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Isa Maxwell #2
Indiot
They say the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. True, but bad decisions will get you there much faster. Isa Maxwell has both aplenty in this second installment of Isa Maxwell’s Escapades. Having found her dreams of wealth and notoriety, she departs for India to play Good Samaritan to the orphans, the poor, and a wronged Indian prince. She makes two new friends before her plane even leaves the ground: the mysterious bejeweled Vivien and a bottle of Valium. Too bad she loses her new friend and the high at the airport, and her passport and wallet on her way to her hotel.
Things go from bad to perilous as she launches on a madcap romp through Delhi. Will Isa survive, or will this be the last chapter in this Indiot’s story?
Things go from bad to perilous as she launches on a madcap romp through Delhi. Will Isa survive, or will this be the last chapter in this Indiot’s story?
302 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 16, 2016
4 people are currently reading
343 people want to read
About the author
Ana Spoke
2 books279 followersAna Spoke calls Australia home, but you can always find her on anaspoke.com.
She is the author of Shizzle, Inc and Indiot and is working on the third installment of the Isa Maxwell series. She also manages #ComedyBookWeek - for more details, visit www.comedybookweek.com.
She is the author of Shizzle, Inc and Indiot and is working on the third installment of the Isa Maxwell series. She also manages #ComedyBookWeek - for more details, visit www.comedybookweek.com.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 17, 2016
Indiot by Ana Spoke is a deliciously funny story that features Isa Maxwell from Shizzle, Inc. Isa is such a funny character that she really doesn't even have to try, everything she does makes you laugh and shake your head. She is totally likable and even when she is being scammed, robbed and conned, she makes you laugh. She has a habit of being in the wrong place at the right time for drama and danger. This little habit of hers is even more pronounced here in India.
It is a great story that really does keep you involved on every level. You will not be satisfied with just these two stories, you will want to know the rest of her tales. I know I do. I think I like this story so much because I can see myself being conned, cheated and chased if I were to leave the country to do good. But then again, no one can have so much drama and humor occur like Isa Maxwell.
It is a great story that really does keep you involved on every level. You will not be satisfied with just these two stories, you will want to know the rest of her tales. I know I do. I think I like this story so much because I can see myself being conned, cheated and chased if I were to leave the country to do good. But then again, no one can have so much drama and humor occur like Isa Maxwell.
July 21, 2016
Isa Maxwell’s second adventure proves to be even more entertaining than the first and decidedly more dangerous. This time, the dippy but well-intentioned blonde, having made oodles of money from writing a book, embarks on a trip to India to use some of her wealth to help the poor and dispossessed, plus a supposedly down-on-his-luck prince.
On her flight out to India, Isa meets the glamorous and bejewelled Vivian, who seems like best-friend material at first acquaintance. [Anything further about this relationship would be a spoiler, so my lips are sealed.]
Isa’s arrival in Delhi is a total culture shock. Noise, fumes, chaos, locals haggling for business, police corruption, Indian mafia activities, you name it, Isa finds it, or it finds her. It’s as if her naivety, combined with good-heartedness, acts as a magnet to those looking for easy pickings. But to underestimate Isa’s ability to pull out all the stops (albeit with plentiful blunders on the way), is to assume that she isn’t capable of great ingenuity when it comes to survival.
Shizzle, Inc (Isa Maxwell Escapades Book 1) was primarily comedy chic-lit, but Indiot is a thriller with OTT elements that amount to comedy of the variety that makes you cover your face or clutch your head as you wonder if things can get any worse for Isa. It would make a great comedy thriller movie, and the fact that I kept seeing it as such, says a great deal about Ana Spoke’s ability to paint an extremely vivid picture of India as seen very much through her central protagonist’s eyes: the idealistic outsider learning the hard way about an alien culture.
The only negative to me--and it’s only something small--was that I felt that there could be a little more about Isa’s relationship to Mr Hue and to her friend Harden from Book 1. This was necessary both as a recap for those who read the previous novel soon after it came out (about 9 months ago), as well as to anyone who picked up Book 2 first and read it as a standalone. So, everybody, read both novels, and read them in the right order.
And when you reach the end of Indiot, I can pretty much guarantee that Ana Spoke will have left you dying to read Isa Maxwell’s Escapade Book 3.
This is an author whose writing gets better and better…
July 24, 2016
Isabella Maxwell's life is just one roller coaster ride. After her escapade in book 1 - Shizzle Inc., Isa wants to do charity and she has been approached by a someone who tells her that he is a prince. Believing him,she decides to meet the Prince and donate her money - which she got in book 1 - to charitable causes in India. And lo, begins Isa's journey to India. What happens while she travels and after she reaches, is something you just didn't expect.
