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heartofoak1's review against another edition
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
lattelibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
This book. Was so. Good. I read it in less than two days. Amy is an eccentric character, and a very realistic one at that. After her fall, we discover that she is terrified of doctors, but thanks to her amnesia, she must go. Afterwards, she reads about her interview, and we discover that she not only has a bionic leg, but she was also attacked by two of her writing workshop students the previous year. This is, what, chapter three or four? Well, I had to keep reading, obviously.
One thing that I really appreciate about Amy is her reluctance to become famous, which is what so many authors want. Instead, she's fearful of going to the doctors, fearful of flying, and fearful of people misunderstanding her. Her interactions with her friends, agent, and the infamous Chaz Molloy (a radio host), are riotous. And one thing that I personally enjoyed about her, that doesn't have much to do with the story, is that she defines herself as overweight and remains overweight for the remainder of the book--this doesn't normally happen, so I was definitely pleased.
This book is not filled with much action, and the plot doesn't necessarily thicken, but goes along simply because Amy feels a little hounded by her agent, who wants to make her a B-list author. That's what makes it funny and relatable. Amy is a powerhouse unto her own, and it was a pleasure to read about her year-long quest to stay out of the spotlight.
Get the full review here!
One thing that I really appreciate about Amy is her reluctance to become famous, which is what so many authors want. Instead, she's fearful of going to the doctors, fearful of flying, and fearful of people misunderstanding her. Her interactions with her friends, agent, and the infamous Chaz Molloy (a radio host), are riotous. And one thing that I personally enjoyed about her, that doesn't have much to do with the story, is that she defines herself as overweight and remains overweight for the remainder of the book--this doesn't normally happen, so I was definitely pleased.
This book is not filled with much action, and the plot doesn't necessarily thicken, but goes along simply because Amy feels a little hounded by her agent, who wants to make her a B-list author. That's what makes it funny and relatable. Amy is a powerhouse unto her own, and it was a pleasure to read about her year-long quest to stay out of the spotlight.
Get the full review here!
meghan111's review against another edition
5.0
The humor in this kept making me snort out loud. Amy Gallup is a reclusive writer in her 60s, alone except for her basset hound. She lives an interior life, full of ruminations on stuff like the intricate way her basset hound cleans his paws. After hitting her head on a birdbath in the backyard and suffering a concussion, Amy gives an out-of-character interview to a local reporter, and then when the story comes out in the paper, she has no recollection of saying any of the eccentric things written on the page. What follows is a zippy plot where a character who doesn't care or have anything to lose achieves success. Fun.
Spoiler
And the elderly basset hound not only doesn't die, he becomes a hero.julesanne's review against another edition
2.0
This is the first book I have read by Jincy Willett, and probably my last. I did not found this book funny, as it was described. I thought the main character was too self absorbed and depressing, however she did seem be less depressed and less self centered by the end of the novel. There were some great segments in the novel that I did enjoy, so I considered giving the the novel 3 stars. Anyway, this book was an easy read, but I did not find it funny or too interesting.
sausome's review against another edition
5.0
Holy cow, this book is awesome so far! The main character, Amy Gallup, is a lady after my own heart -- I swear we're like soul twins or something. She's sarcastic and snotty, reclusive, allergic to feelingy-feelings and emotive people, non-plussed by children and the idea of having them, and the quintessential self-deprecator.
Here are some excellent lines from what I've read so far:
p. 19
"Amy had seen firsthand how people with children aged differently than people without, as they pushed their expanding babies uphill like great lumpy boulders. Of course they dreaded death, everyone does, but their dread was mixed with acceptance and calculation. In their new minds there was an age earlier than which they must not die and after which they could. As soon as Jason finishes college, whenever Kate stops screwing around and figures out what she wants to do, the minute Sandy's kids get into rehab, then I can check out."
p. 35
"By the time Amy got back home it was twilight, and Alphonse, galvanized by the sound of her Crown Vic, roared at her from the backyard, where she'd abandoned him almost eighteen hours ago. He'd drunk or spilled half his water and strewn a bowlful of chow all over the patio. Alphonse loathed dry dog food. When forced to ingest it, as he surely had been today, his resentment was epic, filed away forever in his box of basset grudges."
p. 36
"There were twenty-two calls, only a couple of which were from Carla. Four of them were from some dame named Maxine Horner, who sounded just like A Horner, her voice so strident that it stressed out the cheap speaker. 'Amy Gallup, long time no see!' She must be at least Amy's age -- nobody said 'long time no see' anymore -- and she also sounded put out, in the third message, about not having been called back. 'We gotta touch base, babe,' she said, before Amy cut her off.
