Old Flames

by Kim Moritsugu

Beth Robinson is a 40-ish public relations person turned stay-at-home mom, who, aside from an occasional pang of mourning for her lost youth, is pretty well content. That is, until Rachel Klein, a hip young advertising executive, moves into the house next door. When Rachel confides in Beth her ambitious career plans and her intention to rekindle an old flame with man-about-town Tim Donnelly, Beth is envious. So what if Rachel can't cook, knows nothing about gardening and forgets to take out her garbage? She has an exciting job, an attractive love-prospect, and friends like Schuyler LaSalle, a singing stock analyst who reminds Beth of her own long-lost aspiration to be a dancer on Broadway. Soon, Beth realizes she must find a way to build a new flame for herself with the old dancing spark. Rachel -- between career-making moves at work -- tries to light Tim's fire without getting burned. And the garbage starts to show signs of life ... Old Flames is a book you'll want to curl up with in a comfortable chair (dancing optional).

212 pages, Paperback

First published March 15, 1999

About the author

Kim Moritsugu was born and raised in Toronto. She holds Bachelor of Arts and Master of Business Administration degrees from the University of Toronto, and worked for several years in a corporate setting before becoming a fulltime fiction writer.

Kim is the author of the romantic comedy Looks Perfect (shortlisted for the Toronto Book Award), the domestic comedy Old Flames, the literary mystery The Glenwood Treasure (shortlisted for the Arthur Ellis Best Crime Novel Award), the domestic novel The Restoration of Emily (serialized on CBC Radio’s Between the Covers), the short Rapid Reads mystery novel And Everything Nice, and the suburban comedy of manners The Oakdale Dinner Club.

Kim conducts walking tours of Toronto’s North Rosedale neighbourhood for Heritage Toronto, teaches creative writing through The Humber School for Writers, and recaps TV shows online as The Hungry Novelist.

Coming in 2018: The Showrunner

Reviews

[Robin Spano · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not sure what it is about Old Flames, but when I read it, it followed me everywhere. I felt like I was right inside the characters' minds.

The story was funny and light, an easy, almost chick-lit read--two women, radically different, whose paths cross and force them to connect. What hooked me was the emotional openness of both of them--they invited me (and other readers) inside to share their insecurities and flaws.

When I started reading the book, I was going through a transition time and feeling off my game. Through reading Old Flames, through the characters exploring their own fears and worries (in a hilarious and breezy way), I felt okay again.

This is one of the very few books where, when it was finished, I was sad the book was over. I could have followed these two characters forever.

[tamarack · Rating 2 out of 5]

I stayed up past my bedtime last night to finish this book. I was prompted to give 'Old Flames' a read after listening to Kim Moritsugu's 'The Restoration of Emily' on CBC's Between The Covers Podcast (15 podcasts all said). I didn't like it quite as much as being read to, but that's not Moritsugu's fault.

It not a noteworthy book, but it an easy bedtime read. There are a few points in the book where the author fails to write the characters' ways to the plot, and kind of leaps into a forced move. However, the book was good enough that I didn't abandon it. I would classify it as some sub genre of chick-lit/gen-fiction. If you fall ill and need a quick read you are more than welcome to my copy.