A winning debut novel about what happens when a young woman finds her life on hold
Twenty-four-year-old elementary school teacher An... read full description
Twenty-four-year-old elementary school teacher An... read full description
reviews
Aug 30, 2009
Jessica
rated it: 
I really enjoyed this original and imaginative book. The premise that it is the rough draft of the protagonist's first memoir (and sometimes diary), coupled with the footnotes, made it a step apart from the "norm." I also liked the honesty of Annie Harper - she doesn't sugar-coat how she really feels about her boyfriend being over in Iraq - she hates the war, is not fond of the fact that he's in the military, thinks W is an idiot, and gags over the saccharine sweetness of many of the "
More...
Jun 25, 2009
Deb
rated it:
Annie Harper is 25, teaches 3rd grade in Tacoma, WA, and her long-time boyfriend has just been deployed to Iraq. She copes by keeping a journal which she hopes to publish as memoir - "Wartime Alone Time: When Abstinence Fights for Freedom." ** Annie chronicles the pain of separation, the guilt of leading a "normal" life while a loved one is in danger, email fights with her boyfriend, the adoption of a pet chicken, making new friends in unexpected places, and life with her s
More...
Jun 10, 2009
Sarah
rated it:
It's rare that I find a voice in a novel that matches those of my friends and myself. Miss Annie Harper, as a narrator and wannabe memoirist, is irreverant, sarcastic, and at times befuddled by the orderly chaos of her life. If I lived her in fictional Tacoma world, I would probably try to be her friend. Her account of life in the US while her boyfriend is deployed in Iraq comes across as an authentic depiction of the non-flag waving faction of the homefront. She has her faults and confused
More...
2 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Mar 18, 2010
Peggy
rated it: 
This was an ok book about a 24 year old third grade teacher whose boyfriend gets sent to Iraq, and the consequences of his deployment. I hate fiction books with footnotes, they seem so distracting to the story. But, I liked the character, Janie Harper a lot. She was plucky and funny and dedicated to her job. She writes a journal about her feelings while her boyfriend is gone. It is pretty interesting. She finds things to do to keep busy; adopting a chicken, getting a friend to visit at t
More...
Nov 23, 2009
Elizabeth
rated it:
I always like "finding" an author when they publish their first novel, and blogging has made that so much easier. During Book Blogger Appreciation Week, I won a package of different books from Bookin' with Bingo, and one was Miss Harper Can Do Itby Jane Berentson. As Annie Harper begins her third year of teaching, her daily life changes when her Army boyfriend is deployed to Iraq. Annie decides to keep a journal that may possibly become a book, and it is the first draft of these rambli
More...
Mar 10, 2010
Marjie
rated it: 
I think I liked this book more than 2 stars, but it took me forever to read so I had to downgrade it. I almost gave up halfway through, but I just started to get an inkling that the ending may be different than what I thought so I stuck with it. My biggest complaint is the use of footnotes. That drove me crazy because I'd have to stop in the middle of a paragraph to read a footnote that sometimes was so long it continued onto the next page and then I'd have to flip back and resume where I had
More...
Jun 27, 2010
Sarah
rated it:
When I first started, I couldn't decide whether this was one of those non-novels which is just a more or less exact transcript of the author's life and thoughts (not necessarily a problem unless the author then tries to write another novel) or whether this author had both a really clever conceit (the rough draft of a memoir, including notes) and a voice so spot-on that you could easily mistake it for the former possibility. As it unfolded, it got less impressive either way (devolving into a pre
More...
May 24, 2010
Sherry
rated it:
Miss Harper is a young schoolteacher, very likeable, whose boyfriend is shipped to Iraq.
She keeps a log about her year of separation. Quite a moving account of her time and thoughts, etc. And funny at times. She teaches, volunteers at a nursing home, raises a chicken.
Before the end of the year she breaks off the relationship, though, and hooks up with her best friend from high school, Gus. They had remained good friends thru the years.
Takes place in Tacoma
She keeps a log about her year of separation. Quite a moving account of her time and thoughts, etc. And funny at times. She teaches, volunteers at a nursing home, raises a chicken.
Before the end of the year she breaks off the relationship, though, and hooks up with her best friend from high school, Gus. They had remained good friends thru the years.
Takes place in Tacoma
May 18, 2010
Janice
rated it:
The beginning of this book reminded me more of a teenagers book, but I stuck with it because the author is local and found that it got more mature as it went along. The characters were quite real for me, younger than me, but still very real and that helped a lot. It's a sweet book, a quick read, and has a lot of laughs, as it's written in diary format and the author says things, because it's a diary, that one would NEVER say outloud, and I appreciated that and got a lot of laughs from it.
Jul 25, 2009
Shannon
rated it: 
Really enjoyed this -- quick, entertaining read. When I compose parts of novels in my head, they usually sound like this. :) Which is to say, I loved the "voice" of the novel. It felt authentic to me. Very informal, twenty-something voice; realistic dialogue; and quirky style. I'd compare it to a younger, even quirkier Jennifer Weiner. Loved it. This is a GREAT beach read, and I mean that as nothing but a compliment to the author. My only regret is that this appears to be her first (re
More...
Nov 08, 2009
Wendy
rated it:
I was probably swayed by the narrator being a teacher in the Pacific NW. And that it made me laugh aloud. The appendices were a bit odd--I would have woven them into the book earlier, as one might really list one's class or throw in a page of notes about water into the middle of one's journal. Having virtually no connection with the military, it was also interesting to hear the perspective of someone who really, truly, honestly, supports the soldiers but not the war.
