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Miss Harper Can Do It
Twenty-four-year-old elementary school-teacher Annie Harper is left behind in Tacoma, Washington, when her boyfriend, David, is shipped overseas. Wrestling with the complex emotions tied to his absence, She begins writing a confessional memoir, imagining it as a moving account of "the woman at home." But instead of writing a touching account of life on the home front, a tale of integrity and patience peppered with earnest love letters and fat, juicy tears, Annie lives life without David in ways she didn't anticipate.
She spends more time with her best friend, Gus, begins volunteering at a local retirement center, and adopts a pet chicken. Even as she misses David enormously between his sparse e-mails and choppy phone calls, she struggles with conflicted feelings about their long-distance relationship, her own identity and family history, and the ideological underpinnings of a war that's exerting such a force on her life.
Told through raw, rough draft chapters of Annie's memoir-in-progress, Miss Harper Can Do It is a funny and poignant story of what it means to be loyal versus what it means to be in love. In Annie, Jane Berentson has rendered a quirky young woman who copes with loss and stress in unexpected ways, only wavering briefly on the brink of self-pity and never losing her sense of humor.
She spends more time with her best friend, Gus, begins volunteering at a local retirement center, and adopts a pet chicken. Even as she misses David enormously between his sparse e-mails and choppy phone calls, she struggles with conflicted feelings about their long-distance relationship, her own identity and family history, and the ideological underpinnings of a war that's exerting such a force on her life.
Told through raw, rough draft chapters of Annie's memoir-in-progress, Miss Harper Can Do It is a funny and poignant story of what it means to be loyal versus what it means to be in love. In Annie, Jane Berentson has rendered a quirky young woman who copes with loss and stress in unexpected ways, only wavering briefly on the brink of self-pity and never losing her sense of humor.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published April 30, 2009
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105 people want to read
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Jane Berentson
5 books6 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews
July 13, 2009
abandoned this one: I only have limited time to read, and it simply was not riveting enough to keep me coming back.
I am not saying it is a bad novel... it was "cute" but not what I am into right now...
I am not saying it is a bad novel... it was "cute" but not what I am into right now...
October 11, 2009
Cute enough story---but the extensive use of footnotes was incredibly frustrating and distracting.
July 6, 2015
I thought I would really relate to the character of Annie Harper. Once upon a time, a long time ago, I was Miss Harper. I was a young teacher, the girlfriend back home to a combat soldier, dealing with the uncertainty of the future. Well, I hope I wasn't anything like Annie Harper because I did not like her. At all.
After 9/11 David is deployed. Now Annie should have known this would come one day. The two of them had dated since college and David was in college thanks to ROTC. When David is called upon to head overseas she is angry, so angry that she doesn't cry when he leaves. Then the drama begins.
Annie is selfish, whiny, and in my opinion, extremely immature for a 24 year old living in today's world. She wants David to email her more often. She wants him to call her more often. She wants him to tell her EVERYTHING about his job over there. She fantasizes,romanticizes, and dramatizes in her head...how she should act, what could happen, how HER life is changing for the worse. The only saving grace for the girl, in my opinion, was that she admits (even though unapologetically) that she is not a nice person and she is not being nice (let alone loving or supporting) to David.
Finally, Annie decides she needs to divert herself until David returns home. She builds a chicken coop and buys herself a pet chicken. She volunteers at a nursing home and becomes quite a good friend to nearly 90 year old Loretta. (That was actually a very sweet and touching relationship and I had to give Annie a few points for that.) She decides to spend more time with Gus, her best friend from early school days. And, she decides to write a book about how President Bush and his decision to send soldiers overseas has disrupted her life. Again, the focus is "poor Annie".
Throughout the story there is a mystery surrounding a baby brother that she doesn't remember at all, but knows that he was only a part of the family for 3 months. She begins to look into that as well. I didn't like this other issue and thought it was actually unimportant to the storyline.
As the story of poor Annie's life goes on, it becomes fairly clear as to what the outcome will be, and in the end, I think it was actually the best resolution because I truly did. not. like. Annie.
The book is written entirely from Annie's narration and what annoyed me was the continuous use of obnoxious footnotes on nearly every page. The footnotes only served to explain the background of Annie's narration so that she could fill the reader of her potential book in on all the past occurrences that led up to what she was writing. A few pages only had two typed lines of actual text and the rest of the page was filled in with Annie's footnotes.
