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tracyk22's review against another edition
2.0
I read an essay by Rouse on-line that was hysterical, this book.... not so much. Too many bad metaphors.
sueellen61's review against another edition
3.0
I liked it but not as good as his other books. It just seemed like each story was the same. I have now read all his books and enjoyed each one!
southern_librarian's review against another edition
fast-paced
2.0
Confessions of a Prep School Mommy Handler came recommended to me from someone who knows the author. They did a great job selling it as a humorous memoir spilling the dirty secrets behind the curtain at independent schools. Unfortunately, the book fell a little flat. The author does outline his role, both the official and unofficial parts, in a way that showed the attempts at humor. But he ended up making the "Mean Mommies" (his term) so outlandish that they came across as complete caricatures - unbelievable. For example, five of them were described unironically as 100% always every day wearing bright pink. I love the color orange. I don't wear it more than twice a week. It's unrealistic that someone would own a 100% pink wardrobe. I also don't doubt that the author worked really hard at his job, but his descriptions of his colleagues were downright demeaning in his attempt to make his efforts shine. He made his female colleagues especially sound terrible - he goes on at length about their love of "depression desserts" despite his feeling that they could stand to lose a few pounds.
I've had bad jobs and tough jobs, but I know that if you want to keep moving forward you've got to find the positive in yourself and your contributions. You don't need to step on top of others to get to a better place. It is a good thing that the author has a quite successful writing career now, because I doubt he could return to the independent school realm. He even admits to outright potentially-harmful lies, like consistently purchasing full-fat milk lattes for a Mean Mommy instead of her requested skinny latte.
I will end by saying that I could definitely tell where the author tried for humor. I did smile a little here and there through the book. I would definitely try another of his nonfiction works in the future... but I'm going to need a little break first.
I've had bad jobs and tough jobs, but I know that if you want to keep moving forward you've got to find the positive in yourself and your contributions. You don't need to step on top of others to get to a better place. It is a good thing that the author has a quite successful writing career now, because I doubt he could return to the independent school realm. He even admits to outright potentially-harmful lies, like consistently purchasing full-fat milk lattes for a Mean Mommy instead of her requested skinny latte.
I will end by saying that I could definitely tell where the author tried for humor. I did smile a little here and there through the book. I would definitely try another of his nonfiction works in the future... but I'm going to need a little break first.
star63's review against another edition
4.0
I agree with Amy, slightly snarky but thoroughly enjoyable.
cleonardodavinci's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
2.5
kgcm72008's review against another edition
This book is about a certain rival high school of mine, and because I am familiar with the school and the area, it was mildly amusing. But only mildly. I finished the book feeling less entertained by the author's stories and more annoyed by the fact that he couldn't seem to stick up for himself. I actually emailed the author, telling him that I hope he didn't judge all of St. Louis by his experiences in this one sector. If you're looking for a light read, go for it but don't expect much substance.
samcarlin's review against another edition
3.0
Not as funny as I imagined it to be, but definitely a touching memoir.
katie_voss's review against another edition
2.0
Poor me, I work with mean mommies. Yet, there was enough juice to keep me going.
pghbekka's review against another edition
3.0
This wasn't bad at all, but not on the same level of "America's Boy" or "At Least in The City..." both of which were great reads.