A Week with Fiona Wonder

by Kelly Huddleston

It is exactly one week until sixteen-year-old Mercy Swimmer is to play out a dream scenario: to spend an entire week with movie star Fiona Wonder, the prize awarded to the winner of a contest staged by a teen magazine.

Mercy is kind and compassionate and always tries to see the best in everybody, even when those around her do not respond similarly. For example, her mother’s snippy, hot-tempered friend Nikki is a kleptomaniac who constantly belittles her boyfriend. Her best friend Valerie has anger issues and a weight problem. Beautiful but cold Lady Redding, Valerie’s mother, feels entitled to everything even as others go without. And Mercy’s mother, a severe asthmatic who works two menial jobs in a “dead mall”, seems to care more about Fiona Wonder and Mercy’s upcoming week with her than the pressing issues in their own lives.

Everything is on track for Mercy’s upcoming week with Fiona Wonder, but when her mother’s asthma flairs up, Mercy’s world turns upside down and she is faced with a decision that will ultimately challenge her own capacity for compassion.

A Week with Fiona Wonder shines an intense light upon the dire consequences of social exclusivity and suggests the alternatives of inclusion, empathy and, indeed, mercy.

Genres: Drama, Young Adult, Fiction

262 pages, Paperback

First published December 25, 2012

About the author

Kelly Huddleston is the author of the novels A WEEK WITH FIONA WONDER, ALONE IN THE COMPANY OF OTHERS and THE PERFECT PEARL. Her work has been called original, accomplished and well-crafted.

Reviews

[Mirrani · Rating 1 out of 5]

People often say that they can't put a book down, but in this case I simply couldn't convince myself that this story was worth picking up. I struggled through the entire thing, forcing myself through the badly written pages and concept-lacking story line. The main character wins a trip to see a movie star, Fiona Wonder. They are meant to spend a week together, as the title alludes to, however the book itself has nothing to do with its title, other than the fact that the week scheduled is yet to come. Some of the events that brought the celebrity visit about caused the events to happen in the week before, but there is little continuity between what I was expecting to read and what I actually got. Rewrite the title and at least you won't disappoint so many people from the get-go.

Beyond mismatch of title and plot, the characters were aggressive, mean and furious at everything all of the time. I found little to no love between any of them and no joys in any of their lives. This story is all about shoving the rotten economy down the reader's throat, forcing them to see how malls are closing, people are losing jobs and pounding you in the head to make you feel sorry for them. I already feel sorry for the people who, like me, had to find other employment in the past few years. I don't need to be thrown a novel of despair and hopelessness and be told to hold on for my emotional salvation. This is not a life preserver or ray of hope if it is filled with pissed off characters who can't see past their own noses. There was one good and interesting conversation throughout the entire book and that was near the end. Not surprisingly, it was the family's big argument. What else can you expect from characters that are based on hate and prejudice, full of spite and conceit and have no other real facet to them?

The plot of this story rambles. This is a book about a week in the life of an angry girl whose best friend isn't a friend at all. Her stupidity was beyond my comprehension and her actions and thought process were at times so convoluted and bizarre that I found it difficult to believe the character could exist at all, even on paper. There is potential here for a decent story, if time had been put into working out actual plot and character development. Instead the rambling is tiresome and the reader is filled with useless descriptions of what is on the radio or how to get to the mall instead of what is going on in the minds of the characters while their life is supposedly evolving around them. What could have been a book about family, togetherness and struggling through hard times to find a way above has become an angry, cold thing that I have no desire to relive again and was more than happy to be rid of.

Note: Though this book was a free gift from the author, the content of my review was in no way influenced by the gifting. The book speaks for itself and my review would have been worded just this way even if I'd gone out and bought it. I also give bonus points for Text To Speech enabling on Kindle format.... but that also wasn't a factor in the above review.

[Toni · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book at no charge through Goodreads' First Reads program. I have not been compensated in any other way for my review.

Review pending.

In the meantime, I must say this - shame on the publishing company! There was little evidence that this book has been read by either a proofreader or an editor. The spelling, grammar, spacing, etc. was quite egregious throughout the book. This is in no way marked as an ARC so, by this point, nearly all errors should have been fixed. I don't blame the author for this since it should be the publishing company's job to make sure they're releasing well-polished products. However, with this book marketed to young adults and younger readers, it is - in my opinion - unforgivable to release a book with so many errors. The younger generations are growing up with an abundance of technology that even my generation didn't have. Internet and "text speak" are so prevalent that these generations are already struggling with English skills. Supplying them with a book that has - for example - words repeatedly misspelled is only going to serve to confuse these young minds and further deteriorate their English skills.

