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A Version of the Truth
In Literacy and Longing in L.A. , hailed as “the most delightful read of the year” by Liz Smith in the New York Post, authors Jennifer Kaufman and Karen Mack captivated readers with a brilliantly imagined first novel. Now Kaufman and Mack return, introducing a character with a unique voice you’ll never Cassie Shaw, an irrepressible young woman who reinvents herself—with unexpected consequences—in a funny, wise, and utterly original novel about friendship, love, wildlife, and other forces of nature.
In the wilds of Topanga Canyon, Cassie is right at home—with the call of birds, the sound of wind in the trees, the harmony of a world without people. But everywhere else, life is a little harder for Cassie. Her mother believes in Big Foot. Her wisecracking pet parrot is a drama queen. And at the age of thirty, newly single and without a college degree, Cassie desperately needs a decent paycheck. Which is why, against all her principles, she lies on her résumé for an office job at an elite university—and then finds herself employed in academia by two professors who are as rare as the birds she covets.
One of her new bosses is Professor William Conner, a sexy, handsome, cheerfully aristocratic expert in animal behavior. Soon, under Conner’s charismatic tutelage, Cassie carefully begins her personal transformation while meeting the kind of people who don’t flock to wildlife preserves—from impossibly brilliant academics to adorably spoiled college boys. But her future—and unlikely new career—is teetering on one unbearable untruth. And Cassie’s masquerade is about to come undone…in a chain of events that will transform her life—and the lives of those around her—forever.
A novel for late bloomers of every exotic shade and stripe , A Version of the Truth is pure entertainment—at once hilarious and wry, lyrical and uplifting.
In the wilds of Topanga Canyon, Cassie is right at home—with the call of birds, the sound of wind in the trees, the harmony of a world without people. But everywhere else, life is a little harder for Cassie. Her mother believes in Big Foot. Her wisecracking pet parrot is a drama queen. And at the age of thirty, newly single and without a college degree, Cassie desperately needs a decent paycheck. Which is why, against all her principles, she lies on her résumé for an office job at an elite university—and then finds herself employed in academia by two professors who are as rare as the birds she covets.
One of her new bosses is Professor William Conner, a sexy, handsome, cheerfully aristocratic expert in animal behavior. Soon, under Conner’s charismatic tutelage, Cassie carefully begins her personal transformation while meeting the kind of people who don’t flock to wildlife preserves—from impossibly brilliant academics to adorably spoiled college boys. But her future—and unlikely new career—is teetering on one unbearable untruth. And Cassie’s masquerade is about to come undone…in a chain of events that will transform her life—and the lives of those around her—forever.
A novel for late bloomers of every exotic shade and stripe , A Version of the Truth is pure entertainment—at once hilarious and wry, lyrical and uplifting.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
13 people are currently reading
793 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer Kaufman
7 books38 followersJennifer Kaufman is a former staff writer for the Los Angeles Times and a two-time winner of the national Penney-Missouri Journalism Award. She has co-authored three books with Karen Mack: most recently, Freud's Mistress, which received four stars from People and was on USA Today’s, Vanity Fair’s, and Marie Claire's best summer reading list for 2013; Literacy and Longing in L.A., which reached #1 on the Los Angeles Times Bestseller List and won the Best Fiction Award from the Southern California Independent Booksellers Association; and the Los Angeles Times bestselling novel, A Version of the Truth. Jennifer lives in Los Angeles with her family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 212 reviews
January 22, 2008
I love the main character, Cassie. She has a Bridget Jones quality that is very endearing.
There is a great quote on page 224 that I just love. "You go to a party or whatever, and you spend the whole night zeroing in on the woman in red, the blonde in the corner, the girl with the big laugh, and then, as you are leaving, you see someone out of the corner of your eye, her hair glinting in the light, her long neck tilted slightly as she listens intently to the person next to her. And you know she's the one you should of talked to."
There is a great quote on page 224 that I just love. "You go to a party or whatever, and you spend the whole night zeroing in on the woman in red, the blonde in the corner, the girl with the big laugh, and then, as you are leaving, you see someone out of the corner of your eye, her hair glinting in the light, her long neck tilted slightly as she listens intently to the person next to her. And you know she's the one you should of talked to."
