Last May, Gilmore Girls aired its last heartwarming, witty episode about the dynamic mother-daughter duo of Lorelai and Rory Gilmore. For thousands of fans, Tuesday evenings were suddenly filled with a dark, cold void. Gilmore enthusiasts can ease their pain by indulging in Jennifer Crusie's Coffee at Luke's, a collection of essays dedicated to the television program.
The collection, subtitled "An Unauthorized Gilmore Girls Gabfest" is just that: a gabfest. As Crusie writes in the introduction, "Dumb dialogue is boring dialogue; the writers on Gilmore Girls never make that mistake." Neither do the 15 authors who contribute to this collection, and who all add a little Gilmore wit to their own essays.
Miellyn Fitzwater's "My Three Dads" follows the three dominant male figures found in Rory Gilmore's life, comparing their competence in the categories of time, money and emotional support. She includes bar graphs to contrast the qualities, to avoid any confusion one might have.
More minor characters are revered in Coffee at Luke's as well. These essays incorporate an ode to the town oddball, Kirk; an analysis of Rory's enemy-turned-best friend, Paris Geller; and a defense argument for Lorelai's mother, Emily Gilmore.
The book is amusing, but one must wonder about these authors. Isn't it a little strange that middle-aged women are sitting around writing about the time that Emily and Lorelai went to a spa in the second season? Read this book to relive memorable episodes of Gilmore Girls, but don't take it too seriously. And afterward, pick up a season of Gilmore Girls on DVD and take a trip of your own to Stars Hollow. Relax in some mindless Gilmore entertainment and save the analysis for your English lit paper.
Grade: B-