Ok. So why did I give the book 3 stars? Well, obviously, I didn't really like it all that much, but it did hold my interest, and it was the fact that Annie was so flawed that she actually knew it and admitted it and that she wasn't trying to fool anyone or to make excuses for herself. She just wasn't a nice person in this case. Take it or leave it.
After 9/11 David is deployed. Now Annie should have known this would come one day. The two of them had dated since college and David was in college thanks to ROTC. When David is called upon to head overseas she is angry, so angry that she doesn't cry when he leaves. Then the drama begins.
Annie is selfish, whiny, and in my opinion, extremely immature for a 24 year old living in today's world. She wants David to email her more often. She wants him to call her more often. She wants him to tell her EVERYTHING about his job over there. She fantasizes,romanticizes, and dramatizes in her head...how she should act, what could happen, how HER life is changing for the worse. The only saving grace for the girl, in my opinion, was that she admits (even though unapologetically) that she is not a nice person and she is not being nice (let alone loving or supporting) to David.
Finally, Annie decides she needs to divert herself until David returns home. She builds a chicken coop and buys herself a pet chicken. She volunteers at a nursing home and becomes quite a good friend to nearly 90 year old Loretta. (That was actually a very sweet and touching relationship and I had to give Annie a few points for that.) She decides to spend more time with Gus, her best friend from early school days. And, she decides to write a book about how President Bush and his decision to send soldiers overseas has disrupted her life. Again, the focus is "poor Annie".
Throughout the story there is a mystery surrounding a baby brother that she doesn't remember at all, but knows that he was only a part of the family for 3 months. She begins to look into that as well. I didn't like this other issue and thought it was actually unimportant to the storyline.
As the story of poor Annie's life goes on, it becomes fairly clear as to what the outcome will be, and in the end, I think it was actually the best resolution because I truly did. not. like. Annie.
The book is written entirely from Annie's narration and what annoyed me was the continuous use of obnoxious footnotes on nearly every page. The footnotes only served to explain the background of Annie's narration so that she could fill the reader of her potential book in on all the past occurrences that led up to what she was writing. A few pages only had two typed lines of actual text and the rest of the page was filled in with Annie's footnotes.
Ok. So why did I give the book 3 stars? Well, obviously, I didn't really like it all that much, but it did hold my interest, and it was the fact that Annie was so flawed that she actually knew it and admitted it and that she wasn't trying to fool anyone or to make excuses for herself. She just wasn't a nice person in this case. Take it or leave it.
June 17, 2015
I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this one. Annie Harper is 24 years old, a grade school teacher living in Tacoma (Yeah! Local!) and her boyfriend is shipped off to Iraq for the w.a.r. (which she always spells out and never says).
Two reasons why I liked it so much: 1) Berentson *gets* the 24 year old female. All of the seesaw emotions, all the anxiety, all the non-drama drama, all of it is perfectly expressed via Annie Harper as she grows and tests herself and learns who she really is, warts and all. 2) This story takes place in 2003, at the beginnings of this terrible w.a.r. It was fascinating to read how things have changed and with the w.a.r. how they have *not* changed over the past 12 years. Really 'murica? Can't we figure this one out?
Note 1: Audio is well read EXCEPT the reader did not know how to say the word "Puyallup" (pew-al-up). Please, audio editors, find out how to say the local words--it makes me squirm when Puyallup, Sequim, Rainier, Alki and the like are mispronounced.
Note 2: The Mr. Rogers episode mentioned in this story is MY favorite Mr. Rogers episode as well! It made me cry when I found out that Annie loves it as much as I do!
Note 3: the book has a lot of "notes/end notes" in it which can be distracting. Much like these notes.
Two reasons why I liked it so much: 1) Berentson *gets* the 24 year old female. All of the seesaw emotions, all the anxiety, all the non-drama drama, all of it is perfectly expressed via Annie Harper as she grows and tests herself and learns who she really is, warts and all. 2) This story takes place in 2003, at the beginnings of this terrible w.a.r. It was fascinating to read how things have changed and with the w.a.r. how they have *not* changed over the past 12 years. Really 'murica? Can't we figure this one out?
Note 1: Audio is well read EXCEPT the reader did not know how to say the word "Puyallup" (pew-al-up). Please, audio editors, find out how to say the local words--it makes me squirm when Puyallup, Sequim, Rainier, Alki and the like are mispronounced.