January 18, 2008
I liked this book but I was disappointed that it wasn't the book I thought it was going to be.
I read all of the praise on the back cover and thought it sounded like a book I would like. Halfway through reading it (and wondering why it didn't seem anything like what I expected) I checked out the back cover again, only to realize that the praise was for a different book by the same authors.
Tricky.
I read all of the praise on the back cover and thought it sounded like a book I would like. Halfway through reading it (and wondering why it didn't seem anything like what I expected) I checked out the back cover again, only to realize that the praise was for a different book by the same authors.
Tricky.
September 25, 2012
I absolutely loved this! Cassie, a 30 year old widow has moved back in with her hippie mom and is trying to find a new way in life. She's not sad about her ex....he was a jerk who did a number on her self esteem. She needs to find her strength, confidence, and a new way of seeing herself, and becoming who she wants to be. She has a couple of strikes against her....she's dyslexic, and doesn't have college degree, but she's smart and has a passion for nature, especially birds. In fact her pet is a parrot she's had for 20 years and is a character in his own right named Sam. She goes out for a job working at a local college, and hears people getting rejected for not having college degrees and fudges some things on her resume by giving herself a psych degree from Michigan. She gets the job. Fake it till you make it, right?
I enjoyed the nature aspects of this book and love it when I learn new things by accident like this...lots of cool little facts and of course finding out about the "are they or aren't they extinct" ivory billed woodpeckers. Cassie has discovered a clearing in the woods where she witness a pair of them and fills journals with her observations. I'm still trying to figure out the symbolic significance of these mythic creatures and whether or not Cassie really saw them at all. I think she did. I think they were there for her when she needed something to believe in, something secret and only for her. The discovery was never meant to be shared with anyone.
I had mixed feelings about her friend Tiffany. She seemed a good friend, and kept Cassie grounded, but in a way she held her back a little. She ultimately blows something big for Cassie, and also her brother who goes AWOL from the army on Christmas break, inadvertently causes a tragic occurrence. It seems to me that her association with this girl is having some not so great consequences. She's well meaning for sure, but still!
My only real gripe with this story is why the aforementioned "tragic occurrence" (involving a bird) had to happen. Was it just to make Cassie as low as she could go to make the reader sad? Was it that she finally needed to feel true grief that she never felt for her ex husbands passing? Did she need to have all security from her old life gone in order to truly start anew? I'm just not sure, and at this point I don't find it necessary that it happened.
I enjoyed the romance between her and the Professor, Conner. I liked how she began to grow into the person she wanted to be on that resume. This book reads like a letter from a friend or like reading a diary, intimately told in the first person. It was a true pleasure to read. I totally recommend it, and will read more from these authors.
I enjoyed the nature aspects of this book and love it when I learn new things by accident like this...lots of cool little facts and of course finding out about the "are they or aren't they extinct" ivory billed woodpeckers. Cassie has discovered a clearing in the woods where she witness a pair of them and fills journals with her observations. I'm still trying to figure out the symbolic significance of these mythic creatures and whether or not Cassie really saw them at all. I think she did. I think they were there for her when she needed something to believe in, something secret and only for her. The discovery was never meant to be shared with anyone.
I had mixed feelings about her friend Tiffany. She seemed a good friend, and kept Cassie grounded, but in a way she held her back a little. She ultimately blows something big for Cassie, and also her brother who goes AWOL from the army on Christmas break, inadvertently causes a tragic occurrence. It seems to me that her association with this girl is having some not so great consequences. She's well meaning for sure, but still!
My only real gripe with this story is why the aforementioned "tragic occurrence" (involving a bird) had to happen. Was it just to make Cassie as low as she could go to make the reader sad? Was it that she finally needed to feel true grief that she never felt for her ex husbands passing? Did she need to have all security from her old life gone in order to truly start anew? I'm just not sure, and at this point I don't find it necessary that it happened.
I enjoyed the romance between her and the Professor, Conner. I liked how she began to grow into the person she wanted to be on that resume. This book reads like a letter from a friend or like reading a diary, intimately told in the first person. It was a true pleasure to read. I totally recommend it, and will read more from these authors.
