I really enjoyed this book. So many of the tangential conversations are laugh-out-loud funny, while the very real grief comes through loud and clear,. I have about 20 pages with my favorite sections dog-eared, and they never fail to make me smile, even when I know what's …more coming. This book seems better than the average "chick lit" (hate that phrase, but it is what it is); comparable to early Jennifer Weiner or "The Girl's Guide to Hunting and Fishing," a generation later. Recommended for when you need a not-too-serious but still well-written and absolutely charming book! (less)

I had not read a book by Daniel Wallace before. I HAD seen the movie "Big Fish;" it was quirky, and charming, so thought I'd take a chance.

What I found was definitely quirky. Very little charm, however. Edsel reminded me a lot of Quoyle in "Shipping News" - a lovable loser, …more whom one worried about page after page after page. I think the bottom line is that I simply felt extremely uncomfortable while reading this book. Edsel's apartment is robbed by his drug-dealer neighbor and he doesn't move out. His mother is crazier than a loon, and a horrible mother, besides, but he is not dissuaded from any interaction with her. It's just one cringe-worthy episode after another. I didn't find it entertaining - it was just unpleasant.

I REALLY wanted to like this book. I wanted to fall in love with the quirkiness of the characters, and join them on their life-affirming adventures. I wanted to leave a positive review on BookBrowse (which I LOVE). Unfortunately the characters just gave me the creeps. I found that I simply didn't want to spend any time with them, not even to find out if Edsel ever gets to Destin, falls in love, or lives happily ever after. (less)

Oh, how I wanted to love this book! As a former retail copywriter, I looked forward to having a peek into what it was like at one of the forerunners of the industry. Instead, I found myself plodding through, dutifully, more out of a commitment to BookBrowse than to a desire …more to find out what happened. While LIllian was sympathetic, she was not very likeable. I simply did not care. Upon reading the author's notes, I was pleased to find that the book was based on a real person; and to learn that a woman had not only survived but thrived in the depression as a copywriter. However, the story as told just didn't work for me. (less)

I was terribly disappointed in this book. It was filled with cliches, cheap tricks and red herrings. The protagonist is a pathetic doormat with whom we are supposed to identify and commiserate. While I finished the book it was with a groan, not a sense of delight. I felt …more tremendously manipulated by the author, and not in a way that was at all pleasurable or interesting. I'd recommend skipping this book. (less)