Isa doesn't seem to have anything coming easy for her. From the time her feet touch the soil of India, she keeps rising and falling like the waves of the ocean. Not a single moment of boredom or peace is there around her. The various ups and downs she goes through make the story hilarious. It just kept making me giggle.
Surprisingly it is not just comedy, it is a true picture of how any one of us, might have anticipated about India. I was a bit skeptical as to will it show India from a foreigner's eyes - all poor and malnourished children. But the author has shown how India has become a mix. A mix of poor and rich, heritage and modernity.
And let me tell you, as an Indian, I was surprised at how she managed to create a perfect Indian scenario, the fact of corruption and bribery so often seen around here and the sudden foray into mafia. And all was so true to believe! The language used, the Hindi words brought in the story by the author and Isa's affinity to the Hindi word she used without even aware of what it means, make the situations turn up and down!
Recommendation:
A very well written and enjoyable read. I am waiting to see Isabella become the next Bridget Jones or Mia Thermopolis (The Princess Diaries). She surely is one adorable character created by Ana. Waiting to see where Isa's next destination will be!
Isa doesn't seem to have anything coming easy for her. From the time her feet touch the soil of India, she keeps rising and falling like the waves of the ocean. Not a single moment of boredom or peace is there around her. The various ups and downs she goes through make the story hilarious. It just kept making me giggle.
Surprisingly it is not just comedy, it is a true picture of how any one of us, might have anticipated about India. I was a bit skeptical as to will it show India from a foreigner's eyes - all poor and malnourished children. But the author has shown how India has become a mix. A mix of poor and rich, heritage and modernity.
And let me tell you, as an Indian, I was surprised at how she managed to create a perfect Indian scenario, the fact of corruption and bribery so often seen around here and the sudden foray into mafia. And all was so true to believe! The language used, the Hindi words brought in the story by the author and Isa's affinity to the Hindi word she used without even aware of what it means, make the situations turn up and down!
Recommendation:
A very well written and enjoyable read. I am waiting to see Isabella become the next Bridget Jones or Mia Thermopolis (The Princess Diaries). She surely is one adorable character created by Ana. Waiting to see where Isa's next destination will be!
November 13, 2016
How I Got This Book
I received a free Kindle copy from Amazon. I bought the Kindle copy of the second book in the series.
The Pitch
Funny chick lit about quirky millennial's misadventures in India.
Summary
After her adventures with Mr. Hue, the eccentric billionaire CEO of Shizzle, Inc., Isa Maxwell is newly flush with cash. Deciding to do good, she decided to go to India at the request of an Indian prince to sponsor an orphanage. As usual, things went bad very quickly. Isa Maxwell quickly lost her passport and money. Now, she must cooperate with Mafiosos and undercover FBI agents to save herself and, perhaps, do some actual good.
The Good
Once again, Ana Spoke destroys the stereotype of "dumb chick lit" with her Isa Maxwell series. Indiot is basically a (very uncommon) comedic crime/spy thriller in the disguise of chick lit, just like how Shizzle, Inc. is actually social satire.
Besides all the expected excitement of a thriller, Indiot also offers excellent commentary about real important political, social, and economic issues. You don't typically read about child labor or human trafficking in chick lit.
I was surprisingly pleased by how well Ana Spoke wrote about India. As a person of color, I usually am trepidatious about white authors writing about an "exotic" setting - usually the book's full of offensive stereotypes. However, Ana Spoke does an excellent job of lampshading the stereotypes about India. For example, one of the characters complained about Western celebrities improving their image by helping the cliche poor Slumdog Millionaire children.
The Bad
The bad thing about reviewing the sequel of a great book is "sequelitis". When your expectations are high, you inevitably misjudge the quality. Having said that, I think it's fair for a four, not five star rating.
The only major problem with Indiot is the characters. Besides Isa, none of the other characters made a great impression on me. I do miss the characters of Isa's parents and Mr. Hue of Shizzle, Inc.
Overall Rating - 4 of 5
Enjoyable "comedy action/crime thriller".
Social Satire Rating - 4 of 5
Great social commentary.
I received a free Kindle copy from Amazon. I bought the Kindle copy of the second book in the series.
The Pitch
Funny chick lit about quirky millennial's misadventures in India.
Summary
After her adventures with Mr. Hue, the eccentric billionaire CEO of Shizzle, Inc., Isa Maxwell is newly flush with cash. Deciding to do good, she decided to go to India at the request of an Indian prince to sponsor an orphanage. As usual, things went bad very quickly. Isa Maxwell quickly lost her passport and money. Now, she must cooperate with Mafiosos and undercover FBI agents to save herself and, perhaps, do some actual good.
The Good
Once again, Ana Spoke destroys the stereotype of "dumb chick lit" with her Isa Maxwell series. Indiot is basically a (very uncommon) comedic crime/spy thriller in the disguise of chick lit, just like how Shizzle, Inc. is actually social satire.