February 22, 2008
"Chick lit," but surprisingly intelligent, with depth and personality. This is no Bridget Jones.
October 19, 2010
"A Version of the Truth" by Jennifer Kaufman and Karen Mack was very refreshing...a real page-turner!!! This was definitely one of those novels that just makes you feel good all over...you know, makes you want to laugh and cry at the same time. Reading it makes you feel awesome about who you are, but then makes you want to go out and be a better you...the main character Cassie can be a go-getter, but she limits and holds herself back because she feels like she's just not good enough...not w/o that piece of paper...but, when she lies about it to get a job that she falls in love with, and then the lie is found out by mistake, she discovers that lying about what you have just to get where you thought you want to be is really not all that great after all, but, fortunately for her, it leads to some pretty awesome discoveries...
I would recommend this book to someone who wants a good laugh, a good cry and to read about one of the not-so-great things people sometimes do when they don't know what else will work.
I give this book 5 stars.
I would recommend this book to someone who wants a good laugh, a good cry and to read about one of the not-so-great things people sometimes do when they don't know what else will work.
I give this book 5 stars.
April 4, 2009
On the cover, Nature is quoted: "It's The Devil Wears Prada meets Walden Pond," but I don't think that does this book justice.
For one thing, there is gorgeous language. Example: She's talking about migrating Monarch butterflies. "There they are -- swirling in the air like escaping bits of fragmented color from a kaleidoscope." The book is full of luscious laguage andc imagery like this.
Second, many of the author's observations are of significantly greater depth than any character in The Devil Wears Prada.
The only comparison I can make between the two books is that this IS fun to read, just like Devil was. But if you pay attention, you can get more out of it.
For one thing, there is gorgeous language. Example: She's talking about migrating Monarch butterflies. "There they are -- swirling in the air like escaping bits of fragmented color from a kaleidoscope." The book is full of luscious laguage andc imagery like this.
Second, many of the author's observations are of significantly greater depth than any character in The Devil Wears Prada.
The only comparison I can make between the two books is that this IS fun to read, just like Devil was. But if you pay attention, you can get more out of it.
January 31, 2008
This was a fun book. I really cheered for Cassie as she struggled to get a job without a college education. There were parts I could have done without, but overall it was a quick and fun read.
November 23, 2008
“You are what you pretend to be.” -- Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
Ever wish you could somehow reinvent yourself? Ever tell a lie that you then couldn’t figure out how to reverse? Ever wish you could just be someone else for a while?
Well, our friend Cassie (and she does come to feel like a friend) does that almost accidentally. She finds herself at the beginning of the book a young but relieved widow who needs a job. She is dyslexic, has very little self confidence, no college degree, and her only real work experience was at her husband’s towing service and the local wildlife refuge.
After disheartening rejections from employers and employment agencies, Cassie makes one more attempt, only this time she writes on her job application that she has a psychology degree from the University of Michigan. She instantly gets a break, and interviews for a job as an administrative assistant at a nearby university. After interviewing with an eccentric professor, she is offered a job working for the eccentric professor and another faculty member who turns out to be a very attractive, younger male expert in animal behavior. OK, so the ending may be kind of obvious by now, but the journey there is entertaining and warm.
Cassie has a pet African gray parrot who is really a person named Sam. She discovers a pair of ivory-billed woodpeckers in the woods behind her house. The ivory-billed woodpecker is considered extinct or nearly extinct, and the woods behind her house are not the right kind of habitat for them, but Cassie visits them regularly.
The characters in the book all seem like people I’ve known. It’s fun to read about Cassie’s best friend, her hippy-dippy mom, the nasty co-worker, and Sam the parrot. Oh, and there’s Black Dog and Ahab too. Cassie goes through some of the same dating nightmares that many single women experience, but it’s heartening to witness how she gains confidence through her job. She gains enough confidence by the end of the book to enroll in college courses and do well in them. She’s truly an inspiration for all slow starters.
