"A gorgeously messy and misguided heroine. I love this story."—Laura Dern
"The perfect blend of salty and sweet."—Booklist (starred review)
"Hilarious."—Refinery29
The year is 1969. Dick Nixon was just sworn in as the thirty-seventh President of the United States. Neil Armstrong just took one small step for man and one giant leap for mankind. And notable Palm Springs socialite Maxine Simmons just found out that her husband is leaving her for his twenty-two-year-old secretary.
After a public meltdown at Thanksgiving, Maxine finds herself not only divorced but exiled to Scottsdale, Arizona. However, these desert boondocks will not be her end—only her Elba. The former beauty queen sets her eyes on a new crown: that of the Mrs. American Pie pageant, awarded to the nation's best wife and mother.
Maxine only has one problem: to win the crown she'll need to find—or build—a family of her own.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
August 7, 2018 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9781942645870
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9781942645870
- File size: 1016 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Booklist
Starred review from July 1, 2018
Mrs. Maxine Hortence Simmons is the perfect Palm Springs housewife. So when her husband, Douglas, tells her he's leaving her for his pregnant girlfriend, she self-medicates and is soon dancing on her perfect Thanksgiving table, spilling cranberries on a Hearst, and ending up in the pool with the turkey. She is exiled to Scottsdale, though she takes Douglas' precious Jaguar E-Type. Twelve-year-old Chuck Bronski is fascinated by his new neighbor, and when he's not taking care of his baby sister, Dawn, he practices his spy skills. Maxine also casts a spell on Robert Hogarth, restaurant owner and bartender waiting for an embarrassing incident back home in Chicago to blow over. Maxine finds hope for a triumphant return to Palm Springs in the Mr. and Mrs. American Pie pageant. Her lack of family is hardly an obstacle, and soon Robert, Chuck, and Dawn are learning to play their respective roles in her faux-mily. Alternately narrated by Maxine ( a bona fide hoot, according to Robert), Robert, and Chuck, McDaniel's debut is the perfect blend of salty and sweet, combining 1970s culinary horrors like ham and bananas hollandaise with a motley crew of fakers learning what family really means.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)
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Formats
- Kindle Book
- OverDrive Read
- EPUB ebook
subjects
Languages
- English
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