Book Review - Amy Odell's Tales from the Back Row

The glitz, the glamour, the bizarre designer clothing...I can't seem to get enough of fashion industry memoirs. Thank You to Simon & Schuster for an advanced copy of Amy Odell's Tales From the Back Row in exchange for an honest review. 

PLOT- Fashion editor and blogger, Amy Odell, recalls her industry experiences that range from standing in the back at fashion shows, to being invited to sit in the front row. She experiences fashion highs, like interviewing with Anna Wintour and lows, like discovering that designer sweatpants do not belong at brunch with her future in-laws. Odell not only shares her personal stories, but she also gives excellent advice for those looking to start a career in fashion. What exactly does a stylist do? What's up with all of the pregnant Victoria Secret Angels? How do you land that coveted front row seat during fashion week? Odell answers all. 

LIKE- Amy Odell is hilarious. Tales from the Back Row is like going out for a gossip over cocktails with your best friend. Not just your best friend, but that person at every party who always seems to have the most entertaining stories and is the funniest person in the room. That's Odell. I was giggling, snorting and flat out belly laughing nearly the entire time. Seriously funny stuff. 

 Odell positions herself as someone who can see the absurdity in fashion, but who still loves it. She can mock it, but does so with a true affinity for the art. She creates the persona of someone who is part "industry insider" and part "fish out of water", which as a non-fashion person, I found highly relatable. 

Beyond Odell's "voice", her stories were throughly entertaining. I really enjoyed reading about her margarita lunch with Chelsea Handler and her stressful job interview with Anna Wintour. Odell fills her book with celebrity encounters and crazy fashion. 

DISLIKE- The only thing that I disliked is that Tales from the Back Row was too short. I breezed through it and was left wanting more. I really hope that Odell has follow-up book in the works, but in the meantime, I immediately began to follow her on Twitter. I'll take what I can get.

RECOMMEND- YES!!! Although it helps to have an interest in fashion, I don't think it's a prerequisite to enjoy Tales from the Back Row. Odell is so engaging and hilarious, that she could read the phone book and I'd listen. 

Book Review- Lauren Acampora's The Wonder Garden

Has a book ever called to you? When I browse at bookstores, there are far more books that I want, than I can actually buy, so I keep a list on my iPhone of the ones that catch my interest. Lauren Acampora's short story collection, The Wonder Garden, caught my eye at three different bookstores. It just kept popping up, so I finally caved and bought it.

PLOT-  In The Wonder Garden, Acampora writes a series of interwoven stories set in the fictional east coast town of Old Cranberry. 

LIKE- Acampora is a marvelous storyteller. In The Wonder Garden, she floats between the surface of her characters, and their deep, dark secrets. Reading her stories are like watching a film, in that she has a keen sense of when to zoom in and when to pull back her shots. The pacing is pitch perfect.

Many of Acampora's characters are creepy, unsettling and highly memorable. In particular, there is a wealthy man with a sick wife, who bribes his wife's brain surgeon, to allow him to touch her brain during surgery. Yikes!

The town is filled with historic homes and one couple takes the task of living like they're from the colonial period, clueless as to why their college-aged children don't want to come home for the holidays. They are highly judgmental of their neighbors who do not care as much for preserving the historic properties, especially of a couple who commission an enormous sculpture of insects to run along their front fence. Old Cranberry is a town never short on the bizarre or controversial. 

DISLIKE- Nothing. Send more stories please. Now. Please? 

RECOMMEND- Absolutely. You must read The Wonder Garden, Acampora has crafted a collection of affecting and unusual stories. I can't wait to see what she cooks up next. 

Book Review- Elisabeth Egan's A Window Opens

Sometimes a story demands that sleep must be sacrificed. Elisabeth Egan's novel, A Window Opens, was practically glued to my hands because I couldn't bear to stop reading. It's really that good. Thank You to Simon & Schuster for gifting me with an advanced copy of Egan's novel in exchange for an honest review.

PLOT - Alice Pearse is living a happy life. She has a good marriage and she enjoys working as a part time editor at a lifestyle magazine. As the mother of three young children, she feels that she has struck a good balance between having a career and taking care of her family. 

When her husband suddenly decides to quit his job at a high profile law firm, Alice must take a stab at being the primary breadwinner. She manages to land a job at an exciting new start-up called Scroll. Scroll promises to be the future for booklovers, offering fancy, quiet reading lounges for the e-reader set. Before taking the job, Alice is assured that Scroll's aim is to exist alongside traditional bookstores. 

As the months pass, her new job begins to take its toll. Alice can't find work-life balance and she beings to rethink the concept of "having it all". She grows out of touch with her kids and friends, her marriage starts to fall apart, and her father has cancer. To top it off, Scroll is shifting its priorities and it's not the same company as when Alice signed on. Can Alice find balance before she completely breaks?

LIKE- Rarely does a book make me cry. Oh my goodness, I cried buckets with A Window Opens. It was a very cathartic experience for me, as Egan nails the emotions and scenarios involving caring for and losing a parent. As much as I struggled to put this book down, there were many moments where I had to set it aside for a quick breather, as I was too emotional to continue reading.

On a light, fun note; Alice comes up with an idea for new books to be sold in house parties, like Tupperwear. I love this! Does it exist? Can it exist and can I go to people's houses and tell them all about my favorite new books? This would be a dream job. A company really ought to start this up. The concept is gold.

What really works and what drew me into Egan's story world, is that her characters and situations felt so real. I have no doubt that someone ( probably Barnes and Noble) is trying to get Scroll-esque reading lounges into every mall. Alice's struggle mirrors those of many of my friends. Even without having kids, I can understand the frustrations with trying to find balance in life. Alice isn't perfect, but she's trying to get it right and she does it with a good dose of humor. She's an incredibly rounded and likable protagonist, which kept me keyed into her story. 

DISLIKE - Nothing. A Window Opens is one of my top reads of the year. 

RECOMMEND - I've just finished it, but I've already recommended A Window Opens to many friends. Egan has crafted an affecting and beautiful story about the importance of relationships, family and finding your personal sense of zen. It's a wonderful story about picking yourself up, when you feel like you've shattered into a million pieces! It's real, honest and up-lifting.