For a while toward the end of the book, it seems that the ending that seemed so obvious in the beginning isn’t going to happen, and did Cassie really see those ivory-billed woodpeckers…? This is an uplifting, easy read. Enjoy your new friends.
Ever wish you could somehow reinvent yourself? Ever tell a lie that you then couldn’t figure out how to reverse? Ever wish you could just be someone else for a while?
Well, our friend Cassie (and she does come to feel like a friend) does that almost accidentally. She finds herself at the beginning of the book a young but relieved widow who needs a job. She is dyslexic, has very little self confidence, no college degree, and her only real work experience was at her husband’s towing service and the local wildlife refuge.
After disheartening rejections from employers and employment agencies, Cassie makes one more attempt, only this time she writes on her job application that she has a psychology degree from the University of Michigan. She instantly gets a break, and interviews for a job as an administrative assistant at a nearby university. After interviewing with an eccentric professor, she is offered a job working for the eccentric professor and another faculty member who turns out to be a very attractive, younger male expert in animal behavior. OK, so the ending may be kind of obvious by now, but the journey there is entertaining and warm.
Cassie has a pet African gray parrot who is really a person named Sam. She discovers a pair of ivory-billed woodpeckers in the woods behind her house. The ivory-billed woodpecker is considered extinct or nearly extinct, and the woods behind her house are not the right kind of habitat for them, but Cassie visits them regularly.
The characters in the book all seem like people I’ve known. It’s fun to read about Cassie’s best friend, her hippy-dippy mom, the nasty co-worker, and Sam the parrot. Oh, and there’s Black Dog and Ahab too. Cassie goes through some of the same dating nightmares that many single women experience, but it’s heartening to witness how she gains confidence through her job. She gains enough confidence by the end of the book to enroll in college courses and do well in them. She’s truly an inspiration for all slow starters.
For a while toward the end of the book, it seems that the ending that seemed so obvious in the beginning isn’t going to happen, and did Cassie really see those ivory-billed woodpeckers…? This is an uplifting, easy read. Enjoy your new friends.
April 15, 2010
Okay, I seriously LOVED this book. I think the main character was me (well except for the part where she lied on her resume and was a bit dyslexic). I loved the way she put into words the peace and just utter contentment she got from being outside in the woods (or marsh/swamp, mountains, etc.) alone with nature. I mean that wasn't a huge part of the book, but when it came up, i was always like "yes! thats it exactly!" I'd quote some of my favorite parts here, but that would be cheesy. I'll just suffice to say i loved it. And totally identified with the main character's attachment to her rediculously intelligent and [for the most part:] loving parrot. (See? This girl was me!) The plot, characters, and the ending especially were all good. I would definitely recommend this book.
The only complaint I have about the book, is that near the end, they refer to her parrot's feathers on the patio as being green, and since he was an african grey, that would be exteremely impossible since the feathers can only be white, grey or red. Don't know what the deal was with that, because otherwise the book perfectly describes Grey behavior, so go figure.
The only complaint I have about the book, is that near the end, they refer to her parrot's feathers on the patio as being green, and since he was an african grey, that would be exteremely impossible since the feathers can only be white, grey or red. Don't know what the deal was with that, because otherwise the book perfectly describes Grey behavior, so go figure.
September 16, 2017
I as hooked from the beginning and was intrigued by the story and characters. However, I was disappointed with the ending. The ending felt rushed and very little closure. There was some closure from the protagonist, but some of the other minor characters disappeared. Not sure if the author meant for the reader to have an open interpretation, but in the end a great story with potential had an unsatisfactory ending.
September 20, 2009
Wow, I loved this book. It was an impulse pick up at an end cap of the library. The cover caught my attention and I'm sure glad it did. I loved the main character. I could be friends with a woman like her.
January 5, 2008
Funny and light, this book takes you through the life of a young widow who reinvents herself with unexpected consequences.
January 30, 2008
I was disappointed. The story was good, too much profanity for a book described as intelligent chick lit.
May 15, 2010
Maybe this would have been more enjoyable if I liked nature, or have a deep love for animals, or lying...
