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You are a very strong woman.

You can do anything you want, go anywhere you want, and say what you’re feeling. You know where you’re heading because you’ve focused totally on the goal. Nobody messes with a woman like you, and few can tame you.

That never stops them from trying, though.

In the new book “She’s the One” (c.2011, Kensington Books, $15.00 / $17.95 Canada, 336 pages) by J.J. Murray, a movie director taps into a diva’s ego to help his brother capture the wildest woman he’s ever known.

There was just one word to describe Katharina Minola: spoiled.

Fifteen years ago, Katharina was snatched from obscurity into worldwide fame after starring in the movie “My Honey Love.” Critics loved the movie. Fans couldn’t get enough of Katharina.

Everybody adored her.

But that was before a series of total flops and public tantrums, several staff members who were decimated by her temper, and some business deals gone wrong. That got Katharina blackballed all over Hollywood, but she was too spoiled to admit it.

None of that mattered to Vincenzo Lucentio, the CEO of Lucentio Pictures.

Years ago, when “My Honey Love” was filmed, Vincenzo’s brother, Pietro, had a bit part in the movie and he’d fallen in love with Katharina. For years, Pietro had stewed about his crush on the diva, and Vincenzo finally decided that it was time to push the two of them together.

With an ego like Katharina’s, though, he had to be careful. The best way to get her where he wanted her was to offer Katharina a movie deal, but this wasn’t a normal movie. The contract offered Katharina $5 million, script approval, and a dozen other perks.
Katharina signed the contract and told her beleaguered assistant, Bianca, to pack her entire huge wardrobe.

Vincenzo had himself a diva.

High up in Northern Quebec, Canada, Pietro was preparing a remote cabin for his brother’s movie company. No electricity, no hot water, no food, and no cell phones were allowed in this cabin because the  actress was going to learn to live off the land in a method-acting kind of way.

He had his doubts about that. No woman he’d ever known could handle the northern Canada wilderness. He couldn’t wait to see who this spoiled diva was since he was in the dark about the who actress was.

Based “loosely” on Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew,” “She’s the One” is 336 pages of mixture.

In the beginning, this novel is very slow. Author J.J. Murray sets the tone of his story early, but it’s ploddingly overkilled. Fortunately, it quickly picks up the pace, becomes comedic and rompish, and I couldn’t wait to see what happened next. Murray made me glad I stuck around.

Glad, at least, until near the end of this book when it descended into a confusing silliness that ruined the romp. I felt as if I’d gotten whiplash. I wished I’d stopped reading 30 pages from the finish.

Is this novel worth a look-see? I think so, but with mediocre expectations. Overall, “She’s the One” is cute at times, but not very strong.

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