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Jan 04, 2009

Karen rated it:

Marta Zinsser and her nine-year-old daughter Eva recently moved from New York to the wealthy Seattle suburb of Bellevue where Marta's independent, combat boot wearing, single mom lifestyle clashes with the perfectly groomed, catty Stepford wives, much to her daughter's chagrin.
Marta is a non-conformist and has never felt the need to fit in, a trait I share with this protagonist. Her daughter, however, dreams of not only fitting in but being part of the elite popular crowd and desperately w More...

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Nov 19, 2008

Cynthia rated it:

Apparently, anyone can write a book. An irritating narrator. An irritating writing style--lots of preachy ideas dressed up as the narrator's ideas. Um, couldn't those be expressed as dialogue? Or added to the story somehow? AND I could not take seriously the narrator's rant about consumer culture and its detrimental effect on women and children--and yet her character is an ADVERTISING EXECUTIVE. She uses the lame excuse, "I understand how the game is played; these messages don't affect me." More...

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Dec 01, 2011

Julie rated it:

The Odd Mom Out by Jane Porter
Marta works at home in the advertising area. She attends PTA's and just does NOT feel like she belongs - her ideas, and clothing, her lifestyle, nothing.
Eva her daughter is all about fitting in. Her mom overhear the women talking about her daughter and her clothes. She is devastated but so happy her daughter
didn't hear.
Her daughter wants her to hang around with other mothers in hopes she will become more like them, dress properly and feminine and More...

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Mar 31, 2011

Stacie rated it:

I admit it--sometimes I like me a good ole piece of Chick Lit. That said, I was pleasantly surprised when Jane Porter's book Odd Mom Out fulfilled my "chick lit" desires while also managing to present some really thought-provoking issues and themes.

This book is set in my old neck of the woods--in fact, the same neighborhoods where I grew up and where I worked until just a few years ago. It's beautiful and filled with huge homes and people driving shiny Mercedes and porches. D More...

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Sep 28, 2010

Jane rated it:

Protagonist is frustrating. Story is a little too sad.

The story is about Marta who is a nonconformist artsy person who loves riding her motorcycle. She makes a number of bad decisions and a number of errors in judgment. I did not like her or enjoy reading about her because she is insensitive to other people, inflexible and untrusting. She is invited to a mothers' meeting where everyone is nicely dressed, but Marta wears ratty looking flip flops and camouflage army pants. I felt More...

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Mar 25, 2010

Abby rated it:

I don't know why I keep trying these types of books, as it seems these authors are just incapable of creating characters who are more than just one dimensional archetypes. Our protagonist is Marta, who is the coolest, prettiest, smartest, most awesome-est woman ever, who is trying to launch her own company while being a single mother to her wanna-be socialite nine year old daughter. Her nemesis in this book is Taylor Young, who, although an alpha mom at the kids' school, is shown to be mean spir More...

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Jul 23, 2009

Sheila rated it:

Jane Porter is advertized as the author of Flirting with Forty. I’ve not read it. But if she writes Flirting with Fifty I surely will.

Odd Mom Out is such a fun read. Poor Marta simply doesn’t fit in and doesn’t want to either. But she desperately needs to fit in with the local moms soon for the sake of her child. What Marta doesn’t realize is that she needs to be needed too, and not just by a daughter that’s growing up too fast.

Gradually Marta learns that those who fit in mig More...

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Jan 23, 2008

Maggie rated it:

I actually never finished this book because I could not relate or sympathize with the main character AT ALL. Motherhood is hard, I'll admit it, but if you are constantly judging all the other mothers out there because you are not like them, you will make it a lot harder on yourself and your children. No one said you have to be best buds with the soccer moms, but civility can go a long way.

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Dec 13, 2008

Christina rated it:

Odd Mom Out reminded me of a great read for a summer day at the beach or laying out at the pool. You could easily throw it into a bag and take it where every your fancied. I picked up the novel solely because of the bright colors on the cover.

The writing is simple and easy to read, but not in a way that makes you think Odd Mom Out is meant for younger audiences. The story line was pretty good, though it was a bit self-indulgent.And there were sections in the book that I couldn’t help l More...

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Mar 02, 2009

Rachel rated it:

Not especially well written. The beginning is too slow with a lot of unnecessary scenes. Do I really need to know every point of the itinerary of the main character's trip to Orcas Island, complete with what she ate and where she slept? I don't think so. And, the book couldn't quite decide where it was going. In the beginning, it was all about the main character's daughter and how she was adjusting to life in the Eastside. Then it was about the main character, who for the life of me I can't figu More...

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Feb 13, 2009

Michele rated it:

Another Porter book that I loved. This one was about a woman, Marla, who is a single mom, by choice and who has chosen to always be herself and not live by anyone else's rules. She lives in a neighorhood where being a SAHM is a huge job, and she doesn't want to "fit in" but her daughter does want her to. She tries to be a room mom, etc. and it's quite funny to watch her be who her daughter wants her to be.

It taught me alot about the need to be accepted by others and fit More...

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Jul 15, 2010

Kristi rated it:

I'm not sure if I've ever read a book where I indentified with the main character so thoroughly. I swear I felt as if Porter had written this character specifically for me. Well, with a few exception of course. I'm not novel gorgeous, I'm not dating the hunkiest richest man on the planet, I'm not an ad agency owner, etc.

I completely identified with the Marta's thoughts, feelings on "Stepford Wife Syndrome", the desire to save your daughter from the angst of women, the need More...

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Sep 10, 2008

Tracey added it

I loved this book and learned that it's okay to do your own thing and be a strong, empowered woman.

