17th out of 128 books
—
143 voters
The Fixer Upper
The delightful "New York Times"-bestselling author returns with a hilarious stand-alone novel that captures the sassy, poignant flavor of small-town Southern life.
Hardcover, First edition, 422 pages
Published
June 23rd 2009
by HarperCollins Publishers
(first published 2009)
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It's another scandalous news day in Washington, D.C. with prominent public relations firm owner, Alex Hodder, being investigated for bribing Congressman Anthony Licata. Unfortunately, his young lobbyist, Dempsey, is caught in the crossfire with him. Vulnerable and naive she might have been but that changes quickly as she realizes what a ninny she was to believe her ever-so-sleazy boss. After having lost her job and her self respect, and fearing that no one will hire her, she visits her father in...more
Karen Herman
added it
In typical Andrews style, the main character (Dempsey) is trying to avoid a male-created disaster (being set up in a political scandal) and therefore engages in a creative activity (renovating an old Georgia mansion), made more entertaining by an interesting guy in the picture (Tee) while surrounded by colorful Southern characters. Although the book is far better than the awful "Deep Dish," it never quite makes it to the level of "Savannah Blues" or "Hissy Fit." T...more
When Dempsey Jo Killebrew gets caught up in a political scandal brought on by her kiniving boss, she is left suddenly unemployed, and under investigation as a possible accomplice. Feeling the heat and having a strong desire "to get out of dodge", she accepts an offer from her father to help restore the old family home he had recently inherited in Guthrie Georgia. The home, known as Birdsong, is a family treasure, a Victorian Mansion that just needs a little love is what Dempsey is to...more
It was a imperfect, formulaic and escapist. The writing wasn't super quality, but it was more than competent. I enjoyed it.
Also, I recently read Nora Robert's "Tribute", and it was surprising how similar these two books were, while also being very different. Perhaps it's like the difference between peanut butter and oatmeal cookies: they are both sweets, meant for dessert not nutrition, though they have some nutritional value (protein vs fiber), and you can enjoy them in a conv...more
Also, I recently read Nora Robert's "Tribute", and it was surprising how similar these two books were, while also being very different. Perhaps it's like the difference between peanut butter and oatmeal cookies: they are both sweets, meant for dessert not nutrition, though they have some nutritional value (protein vs fiber), and you can enjoy them in a conv...more
I love Mary Kay Andrewās books because she is a master at creating a welcoming and comfortable atmosphere in her stories. In The Fixer Upper, Andrews weaves another small-town tale of one womanās awakening to all the things that really bring her alive. Convinced that being a lobbyist and loyal assistant to her disgraced boss was her calling, Dempsey is surprised to find more accomplishment and joy than she could imagine, fixing up her fatherās old homestead, Birdsong.
I almost alway...more
I almost alway...more
The Fixer Upper is set in modern day Washington D.C., Miami Florida and Guthrie Georgia. Naive novice lobbyist Dempsey Killebrew is set up to take the fall when her boss is caught bribing a Congressman. Dempsey can't afford to stay in Washington without a job, her career in ruins. Her affluent, arms-length father will not lend her the money to help her get back on her feet, but offers her a task: fix up an old house he inherited so he can resell for an inflated price, to finance his new young wi...more
This is light (to the point of air-heady) southern chick-lit. From its popularity at my local library (it was always on reserve and there was a long wait), you'd think this must be a winner. I've enjoyed other efforts by Mary Kay Andrews, and I was drawn to the fixer upper part of the story. (Anyone who knows me can attest that I'm a house person.) While her descriptions of renovating and decorating show that M.K.A. is really into it (check out her blog for pics of her adorable re-done beach h...more
Washington lobbyist, Dempsey Killebrew finds herself unemployed and disgraced when her boss frames her for bribing a senator. Turning to her father for help, he bullies her into removing herself to Georgia to fix up and flip the family mansion he has just inherited. Arriving at the family home, she discovers that it is extremely dilapidated and contains a squatter - her 79-year-old, several times removed, very cranky cousin.