Note 2: The Mr. Rogers episode mentioned in this story is MY favorite Mr. Rogers episode as well! It made me cry when I found out that Annie loves it as much as I do!
Note 3: the book has a lot of "notes/end notes" in it which can be distracting. Much like these notes.
May 5, 2019
This book was just... ok. Not the worse thing I've ever read, but certainly not close to one of the better ones, either. The constant use of footnotes was more than annoying. Half the time, I missed it when noted and had to go back to find where it was so I could connect the dots. An interesting concept, but I don't feel like they added a whole lot to the story. I guess since it was written as her "memoir," these footnotes were supposed to be background information for us, but not for her eventual reader. It was just too much. I also didn't care for Annie. Parts of her didn't seem realistic to me. It did have some funny parts and I enjoyed her friendship with Loretta, the 90-year-old at the retirement home where Annie volunteered. Other than the footnotes, it was an easy read...but it was also easy for me to put down and hard to pick back up.
June 2, 2009
I read this book in two days which only happens when I really connect with a book. I loved all the fun facts embedded into her quirky, curious character. The inner ranting and raving of Annie is something every woman has done many many times. It's so real and sweet at the same time. I wish Annie was real, she would be my friend.
March 6, 2019
Light and fun
August 22, 2018
Is the story of Annie Harper whose boyfriend has deployed to Iraq. Is about their time apart and how it changes them both. Is lots of humor.
March 10, 2017
Interesting book written from the point of view of a soldiers fiancee when he is stationed in Iraq.
June 18, 2015
I always like "finding" an author when they publish their first novel, and blogging has made that so much easier. During Book Blogger Appreciation Week, I won a package of different books from Bookin' with Bingo, and one was Miss Harper Can Do Itby Jane Berentson. As Annie Harper begins her third year of teaching, her daily life changes when her Army boyfriend is deployed to Iraq. Annie decides to keep a journal that may possibly become a book, and it is the first draft of these rambling musings that we are privileged to read, along with some of David and her email corrrespondence. Annie visits a knitting/social circle of Army wives, but realizes she has nothing in common with these women who live on base and lead an Army life. She reads Army wife blogs looking for support with some of her frustrations and feelings, and finds everything happy and wonderful with others left behind. Looking to fill her time and become a better person, Annie begins volunteering at a nursing home where she meets Loretta, a fun-loving 93 year old, who becomes a great supporter and de facto therapist. She also begins spending time with her childhood best friend Gus, newly arrived home after two years spent in Dominica teaching English, and decides to try caring for a pet. The pet storyline is particularly hilarious because she chooses to get a chicken, and the chicken information is also very funny. The book even has an appendix of Chicken Facts, which is very interesting!
In addition to the Chicken Facts, the 4 other appendices include a list of Annie's students, with descriptions, Physical Descriptions of Humans in This Story, Known Anomalies of Water, and Stupid Things I Considered Calling My Memoirs. I wish I had known about the list of humans and students, which would have been helpful while reading the book, so be sure you check for them in your copy.
I really enjoyed Jane Berentson's breezy writing style; it is very personal, and at times I felt like I wanted to say something to Annie, as if she were in the room pouring her heart out to me. In addition to the helpful and hilarious Appendices, the memoir is chock-full of hysterical footnotes giving the back story or further explanation of things Annie mentions in the body of her memoir.
In addition to the Chicken Facts, the 4 other appendices include a list of Annie's students, with descriptions, Physical Descriptions of Humans in This Story, Known Anomalies of Water, and Stupid Things I Considered Calling My Memoirs. I wish I had known about the list of humans and students, which would have been helpful while reading the book, so be sure you check for them in your copy.
I really enjoyed Jane Berentson's breezy writing style; it is very personal, and at times I felt like I wanted to say something to Annie, as if she were in the room pouring her heart out to me. In addition to the helpful and hilarious Appendices, the memoir is chock-full of hysterical footnotes giving the back story or further explanation of things Annie mentions in the body of her memoir.
March 15, 2016
*Book received through the Amazon Vine Program*
Annie Harper is a twenty-four old third grade teacher who starts a memoir of the year that her boyfriend, David, is away in Iraq. The book takes place from late summer 2003 to December 2004. The book follows what happens with Annie in that year and features Annie's best friend Gus, Annie's students, and Loretta, who Annie meets when she decides to volunteer at a retirement center.
