Any Place I Hang My Hat

by Susan Isaacs

Amy was barely born with a spoon in her mouth let alone a silver one. Her mother abandoned her before her first birthday and her father, a small-time crook, was in jail more time than he was out. Raised by her flaky and slightly felonious grandmother, Amy worked hard and managed to get scholarships to boarding school, then Harvard, then the Columbia School of Journalism. But now -- a few years into her stint as a reporter for a prestigious magazine -- she doesn't know who she is or how to connect with the world. Seeking answers, she sets out to find the mother she never knew...and maybe a place to belong.

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit, Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance, Book Club, Audiobook

447 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 5, 2004

About the author

I was born in a thatched cottage in the Cotswolds. Oh, you want the truth. Fine. I was born in Brooklyn and educated at Queens College. After leaving school, I saw one of those ads: BE A COMPUTER PROGRAMMER! Take our aptitude test. Since I had nothing else in mind, I took the test-and flunked. The guy at the employment agency looked at my resume and mumbled, “You wrote for your college paper? Uh, we have an opening at Seventeen magazine.” That’s how I became a writer.

I liked my job, but I found doing advice to the lovelorn and articles like “How to Write a Letter to a Boy” somewhat short of fulfilling. So, first as a volunteer, then for actual money, I wrote political speeches in my spare time. I did less of that when I met a wonderful guy, Elkan Abramowitz, then a federal prosecutor in the SDNY.

We were married and a little more than a year later, we had Andrew (now a corporate lawyer). Three years later, Elizabeth (now a philosopher and writer) was born. I’d left Seventeen to be home with my kids but continued to to do speeches and the occasional magazine piece. During what free time I had, I read more mysteries than was healthy. Possibly I became deranged, but I thought, I can do this.

And that’s how Compromising Positions, a whodunit with a housewife-detectives set on Long Island came about. Talk about good luck: it was chosen the Main Selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club, auctioned for paperback, sold to the movies, translated into thirty languages, and became a bestseller. I was a little overwhelmed by the success. However, it’s hard to rise to a state of perpetual cool and go to slick downtown parties when you’re living in the suburbs with a husband, two kids, two dogs, and a mini-van, I simply wrote another book… and then another and another.

About half my works are mysteries, two fall into the category of espionage, and the rest are…well, regular novels. In the horn-tooting department, nearly all my novels have been New York Times bestsellers.

My kids grew up. My husband became a defense lawyer specializing in white collar matters: I call him my house counsel since I’m always consulting him on criminal procedure, the justice system, and law enforcement jargon. Anyway, after forty-five years of writing all sorts of novels—standalones—I decided to write a mystery series. I conceived Corie Geller with a rich enough background to avoid what I’d always been leery of—that doing a series would mean writing the same book over and over, changing only the settings.

I also produced one work of nonfiction, Brave Dames and Wimpettes: What Women are Really Doing on Page and Screen. I wrote a slew of articles, essays, and op-ed pieces as well. Newsday sent me to write about the 2000 presidential campaign, which was one of the greatest thrills of my life-going to both conventions, riding beside John McCain on the Straight Talk Express, interviewing George W. Bush. I also reviewed books for the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, and Newsday. (My website has far more information about my projects than most people would want to know, but have a look.)

In the mid-1980s, I wrote the screenplay for Paramount’s Compromising Positions which starred Susan Sarandon and Raul Julia. I also wrote and co-produced Touchstone’s Hello Again which starred Shelley Long, Gabriel Byrne, and Judith Ivey. (My fourth novel, Shining Through, set during World War II became the 20th Century Fox movie starring Michael Douglas, Melanie Griffith and Liam Neeson. I would have written the script, except I wasn’t asked.)

Here’s the professional stuff. I’m a recipient of the Writers for Writers Award, the Marymount Manhattan Writing Center Award, and the John Steinbeck Award. I just retired (after over a decade) as chairman of the board of the literary organization, Poets & Writers. I also served as president of Mystery Writers of America. I belong to the National Book Critics Circle, the Creative Coalition, PEN, the Ameri

Reviews

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book captures in an unexpected way the intersection between what we want from the people we love and our ability to trust them to give it to us. It's nuanced in an unusual way so that you're right with the narrator.

