What do You think about Any Place I Hang My Hat (2007)?
The writing style is witty and engaging, and there's a mystery to solve, and a romance, all very skillfully tied together. But don't look for complexity or depth here. Just do what you're told and root for the plucky, virtuous heroine, whose few endearing "flaws" are the result of having had a rough childhood, whose success in life is entirely due to her own wonderfulness, and whose suffering has always been caused by other people: other, lesser, people whose flaws are not easily attributable to their life experiences, but are apparently congenital, and whose fashion choices, such as cheap necklaces and unfashionably curly hair, reveal their inner badness. Enjoy feeling morally superior, and don't wonder how the villain got that way, or what it's like to be them. And if you're left at the end with the nagging feeling that something important has been left unexplored, well, clearly there's something wrong with you.
—Rose Kelleher
I found this 382 page book by Susan Isaacs to be very entertaining. The main protagonist, Amy Lincoln, is an almost-thirty-something who had a rough start to life--a mother who abandoned her, a father in and out of jail and a grandmother who had her own peculiarities. At age 14 she received a scholarship to a New England boarding school, went on to Harvard and finished up at the Columbia School of Jouralism. The book begins with her employed as a reporter for a prestigious magazine in New York.Susan Isaacs has created a strong female character with wit and compassion. Amy begins a search for her mother as a way of finding herself and where she belongs. There is substance and plot filled with witty comebacks and well-developed characters.I recommend this as a good read.
—Barbara
The protagonist, Amy Lincoln, comes from poor circumstances...mother abandoned her before her first birthday, father was in and out of jail, raised by her paternal grandmother who was less than an ideal role model. At age fourteen, she gets herself a scholarship to a boarding school, then eventually goes to Harvard and Columbia and now works as a Journalist for a prestigious magazine. Although she has "made" something of herself, she finds she is having a hard time connecting with people, always distancing herself when they get too close. She goes on a search for her mother in hopes for some answers. This book is very contemporary, often humorous. Took me a little bit to get into it, but once I got used to the style, it was entertaining. I'd say it is one level above a beach read.
—Amy