If I were the publisher of this novel, I would be embarrassed!

[Pam Torres · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whenever I find a book with reviews across the board high and low, it almost always turns out there are many issues at play. And more often than not, I find myself drawn in with a desire to discern the writers intent, what is he/she really trying to say. That was the case with this book.
At the risk of sounding presumptuous, I'm going to say, I get it. One of the biggest complaints about the book was that the title was misleading, the book addresses the week before the appointed movie star prize. Most Americans, especially teens, are caught up in the daily lives of celebrities. They focus on them, schedule their lives around their performances and clamor to read the latest gossip. The author is shinning a light on the underbelly of all that hero worship, the realities that face the majority of Americans. The 99%, struggling everyday to stay ahead of the bills, put food on the table and take care of their families.
The book follows Mercy, a fifteen year old who is faced with the daily tension of healthcare issues, poverty, prejudice and neglect. Each page is full of tension of her everyday life. Many reviewers said they found the book depressing, I see that. I saw something deeper, an amazing teenager dealing with adult issues, a young girl forced into adulthood and responsibility and then almost exploding under the pressure. You may not "like" the characters, their selfish self-preservation. There is no argument that they are real, complicated and all of them are scratching their way to survival in a world of high housing costs, skyrocketing tuition, low income, joblessness, lack of healthcare, etc. It becomes clear why the thought of a future and what that will look like is a luxury, only the rich can afford.
I applaud Huddleston for taking this head on. It is rare that anyone speaks honestly about the lives many of American teenagers face everyday of their lives. I thoroughly enjoyed the brash honesty, no punches were pulled here, characters difficult to like, let alone connect to. I believe this perspective is important to give voice to. See Complete Review at soimfifty.blogspot.com

[Moze (SmartFolksRead) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can remember reading So.B.It. in sixth grade and this book reminds me of that novel so much. Both deal with a daughter who has a mother that they wish they could help out, but they can not simply because they are too young. A Week with Fiona Wonder is fitting into a trend of books I’ve been reading lately where the novel is good, do not get me wrong, but it lacks a certain something that makes it great for me. The novel has a misleading title since Mercy’s story is not actually about the week she spends with Fiona Wonder, but the week leading up to it.

I enjoyed Mercy, Robin, her mother, Gabriel, and not very many other characters in the novel. A large chunk of the characters are so concerned with their own lives that they lack the compassion to see the turmoil going on in the lives of those around them. Mercy is a sweet girl who gives everyone the benefit of the doubt until she decides that she has had enough at which point she becomes like the characters that I had grown to hate at that point in the novel.

This novel was a bit of a frustrating trip, I am not going to lie. The writing style had some really good points, but there were other points when I just wanted to get on with the story and get back to the main plot. The ending was a bit emotional, but slightly predictable. There were quite a few loose ends that were left tied up and relationships that had just begun to develop that I would have liked to have seen grow a bit more. In conclusion I would recommend this novel to fans of So.B.It. although I will give the warning that I think they will enjoy So.B.It. more. I am not saying I wouldn’t recommend this book, but if you have a choice between this and another novel you’ve been waiting to read I am just sayin’ maybe you should pick the other one.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book about Mercy Swimmer, a very misunderstood and underappreciated teenager, whose mother wins a week with Fiona Wonder, a movie star, for her. The book focuses on Mercy’s life leading up to her departure for the week with Fiona. In the book, the reader is introduced to a myriad of characters with all sorts of flaws, none of whom really see or accept Mercy for the kind, good-hearted person she is. As the reader progresses through the week leading up to the trip to the movie star’s location, Mercy and her rag-tag group of friends end up in a variety of odd but somehow humorous and endearing situations, until Mercy’s mother’s severe asthma forces Mercy to make some difficult choices. The characters in this book, though all with some sort of “problem” are still quite endearing and realistic, and it is easy to see how Mercy sticks around them. It is often difficult to believe what is going on or why Mercy doesn’t just ditch them for some other friends whose problems will not regularly take the center stage, but that is just how Mercy is. Finally, as the story nears completion, Mercy becomes frustrated with everything and everyone around her, and begins to fall into fear, anger and revenge. How she handles these feelings is interesting. This is the story of a loyal friend and daughter, who goes along with just about everything that happens until the breaking point. The plot is well developed and flows smoothly throughout. I think most readers would find a lot in the book that is of interest and to which they can easily relate. I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to reading more by this author. I received this book free on-line to read and review.