[I also finished it in the hours of our car ride home, despite four other awake people distracting me. That is the measure of a good book, right? heh, heh:]

[Janet · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have always liked Susan Isaacs. She is witty & funny & writes great dialogue. Most of her humor is wonderful sarcasm - a personal favorite. But she overdoes it to the extreme in this book - she's just not content to write one witty, sarcastic remark at a time. Even the smallest observation that has nothing whatsoever to do with the story merits sometimes 5 or 6 comments - each good in its own right but it gets annoying. The story itself is a good one but it too is overdone. Almost every time she encounters a character after a short time apart (sometimes only hours) she writes of their personal traits, their family background, their education, employment, childhood .......... and then she tells how her background relates to that of the character - every time she meets them no matter how insignificant the scene. I found myself wanting to skip ahead to the end (which was sadly predictable). So, yes, I will read another of her books because this is the first big disappointment.

[Christian Hable · Rating 3 out of 5]

HATED the ending bro. what a terrible last 100 pages 😭 after that politician recognizes freddy as his son the book goes SO downhill so like the first 200 pages are good. also the whole time i was like PLEASE amy can you shut up about john like yeah ik ur trying to cope with the break up. and then at the end yall get back together???? 😭🔫 it was very annoying

[Madelynn Vassallo · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was ok. It had a nice ending and the search for Amy’s mother had closure.

[Ptreick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm giving this three stars because really, the writing is good. Isaacs is queen of the one-liners and witty observations, none of which I could remember five minutes later. And the story ended up the way it should, in my mind -- a love story without any sap or melodrama.

That said... the central plot line (even that is difficult to really say -- is it Amy and John, or Amy's search for her mother?) was drawn waaaaay out with information that in no way seemed necessary. Lots of information about Amy's job as a reporter for In-Depth, and way too much information about In-Depth in the first place. There was a pointless conversation with her boss over an issue not at all related to the book which almost got Amy fired, and then a "make up with the boss" scene -- but why? As filler? As a way for the author to increase the suspense for the meeting-her-mother scene? It didn't work for me. Freddy Carrasco got way too much page time in this book -- when he just seemed to be an excuse for the author to muse on her own parentage. And Tatty -- an unlikely best friend for someone of Amy's intellectual ability -- serves no real purpose, except for the author to rehash things that already happened -- things that I, the reader, already know. About 2/3 of the way through the book, Amy becomes concerned that Tatty only looks for men in bars, and men in bars (don't you know) are necessarily full-fledged alcoholics. What? Back to the story, please.

Even within scenes where I was engaged and interested in where the story was going, suddenly there would be a distracting tangent. Who's calling -- John? Well, no, but in her excitement to answer the phone, Amy falls off the couch and sustains several broken ribs. Excuse me? Does this happen? Is it really possible? Amy's about to learn information about her grandparents from the woman who bought their home -- and instead, there's a long musing about the decor of the living room.

Hmm. I was with this book about 60% of the time, and I like a smart, feisty heroine, but still.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was slow going to start, but I got more invested as it went on. The protagonist was working through some serious traumas and it was a bit exhausting in parts but honestly bravo to her at the end and I'll just leave it at that.

[Bethany · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book well enough. It was a nice "finding myself" story with a a cheesy love story thrown in, minus a lot of the cheese and a bit of real-life relationships-are-not-always-awesome thrown in. You meet the main character after her rags to riches conversion from daughter of a criminal turned Ivy League educated gorgeous journalist, which is admittedly hard to relate to for us "normal" people. The first person perspective is nice, and the writing style is very detailed. Although the author's style is not the over-flowery ridiculousness that drives me batty describing every speck of color on a flower petal and the emotional meaning behind 12 of the 142 motes of dust in a sunbeam, it does require some intellectual commitment to get through. People who like big words and like a nice love story without the sap will enjoy this book.