In this extreme flight of fancy (but very entertaining read)...more
In this extreme flight of fancy (but very entertaining read)...more
Sandie
rated it
THE FIXER UPPER is a clever and witty piece of entertainment about a naĆÆve neophite lobbyist unwittingly caught up in a political scandal in which she has been cast as the scapegoat. Out of work, low on funds and with few employment prospects she calls upon her father for assistance. His solution is that she temporarily get away from her problem by leaving Washington D.C. and relocating to his southern hometown where she will be responsible for renovating a piece of family real estate which th...more
From the city to the sticks, The Fixer Upper is just the right balance of fun, suspense and romance. Dempsey Killebrew is a recently fired lobbyist from one of the biggest Lobbying firms in Washington DC, who has now been sent to the sticks to "fix up" a historic family home passed down from her Great Uncle, under her father's decree. Little does she know the house is basically a frame with great plumbing. Not only that, it comes with its very own squatter in the form of her "dist...more
For those of you who are looking for a summer read and don't want anything too heavy, but would like something interesting with a mixture of comedy, romance, and some mystery, this book was written with you in mind.
I know I'm preaching to the choir to those of you who are already fans of May Kay Andrews but she puts together some of the most delightful novels, and they all take place in Georgia.
No exception with "The Fixer Upper". The story starts in Washington...more
I know I'm preaching to the choir to those of you who are already fans of May Kay Andrews but she puts together some of the most delightful novels, and they all take place in Georgia.
No exception with "The Fixer Upper". The story starts in Washington...more
The Fixer Upper is a great read. Dempsey Killebrew is a young Washington DC attorney/lobbyist who gets mixed up in a political scandal. Unfortunately for Dempsey, her boss sets her up to take the blame for the scandal. After losing her job, her only option is to move to Guthrie, GA to rehab a Pepto-Bismol-pink old mansion, recently inherited by her father, that has fallen in disrepair. Unfortunately the home is inhabited by a grumpy octogenarian and dog who refuse to leave. Dempsey rolls up...more
"After her boss is caught in a political scandal, fledgling Washington lobbyist Dempsey Jo Killebrew is left broke, unemployed and homeless. Out of options, she reluctantly accepts her farther's offer to help turn Birdsong -- the fading Victorian mansion he recently inherited in Guthrie, Georgia -- into a real estate cash cow. But Birdsong turns out to be a moldering Pepto-Bismol- pink dump with duct-taped windows, a driveway full of junk, and grumpy distant relation who's claiming squatte...more
Twenty-eight year old Dempsey Killebrew has just learned a hard lesson: the real reason people in power have assistants. One minute, Killebrew is a rising PR associate, Georgetown JD in hand, the next, she finds herself at the wrong end of a political scandal involving her PR firm and her slick, backstabbing boss. Looking for career advice, she looks to her dad who, in turn, offers her a less than stellar āopportunityā to flip a family property in Guthrie, GA. Dempsey reluctantly packs her high-...more
I am a huge Mary Kay Andrews fan, and know that I am not alone. As a southern woman, I just adore the picture the paints of quaint southern charm. And she never fails to create a main character that is a strong, yet sweet and gentile southern belle. I wish I was a Mary Kay Andrews character!
The moment I read about the upcoming release of The Fixer Upper, I rushed to reserve my copy, and couldn't wait to start reading. I finished the book in near record time for me, it was that go...more
The moment I read about the upcoming release of The Fixer Upper, I rushed to reserve my copy, and couldn't wait to start reading. I finished the book in near record time for me, it was that go...more
Very, very entertaining book. A light, breezy beach read (even though I'm reading it in March) and a good break in-between heavy reading like school textbooks.
