Violet Parry is living the quintessential life of luxury in the Hollywood Hills with David, her rock-and-roll manager husband, and her darling toddler, Dot. She has the perfect life – but she’s deeply unhappy.
David expects the world of Violet but gives little of himself in return. When she meets Teddy, a roguish small-time bass player, Violet comes alive, and soon she’s risking everything for the chance to find herself again. Also in the picture are David’s hilariously high-strung sister, Sally, on the prowl for a successful husband, and Jeremy, the sportscaster savant who falls into her trap.
Read by Penny Rawlins
(p) 2014 Orion Publishing Group
David expects the world of Violet but gives little of himself in return. When she meets Teddy, a roguish small-time bass player, Violet comes alive, and soon she’s risking everything for the chance to find herself again. Also in the picture are David’s hilariously high-strung sister, Sally, on the prowl for a successful husband, and Jeremy, the sportscaster savant who falls into her trap.
Read by Penny Rawlins
(p) 2014 Orion Publishing Group
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Reviews
In this novel by the author of Where'd You Go, Bernadette, risks run high as emotions. We fell in love with well-off but unhappily-married heroine Violet, who falls for roguish musician Teddy
From the author of bestseller Where'd You Go, Bernadette comes this darkly funny read about a marriage in trouble
Violet Parry has it all - the rich, rock-band-manager husband, the adorable daughter and the huge house in the LA hills but... she's miserable! When she meets down-and-out local bass player Teddy Reyes, her life takes an unexpected turn. An awesome beach read!
A pulse-racing read
The author of Where'd You Go, Bernadette delivers a wickedly funny satire on the poor choices we make in the pursuit of happiness
Last year many of us fell in love with Maria Semple's Where'd You Go, Bernadette... It is just as easy to fall for Semple's exuberant prose in her first novel, This One is Mine... The dialogue zings... Semple also has a gift for describing physical comedy
The book is about picking yourself up from life's catastrophes and carrying on
Had me snorting into my tea
Semple is a former Hollywood comedy writer - and it shows... This tale of a privileged family self-combusting is as poignant as it is funny
It's hard to imagine being unhappy when you have a rock'n'roll husband, adorable toddler and plenty of money, but without passion, Violet finds it's not enough. Or at least, that's what she suddenly realises when a rather handsome man falls into her lap - isn't that always the way?
Maria Semple's last novel, the hilarious Where'd You Go, Bernadette was shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction. This one is just as shocking, funny and delightful. Violet Parry has everything: a husband, a toddler and a luxurious Hollywood home. What she wants is Teddy, a bass player. Soon she's risking everything for the chance to find herself.
Maria Semple's last novel, Where'd You Go, Bernadette was one of my favourites of recent years. This one is about similarly kooky, dysfunctional family life that defies the American Dream. Violet Parry is living in a supposedly perfect Hollywood bubble as the wife of a rock 'n' roll mogul. In reality she's dead inside. Until bass player Teddy comes along.
As sharp as a tack
Semple's first novel, now published in the UK thanks to the success of her charming Where'd You Go, Bernadette. It's the story of Violet, whose outwardly perfect LA life is shaken when she meets down-at-heel bass player Teddy. As a scriptwriter for Beverly Hills, 90210 and Arrested Development, Semple knows her Hollywood stuff
The pace never drops and fans are rooting for a big-screen version.
British readers who loved TV scriptwriter Maria Semple's feted title, Where'd You Go, Bernadette, will be pleased to hear that her debut novel, This One is Mine is being published in the UK for the first time... much to be enjoyed
On the surface, Violet Parry has it all - a wealthy and successful husband; a beautiful, not to mention much wanted and tried for, baby; and a dream Neutra-designed, $10m house in the Hollywood Hills - but this one-time "Ultra Violet", powerhouse screenwriter who's since been "felled" by motherhood now only wants one thing: the ex-junkie, jobbing bass player, Teddy Reyes... a warm, witty comedy with plenty of heart.