kleedc73's review
4.0
This is the first book I've read by this author. It centers on 4 women authors who met at the beginning of their careers and act as a support and critique network for each other as their careers progress. One of them, Kendall Aims, is in personal and professional crisis and she retires to her mountaintop home to attempt to write a book that will resurrect her career. When she is stuck, her three friends swoop and in and they secretly collaborate on a book that incorporates real details of all four of their lives. When the book becomes an unintentional bestseller, the women, their lives and their friendships are subject to intense scrutiny and criticism, testing all of them in ways they did not expect. The process of writing the book also reveals the publishing process and some of its ugly underbelly. This was cleverly done, sort of a book-within-a-book-within-a-book. The characters were different and compelling, particularly Faye and Tanya, and the "insider's view" of the publishing world was interesting. I didn't want to put this book down until I found out what happened.
brittnilynn's review
3.0
I rate this book 3.5. I enjoyed the book, however, i wasn’t hooked until about 65% of the way through. I really enjoyed reading about all of the things that writers go through, i truly had no idea. I enjoyed watching the four friends do life together, however, I’m kind of like so you had no idea about all of these things with any of these friends… kinda shocking. Overall, good read.
sue_t's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. All of the characters were believeable and easy to understand. The plot moved along at a good pace and all came together well at the end. While this book may not blow you away with greatness, it was a fun read. Highly recommend!
erinecarroll's review
4.0
I LOVED this book! I didn't know what to expect when I picked it up because I had never read anything by this author before. I was pleasantly surprised as to how much I liked this book and couldn't put it down. I loved the storyline about how four friends went through the ups and downs of the writing and publishing world together. I also like how Wax wrote the chapters as each of the character's viewpoints. Also, the quotes that Wax used at the beginning of each chapter were great, they gave an "inside look" as to how other famous writers deal or feel about the writing process and publishing industry. The only thing that slightly bothered me was Kendall's character, she was a little needy and whiny, but I guess that was part of the story, and it just showed how her friends were able to help her get over that point in her life and move on. This is a must read! I will definitely be buying more of Wax's novels in the future.
januaryf's review
3.0
An interesting read into the process of writing a book and the publishing industry. It was very 'meta' to read a book about writing a book and the fiction book that was being written was the book you were reading. The characters were interesting, and it was easy to relate to them and feel their pain. A good read.
mishale1's review
3.0
I received this book in a Goodreads Giveaway.
I've never used this phrase to describe a book before, but this book is very meta.
The book is about four friends who are all writers. Kendall has a meltdown due to her personal life and her friends help her. They suggest that they all write a book together, a book about four friends who are writers.
Each one of them writes about herself, but in code. They want Kendall to get complete credit for the book and they do not want to break their own contracts by writing the story with her.
So, they decide to use the anonymity of their fictional characters to write about their real secrets. Mallory and Faye put the most on the line personally.
But none of them owns up to each other that they are telling true stories.
When the book becomes a best seller (that's not a spoiler since it's in the title) their friendship and personal relationships are put to the test.
I enjoyed it. I liked the characters and I though they had a lot of personal growth by the end of the story.
I've never used this phrase to describe a book before, but this book is very meta.
The book is about four friends who are all writers. Kendall has a meltdown due to her personal life and her friends help her. They suggest that they all write a book together, a book about four friends who are writers.
Each one of them writes about herself, but in code. They want Kendall to get complete credit for the book and they do not want to break their own contracts by writing the story with her.
So, they decide to use the anonymity of their fictional characters to write about their real secrets. Mallory and Faye put the most on the line personally.
But none of them owns up to each other that they are telling true stories.
When the book becomes a best seller (that's not a spoiler since it's in the title) their friendship and personal relationships are put to the test.
I enjoyed it. I liked the characters and I though they had a lot of personal growth by the end of the story.
akuhlma03's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
duchessmerry's review
3.0
A friend is defined as: a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard. This is the story of 4 writers who have forged a bond of friendship through their experiences of being a writer. Wax takes you on an emotional journey with each of these writers, Kendall, Tanya, Mallory and Faye, and asks the questions that plagues friendships every day. Are we really as close as we think we are? Are we true friends? Will they be there for me? The Accidental Bestseller appeared to be a story about friendship and inside view into the publishing industry, allowing the reader to see the brutality of that world. However, what this book truly showed was relationships and how they change our lives on a daily basis.
Meet Kendall, she's a mediocre writer whose editor wants her gone. Kendall is up for a writing award and is hoping that if she wins she'll survive another day in the publishing industry, but if she loses...