February 1, 2016
A fun and entertaining rom-com. It kept me reading and I didn't have to think too hard, because who wants to think when you're reading? ;)
April 18, 2018
Overall, I enjoyed this book and the story. Cassie and the rest were fairly well developed and the language of the book was incredibly beautiful and descriptive. However, I had a ton of difficulty determining what era this book was supposedly written during because some things felt very current while others felt very 1950's which had my brain all over the place. For instance, they mention the war in Iraq in regards to Guy Jr. and have laptops and cell phones, but Cassie seems to know nothing about possible financial aid for college courses or any therapy to aid with dyslexia and the family leaves their back door unlocked all the time even though they don't live in the middle of the country. Cassie seems very much like a real person making real mistakes and living paycheck to paycheck which I enjoyed very much, but I also admit that how down on herself Cassie was left me feeling depressed and I didn't feel like that changed until the last few pages.
April 5, 2024
I listened to this as an audio book. It was a nice book to listen to. A lot of descriptions of birds, and wildlife habitats. When Cassie finds herself widowed and basically unmarketable, she pads her resume to get a job at a university as an assistant. While growing on the job, and finding out about herself she begins an affair with a young professor that she is working under. It had a nice tone to it, but not extraordinary. Will her secret come to light? How will she move on if it does? Worth your time if you want something light to sit back and enjoy.
March 13, 2018
I couldn’t finish it........ I have only given up on a book one other time.
Cassie is so whine-y and so self-conscious about how supposedly stupid she is that I just couldn’t relate. It wasn’t entertaining. It had too much backstory, and not enough progression of the actual storyline. I definitely expected more from a book written by not one, but TWO different people. Perhaps others found it enjoyable, but it was not for me.
Cassie is so whine-y and so self-conscious about how supposedly stupid she is that I just couldn’t relate. It wasn’t entertaining. It had too much backstory, and not enough progression of the actual storyline. I definitely expected more from a book written by not one, but TWO different people. Perhaps others found it enjoyable, but it was not for me.
July 12, 2023
IThe story had a lot of open endings and felt rather pointless. I'd wanted a fluffy, summer read that I didn't have to put a lot of thought into and this was a little too fitting of the description. Too descriptive of bedroom scenes, especially since I felt detached from the characters and plot. I finished the book feeling like it had wasted my time rather than it having entertained me. Not a book I could recommend.
February 22, 2019
The prologue was rough and almost made me stop. But I enjoyed this book. Just enough suspense about when the truth will come out and the authors had me routing for Cassie to finally find her way. And the descriptive language was beautiful. Not bad for a random pick off the shelf when I was looking for something else.
January 25, 2024
Van het begin had ik al snel een haat liefde verhouding met dit boek.
Ergens in het midden werd hij echt goed.
Jammer genoeg had ik wat meer diepgang verwacht of gewoon meer.
Ook zeker het einde laat me gefrustreerd achter alsof het verhaal niet eens bij mekaar past en je denkt is dit het einde?
Niet echt een aanrader.
Ergens in het midden werd hij echt goed.
Jammer genoeg had ik wat meer diepgang verwacht of gewoon meer.
Ook zeker het einde laat me gefrustreerd achter alsof het verhaal niet eens bij mekaar past en je denkt is dit het einde?
Niet echt een aanrader.
July 30, 2023
I loved this book and didn’t want it to end! Cassie is very relatable and you root for her throughout! I also enjoyed the quotes that reminded me of a class in college, the stories of the Greek gods and goddesses, and the fascinating facts about the wildlife.
August 13, 2017
Enjoyed more than expected. Some beautiful language around the peripheral love of nature, with solid writing and a decent story.
April 22, 2018
So good...probably the best book I have read in a long time....I was sad when it ended, Cassie was so real. This would be a great movie!
July 23, 2018
Didn't care for the marijuana use, but a good story.
August 11, 2019
Interesting, easy read, liked the characters
January 1, 2020
A fun find at the library. Enjoyed every minute of this read and will be looking for other books by these authors.
July 30, 2020
Read Literacy and Longing in LA first. Which is my favorite of the two. Still this was compelling enough that I read straight through it. Blame it on the equinox.
February 1, 2021
Warm and charming if fluffy
Displaying 1 - 30 of 212 reviews