At first I liked the book and Annie. The story was fun and easy to get into. However, as the book went on, I found myself getting annoyed at Annie and the writing style. The author, Jane Berentson, decided to include footnotes in the story. This is where Annie includes details about one anecdote or another. But some of the footnotes are really long and I felt that they could be included into the actual story. Plus it became distracting for me to have to stop reading the actual story and then read the footnote text. I'm one of those people who think that footnotes are only necessary in non-fiction books. I don't like them in novels. Also Annie, who I found charming at first, started to become too whiny and just grated my nerves. I found myself not rooting for her by the end.
Also I found the story line got kind of ridiculous. I found the story line of Annie and Gus to be a bit predictable. Also, I won't give anything away, but there is something that happens in Gus and Annie's story line that actually made me want to throw the book against the wall and yell "C'mon, really?!". I found that part to be most annoying and if you read the book, you might feel the same way.
So overall for me, the book was good in the first half and started to drag in the second half. I would have liked to see the story end differently but I'm sure that a lot of people will find it satisfying.
Annie Harper is a twenty-four old third grade teacher who starts a memoir of the year that her boyfriend, David, is away in Iraq. The book takes place from late summer 2003 to December 2004. The book follows what happens with Annie in that year and features Annie's best friend Gus, Annie's students, and Loretta, who Annie meets when she decides to volunteer at a retirement center.
At first I liked the book and Annie. The story was fun and easy to get into. However, as the book went on, I found myself getting annoyed at Annie and the writing style. The author, Jane Berentson, decided to include footnotes in the story. This is where Annie includes details about one anecdote or another. But some of the footnotes are really long and I felt that they could be included into the actual story. Plus it became distracting for me to have to stop reading the actual story and then read the footnote text. I'm one of those people who think that footnotes are only necessary in non-fiction books. I don't like them in novels. Also Annie, who I found charming at first, started to become too whiny and just grated my nerves. I found myself not rooting for her by the end.
Also I found the story line got kind of ridiculous. I found the story line of Annie and Gus to be a bit predictable. Also, I won't give anything away, but there is something that happens in Gus and Annie's story line that actually made me want to throw the book against the wall and yell "C'mon, really?!". I found that part to be most annoying and if you read the book, you might feel the same way.
So overall for me, the book was good in the first half and started to drag in the second half. I would have liked to see the story end differently but I'm sure that a lot of people will find it satisfying.
August 30, 2009
I really enjoyed this original and imaginative book. The premise that it is the rough draft of the protagonist's first memoir (and sometimes diary), coupled with the footnotes, made it a step apart from the "norm." I also liked the honesty of Annie Harper - she doesn't sugar-coat how she really feels about her boyfriend being over in Iraq - she hates the war, is not fond of the fact that he's in the military, thinks W is an idiot, and gags over the saccharine sweetness of many of the "my husband is a war hero" blogs. All the things that probably many people feel, but are afraid to express because it's not "patriotic" and "PC."
While the love story was predictable, it unfolded in a nice and natural manner. The chicken was inspired (and the source of two "oh no" moments for me). I liked it a lot.
The only thing that I didn't like - and this book is by no means alone in this regard (unfortunately) is the amount of "fat hate" that takes place. It's the kind of thing that probably was totally unconscious, and goes largely unnoticed by most readers (because the last thing anyone wants to be is fat, good god!), but the several instances where fat is mentioned - even as a simple descriptive tool, it does so with completely negative connotations. Fat=bad. And that's too bad, because it really did mar my perception of the book (and author).
While the love story was predictable, it unfolded in a nice and natural manner. The chicken was inspired (and the source of two "oh no" moments for me). I liked it a lot.
The only thing that I didn't like - and this book is by no means alone in this regard (unfortunately) is the amount of "fat hate" that takes place. It's the kind of thing that probably was totally unconscious, and goes largely unnoticed by most readers (because the last thing anyone wants to be is fat, good god!), but the several instances where fat is mentioned - even as a simple descriptive tool, it does so with completely negative connotations. Fat=bad. And that's too bad, because it really did mar my perception of the book (and author).
June 25, 2009
Annie Harper is 25, teaches 3rd grade in Tacoma, WA, and her long-time boyfriend has just been deployed to Iraq. She copes by keeping a journal which she hopes to publish as memoir - "Wartime Alone Time: When Abstinence Fights for Freedom." ** Annie chronicles the pain of separation, the guilt of leading a "normal" life while a loved one is in danger, email fights with her boyfriend, the adoption of a pet chicken, making new friends in unexpected places, and life with her students. Over the course of the 392 days of separation, Annie experiences a revelation or two. This is very funny, quite realistic, and a page-turner! I especially enjoyed the very informative footnotes which provided much of the 'back story', and the appendices made me chuckle. I learned some interesting facts about chickens and about water too!