Kendall's world falls apart around her after the awards ceremony and she's left with trying to find herself in the midst of the rubble. Who can she turn to? Who can she trust?
New York times Best Selling Author Mallory St James is one of Kendall's closest friends, they met 10 years ago at a writing conference, and have been critique partners since then. Through their bond of writing they have become what they consider to be friends. However, Mallory keeps a huge part of herself hidden from the world and from her closest friends. Will this secret destroy their friendships?
Tanya Mason is a young mother of 2 with an alcoholic mother and is a writer for a "harlequinesque" publisher. She's finding her niche in this publishing powerhouse and she is hoping that she'll be able to write full time and not have to work 2 jobs plus write. Her goal is to make her daughter's lives better than how she was raised. Tanya doesn't have any secrets, and she's pretty open about who she is, but she doesn't trust anyone who offers her help. Her issue is that she is too self reliant.
Finally there is Faye Truett, her husband is a well known TV Evangelist and she is the author of inspirational fiction. Faye has been keeping a secret from everyone for over 20 years, and this is a secret that could destroy her husbands blooming church and it's a secret she won't even share with her friends. Once Faye's secret is revealed will she ever be forgiven?
These women come together to help Kendall meet the deadline on her latest book as her life appears to be spinning out of control. They decide to each help Kendall write a part of this book, and since the publisher already told Kendall that this was her final book just a contractual obligation that there is no harm in helping her finish. It won't matter if they each breach their contracts and ghost write a portion of the story about 4 writers who meet at a writing conference and become friends, because it is destined for a quick burial at the hands of it's editor. It's the case of art imitating life, and each woman feels compelled to tell the truth of their lives guised as fiction. It's the journey of these four women that makes this book have a heart, but it's also full of secrets and lies, and the heart of the story barely shines through all the muck.
The Accidental Bestseller is a great book for discussion because there are so many aspects that are worthy of discussion, but I don't think if I wouldn't have read this for a book discussion that I would have enjoyed it as much.
Meet Kendall, she's a mediocre writer whose editor wants her gone. Kendall is up for a writing award and is hoping that if she wins she'll survive another day in the publishing industry, but if she loses...
Kendall's world falls apart around her after the awards ceremony and she's left with trying to find herself in the midst of the rubble. Who can she turn to? Who can she trust?
New York times Best Selling Author Mallory St James is one of Kendall's closest friends, they met 10 years ago at a writing conference, and have been critique partners since then. Through their bond of writing they have become what they consider to be friends. However, Mallory keeps a huge part of herself hidden from the world and from her closest friends. Will this secret destroy their friendships?
Tanya Mason is a young mother of 2 with an alcoholic mother and is a writer for a "harlequinesque" publisher. She's finding her niche in this publishing powerhouse and she is hoping that she'll be able to write full time and not have to work 2 jobs plus write. Her goal is to make her daughter's lives better than how she was raised. Tanya doesn't have any secrets, and she's pretty open about who she is, but she doesn't trust anyone who offers her help. Her issue is that she is too self reliant.
Finally there is Faye Truett, her husband is a well known TV Evangelist and she is the author of inspirational fiction. Faye has been keeping a secret from everyone for over 20 years, and this is a secret that could destroy her husbands blooming church and it's a secret she won't even share with her friends. Once Faye's secret is revealed will she ever be forgiven?
These women come together to help Kendall meet the deadline on her latest book as her life appears to be spinning out of control. They decide to each help Kendall write a part of this book, and since the publisher already told Kendall that this was her final book just a contractual obligation that there is no harm in helping her finish. It won't matter if they each breach their contracts and ghost write a portion of the story about 4 writers who meet at a writing conference and become friends, because it is destined for a quick burial at the hands of it's editor. It's the case of art imitating life, and each woman feels compelled to tell the truth of their lives guised as fiction. It's the journey of these four women that makes this book have a heart, but it's also full of secrets and lies, and the heart of the story barely shines through all the muck.
The Accidental Bestseller is a great book for discussion because there are so many aspects that are worthy of discussion, but I don't think if I wouldn't have read this for a book discussion that I would have enjoyed it as much.
trupti's review
4.0
Reading this book was like reading a book within a book or reading about how the book was written. Well, kind of. Confused? Keep reading.
It’s a story about 4 friends, their happiness, their loss, their struggles, but most of all their friendship. Four women, Mallory, Tanya, Kendall and Faye meet in a writer’s conference 10 years ago when they were just aspiring writers. 10 years later each is successful in her own right. But even though they have been friends for so long they have things they have hidden from each other and other people closest to them.
