'Smart, funny and thought-provoking.' Sunday Mirror Everyone who meets her thinks they know Liddy James. A single mother of two, she is one of New York City's top lawyers (with the ruthless reputation and capsule wardrobe to match) and seems to juggle her complicated life with ease. Her work is all-consuming, her divorce was devastating, her sons are playing up and she's forgotten what more than five hours sleep a night feels like, but still - here she is - on top of the high wire. Until she isn't. When a series of unexpected events culminate in a catastrophic incident on prime time TV, Liddy realises the act is over. She decides to take some time off with the boys and retrace her family's history in Ireland. But being marooned in the Celtic countryside is by no means an instant fix, and it is not until Liddy has encountered a stormy neighbour, an unorthodox wedding and a very surprising guest, that she remembers how to be The Real Liddy James.
Anne-Marie Casey was a script editor and producer of prime-time television drama for ten years before becoming a writer full time. She has written scripts for films and television series in the UK and Ireland and her stage adaptation of Little Women was staged at the Gate Theatre in Dublin in 2011. An Englishwoman in New York, her first book, was inspired by her experiences living in Manhattan with her family and her love/love relationship with the City. She is married to the novelist Joseph O'Connor. They now live in Dublin, Ireland, with their two sons.
Title: The Real Liddy James
Author: Casey, Anne-Marie
ISBN: 9781848548343
Binding:
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Publication Date: 2016-08-25
Number of Pages: 336
Weight: 0.4401 kg
Casey's observations of posh New York life are as hilarious as her descriptions of Ireland are poetic, and the central character is wonderful. Liddy is clever, honest, hardworking and well-meaning and you'll root for her like mad. We leave her in Ireland. I hope there'll be a sequel. * Daily Mail *
Zippy, smart, well-written ... it manages to be both delicious escapism and refreshingly real. * Sunday Times Ireland *
Energetic and immensely readable...an engaging take on the balancing act of the modern woman...sure to resonate with readers who like no-nonsense, mature heroines with a bit of bite and a good deal of self-deprecating humour. * Irish Independent *
Casey can be very funny, but also makes serious points about modern womanhood. Delicious. * Saga Magazine *
An extremely funny, mischievous tale. * Sunday Independent (Ireland) *
The Real Liddy James is a lively, stimulating piece of fiction, of a kind that revels in the intricacies of small-scale domestic drama. What was good enough for Jane Austen and the Brontes 200 years ago is celebrated here in its contemporary context today. * Sunday Business Post *
The language is smart and funny, and the observations are wry. Liddy will resonate for readers who love strong, mature women with a bit of Irish fire, as with fans of Cecelia Ahern and Marian Keyes and Maria Semple's Where'd You Go, Bernadette. * Booklist *
Wonderfully funny, brilliantly observed, and completely addictive! -- Rosamund Lupton, author of Sister and The Quality of Silence
Original, sharp, funny and timely, The Real Liddy James is a spectacular novel from Anne-Marie Casey who understands the high wire act every working mother attempts in the circus of life . . . A dazzling gem. -- Adriana Trigiani bestselling author of All the Stars in the Heavens
Breakneck and bursting at the seams with all of modern life's great questions and challenges, The Real Liddy James made me wish my chair had a seatbelt. Anne-Marie Casey has a way of skewering city life with her acute observations. -- Alison Jean Lester, author of Lillian on Life
A charming and insightful study of one fabulous, forty-something woman. -- Jules Moulin, author of Ally Hughes Has Sex Sometimes
Immensely readable, fast-paced, and full of Casey's charming yet acerbic wit, the book is thoroughly engaging all the way through. -- Jennifer Kaufman and Karen Mack, bestselling authors of Freud's Mistress
An entertaining twist on the having it all genre, Casey's novel addresses all the complexities of modern existence - from blended families to older pregnancies and the economic consequences of divorce - in a style that is both fresh and funny. * Irish Times *
Whip-smart and crackling with energy, The Real Liddy James had me stopping nearly every page to read paragraphs out loud to anyone who would listen. A true delight! -- Elin Hilderbrand, author of The Rumour
[The Real Liddy James] is an energetic novel; Liddy's self-deprecating humor makes for chuckles in even the toughest situations. And while Liddy is clearly the protagonist, other characters have interesting triumphs and tribulations as well. Liddy is a memorable character who could easily appear again as The New and Improved Liddy James in Casey's next novel. Let's hope so. * Kirkus *
Rife with drama both in and out of the courtroom, infidelity, and more, [THE REAL LIDDY JAMES] is perfect for fans of women's fiction with a dose of travel and a strong-and sometimes flailing-female lead. * Library Journal *