** Footnote: As Annie's life changes, the title of her proposed memoir changes in keeping with circumstances.
** Footnote: As Annie's life changes, the title of her proposed memoir changes in keeping with circumstances.
May 25, 2009
Annie Harper is a spit fire! She's a character that I wanted to ask a few more questions of . . . private, a bit. I liked Gus. The chicken parts are very funny! This book is a bit like the young adult genre formula where the story gets rid of the parents right away. I'm always interested in family development, so I wanted more details about Annie's feelings about this as opposed to simple "takes" on different family members. Jane Berentson is an extraordinary wordsmith, for sure! Oh, and the footnote method of quipping is fun. I didn't get the full effect because I bought the book on my Kindle (they put them at the end of the book - lame!) but when I looked at the book at Barnes and Noble, I "got" it and liked what this technique added to the story. I absolutely LOVE the cover of this book!
March 18, 2010
This was an ok book about a 24 year old third grade teacher whose boyfriend gets sent to Iraq, and the consequences of his deployment. I hate fiction books with footnotes, they seem so distracting to the story. But, I liked the character, Janie Harper a lot. She was plucky and funny and dedicated to her job. She writes a journal about her feelings while her boyfriend is gone. It is pretty interesting. She finds things to do to keep busy; adopting a chicken, getting a friend to visit at the nusring home, LOretta, and joining a knitting group. She can always depend on her best friend, Gus, to help out when things get tough. She goes through a process while her boyfriend is gone and decides in the end that Gus might be a better love interest than DAvid.
The book would have been great except for the language and the footnotes!
The book would have been great except for the language and the footnotes!
June 27, 2010
When I first started, I couldn't decide whether this was one of those non-novels which is just a more or less exact transcript of the author's life and thoughts (not necessarily a problem unless the author then tries to write another novel) or whether this author had both a really clever conceit (the rough draft of a memoir, including notes) and a voice so spot-on that you could easily mistake it for the former possibility. As it unfolded, it got less impressive either way (devolving into a predictable rom-com best-friend love story mess), but the beginning was so promising and the main character so lovable that it carried you through. And it should be mentioned that I'm a sucker for teacher narratives and Miss Harper teaches third grade. Adorably.
June 12, 2012
I appreciated the wittiness and verisimilitude of narrator Annie's writing. As a teacher and someone who hangs out almost exclusively with 10th graders and people aged 60+, I enjoyed the young adult verisimilitude as well. I desperately miss friends who are my age, so this book was a good escape from people who cringe at the words "crap" and "sucks".
As far as the story, when I read it, I enjoyed it, but I had a hard time just convincing myself to pick it up and read it. I may just be in a reading-slump. However, how Gus and Annie finally get together is just regularly beautiful -no fancy restaurant, no long harangues, no sparkling diamonds- just mushroom shish-kabobs and a Mr. Rogers re-run. When someone confesses their love to me, I want it to be done in the same manner.
As far as the story, when I read it, I enjoyed it, but I had a hard time just convincing myself to pick it up and read it. I may just be in a reading-slump. However, how Gus and Annie finally get together is just regularly beautiful -no fancy restaurant, no long harangues, no sparkling diamonds- just mushroom shish-kabobs and a Mr. Rogers re-run. When someone confesses their love to me, I want it to be done in the same manner.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 10, 2010
I think I liked this book more than 2 stars, but it took me forever to read so I had to downgrade it. I almost gave up halfway through, but I just started to get an inkling that the ending may be different than what I thought so I stuck with it. My biggest complaint is the use of footnotes. That drove me crazy because I'd have to stop in the middle of a paragraph to read a footnote that sometimes was so long it continued onto the next page and then I'd have to flip back and resume where I had been reading. Very annoying. I also didn't find it as funny as Jane Berentson meant it to be. Though there were a couple of laugh out loud parts.
February 1, 2010
I probably liked this a little bit more than the world at large because I know Jane Berentson from my college years, and I could see so much of her in this. I was dreading it, actually - the chickLit marketing is a major turn-off for me, but the book itself is quirky, adorably finicky, and basically engaging. It's the kind of narrative that's built out of whimsical asides, and though it's essentially a slight piece of fiction that doesn't really say anything new, I found myself won over by its heroine. (Maybe because I already knew her).
