Whole Book Discussion

[vivico1]

Do you see a pattern where a lot of people are talking about Emily? I think the chapters about her held our interest more than the others. They are heartwarming and touching and in a way, the rest really is, "been there, done that", didn't need a book about it. But there is a story in the relationship of Amy and Emily that goes a bit beyond that for us. I agree with whoever said it, (sorry I don't have your name before me now), its a nice little read but so commonly common, does it need a book to tell? I think one told about her and her daughter and how they grew up together basically, like those chapters did, would have made a better book read. We don't know much about the other queens anyway. I just kinda expected a book by an advice columnist to stretch more, and that doesn't mean it has to be shock and awe, it just means stretching more beyond the boundaries of what we might hear in just an interview anyway. But thats just my opinion. Good light airport read.

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Stephanie wrote:

......What I loved about the novel was the sense that Emily is, even though her home was "broken" extremely well adjusted, and possibly more interesting because of her family's circumstances. She has something not many of us do- she is a city/country girl- to be comfortable in both worlds from early childhood, that's something else. Also, I have a huge soft spot for dorks, having been one myself for many years now.

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[umlaut]

I have been debating with myself about posting this message, while I was reading this book; I didn’t feel very enthusiastic about the storyline.  Some of the plot lines were repetitive for example her dad’s departure and her divorce. I have read only few memoirs and to me, Amy’s memoir didn’t seem anything extraordinary, I kept waiting to read more about Amy’s position at NPR and how she deals with some of the issues at this position. All in all in felt disappointed in this book since nothing new is reveled at first few chapters.

NOTE: I posted this same post in the other thread “Discussion” without knowing this thread existed.

[umlaut]

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moomjy wrote:
It was a quick read.I found it ok.Not a very unusual story.The one question I kept asking myself while reading was Whats the point?I did not think that it was that great that it needed to be put into a book.Becca

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Thats extactly my thoughts! I thought this book could be sized down to 2 or 3 chapters.

[tdunham220]

I was really looking forward to reading this book, but I have to say I was disappointed. The character development was poor. I never felt like I really got to know any of the characters well; every incident/story line seemed superficial and shallow. I wish the author would have gone into much greater detail with the woman involved in her life as well as her daughter.  I'm sorry I can't be more positive about this book. I loved the last first look book I read!

[Stephanie]

I believe that there are times when our disappointments stem more from our expectations than from the source of those expectations.  I know that I picked up this memoir with no expectations at all- the way I generally read most novels.  I read quite a bit (obviously), and I've found that whatever value I'm liable to get from my reading depends as much upon me as it does on what I'm reading.  Because I'm a moderator, I don't choose much of my reading material.  In my six years of reading whatever I'm handed, I find I apply the way I read to other areas of my life - I tend to take most things "as is" -- there is after all, little we can change but ourselves. 

[Tarri]

I agree with you completely, Stephanie.  I like to start each book with no expectations (with the exception of series and/or books by the same author).  This book was a delightful look into someone's life, it was not meant to be War and Peace. 

[kanellio65]

A someone who reads many and all kinds of books as well as reviews them, I find I always look at each new book individually with no expectations other than the genre to give me some sense of what I am getting into. I found THE MIGHTY QUEENS OF FREEVILLE to be a light, fun read which was nice having come off of a long, very somber book. I read it rather quickly and enjoyed it for what it was meant to be...a memoir of Amy's life.... and who are we to judge what is important to her in her life to put down on paper? I respect her for that and her relationship was Emily was quite touching.

[dotnetbrett]

I think it was one of those feel-good books, that everyone wants every once and a while.  I do think that it is inspiring to see what Amy Dickinson was able to do with her life.  Overall, I enjoyed it, though it won't be one of those novels that inspire controversy or anything like that.  It was a memoir that I enjoyed reading at this particular point in my life.  It may not be for everyone, though.

[m3girl]

I haven't finished the book just yet, not because I am not interested in reading it and finishing it - but rather because I am choosing to cherish it and read it slowly, spreading out the mini-stories/chapters much slower than normally.  I like how each chapter is a self-contained mini-story and therefore I can read it slowly savoring each chapter as I go...

Susan 

[vmatt64]

Even while I type this, I am not sure that I will hit the submit post button... I thought the book was cute, but that was it. It was a quick read and something to do to pass the time, but I did not find anything really unique or special that would separate this from any other book on the shelf. Unfortuntely, I did not find the story very interesting and felt more that is was just a jumbled collection of thoughts. And while I got the feeling that Amy and Emily have a fantastic relationship, there are a lot of single parents (and parents in general) out there that have fantastic relationships with their children. I tried to figure out what made this interesting and special but, aside from the relationship between Amy and Emily, I could not find it. I have to agree with some of the other comments and describe it as an airport read. Having said that, there are some spectacular lines in the book, and now that I am aware of Amy, I have started reading her advice column online and I really enjoy it. Thanks again for the opportunity to be a part of this group.

