Tuesday
May022006
BOOKS: by Marian Keyes (A Rebel Favorite)
Tuesday, May 2, 2006 at 07:35AM
Available May 2006 - pre-order at Amazon.com
This review based on the Advance Reader's Edition from HarperCollins
ANYBODY OUT THERE?
Available from Amazon.com on May 9, 2006, just in time for Mother's Day -- Great Gift!!
up·roar·i·ous adj:
1. characterized by noisy confusion
2. extremely funny and causing people to laugh loudly
3. loud and boisterous
I don't think I've ever used it before, but Marian Keyes is absolutely uproarious.
Keyes is a fortysomething Irish chick who started writing in 1993. Since then, this former accounting office clerk has written eight internationally bestselling novels and two books of nonfiction (essays and article compilations), including one of my all-time favorites, about the "glamorous life" of writing: UNDER THE DUVET.
[Note: UNDER THE DUVET is currently available on Amazon.com [BARGAIN PRICE] for $4.49 (65% off!) -- order it with ANYBODY OUT THERE? for FREE Super Saver Shipping in time for Mother's Day!]
The nonfiction is hilarious, and thoroughly enjoyable. The novels, though, are downright amazing, culminating in her latest, ANYBODY OUT THERE? about an Irish woman in New York, desperately searching for her missing husband.
Out of Keyes' eight novels, four are loosely related (see Books by Marian Keyes), forming a family saga of the five offbeat Walsh sisters of Ireland, their eccentric Mum and beleaguered Dad (wouldn't you be, too, with SIX crazy women in your life?!), and various friends, lovers, and family members. ANYBODY OUT THERE? is the story of Anna Walsh, the fourth sister, a publicist and promotions director for a large cosmetics company in New York.
ANYBODY OUT THERE? is a finely crafted stand-alone novel, with a shocking circumstance kept cleverly hidden as a mystery until page 155 -- a third of the way through the book -- which is masterful. From page 156 on, ANYBODY OUT THERE? becomes a very different book (still fabulous), a page-turner of pathos and desperation, hard to put down. At the same time, Keyes weaves in the continuation of the sisters' stories, all the while keeping the family involved, storylines and formerly-introduced personalities intact, moving forward.
Keyes is down-to-earth, engaging, and self-deprecating, with Irish humor and wit. Although uproarious, her books go beyond cheesecake and fluff. Sometimes categorized as "Chick Lit" and compared to Helen Fielding (Bridget Jones' Diary), Marian Keyes is so much more. She writes about serious, dark issues and life challenges, including depression, addiction, and illness. Even in the darkest situations, Keyes wraps it all in humor, carried by her use of language -- you can hear her sparkling accent.
Any of her books would be an excellent selection for Mother's Day, or a perfect gift for the twenty-, thirty-, or fortysomething woman. Click Books by Marian Keyes for a list of her books, with comments and suggestions. Enjoy!
You can also visit www.MarianKeyes.com for more information about the author, or sign up for Marian Keyes' AuthorTracker on the HarperCollins website for all the latest news and releases -- and sometimes contests!
This review based on the Advance Reader's Edition from HarperCollins
"Marian Keyes can do no wrong..."
ANYBODY OUT THERE?
by Marian Keyes
(William Morrow/HarperCollins, May 2006)
Available from Amazon.com on May 9, 2006, just in time for Mother's Day -- Great Gift!!
up·roar·i·ous adj:
1. characterized by noisy confusion
2. extremely funny and causing people to laugh loudly
3. loud and boisterous
I don't think I've ever used it before, but Marian Keyes is absolutely uproarious.
Keyes is a fortysomething Irish chick who started writing in 1993. Since then, this former accounting office clerk has written eight internationally bestselling novels and two books of nonfiction (essays and article compilations), including one of my all-time favorites, about the "glamorous life" of writing: UNDER THE DUVET.
[Note: UNDER THE DUVET is currently available on Amazon.com [BARGAIN PRICE] for $4.49 (65% off!) -- order it with ANYBODY OUT THERE? for FREE Super Saver Shipping in time for Mother's Day!]
The nonfiction is hilarious, and thoroughly enjoyable. The novels, though, are downright amazing, culminating in her latest, ANYBODY OUT THERE? about an Irish woman in New York, desperately searching for her missing husband.
Out of Keyes' eight novels, four are loosely related (see Books by Marian Keyes), forming a family saga of the five offbeat Walsh sisters of Ireland, their eccentric Mum and beleaguered Dad (wouldn't you be, too, with SIX crazy women in your life?!), and various friends, lovers, and family members. ANYBODY OUT THERE? is the story of Anna Walsh, the fourth sister, a publicist and promotions director for a large cosmetics company in New York.
ANYBODY OUT THERE? is a finely crafted stand-alone novel, with a shocking circumstance kept cleverly hidden as a mystery until page 155 -- a third of the way through the book -- which is masterful. From page 156 on, ANYBODY OUT THERE? becomes a very different book (still fabulous), a page-turner of pathos and desperation, hard to put down. At the same time, Keyes weaves in the continuation of the sisters' stories, all the while keeping the family involved, storylines and formerly-introduced personalities intact, moving forward.
Keyes is down-to-earth, engaging, and self-deprecating, with Irish humor and wit. Although uproarious, her books go beyond cheesecake and fluff. Sometimes categorized as "Chick Lit" and compared to Helen Fielding (Bridget Jones' Diary), Marian Keyes is so much more. She writes about serious, dark issues and life challenges, including depression, addiction, and illness. Even in the darkest situations, Keyes wraps it all in humor, carried by her use of language -- you can hear her sparkling accent.
Any of her books would be an excellent selection for Mother's Day, or a perfect gift for the twenty-, thirty-, or fortysomething woman. Click Books by Marian Keyes for a list of her books, with comments and suggestions. Enjoy!
You can also visit www.MarianKeyes.com for more information about the author, or sign up for Marian Keyes' AuthorTracker on the HarperCollins website for all the latest news and releases -- and sometimes contests!