For an uncomfortable minute, Amy worried anew about her brain (which, according to Kurt Robetussien and her gorgeous MRI, was free of death-dealing shadows). Evidently she was supposed to know Maxine Horner. Worse still, there was someone in the world who felt free to call her 'babe.'"
p. 44
"Max had taught her how to do this, to deal with threatening social situations by transforming people into fictional characters with no inner lives. 'Pretend they're foils,' Max told her. 'Characters in a farce, and you're the one writing it.' From the start of their friendship, Max had devoted himself to coaxing Amy out of her cave, partly, she thought, for his own, amusement, and partly because he genuinely cared about her. 'But they're not foils,' she would object, 'they have feelings. I don't want to deal with those.'"
p. 72
"Maxine had infected her with hope."
"Managing lowered expectations is easy. You can move seamlessly from a happy life to a less happy one to one that is plainly unhappy: your colors, never exactly vibrant, can fade to shades of gray, your horizons contract until all that remain are enclosing walls, and it's all good."
Here are some excellent lines from what I've read so far:
p. 19
"Amy had seen firsthand how people with children aged differently than people without, as they pushed their expanding babies uphill like great lumpy boulders. Of course they dreaded death, everyone does, but their dread was mixed with acceptance and calculation. In their new minds there was an age earlier than which they must not die and after which they could. As soon as Jason finishes college, whenever Kate stops screwing around and figures out what she wants to do, the minute Sandy's kids get into rehab, then I can check out."
p. 35
"By the time Amy got back home it was twilight, and Alphonse, galvanized by the sound of her Crown Vic, roared at her from the backyard, where she'd abandoned him almost eighteen hours ago. He'd drunk or spilled half his water and strewn a bowlful of chow all over the patio. Alphonse loathed dry dog food. When forced to ingest it, as he surely had been today, his resentment was epic, filed away forever in his box of basset grudges."
p. 36
"There were twenty-two calls, only a couple of which were from Carla. Four of them were from some dame named Maxine Horner, who sounded just like A Horner, her voice so strident that it stressed out the cheap speaker. 'Amy Gallup, long time no see!' She must be at least Amy's age -- nobody said 'long time no see' anymore -- and she also sounded put out, in the third message, about not having been called back. 'We gotta touch base, babe,' she said, before Amy cut her off.
For an uncomfortable minute, Amy worried anew about her brain (which, according to Kurt Robetussien and her gorgeous MRI, was free of death-dealing shadows). Evidently she was supposed to know Maxine Horner. Worse still, there was someone in the world who felt free to call her 'babe.'"
p. 44
"Max had taught her how to do this, to deal with threatening social situations by transforming people into fictional characters with no inner lives. 'Pretend they're foils,' Max told her. 'Characters in a farce, and you're the one writing it.' From the start of their friendship, Max had devoted himself to coaxing Amy out of her cave, partly, she thought, for his own, amusement, and partly because he genuinely cared about her. 'But they're not foils,' she would object, 'they have feelings. I don't want to deal with those.'"
p. 72
"Maxine had infected her with hope."
"Managing lowered expectations is easy. You can move seamlessly from a happy life to a less happy one to one that is plainly unhappy: your colors, never exactly vibrant, can fade to shades of gray, your horizons contract until all that remain are enclosing walls, and it's all good."
lazwright's review against another edition
4.0
A bit of a slower start, but such a romp through what I imagine the life of an author might be. Really enjoy he character of Amy.
greenvillemelissa's review against another edition
4.0
Book #50 Read in 2013
Amy Falls Down by Jincy Willett
Amy is a writer...well, she used to be but she hasn't written anything in years. She is more famous for a writing group where one of the members tried to kill people. Then she has an accident in her back yard, hitting her head on a birdbath, and when she comes to, a reporter is leaving her house and Amy has no recollection of what she had said. The article comes out and Amy is made out to be a wonderfully eccentric talent, when in reality she had taken leave of her senses temporarily. That article begins to bring media attention back on Amy and her former agent begins booking Amy for radio shows and speaking engagements. Amy has no filter and takes no prisoners.
This book had a lot of humor in it. I enjoyed the references to books and to the writing process. However, the writing was a bit disjointed and at times the book dragged for me. Overall though, I thought it was a good read.
I received this book from the Amazon Vine program in exchange for a review.
http://melissasbookpicks.blogspot.com
Amy Falls Down by Jincy Willett
Amy is a writer...well, she used to be but she hasn't written anything in years. She is more famous for a writing group where one of the members tried to kill people. Then she has an accident in her back yard, hitting her head on a birdbath, and when she comes to, a reporter is leaving her house and Amy has no recollection of what she had said. The article comes out and Amy is made out to be a wonderfully eccentric talent, when in reality she had taken leave of her senses temporarily. That article begins to bring media attention back on Amy and her former agent begins booking Amy for radio shows and speaking engagements. Amy has no filter and takes no prisoners.
This book had a lot of humor in it. I enjoyed the references to books and to the writing process. However, the writing was a bit disjointed and at times the book dragged for me. Overall though, I thought it was a good read.
I received this book from the Amazon Vine program in exchange for a review.
http://melissasbookpicks.blogspot.com
sjwomack8981's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely brilliant writing and engaging and funny, and towards the end a poignant story.