactly where the heroine lived, where her store was, and where much of the action was occurring.

The story focuses on a youngish woman, named Diana of course, who opens a vintage clothing store in Georgetown and her struggle to make it successful, while also dealing with meddling family members. She also has a sort of waspy, blue-blooded fiance who's dragging his feet about naming a date for their wedding. Amidst all this, her sister introduces Diana to a lawyer from New York who helped her with a legal matter and has been relocated to DC by his firm. In contrast to Diana's fiance, Harry is more down-to-earth, personable, and in the process of getting a divorce. Diana finds herself gravitating to him despite being recently engaged and it gets rather messy.

This is mostly a slice of life type story where the two lead characters are being pulled toward one another even though they're not fully available either emotionally or, in Diana's case, literally. It bothered me that, in spite of Diana having just made a commitment to her boyfriend, she also immediately jumps into an intimate relationship with Harry. They spend much of the book lying to their friends and family and trying to avoid running into people they know ... or, at least, Diana knows since Harry is new to DC. Eventually, Diana decides to cut ties with her fiance, but at the same time, Harry's wife in NYC reaches out to him to see if they can save their marriage. Surprisingly, he doesn't say no. As I said ... messy. This may be how people act in real life, but I wanted to hit them both over the head and tell them to be truthful with themselves and their partners and make up their minds. Eventually, they do but I'm not sure I "enjoyed" the ride. I did enjoy the setting however and gave the book a B for that, but a B- for the actual story.

[Evelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy reading this book. I have now read it three times in about fifteen years. This time I had to read it again after rewatching the Hallmark movie (which is not near as good as the book). I think what I like most is the female characters. They are all well-drawn and different women. Diana Campanella has left her ordinary job to open a vintage secondhand store for ladies. It isn't doing all that well, and neither is her relationship to the cold Philip. She meets Harry, a lawyer who does a lot of important work, very often in bad neighborhoods and sometimes pro bono. He makes her laugh, but she is hesitant to leave the security of her "engagement" to Philip. Marriage to Philip seems farther and farther away. I liked Diana's relationships with her large Italian/American family. One sister is a beautiful lingerie model, another is a devout Catholic housewife who lives to organize get-togethers. There are so many wonderful conversations in this book that I love. I've even written down several lovely quotes in my personal favorites file. Why the Hallmark movie had to change the plotline so much, even giving Harry leukemia, is a complete mystery to me. The book as it stands would make a wonderful movie.

[Sonia Gosetti · Rating 1 out of 5]

UGH! I don't even know why I bother with chick-lit. Sometimes I can find a good book, but most of the time it is couple of hours of banging my head against a wall. The main character Diana was whinny as all hell. "Oh no one loves me/I'm the least loved sister/ I'm ugly blah blah" all while not one but TWO lawyers 'love' her. The characters were bland and didn't even develop one ounce through the whole book. The plot was cheesy and predictable. Then, on top of all that, it started off slow- the middle 50 pages were so-so then the last 4 chapters went back to pointless nonsense. What did i get for sticking through it? Nothing. It was almost like she ran out of time or had a word limit;so poorly put together and left me feeling BAD for the future of these people.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute book. Set in D.C. Diana is a 30 something Catholic raised girl who is close to her family but not always happy with them. She is trying to find mister right. She has been dating her lawyer boyfriend Phillip for a while but the relationshop is lacking something. She winds up meeting Harry who seems fun, everything her lawyer boyfriend Phillip isn't, but she is questions the new relationship. Diana is a business woman too and owns her own consignment store. She struggles with her business as well as her personal life.

[Rada · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first I was a little shocked at how quickly the heroine, Diana was persuaded to be with someone else. What was wrong with Phillip? He was good. They had an easy love. But as the novel progressed I began to see why Diana chose and thought the way she did. I still think Phillip is a good guy; as dose Diana, but he is not the right guy for her. And that makes all the difference.

I also liked the authors viewpoint that people should just love each other. They should not make them work so hard for every teaspoon of love bestowed on them.

[Helen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Diana Campanella is coasting through life. She’s left the security of a steady job and purchased “Second Time Around”, a high-end second hand clothing store. She’s terminally engaged to a politically connected lawyer from an important Washington D.C. family. As the shop fails to gain new business and a wedding date remains undeclared, Diana grows bored. Harry blows into Diana’s life like a breath of fresh air.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

a romance -- two men, one secure, comfortable and staid, and the other more fun -- as with most such novels, we "know" Diana will go for the latter. But this story has a few twists and turns. While romance is center stage, so is Diana's store -- consignment vintage clothing -- all I read about that aspect of the story was fascinating! I really liked this one -- cute, charming, fun!

[Robyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a novel about a vintage store owner in DC who is trying to decide between two romantic paths. I liked the main characters. And I loved the setting, as I used to live in that part of DC. I felt that the climax of the plot was a little flat. I think this is the author's first books, and I thought that it was one of those problems that a beginning writer might face.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

It wasn't a bad book, just slow and it seemed a little too period piece to me, even though it seemed to try and be current. The heroine didn't grab me until halfway through the book. I also have a personal issue with using the word "penis" instead of being a bit more creative. Obviously that doesn't break the book but it's a personal thing.

[Joanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the ending of this book was cute. It seemed like it took the book a long time to get to the ending. I kept reading this book and then leaving it for something else until I made myself finish it.

[Ally · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book, easy read. Set in D.C., and I love reading about places I've been, so if you are the same and life D.C, then read it! It's about meeting people, figuring out what your dating style is and when you listen to your heart.

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book more for the setting - a DC neighborhood I used to live in, more than the story. I probably would have liked it better if the romance was a little less wishy-washy. I liked how the main character stood up for herself, though.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Diana Campanella just doesn't seem to fit in with her large Catholic family or her long-time boyfriend's world. Then her sister introduces her to Harry who helps her put her life in perspective. A light, chick lit read, but enjoyable.

[Bonnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked it all right but thought how sad it was that the protagonist knew her father didn't love her as much as he loved her other siblings. That overshadowed the story for me.

[Lita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun!

[Mcwaguespack Waguespack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, witty summer reading. I really like Christina Bartolomeo and have read her other books, too. Some great passages about 1960s sitcoms, about not being able to earn someone else's delight, etc.