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This One Is Mine
by Maria Semple Fiction - Chick Lit
Reviewed on 03/16/2009
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Author Biography
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Book Review
Maria Semple writes in a delightful style. The words just seem to flow. The characters make this book. They are well-developed, and each has a distinct personality.
The setting is LA. The cast of characters are shallow and self-centered. Sally is on the prowl for a rich husband. Violet is dissatisfied, so she has a fling. This One Is Mine is a hilarious read. I quickly turned the pages to see what would happen next. Fans of chick lit will enjoy This One Is Mine.
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Comments Section
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Randy Sue Coburn |
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Maria Semple maps the City of Angels with such trenchant humor, such a sharp understanding of human foibles that the title couldn't be more apt: this one *is* hers, all hers. I loved the range here -- how some passages were achingly raw, others laugh-aloud hilarious, and still others funny in a way that made me want to take a shower.
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AMY BOURRET |
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Finally an L.A. novel that even outsiders can "get." Maria Semple's flawed characters may not always be likeable or their decisions understandable, but that rawness is what makes the novel loveable. Her writing deftly weaves laugh-out-loud moments with themes of redemption and compassion. I can't wait to read her next book. --Amy Bourret
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Bill Scheft |
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Maria Semple springs from the head of the writer's table a fully formed novelist. The characters are accessible amidst their denial, their actions plausible amidst the chaos. And the work has a delicious sense of humor about itself. All rare in comic fiction. But nothing rarer than this. It made me want to stay in LA, if only in its pages.
Go buy it, and call me after you do.
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grumpydan |
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I picked up "This One is Mine" by Maria Semple because I like the Hollywood background (wanting to move there when I was younger), but wasn't prepared to read about rich but bored housewife Violet and Sally, whose only goal in life is too marry rich. The story goes back and forth with what each is doing; Violet thinking about having an affair and Sally conniving to hook and catch a newspaper columnist, soon to be television star. This was certainly a quirky novel and more than just chick lit.
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zg |
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This One Is Mine is a rollicking thrill ride, a novel of how we live now masquerading as satire. Well, if it is satire, then, like all the best satire, it's all too real. From Violet's desire for a sane life to Teddy's desire for a working car, Semple delivers characters with real wants and desires, and the basic human unpredictability that keeps us fervently turning the pages. You'll laugh out loud and still feel and care for people who are real flesh and blood. A winner.
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J. DiMarzo |
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Really enjoyed this book! Maria Semple's first novel takes place in L.A. with a cast of characters that have so many personality disorders, it's hard to believe she's able to pull it all together so well. It's sort of like a soup that has a list of ingredients that you would never think of using together -- and yet, the end result is delicious. It's the story of Violet, her husband, David and her bizarro friend/lover Teddy, David's diabetic sister Sally, her love interest Jeremy and their life in and around 90210. Not just chick lit, this witty novel is both entertaining and thought-provoking as well. Put it on your short list.
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A Rebel Librarian |
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Don't let the poolside scene on the cover fool you into thinking this is a simple beach read, or even above-average chick lit. Maria Semple offers a witty and wise look at a few individuals struggling with the California dream gone awry.
Violet Parry isn't adjusting well to her positions of stay-at-home Mom and go-to girl for her egocentric husband, a rock-and-roll manager. Having given up a successful career as a television writer, she seems to have lost her way when she meets a scrappy young bass player, Teddy. They have an instant rapport that leads her to pay for an expensive car repair - and much more. Meanwhile, her younger sister-in-law has decided she will snag a successful husband and sets her sights on soon-to-be ESPN star Jeremy White. The men don't behave as expected, and most of the characters grow in unpredictable ways. A few scenes have an over-the-top quality found in both big and small screen comedies, but the story lands on its feet with a touching sobriety.
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Marco |
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Maria Semple is a terrific writer. Her characters feel very specific and real -- and she resists the temptation to make fun of people just because they're affluent. She seems to have compassion for all of the people she writes about, even the horrible ones. The book is funny, witty, soulful. I couldn't put it down.
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Tracy Newman |
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I was pulled into this story immediately and began to care so much about the two main characters that I was constantly thinking about them and worried for days about them. I would have ordinarily read this wonderful book in one or two sittings, but really couldn't get the free time, so I just kept trying to figure out what was going to happen, and I was never right! Maria has a way of looking at things and telling things that is completely original. What a treat.
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Bruce M. Beehler |
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Maria Semple's new novel is a wild ride through LA with vivid close-ups of lives both upscale and down. This is a must-read for East Coasters wanting to better understand the mysteries of the West Coast. More than that, the story tells the stories of two women's akilter lives--sister-in-laws--who are as different as night and day. And, in portraying the complex relationship between high-flying music impresario David and Violet, his stay-at-home wife, the author captures perfectly how love suffers twists and turns in ways no one can predict. The sweat-lodge scenes are a scream, but the lessons David learned there lead to Violet's rescue and are gentle gifts to the reader--messages for all of us to take to heart... Semple has a great ear, and gets the tone just right. There is not one false note in the book.
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