The Parker Grey Show

by Kristen Buckley

When her roommate, Lil, mysteriously vanishes, waitress and TV junkie Parker Grey, inspired by the star of the television series La Femme Nikita, takes to the streets of Manhattan to search for Lil, changing her own life forever in the process. Original.

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

I grew up on the mean streets of Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. I was the oldest of four siblings, the younger three all adopted from Korea (and incidentally, all three were terrible at math thus debunking the 'brilliant Asian' stereotype). My other siblings included my older, Jackson Browne loving step-sister, Stacie and Becky the Runaway, who sought refuge after nearly being sexually assaulted (on more than one occasion) by the chimpanzee Mr. Jiggs, from whom she was renting a room... I could go on. Honestly I could... but it would just be easier to read Tramps Like Us.

Reviews

[Annika Klein · Rating 4 out of 5]

i haven’t read this book in…fifteen years? could be more. i loved it so much i was sure i’d be let down by revisiting, but i had to know. and…i still love it. every character is a terrible person. it’s fatphobic and ableist. (or maybe the pov character is, but since the author wrote how to lose a guy in 10 days…) the climax is ridiculous. but i love it.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd bought this book a long time ago, and just now gotten around to reading it. Once I picked it up, I finished it in the same day. It was very engrossing and funny.

Parker Grey is very relatable, for a habitual liar. She's having an existential crisis, and has given up playing the guitar. She's in love with a TV actor whom she's never met, but that's a minor detail. If I had a dollar for every fan of "The Office" in love with John Krasinski, I'd be a rich girl. She's just searching for inspiration, wherever she can find it.

Her roommate Lil is fanatical and hysterically funny. She's having an affair with a gross old man, who happens to be very rich and well-known. Daddy issues, much? Lil ropes Parker into all kinds of misadventures, and winds up getting herself kidnapped as a result.

Parker's quest to find her roommate becomes a quest to find herself at the same time. I'm unsure which was more satisfying, Parker figuring it all out, or Parker rescuing Lil. Either way, this book is definitely worth the read.

[Sherri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely fell into this book. I picked it up yesterday and read the whole book yesterday. It was only 230+ pages but it captured me. It is a very light hearted read with a typical story book ending. It was nice to read something that was light and not very deep.

[Aicha Bentley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book made me laugh alot.

[Caroline · Rating 2 out of 5]

Buckley's memoir was so great, but this novel was eh.

[Trudi Cohen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun

This novel can strain the reader’s level of credulity, but it’s a fun ride when you hop on that train. Toot Toot!

[Tawnee Kinnebrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up. Quick fun read. Ending felt like it could have done a little more

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bought this for two bucks at Half Priced Books solely for the reference to the TV show "La Femme Nikita". Got cheated out of $1.99.

Self absorbed woman who "loses herself" and steps away from her life as a musician to live a shallow life in New York City with shallow friends who live rent-free in massive lofts and giggle as they rip off a plasma screen from their equally shallow neighbor. Even the references to La Femme Nikita are shallow.

Problem solved at the end when our heroine discovers her "true self": surprise! She's a shallow self-absorbed woman living rent free in a massive loft in New York City. She's made up with her navel and can once again stare lovingly upon it.

Oh happy day.

[April Monique Clam · Rating 5 out of 5]

All I can say is that, PARKER GREY is I think a perfect description of me.haha! that's right she's like someone that I can relate to myself. I mean we all lie, we all fantasies Celebrities, we all dreamed of being rich, like we slip fingers trough drawers. but what's weirder is that I don't know but Oh God at first I thought I am the only person on earth whose referring or engaging real life happenings to TV series like what she did when she had that situation of Lil being kidnap and she kinda referred Nikita, like what would Nikita do to handle the situation- things like that, scenarios like that, to be honest I AM certified like that! from now on I include grey Parker in my list of favorite fictional characters, imaginary or what. She's a Boom! wow... kudos!

[Miranda Kerr-Bloom · Rating 3 out of 5]

im not new to books like these. but there is something about this book that got me feeling as if im not really well informed about how ugly the wold can get. i was "bitch slapped". i cant find another term to exactly express what i felt while reading it. anyway, the narrator was so vulgar. not that im not used to profanity or anything, because i am used to it. its just that there is something off about the narrator. she actually feels like a psycho to me.but setting that aside, it was good.

i mean, its really good, you could actually relate with her at some point that sometimes you might think to yourself, am i a bit of a psycho like this girl?

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one gets three stars only because it was the right book at the right time. Otherwise, definitely two (possibly two and a half)stars. It wasn't a literary masterpiece by any means, the plot was somewhat tired, and you could guess what would happen next with every page. That being said, I was in a place where I needed a "sitcom" style book, one that I didn't really have to think about much and this fit the bill perfectly. There were some humorous points and the main character was interesting enough.

[Shirly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I dearly love this book, that I found at my favorite second hand store years ago, looking for a quick light read.

I know it looks like your average chic lit, but I find that it speaks to me in a bunch of ways. Introvert... used to excel at something and now feels no sense of purpose... lonely... mid twenties... obsessed with TV shows and their characters - I love Parker Grey to death. Her method of dealing with things both scary and uncertain is the most me thing ever.

This is a great little read for anyone who wants something light, silly, and kickass.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everytime I read this book I see it as a movie in my head. A great story about someone losing herself and then finding her way back, quite simple really, but when told by the right person it's fabulous. Like a Bonnie Cashin pocket skirt!

[Heather Donavant · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is a very quick read, great if you can't sleep.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Chick lit I just couldn't relate to...or believe.

[Carlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading about Bonnie Cashin design theory.