[Susan Schimmel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second Susan Isaacs book I have read and it will be my last. I was very happy to finally read the last page of a novel that seemed full of filler narrative. Some of the characters are just too gratuitously ludicrous. A farting, spitting boss - really? A handsome, loving crook of a father now been kept my a ‘sugar mommy’ who believes him to be twenty years younger than his actual age; a spoilt rich girl best friend who has a deep interest in couture clothing and whose parents are so drunk they fall asleep at the dinner table. Had this writing been more succinct, the storyline would have been more compelling.

[Rhonda · Rating 1 out of 5]

Amy Lincoln, the main character,in "Any Place I Hang MY Hat", is a smart young woman who has made her way in the world. She is plucky and flawed. Even though Issacs is wonderfully talented and has a great way with modern description and insight into the life of the single women, however,I never really got immersed in the plot. I always felt like an outsider and kept thinking that the story could have been told in half the time and been twice as engaging. This book was not for me.

[Roxanne · Rating 1 out of 5]

While the premise of the book was interesting enough, the main character is just so pretentious, catty, and at times downright mean, I found it difficult to get to the end. I had such a hard time finding anything likable about this girl, from her petty rationale about John to the awkward back-and-forth between her and the estranged mother. If you're looking for a book that will bring up some actual emotion, this ain't it.

[Caroline · Rating 1 out of 5]

I stopped reading this book because I couldn't get into it. It seemed like it would've been a cute book! I don't know if it was the time I started reading it or what, so I may give it a try again sometime soon.

[Joy · Rating 1 out of 5]

50 pages in and I'm done. The writing is far too aware of itself, making it impossible to connect with the main character who, quite frankly, strikes me as shallow and missing vital pieces - a victim of contrived narration. Feels like Isaacs was under a deadline for this one.

[Barb Peterson · Rating 1 out of 5]

It is rare for me to not finish a book. I made it to page 100 of 382 & I'm done. The first 20 or so pages were so full of "New York - we are RICH" descriptions that I almost puked. But I read on to give it another chance. Not getting any better - I give up.

[Debbie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Proceed With Caution

This book is a great example of how to fill out an extremely thin plot with extra, unnecessary information. The entire time I was reading I kept asking myself if I was done yet.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book quite well. How is it that I've been picking books that all seem to have a common thread of being grateful for what we have and looking at the positives in life?

[Mairzi · Rating 2 out of 5]

It just never seemed to get started and I felt no connection with any of the characters.

[Karen]

Very disappointing. I was so happy to find a Susan Isaacs that I hadn't read. This book was just plain boring.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's always hard for me to speak less than complementarily about a writer's work. I mean, look...she/he has published a novel, or two or six, and I'm sitting in my house, apparently striving to keep my writing skills a national secret. Nonetheless, there are some books that just escape my understanding. The protagonist in "Any Place I Hang My Hat", Amy Lincoln, was annoying. She was highly educated yet seemed to have left her smarts back on campus. Her best friend was an enigma considering her level of intelligence seemed diametrically opposed to Amy's. And did we really believe her last name always drew a raised eyebrow from strangers, wondering if she was possibly related to Abe? ::face palm::

I sometimes thought Susan Isaacs must have consumed a tankful of mega-caffeinated beverages before she began writing. Amy's thoughts were on high display. Stream-of-consciousness! Non-sequiturs! Thought fragments! So. Much. Ruminating. !

So, yeah, this was not my favorite book. But...by the time I reached the last third, I was moderately interested in Amy's story, enough so I was compelled to finish the book at a decent clip. I would say Susan Isaacs is a good writer; I'm just not her target reader.

[Armelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Smart, successful Amy Lincoln has made her way out of poverty, but as she nears 30, she realizes she's brought an awful lot of emotional baggage with her on her journey out of the housing projects of New York.

Finally realizing that she'll never get free of her past - and attain what she really wants: a loving family of her own - Amy goes looking for (dare I say it?) closure by seeking out the mother who abandoned her.