July 25, 2009
Really enjoyed this -- quick, entertaining read. When I compose parts of novels in my head, they usually sound like this. :) Which is to say, I loved the "voice" of the novel. It felt authentic to me. Very informal, twenty-something voice; realistic dialogue; and quirky style. I'd compare it to a younger, even quirkier Jennifer Weiner. Loved it. This is a GREAT beach read, and I mean that as nothing but a compliment to the author. My only regret is that this appears to be her first (read: only) novel. Can't wait for more.
June 19, 2009
This novel was entertaining and endearing. Annie Harper is a 25-year old woman whose boyfriend is deployed to Iraq for one year. This novel serves as her journal, where she records her thoughts about being alone and how their relationship will survive a year of long-distance phone calls and emails. As a reader, you get inside her head and read all of her neurotic, funny, uncensored thoughts. I really enjoyed the writing and thought it was a great book.
November 8, 2009
I was probably swayed by the narrator being a teacher in the Pacific NW. And that it made me laugh aloud. The appendices were a bit odd--I would have woven them into the book earlier, as one might really list one's class or throw in a page of notes about water into the middle of one's journal. Having virtually no connection with the military, it was also interesting to hear the perspective of someone who really, truly, honestly, supports the soldiers but not the war.
May 18, 2010
The beginning of this book reminded me more of a teenagers book, but I stuck with it because the author is local and found that it got more mature as it went along. The characters were quite real for me, younger than me, but still very real and that helped a lot. It's a sweet book, a quick read, and has a lot of laughs, as it's written in diary format and the author says things, because it's a diary, that one would NEVER say outloud, and I appreciated that and got a lot of laughs from it.
May 24, 2010
Miss Harper is a young schoolteacher, very likeable, whose boyfriend is shipped to Iraq.
She keeps a log about her year of separation. Quite a moving account of her time and thoughts, etc. And funny at times. She teaches, volunteers at a nursing home, raises a chicken.
Before the end of the year she breaks off the relationship, though, and hooks up with her best friend from high school, Gus. They had remained good friends thru the years.
Takes place in Tacoma, Wa., which was fun.
She keeps a log about her year of separation. Quite a moving account of her time and thoughts, etc. And funny at times. She teaches, volunteers at a nursing home, raises a chicken.
Before the end of the year she breaks off the relationship, though, and hooks up with her best friend from high school, Gus. They had remained good friends thru the years.
Takes place in Tacoma, Wa., which was fun.
July 19, 2010
I really loved this! I think mostly because the narrator has random thoughts and a wild imagination that I relate to. The book is funny and at times poignant. Undecided as to whether I liked the ending and how some strange subplots continued escalating further into strangeness, but overall I really liked it. It's the story of a young teacher whose boyfriend is sent to Iraq. She starts to write "memoirs" of her time without him and how she copes and what she does in his absence.
November 23, 2010
Liked it more than I thought I would, to clarify. Especially as it involved the military and good god, the stylistic convention of footnotes which drives me CRAZY. Good character development and more complex than you would think but for some reason the age of the characters kept throwing me off. I know 24 year olds are teachers etc. etc. but they seemed young for the thoughts and experiences. Shout out to Tacoma, getting some love.
July 28, 2011
'Miss Harper Can Do It' - a witty, breezy style, true-to-life. But a few lousy military details and some unnecessary swipes at military spouses irritated me enough to mention in a brief review. I didn't read the footnotes, which means (a) I missed lots of its charms or (b) I got a more coherent narrative. A better-than-average chick book, quick read, be generous to the title character and you'll like it. If you're a chick.
July 14, 2016
I really did enjoy this book. Annie and Gus were very relatable and I liked reliving the time period and the setting (Tacoma, WA!) aside from that there was a good amount of humor and characterization through Annie writing her memoir and the interactions she had with her students and get boyfriend. Without giving away the ending I will say that it was a little predictable but overall I didn't mind that.
December 9, 2009
I tried, I really tried, because it seemed like such a cute story. I just could not get into it, and abandoned the book very quickly. Her use of footnotes on every other page, thoroughly turned me off. I want my books to flow without interruption, and her footnotes were a huge interruption. I have children, and am interrupted enough around here. I do not need a book to do it for me.
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