Dempsey Killebrew is an up-and-coming Washington D.C. aide to a lobbyist when a scandal implicating her boss leaves her without a job, money or a place to stay. Her father offers to let her renovate the family's historic home in the tiny town of Guthrie, Georgia that he hasn't seen in years. Dempsey makes friends - including the...more
Dempsey Killebrew is an up-and-coming Washington D.C. aide to a lobbyist when a scandal implicating her boss leaves her without a job, money or a place to stay. Her father offers to let her renovate the family's historic home in the tiny town of Guthrie, Georgia that he hasn't seen in years. Dempsey makes friends - including the...more
Junior lobbyist, Dempsey Killebrew lives with two other girls to make ends meet in D.C. When her boss is caught in a political scandal Dempsey suddenly finds herself without a job, broke, and unable to pay her share of the rent. When her dad offers her the opportunity to go to GA and get an old family home ready for sale, she jumps at it since she has no other options.
When she arrives in GA, Dempsey finds her work cut out for her since the house is in ruins. As she works on the h...more
When she arrives in GA, Dempsey finds her work cut out for her since the house is in ruins. As she works on the h...more
There were times in the beginning and sometimes in the middle of the book where I wanted to reach in and smack Dempsey upside the back of the cranium for her naivete and lack of gumption, especially when it came to how she let her ex-boss and her father try to run her over.
But when Dempsey got her fire back...watch out! It was a sight to behold and I cheered.
It was a slow rather steady process of Dempsey getting her life back on track. Starting with the renovation of Birdsong. She ...more
But when Dempsey got her fire back...watch out! It was a sight to behold and I cheered.
It was a slow rather steady process of Dempsey getting her life back on track. Starting with the renovation of Birdsong. She ...more
If you're working on a fixer-upper (like my husband and I), and looking for some literary respite...skip this. Dempsey Killebrew loses her DC lobbying job, and ends up trying to fix up her family's crumbling antebellum mansion in Georgia. She miraculously develops super-renovating abilities (don't get me started on how fast she learns and works--it defies the laws of time and space), and finds a handyman who works at about 1/10th the going rate and ten times as fast as the average contractor.
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Where to begin?
This book is cute. Young girl, caught in a scandal, moves to a small town to fix up an old house and of course she has lots of "life" moments and finds romance along the way. Sounds like the perfect recipe for a light, summer romance read. And it is...there are just some parts of this book that really bugged me.
First of all, I understand books like this aren't really meant to be realistic, but Andrews' lack of reality in this book gets a little...more
This book is cute. Young girl, caught in a scandal, moves to a small town to fix up an old house and of course she has lots of "life" moments and finds romance along the way. Sounds like the perfect recipe for a light, summer romance read. And it is...there are just some parts of this book that really bugged me.
First of all, I understand books like this aren't really meant to be realistic, but Andrews' lack of reality in this book gets a little...more
I was so excited when I saw Mary Kay Andrews had released two more books. She is one of my favorite authors.
Her books are quick read even though they are long. There is always a heroine. A strong willed woman who doesn't realize it in the beginning but by the time the book is completed she realizes she is.
It centers on Dempsey a lobbyist in DC whose world is turned upside down. She quickly and without choice relocates to her father's hometown in Georgia and just when she thoug...more
Her books are quick read even though they are long. There is always a heroine. A strong willed woman who doesn't realize it in the beginning but by the time the book is completed she realizes she is.
It centers on Dempsey a lobbyist in DC whose world is turned upside down. She quickly and without choice relocates to her father's hometown in Georgia and just when she thoug...more
I really enjoyed this book! In fact, I read it from start to finish in one day. I loved seeing the main character, Dempsey, grow and change. She grew from a naive city girl into an independent country girl--and her growth was realistic. There were certain parts that were unrealistic (but, again, this is a fiction)--especially, the part where she rapidly agreed to move out of her DC home and into a crumbling mansion in the middle of nowhere Georgia--but, the story was a fun read, an easy read, an...more
Ok this is not great literature but it isn't supposed to be. I enjoyed it as a light read. It has plenty of southern charm,romance, and colorful characters. Carter and Tee were wonderful southern gentlemen who I knew would take care of Dempsey. At the same time I liked that Dempsey was learning to take care of herself. Ella Kate was a hoot and I couldn't help but like Jimmy even though he was a rascal and an aging playboy. One of my favorite parts of the book was the descriptions of the house an...more
I saw this book on a best-seller list, in the "Other popular books" category. It turned out to be the best book I've read in a while. Lobbyist Dempsey Killebrew gets caught up in Capitol Hill bribery and influence peddling scandal. She ends up hiding out at Birdsong, a majestic but rundown old house her father has just inherited. Her renovations are as much fun as her dealings with the FBI and her developing romance with Tee Berryhill, local lawyer/newspaper publisher. The book gi...more
Another disappointment. Completely unforgettable too. This came recommended to me from "Chinaberry Catalog." They have had some wonderful recommendations but I've now read 3 books that I consider to be complete bombs.