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Aug 26, 2011

Sheri rated it:

My grade: B+. Book one of a series about three girlfriends. I liked Marta and Luke. I liked her 9 year old daughter, Eva, too, although the theme of Eva trying to be "popular" got a bit tiresome. I liked how Eva nearly destroyed her and Luke's relationship but managed to win him back. I'd actually love to read another book about them and how they manage with marriage and family. I wish there was a bit more about her parents. I enjoyed their story lines. Porter writes chick lit, and I'm More...

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Nov 05, 2008

Kim rated it:

Rebel mom also has problems. Companion book to Mrs. Perfect.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 19, 2009

Gretchen rated it:

Not what I expected and I really enjoyed this book!

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Jul 24, 2008

Ellenjsmellen rated it:

Loved the strong character Marta and her daughter Eva.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 05, 2011

Kerith rated it:

This book was lots of fun, if you are looking for a lighthearted read that isn't too typical of the usual "pink" offering. Marta Zinsser is the "odd mom" in that she chose to remain single, yet become a mom, own her own business and live in a Seattle suburb surrounded by well-off, perfectly groomed SAHMs. She is delightfully herself, yet her daughter is a Queen Bee wanna-be -- and this brings on some wonderful situations both funny and painful. No book like this would be comp More...

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Nov 23, 2011

Melinda rated it:

In Jane Porter’s novel “Odd Mom Out,” the author did a terrific job of succinctly illustrating two main points: the struggle working moms have as they try to balance a satisfying career and a happy family life, and the fierce desire many women have to remain uniquely individual instead of turning into a cookie-cutter version of the stereotypical PTA mom.

One of the main reasons I enjoyed “Odd Mom Out” so much was due to the “I can relate” factor. There were so many issues in this More...

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Mar 29, 2009

Paige rated it:

I read this because it was reviewed in The Seattle Times and the setting was local (Bellevue/Seattle). I was a bit disappointed because the skewering of the stay-at-home suburban mom seemed overly harsh, even to me who would have been glad to find it humorous. And the main character mom was too much of a stereotypical "free spirit" - all the characters seemed flat "types". Bellevue moms can't really be that bad, can they? Critical though I am, I did enjoy the book as sort More...

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Sep 17, 2010

Laurel-Rain rated it:

Single mom Marta Zinsser and her nine-year-old daughter Eva have moved from Manhattan to a Seattle suburb. Marta's new advertising agency is one she can run out of her backyard guesthouse, and she hopes that she'll be able to "have it all"—business, parenthood, and being a supportive daughter to her ailing mother who lives nearby.

What Marta didn't count on in this new life is that daughter Eva wants to be popular, and she wants her mom to be "normal." In some ways More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Sep 02, 2008

Cheryl rated it:

I enjoy Jane Porter's writing to a degree. I do think she develops her characters well to a certain extent and I find her easy to read and definitely enjoy her subject matter, being that I am a mother of a young child. I enjoy the escapism her books provide.

However, I feel like she develops her characters and plot to a certain point and then doesn't go any further. If she moved a little deeper, beyond the current cliches which make up the plot and character in this book it would be i More...

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Jul 28, 2008

Sandra rated it:

I really didn't think I was going to like this book. I picked it up because it's on the library's Reader's Choice selection. But I was surprised. I thought the writing was excellent and the story line was pretty good, though it was a bit self-indulgent.

Marta, a single mom of one, is out to show the world just how to juggle a career and motherhood. She moves back to Seattle from New York to be closer to her ailing mother. She moves into a ritzy neighborhood where the social class More...

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Jul 14, 2008

Kirsten rated it:

I cannot believe the average goodreads rating for this book is 3.44. Now I'm happy I read and rated this book, just so I can bring the average down a little bit. Like my friend Mary, the only part of this book I enjoyed was recognizing Bellevue landmarks: "I've been to the Chevron on Bellevue Way! Wait, Clyde Hill has its own Tully's?" But that would have been way more fun if those locales were the basis for well-drawn characters doing interesting, thought-provoking things. Unfort More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 10, 2010

Mary rated it:

I really liked this book. The characters are well-developed and it's easy to put yourself into their shoes. It definitely made me think about how difficult it must be to be a single parent. The hard part to swallow is the too-good-to-be-true love interest. It's always nice to read about amazingly rich, gorgeous men, but it does turn a mostly-realistic and funny book into a bit of a fantasy. Even so, this is a fun read.

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Oct 18, 2008

george rated it:

I enjoyed this book, even though I wasn't sure when I picked it up. Marta is a single mom by choice--went the whole insemination route nine years ago. She's been single for ten years and not only has no problem with it, plans to keep it that way. But since moving back to Seattle from Manhattan, things have been a bit strange. Marta's surrounded by Stepford-like wives and her amazing daughter is bending over backwards to make those horrible little popular girls in her class like her. In order to More...

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May 23, 2010

Joellen rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Apr 02, 2009

Cindy rated it:

I really liked this one! It was funny and thoughtful. I loved the main character who was a Harley riding single mom who was fiercely independent and refused to rely on a man or anyone else. Her 9 year old daughter just wanted a regular cookie baking mom who belonged to the PTA and did what all the other moms did.

This book had a happy ending and it was a very enjoyable read.

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Jan 10, 2009

Brigit rated it:

Frustrating!!!! March to your own drummer sinlge mom moves (BY CHOICE) to Bellevue, Wa. Home to wealthy traditional families. Mom and daughter are miserable. If your a Harley riding, flipflopwearing, single mom by choice...and you can live anywhere in Seattle you want...why would you torture yourself by living in Bellevue where you know you wont fit in? Did not bother finishing....

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Feb 18, 2008

Jessica rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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