Bad Marie, Marcy Dermansky
Harper Perennial, 2010
Marie is bad. Very, very bad. Outrageous, in fact. She's been in prison. She has no boundaries. She will steal your money and the food in the fridge and your bathrobe and your French husband and your child. She will run away to France with your French husband and your child ... and think she is better for them - the husband and the child, and probably the bathrobe and all of France, too - than you are. And as outrageous as she is, you will find yourself, against all odds, sort of ...liking her.
Marie has both the naivete and the chutzpah to break rules without a second thought. She will be annoyed and inconvenienced by the royal mess she sets in motion, but she won't feel guilty. Marie's misguided indignation will make you laugh in spite of yourself. And although her offenses are truly egregious, there is something oddly sweet about her.
Pair this brisk, entertaining read with imported berries, chocolate mousse, and a shot of whiskey.
Happy reading!
I purchased my copy of Bad Marie from Powells.
Pair this brisk, entertaining read with imported berries, chocolate mousse, and a shot of whiskey.
ReplyDeleteI like how you think!!
Thanks Audra...it's what Marie would do ;D
DeleteI really enjoyed this book, too. She's terrible but you can't look away, and you can't hate her. In the end she's just trying to do what's best even though she has no idea what that is.
ReplyDeleteabsolutely! I was surprised how she grew on me.
DeleteWow, ok, she sounds difficult to like yet you say it's hard not too. I didn't know it was like that, but now I do I'd like to move it back to the future TBR (wasn't keen on the cover, I know I know, bad way to judge).
ReplyDeleteThe book has a funny way of endearing itself in spite of any sensible judgments you might make :D If you read it, would love to hear what you think!
DeleteNope. Good review, and as a writer I should only care about the writing; but I can't like a character who takes a kid.
ReplyDeleteThank you, and I completely get where you're coming from - none of it, especially kidnapping, is condonable by any stretch of the imagination or by real-life standards. Part of the surprise of the reading experience, and of course only possible in the context of fiction, was that I found myself kind of liking her in spite of it.
DeleteWhat a delectable morsel of a review, dear Jennifer! Marie sounds, as you've emphasized, very bad indeed, and just the sort of lady I'd hope to meet -- this probably makes me bad by extension. I particularly like your response to Chris, in an earlier comment: that the book has a funny way of endearing itself in spite of any sensible judgements you might make...that's precisely the sort of book I want to know! I'll have to remember to stock up on those imported berries, then! ;)
ReplyDeletethank you, Shivanee- I do think you would enjoy it and the writing, especially as the character evolves over the course of the book
DeleteOoh, I'm intrigued and will put this one on the list. I love this blog - always points me to books I would NEVER find on my own and has yet to disappoint. Keep them coming!
ReplyDeletethanks so much for the kind words!
DeleteI'm quite intrigued by this one -- especially as I've read a few favorable reviews lately! I love finding characters I should, by all rights, dislike... only to realize they're sort of awesome. Thanks for inspiring me to give this one another look!
ReplyDeleteHope you enjoy it! It did make for a surprisingly fun read :D
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