Suzy Zeus Gets Organized

by Maggie Robbins

Suzy hails from Indiana,
land of crops, of Fords and farms.
Suzy lives in New York City,
land of cops and car alarms.
Suzy lives six blocks from Harry.
Touch him and she'll break your arms.

Heart-rending, hilarious, giddy, and compassionate, Maggie Robbins's novel in verse tracks a blundering bombshell as she risks all, ricocheting from man to man, place to place, through a haze of sensuality, spirituality, serendipity, and psychosis. In its own singsong rhythm — the "crazy beat" of Suzy's unforgettable life — Suzy Zeus Gets Organized chronicles a furious odyssey from Astoria to Astroland — by way of such pit stops as Berlin, the Big Easy, Buddhism, Barbie, and the Bible — that leaves Suzy, although in the same town, in a somewhat better state. Excerpted in Andrew Solomon's bestselling The Noonday Demon, this marvelously told story of a rowdy city girl bent on finding inner harmony will delight readers everywhere.

Genres: Poetry, Fiction, Contemporary

96 pages, Hardcover

First published April 4, 2005

About the author

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Reviews

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suzy Zeus is quite delightful.
Suzy Zeus is so sublime.
Suzy Zeus is strangely subtle
for a novel set in rhyme.
Suzy's also oddly pious,
but she's still a damn good time.

[Jessie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Suzy Zeus Gets Reviewed

Suzy narrates, in first person
Her own manic/depressive break.
Jessie think that Maggie Robbins'
Chronicle isn't all that great.
Maggie gave Suze psycho-therapists
And meds; not very compassionate.

Sure it rhymes, and Maggie's cadence
will sink its claws inside your head.
But when it comes to love and sex addiction
The word "codependence" goes unsaid.
Maggie would have done well to tell
Her own personal story instead.

There's no resolution or repose
For our poor, misguided Suzy Zeus.
She bounces from lovers' beds to hospital's,
Finally grounded to church pews.
Tether your heart to the Sky Man!
A new attachment you cannot lose.

Suzy looks to God for meaning,
Since her own creator offered none.
She never found a CoDA meeting,
She never realized All is One,
Which left this reader disappointed.
Suzy's battle wasn't won.

[Saima · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently read this again, and loved it all over again. I first got it back in 2005, when I was the same age as Suzy Zeus and living in Astoria as well. Even as I age, I find the epic poem still captivating and relevant. I love Suzy Zeus and her journey.

[Alyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cleverly written story, but the ending felt abrupt to me.

[Gail · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this for a book group, but it's been so long since I finished it that I may have to reread it by the time the group finally gets together to discuss it! The book is written in verse, which was rather disconcerting when I first picked it up. However, I got the hang of it and read it fairly quickly. I seem to recall being disappointed in the ending (?!), but again, it's been a while since I read it, so I can't give any specifics as to why I felt this way. I can't say that I'd give it a thumbs up OR down, since I was fairly lukewarm about it. However, if you want to see how an inventive author is able to write a story in verse, go for it.

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I do enjoy verse narrative, I have difficulty sustaining that enjoyment when the work is so heavily ABAB (what's the word? oh yes, mind-numbing). Likewise, the eventual turn to religious proselytizing, while understandable in context, brought forth quite the feeling of discomfort on my part.

It's a quick read though, and funny for the most part. My advice, do not purchase. Rather, find a copy at your local library (which you should be going to anyway). Then with that money you saved, go buy something else from an independent bookstore.

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

So when I bought this book I knew it was classic chit lit - some 20 something woman trying to find love and a purpose. Some religious quests, some traveling... But I had heard that it was excellently written and had a very bright, funny author who had a tremendous way with words.

I was happy to receive this book for Christmas and even happier to discover it is a 150 page poem! The entire book is written in sing-songy iambic pentameter (I think). I highly enjoyed it and even found that I could read it for long periods of time without getting sick of the nursery rhyme style.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really cute and fun, and super-quick to read, but still very sharply intelligent. I stumbled across this title on a list somewhere of underappreciated books that should have been more popular, and I couldn't agree more--the stuff here should appeal to a lot of female readers (I'd especially recommend it to chick-lit types). The themes are pretty universal, and the format's a breeze to digest--you really don't have to be a poetry person at all to appreciate this loose free verse.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strange little book. It was comical and sad at the same time. I really hope Suzy found what she was looking for. In this world that's not always an easy thing. This girl certainly got around from the Big Easy to Berlin. Always on the go. It was a very quick read and I have to say I have never read a novel in this format. It was written in a sing-song rhyming prose. Pretty much in your face and easy to understand no two ways about it. Most peculiar mama.

[Siskiyou-Suzy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was mostly unimpressed with this book and sort of had to trudge my way through it. But I didn't hate it, as it didn't capture some of the being-a-woman thing all us ladies have to deal with.The rhyme scheme was so basic and childish, and though I am sure that was an intentional choice, it's sort of hard to get through. I understand why that scheme was chosen (I think), but that makes me think that there was a flaw deeper, because I still didn't enjoy this book very much.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

In rhyming verse (which sounds off-putting but was absolutely beguiling), Suzy Zeus describes her life as a sassy girl-about-town. Don't let the fact that it's poetry stop you from checking it out--this is a book that deserves a much wider audience.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Different. When I originally decided to read this I didn't realize it was a poem. But it's an easy to read poem and a quick summation of a relationship ending and trying to pick up the pieces and find yourself in a new single state.

[Dionne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is hysterically cute and entertaining. The entire thing rhymes in an upbeat silly pattern, but yet the story line is fun and involved. I keep it on my bookshelf bc it is an easy read and always a mood-lifter.

[Lianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

The rhythm of the verse was addictive, and I enjoyed that more than I expected to -- I found myself going back to certain parts and re-reading. Overall, though, I was hoping to like this more than I did. I felt like the end fell flat.

[Sarah Stone]

Trochaic tetrameter and trochaic tetrameter catalectic, I believe. I was dubious at first, but won over by the sheer weirdness of this.

[eb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful. This novel told in verse is perfect subway reading for sleepy weekday mornings.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read it because it's a novel in verse. Didn't like it.