I liked it. The emotions and issues were real, but the tone was light enough that it wasn't a dark and miserable read.

I wasn't a super big fan of Tatty, but I was rooting for John (although I was a little surprised at his ready acceptance of her appearance at his apartment.)

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent, but I don't think it's one of her best. The first 20% or so was like a Woody Allen comedy, with multiple references to being Jewish, not all of them witty or even funny. I almost gave up.

As a story about learning to cope with what life gives you, it's not bad. The main character had a lot to deal with and managed not to overwhelm us with self-pity, which is definitely A Good Thing and kept me reading. Her intellectual snobbery was understandable and thus not as irritating as it might have been. All in all, it's a solid three stars. It might tip higher or lower depending on your mood.

[Georgina Lacayo · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I feel that now Young Adult isn't doing it for me anymore, I'm venturing into Adult Fiction, or Fiction in general. This book is a really good choice. I'm almost never wrong when I pick books. I almost always end up liking them all. This one was amazing. Amy Lincoln is a relatable character. Isaacs did a good job at writing a story about a woman who's reflecting over her life and finding gaps and bumps and just wanting to fix everything up. The story is emotional and dramatic, also beautiful in its simplicity.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very fast read. Amy is a reporter, who has defied the odds. Her mother left her before she was a year old, her father was in and out of prison, and the grandmother who raised her was not the greatest role model. She is in a relationship, but it's not really going anywhere. She decides she needs to find her mother to see if she's likely to repeat the mistakes her mother made. It's a good story, the characters are well written. Nature or nurture? That's the question of this story, and it's told well.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story with a great main character searching for her mother who left her when she was 10 months old. She deals with a father who spends most of his life in and out of prisons, a rocky romance, covering a news story about a sleazy Senator running for president. This is not the type of book I usually like but it is a page turner. Author's character, Amy, ruminates in a delightful way on important personal and issues of the day . Good read!

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed some parts of this story about a girl confronting her abandonment, but I think it tied together a little to neatly for it to be believable. There's just too many emotions that surround abandonment and I'm not sure this book captured it in a way that was gripping for the reader. I also found some of the parts surrounding her job tedious to read and couldn't really see how it tied in to the story, other than her meeting with the political candidate's son.

[Maggiendp · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5. Maybe this book just hasn't aged well. I remember reading Compromising Positions when it came out and I really enjoyed it. But for me, this book just had too much stuff in it. The story about the senator and his son was really confusing, not over how it unfolded but just why????? Description just for the sake of description, clever dialogue just to show off while not advancing the story.

[Teri · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was disappointed in the overall portrayal of the main character. Felt there was too much narrative of Amy berating herself. So much of Amy's self deprecation could have been eliminated and nothing would have been lost in the entire story line. Found myself skipping over paragraphs at a time because the narrative really didn't do anything to enhance the story.

[Morgen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Snappily written (as always) story about 28 year old Amy, raised by an impaired grandmother and an often imprisoned father. She gets herself a scholarship to a fancy boarding school, then Harvard, then Columbia. Now she writes for a prestigious magazine and realizes she needs to find out who her mother is and why she left her. Not mushy- brisk.

[sandra rosenbloom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Charming Susan Isaacs Novel

Replete with witty reparte and off beat characters, this is a book for a rainy day or one too hot to go outside. As always, I enjoyed trekking through Manhattan along with Amy as simultaneously searched for the mother who abandoned her when she was a baby and attempted to deal with her love life

[LJ P · Rating 4 out of 5]

Abandoned by her mother as an infant, Amy was raised by her unambitious, not-so-smart, felon father. Amy figured her own smarts and ambition must have come from her mother. What I liked about this was the gap between Amy's perception versus reality about her father, and her projection versus reality about her mother. And discovering the truth.

[Mary-Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rarely cry reading, but this one got a tear or two out of me. The theme of abandonment and longing to belong are poignant- and made more so by where I am in life's journey.

Already a fan of Susan Issac's Shining Through, I am planning on adding her novels to my reading list