May 25, 2009
K
rated it:
Annie Harper is a spit fire! She's a character that I wanted to ask a few more questions of . . . private, a bit. I liked Gus. The chicken parts are very funny! This book is a bit like the young adult genre formula where the story gets rid of the parents right away. I'm always interested in family development, so I wanted more details about Annie's feelings about this as opposed to simple "takes" on different family members. Jane Berentson is an extraordinary wordsmith, for sure!
More...
Nov 22, 2010
Kyla
rated it:
Liked it more than I thought I would, to clarify. Especially as it involved the military and good god, the stylistic convention of footnotes which drives me CRAZY. Good character development and more complex than you would think but for some reason the age of the characters kept throwing me off. I know 24 year olds are teachers etc. etc. but they seemed young for the thoughts and experiences. Shout out to Tacoma, getting some love.
Jul 27, 2011
Amy
rated it: 
'Miss Harper Can Do It' - a witty, breezy style, true-to-life. But a few lousy military details and some unnecessary swipes at military spouses irritated me enough to mention in a brief review. I didn't read the footnotes, which means (a) I missed lots of its charms or (b) I got a more coherent narrative. A better-than-average chick book, quick read, be generous to the title character and you'll like it. If you're a chick.
Dec 11, 2009
Kathleen
rated it:
This was another book I stumbled upon at my local library, and I was delighted by the author's creativity (i.e. use of quirky, unexpected, entertaining footnotes)and honesty about relationships, life, career etc. Yes, I saw the ending coming, but I was forgiving in light of the depth of the first two thirds or three quarters or four fifths of the book, which was insightful and well written.
Dec 09, 2009
Erin
rated it:
I tried, I really tried, because it seemed like such a cute story. I just could not get into it, and abandoned the book very quickly. Her use of footnotes on every other page, thoroughly turned me off. I want my books to flow without interruption, and her footnotes were a huge interruption. I have children, and am interrupted enough around here. I do not need a book to do it for me.
Aug 26, 2011
Caroline
rated it:
Absolutely loved it! I love Annie, her honesty, her crazy ramblings. I think you have to be a bit quirky or oddball to enjoy this book. I didn't mind the footnotes or appendices ... they add so much to the story and I didn't find the footnotes distracting at all. There were so many parts that made me crack up, and parts that made me tear up. Definitely would recommend!
May 09, 2011
Jennifer
rated it:
I liked this a lot. I liked Annie's voice. It was very funny, very readable. The love story was both sad and predictable, and as an Air Force wife I was a little dismayed by her choices, but I still enjoyed the book. The footnotes were both incredibly annoying and freaking hilarious. (Next time can we just get parenthesis? Please?) Would totally recommend it.
Jun 19, 2009
Courtney
rated it:
This novel was entertaining and endearing. Annie Harper is a 25-year old woman whose boyfriend is deployed to Iraq for one year. This novel serves as her journal, where she records her thoughts about being alone and how their relationship will survive a year of long-distance phone calls and emails. As a reader, you get inside her head and read all of her neurotic, funny, uncensored thoughts. I really enjoyed the writing and thought it was a great book.
Jun 01, 2009
Lindsey
rated it:
I read this book in two days which only happens when I really connect with a book. I loved all the fun facts embedded into her quirky, curious character. The inner ranting and raving of Annie is something every woman has done many many times. It's so real and sweet at the same time. I wish Annie was real, she would be my friend.
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Jan 19, 2010
Jami
rated it:
The character/tone of the book reminded me of the shopaholic series only it's about a woman in Washington who is dealing with life after her boyfriend leaves for Iraq for a year. I thought it was funny and (more often than I should admit) mirrored my (irreverent, selfish, honest) feelings about life alone. Disclaimer: Definitely bad language which was completely unnecessary.
Jun 26, 2009
Jennifer
rated it:
Miss Harper teaches third grade and her boyfriend has been deployed to Iraq. Through her writing, we see how she copes with his absence...by making connections with other people, including an elderly nursing home resident, her best male friend, and a pet chicken.
Jun 07, 2010
Marley
rated it:
Annie Harper is a 3rd grade teacher whose boyfriend gets shipped off to Iraq for a year. She decides to write her memoirs as therapy to get her through the year. Such a funny and easy read--very much like watching a romantic-comedy.
Jan 09, 2010
Dawn
rated it:
Miss Harper's boyfriend goes to Irag with the military. The book is written in memoir form by Miss Harper. It is about her life while he is gone, and the relationship ups and downs and changes. Funny, yet touching. A good quick read.
Mar 01, 2011
Danielle
rated it:
Sweet book. I loved the format it was written in as an unfinished book manuscript. The footnotes were great! Definitely not one to get on an electronic reading device because you won't be able to appreciate the footnotes.
Jul 01, 2011
Jan
rated it:
I couldn't get into this book. It just seemed silly and unkind to the characters- too sarcastic for my tastes.
I didn't like such a liberal slant and I definitely didn't care for all the footnotes!
I didn't like such a liberal slant and I definitely didn't care for all the footnotes!
Jan 11, 2010
I love the originality of how this book is written - almost as a rough draft, with author's thoughts included. It's a fun read with a little more substance to it than the typical chick lit.
Sep 08, 2009
kelli
rated it:
I thought this book was a bit boring in parts but Jane Berentson is a really witty and funny writer so that made up for any parts that would drag a bit. I also like that she adopts a chicken.
Aug 23, 2009
Heidi
rated it:
This book was just ok, I skimmed a lot. I hate fiction books that use footnotes! Just put it in the body! I skipped an absurdly long foot note that went on for pages and missed on out a key component of the story!