[tabcat]

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m3girl wrote:

I haven't finished the book just yet, not because I am not interested in reading it and finishing it - but rather because I am choosing to cherish it and read it slowly, spreading out the mini-stories/chapters much slower than normally.  I like how each chapter is a self-contained mini-story and therefore I can read it slowly savoring each chapter as I go...

Susan 

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Susan, I read the book in the same way as you.  I enjoyed each chapter individually.  I was sorry that there were no more stories to look forward to the next day when I reached the end. Amy's sense of humor in both good and bad times was uplifting.

Teresa

[PinkBaby]

well i just finished the book. i liked it very much. i cried at the end a little. but mostly i laughed.some of the things she wrote about i could relate to even though im not a single mother. especially about being a dork i have been one my entire life. i never have the right clothes and im not very graceful. i can trip over my own feet and their doesnt have to be anything there. But i do have a dry sense of humour which i think amy has. I think she tries to laugh alot. because otherwise you cry. which i have alot. The humour in the book is great because if you dont  try and laugh a little through the tough times. You will never make it. I like the part in the book where she thinks shes pulling out a pen to write with and its tampax i do embarrsing things like that all the time but i try to laugh about it. I wish though i had the relationship with my sisters like Amy has. We  hardly ever talk to each other. My sisters hate my boyfriend so we hardly ever talk to each other. MY mother has been gone for twelve yrs. I guess she could have been MIGHTY QUEEN we could pretty much talk about anything. we laughed and we cried. BUT now i have my  boyfriend DAN and my dog BUDDY and i love them both very much. they make me laugh. Oh and sometimes being 50 yrs. old sucks but mostly its good. Anyway over all it was a good book. i would highly recomend people to  read it      sara                                                                                                

[va-BBoomer]

As someone posted, it isn't meant to be War and Peace, and we can all enjoy lighter books along with the 'greater' literature.  This memoir is a good, easy, fun read that covers Amy's background and being a single mom.  This I feel is also a locale book; anyone from Upstate can identify with the area covered.  The humor is down to earth and very much from normal (?) life as we all know it, with the ups, downs, humor and continued passage of time and how it affects everyone.  I was a bit surprised as to how I got into it as well as I did, as lighter books usually don't appeal to me, but I think Amy's honesty about her life won me over.  I'm glad I read it, and I would recommend it as the kind of read it is.

[Peppermill]

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va-BBoomer wrote:
As someone posted, it isn't meant to be War and Peace, and we can all enjoy lighter books along with the 'greater' literature.  This memoir is a good, easy, fun read that covers Amy's background and being a single mom.  This I feel is also a locale book; anyone from Upstate can identify with the area covered.  The humor is down to earth and very much from normal (?) life as we all know it, with the ups, downs, humor and continued passage of time and how it affects everyone.  I was a bit surprised as to how I got into it as well as I did, as lighter books usually don't appeal to me, but I think Amy's honesty about her life won me over.  I'm glad I read it, and I would recommend it as the kind of read it is.

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But it made a good reading companion to War and Peace! 

[KristyR]

I really enjoyed this book.  I've been reading a lot of heavy stuff lately and this was just what I needed - light, funny, and easy to devour.   I would have liked to get to know the mighty queens individually a little better, but as a whole their role as a support network, cheering section, and safety net was very apparent.  I look forward to reading more from Amy in the future.

[bookowlie]

     I also agree that some of the chapters didn't flow well.  Some of the subject matter jumped around too much.  The book seemed to be read more like a collection of columns about different parts and times of her life.  In fact, there were some parts of the story that seemed to jump in time a little too quickly for my taste.  For example, she started working for Time Magazine and then in the next page she was mentioning how she enjoyed that job and salary for a few years in the late 1990's.  Then in the next few page, she started talking about September 11th and how she was let go from that job shortly after.

     Still, I enjoyed reading the book.   It was a feel-good good and had many insightful quotes that I found myself re-reading.  While I was reading it, I found myself thinking that I could see how Amy's profession is a columnist, as some parts of the book seemed to read like a newspaper column - - short, to the point, witty observations.  I didn't find the book to be one of these "can't put it down" books, but rather a book to read while eating lunch or having a spare hour in the day.