Besides all the expected excitement of a thriller, Indiot also offers excellent commentary about real important political, social, and economic issues. You don't typically read about child labor or human trafficking in chick lit.
I was surprisingly pleased by how well Ana Spoke wrote about India. As a person of color, I usually am trepidatious about white authors writing about an "exotic" setting - usually the book's full of offensive stereotypes. However, Ana Spoke does an excellent job of lampshading the stereotypes about India. For example, one of the characters complained about Western celebrities improving their image by helping the cliche poor Slumdog Millionaire children.
The Bad
The bad thing about reviewing the sequel of a great book is "sequelitis". When your expectations are high, you inevitably misjudge the quality. Having said that, I think it's fair for a four, not five star rating.
The only major problem with Indiot is the characters. Besides Isa, none of the other characters made a great impression on me. I do miss the characters of Isa's parents and Mr. Hue of Shizzle, Inc.
Overall Rating - 4 of 5
Enjoyable "comedy action/crime thriller".
Social Satire Rating - 4 of 5
Great social commentary.
May 22, 2016
When I finished Shizzle, Inc by Ana Spoke, I thought the Isa Maxwell character was played out. And I said so in my review. I said that I loved that book, but I hoped there wasn't a sequel. I stand corrected.
This is a better book than the first one. The plot line is just as goofy, but it flies by a lot quicker, and the main character has settled in to her identity: a vacuous idiot with unexpected moments of brilliance. And that really works for her.
The supporting cast of the story is less important than in the first book. In this one, author Spoke feels free to just follow our heroine as she bumbles through her adventure with other characters spilling in and out of view. And that's fine, because there is too much plot going on to bother getting bogged down in character development. If you like deep, rich characters, this isn't your book.
If you like a fast pace, and clever twists, and outrageous behavior, then you'll love Indiot. (Very clever title, by the way.)
Similar to the style of Dave Barry, Elmore Leonard, or maybe even Janet Evanovich.
This is a sequel, but honestly, you could start on this book and have no trouble catching up. It stands alone just fine.
The last bit of the book is spent setting up the next in the series. And I can't wait to read it.
(Note: I read an ARC of this book, provided by the author for feedback.)
This is a better book than the first one. The plot line is just as goofy, but it flies by a lot quicker, and the main character has settled in to her identity: a vacuous idiot with unexpected moments of brilliance. And that really works for her.
The supporting cast of the story is less important than in the first book. In this one, author Spoke feels free to just follow our heroine as she bumbles through her adventure with other characters spilling in and out of view. And that's fine, because there is too much plot going on to bother getting bogged down in character development. If you like deep, rich characters, this isn't your book.
If you like a fast pace, and clever twists, and outrageous behavior, then you'll love Indiot. (Very clever title, by the way.)
Similar to the style of Dave Barry, Elmore Leonard, or maybe even Janet Evanovich.
This is a sequel, but honestly, you could start on this book and have no trouble catching up. It stands alone just fine.
The last bit of the book is spent setting up the next in the series. And I can't wait to read it.
(Note: I read an ARC of this book, provided by the author for feedback.)
November 16, 2016
I'm so happy to see Isa continue her crazy adventures! Of course she's matured in the few weeks since her last adventure. She's worldly-wise now, and can see through liars in a flash... which makes it all the funnier when she falls for the oldest scam on the internet.
Despite the misadventures she endures on her well-intentioned trip to help the poor, Isa retains her warm heart and endless compassion, and also manages to stay truly unaffected by money. She's truly an inspiration.
Lovers of Shizzle Inc won't be disappointed - Spoke keeps the story moving forward at the same insane pace and throws a whole new barrage of twists and turns in Isa's path.
This is going to be the defining series of a generation!
Despite the misadventures she endures on her well-intentioned trip to help the poor, Isa retains her warm heart and endless compassion, and also manages to stay truly unaffected by money. She's truly an inspiration.
Lovers of Shizzle Inc won't be disappointed - Spoke keeps the story moving forward at the same insane pace and throws a whole new barrage of twists and turns in Isa's path.
This is going to be the defining series of a generation!
December 4, 2017
This is the second Ana Spoke book I read. Indiot beats her debut novel Shizzle by far. Indiot accompanied me to Thailand on Kindle. Immediately, I identified with her humorous language issues because I was experiencing my own at that time. Indiot is a fun, light story that borders on the ridiculous but not impossible. Top marks for a brilliant title and clever cover. In my opinion, the ending rates as a seven out of ten; no spoilers here.
September 14, 2017
Not high art- but a wonderfully done farce. The author pushes hard on moments that make you think Isa, the main character qualifies as too stupid to live, but also makes her so relatable and likable that she's fun to root for.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews