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American Gypsy Girl
*2015 IndieBRAG Medallion Honoree*
*2015 National Indie Excellence Award Finalist*
*2015 Kindle Book Awards Semi-finalist*
*2016 Next Generation Indie Book Award Finalist*
April 28, 1969. The future looks bleak for the baby girl asleep on top of her father's boxer shorts in the laundry basket, but she doesn't seem to notice. At the moment, Charlene Rae Bucher is blissfully unaware that she will spend her formative years living inside an aluminum camper with a disinterested, dope-smoking father and a vacant, vodka-loving mother. Her extended family will consist of a bunch of equally uninspired adults who park their campers alongside the Buchers. She is truly an unlucky baby. But babies grow up, and the teenage Farrah Fawcett wannabe stuffs her bra and learns what she can about life within the chain-link fence of Creek's Edge Campground. A lesson learned inside a rubber tractor tire forces Charlene to grow up quickly-even when no one else around her will. With the help of the retired Methodist minister on site 11A and some eccentric people she meets outside Creek's Edge, Charlene begins to see that there's more to life than getting the high score on Donkey Kong. Traveling through a maze of misunderstandings, chance meetings, and new discoveries, eighteen year-old Charlene begins to build a life of her own that isn't on wheels. "American Gypsy Girl" is a humorous novel of the dysfunction, friendships, lies, and loves that make up one girl's pursuit of the American Dream.
*2015 National Indie Excellence Award Finalist*
*2015 Kindle Book Awards Semi-finalist*
*2016 Next Generation Indie Book Award Finalist*
April 28, 1969. The future looks bleak for the baby girl asleep on top of her father's boxer shorts in the laundry basket, but she doesn't seem to notice. At the moment, Charlene Rae Bucher is blissfully unaware that she will spend her formative years living inside an aluminum camper with a disinterested, dope-smoking father and a vacant, vodka-loving mother. Her extended family will consist of a bunch of equally uninspired adults who park their campers alongside the Buchers. She is truly an unlucky baby. But babies grow up, and the teenage Farrah Fawcett wannabe stuffs her bra and learns what she can about life within the chain-link fence of Creek's Edge Campground. A lesson learned inside a rubber tractor tire forces Charlene to grow up quickly-even when no one else around her will. With the help of the retired Methodist minister on site 11A and some eccentric people she meets outside Creek's Edge, Charlene begins to see that there's more to life than getting the high score on Donkey Kong. Traveling through a maze of misunderstandings, chance meetings, and new discoveries, eighteen year-old Charlene begins to build a life of her own that isn't on wheels. "American Gypsy Girl" is a humorous novel of the dysfunction, friendships, lies, and loves that make up one girl's pursuit of the American Dream.
268 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 31, 2014
38 people are currently reading
1253 people want to read
About the author
Mary Zinda
7 books13 followersMy fascination with all things haunted and tragic led me to write about such things. My real life is neither, luckily. (It's probably hard to write with ghosts hanging around...)
When I'm not writing (or camping, or hanging with my family) I'm reading. Please throw recommendations my way if you come across a good historical fiction novel (My favorite!)
When I'm not writing (or camping, or hanging with my family) I'm reading. Please throw recommendations my way if you come across a good historical fiction novel (My favorite!)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
March 11, 2016
Recipe for Disaster
1 knocked-up eighteen year-old, slightly overbaked
1 unsuspecting, very handsome, and charitable photographer
1 familiar face you never thought you'd see again
A whole lotta lies
Combine ingredients in small wooden house and stir. Bake at 90° for several hours. Carefully skim layers of lies off the top the allow to settle overnight. Serve with heap of humility
Charlene Rae Bucher is a young teenager like any other teenager, except she has lived her whole life in a aluminium camper with a father that runs from the law and goes through life with a beer in his hand and a mother that can not live without vodka. The fact that she gets pregnant as a teenager and her parents don't even bat an eye (well her father does confront the boys father, but he quickly caves in when the boys father offers him free beer for keeping the matters quiet - father of the year) speaks volumes.
The problem I had with this book was that the first half is rather boring and slow paced and although it does get better the ending was just too fairy tale like.
I got this book for free on Amazon for my Kindle and I guess it was an OK book overall.
1 knocked-up eighteen year-old, slightly overbaked
1 unsuspecting, very handsome, and charitable photographer
1 familiar face you never thought you'd see again
A whole lotta lies
Combine ingredients in small wooden house and stir. Bake at 90° for several hours. Carefully skim layers of lies off the top the allow to settle overnight. Serve with heap of humility
Charlene Rae Bucher is a young teenager like any other teenager, except she has lived her whole life in a aluminium camper with a father that runs from the law and goes through life with a beer in his hand and a mother that can not live without vodka. The fact that she gets pregnant as a teenager and her parents don't even bat an eye (well her father does confront the boys father, but he quickly caves in when the boys father offers him free beer for keeping the matters quiet - father of the year) speaks volumes.
The problem I had with this book was that the first half is rather boring and slow paced and although it does get better the ending was just too fairy tale like.
I got this book for free on Amazon for my Kindle and I guess it was an OK book overall.
June 22, 2017
American Gypsy Girl by Mary Zinda - From a girl her mother barely knew existed and her father never wanted, Charlene, (sounds like Char-broiled), comes of age in a campground in Wisconsin among the seasonal people and the kids in the video arcade.
Although Charlene's mother barely functions without a drink in her hand, sometimes two, her father seems to know what to do to keep her going, until the day he finally has had enough when Charlene comes home pregnant a second time and he disappears.
This puts a lot of pressure on Charlene, who is trying to clean up her act but with a burdensome mother to care for, a father to look for, trying to hold down a job and her one good friend, Delbert the Pervert up and dies on her, Charlene's life is a mess.
Told with a lot of sass and humor, this tale gives us a great American happy ending. Doesn't happen to many, but it happens to Charlene. I wasn't sure if this was a memoir or autobiographical until the very end. Great fun to read.
Although Charlene's mother barely functions without a drink in her hand, sometimes two, her father seems to know what to do to keep her going, until the day he finally has had enough when Charlene comes home pregnant a second time and he disappears.
This puts a lot of pressure on Charlene, who is trying to clean up her act but with a burdensome mother to care for, a father to look for, trying to hold down a job and her one good friend, Delbert the Pervert up and dies on her, Charlene's life is a mess.
Told with a lot of sass and humor, this tale gives us a great American happy ending. Doesn't happen to many, but it happens to Charlene. I wasn't sure if this was a memoir or autobiographical until the very end. Great fun to read.
December 16, 2014
Surprisingly uplifting
Although this story starts out with the somber image of a child growing up amidst neglect and substance abuse, the upbeat tone of Charlene's voice constantly lifts the novel out of what could be a very dark place.
Although this story starts out with the somber image of a child growing up amidst neglect and substance abuse, the upbeat tone of Charlene's voice constantly lifts the novel out of what could be a very dark place.
April 1, 2015
We are proud to announce that AMERICAN GYPSY GIRL by Mary Zinda is a B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree. This tells a reader that this book is well worth their time and money!
July 11, 2016
This was a sad story that kept me addicted from beginning to end. I felt as if I could really relate to this character and I felt just as the character did. Boy, Gypsy's have a strange life.
July 29, 2024
I can see why this is so highly rated - it's like a Hallmark movie where everything sucks but then turns out OK in the end. Somehow this young girl manages to pull her shit together and the shit of everyone around her. The writing is good; I kept forgetting this wasn't a memoir, but not in the good way (the meandering story and word choice and typos). I did like this. It did make me cry a bit: who doesn't love to root for the underdog?! In the end, I enjoyed it. I'd like to see it re-edited to be cut down a bit and add a bit more focus on Christmas and then re-marketed as a Christmas story.
January 15, 2020
Although this book could have been extremely depressing, I loved Charlene's voice through it. She was optimistic and hopeful. I liked the characters, and how they were all damaged in their own way. I would have loved an epilogue that showed what happened in the future, but I also really liked how the book ended, and it left me with the ability to imagine what will happen next for the cast of characters in this book.
August 2, 2017
Genuinely good
From the start to finish I enjoyed this story. Charlene was a lovable character that most girls could relate in some way to. Nicely written. Quick read as it keeps you entertained and wanting to find out where Charlene goes next. Recommended
From the start to finish I enjoyed this story. Charlene was a lovable character that most girls could relate in some way to. Nicely written. Quick read as it keeps you entertained and wanting to find out where Charlene goes next. Recommended
January 5, 2018
Very unique
Interesting story about a young girl and her caravan lifestyle. Lessons learned about life the hard way. Fictional biography of this young gypsy's first eighteen years of life.
Interesting story about a young girl and her caravan lifestyle. Lessons learned about life the hard way. Fictional biography of this young gypsy's first eighteen years of life.
September 18, 2023
A believable fairy tale for adult children Will .make you cry at least once
Could it really helps h appen Sure it could You have to have a dream...to have a dream come true
a dream come true
Could it really helps h appen Sure it could You have to have a dream...to have a dream come true
a dream come true
September 14, 2020
Charlene looks for men to save her. In the end, the men in her life come through and doesn’t have to do anything. No effort on her part!
November 26, 2020
This is one for the books, learning to live life the HARD way. Enjoyed the read.
September 18, 2014
Meet Charlene Rae Bucher. That is Charlene as in Char-broiled. To say Charlene lives an unconventional childhood would be quite the understatement. She and her mom and dad live in a camper – a tin can on wheels, as she dubs it – and stay at campgrounds, anchoring in Wisconsin in the summer where her dad and his ragtag gypsy friends find work in the Christmas tree industry. I’ve never been a camper, but the author’s description of the campgrounds and its atmosphere placed me right there in the middle of it.
While the book deals with alcoholism, drug use, shady dealings, teen pregnancy, and no sense of permanent roots, she and the book never lose a strong sense of humor. The author finds such an ideal, colorful voice for Charlene’s narration; I could hear it so vividly as though she were reading it aloud to me. (It would make a great audio book.)
Wiser and brighter than the adults surrounding her, Charlene knows this is not the life she wants. She takes us on her journey to make a better life, and also to resolve her family’s own little mysteries. I don’t want to give too much away by stating what those mysteries are.
The book made me wonder what direction Charlene’s life would have taken had she not become friends with Delbert, the retired preacher who summered at the campground. His guidance, friendship and love proved central to her growth.
I enjoyed to a point the revelation of “Madam Lucy’s” real profession. However, I was confused a bit because I thought Charlene understood what really happened in her “office,” after the Kipper scenario. Then, right after that, Charlene misunderstands another client’s purpose. That part, while short, didn’t work for me because I thought it had already been cleared up in Charlene’s mind.
All in all, the book is a delightful, satisfying read. After each chapter, I felt compelled to continue.
While the book deals with alcoholism, drug use, shady dealings, teen pregnancy, and no sense of permanent roots, she and the book never lose a strong sense of humor. The author finds such an ideal, colorful voice for Charlene’s narration; I could hear it so vividly as though she were reading it aloud to me. (It would make a great audio book.)
Wiser and brighter than the adults surrounding her, Charlene knows this is not the life she wants. She takes us on her journey to make a better life, and also to resolve her family’s own little mysteries. I don’t want to give too much away by stating what those mysteries are.
The book made me wonder what direction Charlene’s life would have taken had she not become friends with Delbert, the retired preacher who summered at the campground. His guidance, friendship and love proved central to her growth.
I enjoyed to a point the revelation of “Madam Lucy’s” real profession. However, I was confused a bit because I thought Charlene understood what really happened in her “office,” after the Kipper scenario. Then, right after that, Charlene misunderstands another client’s purpose. That part, while short, didn’t work for me because I thought it had already been cleared up in Charlene’s mind.
All in all, the book is a delightful, satisfying read. After each chapter, I felt compelled to continue.
April 29, 2015
Lately almost all the books I read are free or 99 cents on various web sites. This was one of those also. Maybe two and a half stars would be better since I did read the whole thing. Probably younger people would rate it higher.
I read it on the way home from an rv park in Texas. I enjoyed the first half more than the second half.
The main character who seems wiser than than the grown ups around her in the first half becomes incredibly stupid in the second half. Perhaps stupid is too strong. But the main character has so much insight into the adults and situations which surround her in the first half and then can't see the obvious in the second half. The ending has an almost fairy tale quality. My guess is that young teens would like this book. I would not recommend it in the classroom of middle schoolers, however, because of the unrealistic ending.