The story begins with a young woman who is a lobbyist in DC and gets fired after her boss is accused of bribing a congressman. Since I read the review in Chinaberry, I knew that she leaves DC to fix up a home down south of Atlanta that her father had just i...more
The story begins with a young woman who is a lobbyist in DC and gets fired after her boss is accused of bribing a congressman. Since I read the review in Chinaberry, I knew that she leaves DC to fix up a home down south of Atlanta that her father had just i...more
THE FIXER UPPER, the latest novel by Mary Kay Andrews was exactly what I've come to expect from this talented Southern writer. I've been looking forward to this release ever since I read about it on her blog when she first started creating the story. I thought the premise was clever, combining a dramatic story of political bribery and blackmail with just the right amount of Southern charm and romance. And lets not forget the wicked wit that is ever present in Ms. Andrews novels.
One o...more
One o...more
Oh, the empty calories! And one of the books I've most enjoyed during this start-of-the-new-year in which I've had such trouble getting engrossed in the books I've picked up! (Although my numbers actually make me realize I'm doing better than I feel like I am.) Anyway, this is "beach read" type story about a heroine who suffers a setback in the big, ugly city (WDC), retreats to small-town Georgia to fix up the family home, discovers her passion for renovation as well as the perfect rom...more
For what this books was for me, an āOh know I donāt have a book to read yet I have an hour train ride tomorrow morning; Iāll grab this fluff one,ā I thought it was pretty good.
A little easy to guess the plot line from reading the back cover synopsis: city girl down on her luck, moves to small town in Georgia to refurbish an old family house, deals with being the neighborhood gossip, falls for local boy, and so on and so forth. But the author throws in a bit of FBI drama and family my...more
A little easy to guess the plot line from reading the back cover synopsis: city girl down on her luck, moves to small town in Georgia to refurbish an old family house, deals with being the neighborhood gossip, falls for local boy, and so on and so forth. But the author throws in a bit of FBI drama and family my...more
I have loved Mary Kay Andrews since I heard about her at a library conference years ago. This one, not so much.
Take a young woman who can do anything (be a lawyer, run a floor sander, look fabulous in anything she wears) and add that she rehabed at least part of a house, fell in love and warmed the heart of a committed curmudgeon in a week and you have a character that is more annoying than loveable. (Have you tried to run a floor sander Ms. Andrews? I don't think your character could...more
Take a young woman who can do anything (be a lawyer, run a floor sander, look fabulous in anything she wears) and add that she rehabed at least part of a house, fell in love and warmed the heart of a committed curmudgeon in a week and you have a character that is more annoying than loveable. (Have you tried to run a floor sander Ms. Andrews? I don't think your character could...more
I practically inhaled The Fixer Upper. I was looking for something a little light, a little sassy, and a lot interesting, and I dare say I found it with this one. The story starts with the heroine, Dempsey (which reminded me of McDreamy, and that's never a bad thing to be reminded of!), drowning her sorrows on the worst day of her life. Her girlfriends are unfortunately relatively quick extras, but you don't even notice.
Dempsey has a quirky family, and a horrible (ex-)boss. She heads...more
Dempsey has a quirky family, and a horrible (ex-)boss. She heads...more
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Andrews has a B.A. in newspaper journalism from The University of Georgia. She is a former reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. While a reporter in Savannah, GA, she covered the real-life murder trials which were the basis of the book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.
She also publishes under the name Kathy Hogan Trocheck.
More about Mary Kay Andrews...
She also publishes under the name Kathy Hogan Trocheck.
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