[Clare · Rating 2 out of 5]

The rambling prose of the ?-teen year old protagonist pours her naivety-turned-angst all over the reader from the first page. "You see, regarding Junior Prom and my refusal of the invitation by the boy who'd asked me to go, I looked beyond myself and my feelings and looked instead at Valerie and what it would have meant to her." Her early, naive stage was when (it is implied) she was too selfless, thinking of what other people wanted or needed, but never about herself.

Three quarters of the way through she wakes up to the extreme, pathetic selfishness of everyone around her, and to the fact that—for all her trying to please them—they never really see her, which matures her naivete into proper teenage angst. She becomes suddenly sensitive to the rich-poor divide, the duplicity of her apparent 'friend', the useless escapism in her mother, and the blind hypocrisy in her mother's friend.

She sees their degradation in menial employment, and then their desperation when they lose even that. She becomes angry at them for their selfishness and yet also for being incapable of doing better for themselves, and throws everything back in their faces.

Then tragedy strikes, and Mercy realises her mother really did have a sense of wonder, an ability to gaze at the sky, which took her above the sordid reality of their struggling lives. At least, that's what I think the abrupt ending implied. After all the angst and shouting and storming and sulking it was a bit hard to make sense of the silence. I'm going to stop trying, there's too much else to do.

[Valerie Rutherford · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Week with Fiona Wonder is about a girl, named Mercy, whose mother has won her a week with movie star, Fiona Wonder. Contrary to the title, the book has little to do with meeting a movie star and more to do with what winning this "honor" stirs up in Mercy's life.

Mercy is aptly named for all that she puts up with. Most of the characters in the book are quite unlikable - some, disgustingly so - which is part of the story's point. The first few chapters, Mercy just stands by and watches what awful things these people do. Eventually, she finally decides she's had enough - and promptly, becomes almost as unlikable as some of the rest of the cast. Frustrating though the trip was, the book comes to an emotional end, and I found myself feeling close to Mercy again, even though she had disappointed me along the way.

The writing style is fresh and very readable. Even when I was frustrated with the characters, I was still interested in the plot and where it was going. The spark between Mercy and one of the only really likable characters also helped my enjoyment of the book, and I learned a little about telescopes along the way.

[Cindy Holdmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an extremely wonderful book. The main character, Mercy, is struggling in trying to find happiness in her life. Her Mother, Mom's best friend work in a mall that is going to be demolished. Almost every character you meet is dysfunctional in one way or another. Mercy's Mother bought her an expensive bracelet that won a contest to see film star Fiona Wonder. Mercy's mother is her biggest fan but Mercy could care less. In the week leading up to the trip, she struggles with so many emotions with the people in her life.
This book was very well written, had a smooth plot line that was easy to follow and had characters that were absolutely believable and loveable despite their own problems. I encourage everyone from teenagers and up to read this book. Well done!

[Susie Sexton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gifted author Kelly Huddleston has crafted a beautiful parable for our times in 'A Week with Fiona Wonder.' The character of Mercy Swimmer is a kind of 'Everyperson' for our postmodern, media-saturated, synaptic-misfiring age. We all can relate to the illusory joys of celebrity (or proximity to celebrity), and the novel's central conceit of a week potentially spent with an admired star is compelling. The challenges Mercy faces along the way remind the reader that what is most important in life is what is closest in heart and mind. An ageless lesson told in a wonderfully contemporary way. Highly recommend!

[Eirian Houpe · Rating 1 out of 5]

I cannot, absolutely cannot say how much I disliked this book. The prose was badly written, the characters 'monochromatic' and always bitter and angry, and difficult to find sympathy with. The title has nothing to do with the actual events of the story and there is little finesse in any of it.

I was asked to read and review this novel by my wife who had been given an ARC, because she believed she was being too hard in her review. Having read the book now, I have to concur with her review, and actually think she was being kind, to be as positive as she was.

Perhaps I'm just old and cynical.

[Ricki · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I had to summarize A Week with Fiona Wonder in a phrase, I would call it a contemporary YA version of Roseanne. It very much has the feel of the show, but with more teen angst, but real angst not fake angst like on teen TV shows. It is very hard to describe, but a wonderful read.