Mallory is a New York Times bestselling author but as far as her life is concerned, she is a closed book. She has a compulsion of completing at least 20 pages of writing everyday no matter what. Tanya works 2 jobs, has 2 girls, is a single mother and in spite of being an author of multiple books, the income isn’t enough to support her family. She has always been so independent and the people in her life have disappointed her to the extent that she afraid of relying on anyone again. Faye is the wife of a Pastor and a famous evangelist. She writes inspirational fiction, but underneath all that happiness and success is a secret which will have the power to destroy her as well as her husband’s career.
Finally we come to Kendall. She is the connecting thread between all the individual stories. When her husband of 25 years leaves her for another woman and her career is going down the drains, her friends help her out in the time of need. What results is a book, Sticks and Stones, which had Kendall’s name on it but is ghost written by all her friends. It’s a book about 4 writers who are friends just like they are. As they write their own parts, they struggle with how much to reveal and how much to hide. Finally they end up writing about their deepest secrets, something they haven’t shared with their friends or even family.
When the book becomes a Bestseller, the scrutiny and analyzing that comes with it threatens to destroy their careers and their friendship.
What I liked most about the book was how it handled the individual characters as well as their impact on each other without confusing the reader. There are these 4 friends that are central to the story, but there is also an editor, the editor’s assistant Lacy, besides their spouses, love interests, children and grandchildren. Before reading the book I wondered about how Ms. Wax would keep everything clear and smooth flowing. But all I can say is that the execution is flawless. The publishing process, the life of a writer and the inside tidbits of a publishing house mentioned in the book are fascinating.
The process of writing a book, struggling through it all, making it to the bestseller’s list intermingled with the stories of triumphs and tribulations of four best friends and writers was entertaining, exciting, and unputdownable.
I would especially say that I LOVED the ending, everything neatly wrapped up with an upbeat or happy note, just as I like it.
Highly Recommended.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Initially reviewed at http://violetcrush.wordpress.com/2009/06/19/the-accidental-bestseller-by-wendy-wax/
It’s a story about 4 friends, their happiness, their loss, their struggles, but most of all their friendship. Four women, Mallory, Tanya, Kendall and Faye meet in a writer’s conference 10 years ago when they were just aspiring writers. 10 years later each is successful in her own right. But even though they have been friends for so long they have things they have hidden from each other and other people closest to them.
Mallory is a New York Times bestselling author but as far as her life is concerned, she is a closed book. She has a compulsion of completing at least 20 pages of writing everyday no matter what. Tanya works 2 jobs, has 2 girls, is a single mother and in spite of being an author of multiple books, the income isn’t enough to support her family. She has always been so independent and the people in her life have disappointed her to the extent that she afraid of relying on anyone again. Faye is the wife of a Pastor and a famous evangelist. She writes inspirational fiction, but underneath all that happiness and success is a secret which will have the power to destroy her as well as her husband’s career.
Finally we come to Kendall. She is the connecting thread between all the individual stories. When her husband of 25 years leaves her for another woman and her career is going down the drains, her friends help her out in the time of need. What results is a book, Sticks and Stones, which had Kendall’s name on it but is ghost written by all her friends. It’s a book about 4 writers who are friends just like they are. As they write their own parts, they struggle with how much to reveal and how much to hide. Finally they end up writing about their deepest secrets, something they haven’t shared with their friends or even family.
When the book becomes a Bestseller, the scrutiny and analyzing that comes with it threatens to destroy their careers and their friendship.
What I liked most about the book was how it handled the individual characters as well as their impact on each other without confusing the reader. There are these 4 friends that are central to the story, but there is also an editor, the editor’s assistant Lacy, besides their spouses, love interests, children and grandchildren. Before reading the book I wondered about how Ms. Wax would keep everything clear and smooth flowing. But all I can say is that the execution is flawless. The publishing process, the life of a writer and the inside tidbits of a publishing house mentioned in the book are fascinating.
The process of writing a book, struggling through it all, making it to the bestseller’s list intermingled with the stories of triumphs and tribulations of four best friends and writers was entertaining, exciting, and unputdownable.
I would especially say that I LOVED the ending, everything neatly wrapped up with an upbeat or happy note, just as I like it.
Highly Recommended.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Initially reviewed at http://violetcrush.wordpress.com/2009/06/19/the-accidental-bestseller-by-wendy-wax/