I read it on the way home from an rv park in Texas. I enjoyed the first half more than the second half.
The main character who seems wiser than than the grown ups around her in the first half becomes incredibly stupid in the second half. Perhaps stupid is too strong. But the main character has so much insight into the adults and situations which surround her in the first half and then can't see the obvious in the second half. The ending has an almost fairy tale quality. My guess is that young teens would like this book. I would not recommend it in the classroom of middle schoolers, however, because of the unrealistic ending.
September 4, 2015
I really liked this book. This poor girl's train-wreck of a life made for interesting reading. Sometimes she was smart & seemed to be getting her life together & then she would go do or say something stupid again. The humor in this book was great. I really liked how the end came together. I would have liked to know who the rich lady was at Madam Lucy's (I have a guess but would have liked that to be clarified) & I would like to know the reason Charlene never really knew who her parents were & why they never really showed her love growing up. I would recommend this book for a light, fun read.
February 18, 2015
American Gypsy is about as Chick Lit as I get. It's the typical girl has a hard life (her family lives in a camper and travels the US) and she has a crisis but what I like about it is she comes into her own before she finds her knight in shining armor. She's already saved her self before the man enters the picture.
February 4, 2015
American Gypsy Girl by Mary Zinda is a coming-of-age story that presents an interesting insight into how a young girl growing up under extremely unfavorable conditions can find in herself what it takes to build a future outside of what she knows from her own upbringing. The book is well-written and the characters so well-developed, you’ll feel as though you personally know them.
September 1, 2015
This book was very enjoyable. Some reviewers felt it made fun of low income people but I thought it was a wonderful portrait of people coping with their circumstances. The characters and relationships are great. The only reason I held back on 5 stars was mentioned by others: the ending is a little too fairy-tale-esque.
September 30, 2014
This was more like 3.5 stars. It was not a great piece of literature but the story was enjoyable and the characters, relatable (for the most part). Sure the story seemed a tad far fetched at times, but sometimes you need that in a book. I was happily surprised by this Amazon freebie.
October 2, 2014
Couldn't put it down
I enjoyed reading this book. it was hard to put down and when I did, I continued thinking about the characters and what would happen to them. well written and moving too. thank you for writing it!
I enjoyed reading this book. it was hard to put down and when I did, I continued thinking about the characters and what would happen to them. well written and moving too. thank you for writing it!
October 16, 2014
I really liked this book. The main character grew on me and I did end up liking her more than I thought I would. Plus I must have looked really funny when I laughed really hard at some parts if the book. It was also really nice to read a book who didn't have all the social sites and so on.
November 25, 2014
Fun story
Maybe not the best written or most believable story but I did find it engaging. The characters and even the storyline were relatable. Overall, an enjoyable coming of age story.
Maybe not the best written or most believable story but I did find it engaging. The characters and even the storyline were relatable. Overall, an enjoyable coming of age story.
December 29, 2014
3.5 The excursions to absurd levels of naivety aside, I found this trailer park coming-of-age tale unexpectedly charming. Unfortunately, for this could easily have rated an additional star, the arc the author had in mind was possibly the least interesting one available.
September 3, 2015
I loved this book even though the main character had such troubled parents she always had hope to do better and didnt complain she made alot of mistakes, but in the end she found what was right for her.
November 28, 2014
Captivating
Such an Amazing read!!! Captivating from beginning to end!!! Charlene such an intriguing character, found myself rooting for her throughout the story.
Such an Amazing read!!! Captivating from beginning to end!!! Charlene such an intriguing character, found myself rooting for her throughout the story.
December 19, 2014
Enjoyed it. The ending wraps up a little too nicely, but overall a decent read.
January 5, 2015
This book was crazy!
February 3, 2015
Good read
Although there was a lull midway through, the book quickly picked up pace and turned out to be an enjoyable read.
Although there was a lull midway through, the book quickly picked up pace and turned out to be an enjoyable read.
February 24, 2015
A silly little trailer park soap opera that was surprisingly kind of cute.
July 15, 2015
Light read
While I had hoped this book was really about Gypsies, this book following the life of a girl growing up in trailer parks was still entertaining.
While I had hoped this book was really about Gypsies, this book following the life of a girl growing up in trailer parks was still entertaining.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews