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The Hunchback of Neiman Marcus: A Novel About Marriage, Motherhood, and Mayhem
by
Sonya Sones
My name is Holly.This story is about me--a writer who's way behindon her deadline.
But, honestly, how can I concentrate on my work when my fiftieth birthday's rushing at me like a freight train,
my hormones are making me feel like a Szechuan flambe, and my eighty-year-old mother's biting her nurses?
Not to mention the fact that my daughter's just begun applying to colleges (n...more
But, honestly, how can I concentrate on my work when my fiftieth birthday's rushing at me like a freight train,
my hormones are making me feel like a Szechuan flambe, and my eighty-year-old mother's biting her nurses?
Not to mention the fact that my daughter's just begun applying to colleges (n...more
Paperback, 416 pages
Published
April 5th 2011
by Harper Paperbacks
(first published March 17th 2011)
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When I saw The Hunchback of Neiman Marcus on a fellow blogger's top ten book list, I had to give it a try.
I am so glad I did. This book definitely goes on my top ten list too!
I don't even know how to describe the book. The whole book is written in poem form, making it a quick, easy and thoroughly enjoyable read.
It is written in first person, poetry by a 50-something woman poet. She writes about the things happening in her life….husband possibly cheating on her…mother in hospital…daughter going...more
I am so glad I did. This book definitely goes on my top ten list too!
I don't even know how to describe the book. The whole book is written in poem form, making it a quick, easy and thoroughly enjoyable read.
It is written in first person, poetry by a 50-something woman poet. She writes about the things happening in her life….husband possibly cheating on her…mother in hospital…daughter going...more
1 like · like · see review
view all 3 comments
Jul 28, 2012
Sally Kruger
added it
Sonya Sones's books are well likely by my students. Her topics hit the mark and being written in verse appeals to reluctant readers making her stories a great stepping stone to other material. When I saw she had written an adult book, I headed to the library immediately.
I found out I would have to get the book through the inter-loan process so I placed my request. I got the book yesterday and finished it last night! It was a fun read and once again - hit the mark!
Holly is turning fifty! She isn'...more
I found out I would have to get the book through the inter-loan process so I placed my request. I got the book yesterday and finished it last night! It was a fun read and once again - hit the mark!
Holly is turning fifty! She isn'...more
Now, had I not read that description, I would not have known Sonya Sones is a YA novelist. I would have to say, for this being my first book by her, she made the jump from YA easily.
What's also interesting is that this book is not like a regular novel, it's not written in chapter form. It's a series of poems. Yes, poems. No, it's not boring or annoying. It makes it a fast read, so for those of you who are slow readers or don't like reading the same book for awhile, please check this book out.
Ba...more
What's also interesting is that this book is not like a regular novel, it's not written in chapter form. It's a series of poems. Yes, poems. No, it's not boring or annoying. It makes it a fast read, so for those of you who are slow readers or don't like reading the same book for awhile, please check this book out.
Ba...more
I feel that I was led astray by the cover on this book. I expected some chick lit thing, but then I saw a photo of the author. I didn't feel a connect between her and the book I imagined. (I have nothing against chick lit books; I just feel they don't require much thought to process what's between the covers.)
I investigated Sonya Sones, read about her awards for her YA books and decided to get those and try them out on my granddaughter, who is an avid reader.
I read three of the YA books, passed...more
I investigated Sonya Sones, read about her awards for her YA books and decided to get those and try them out on my granddaughter, who is an avid reader.
I read three of the YA books, passed...more
There are two main reasons that I would have never picked this up without the high praises and recommendation from my friend Brittney. 1) It’s a coming-of-middle-age story — the main character, Holly, is 50 years old. And 2) It’s poetry.
Hey! Don’t stop reading. Because this truly was a wonderful book. The poetry often reads like prose, and it’s not super…poetry-y. Read: I totally understood it and thought it was delightful and, in many places, very touching. I majored in English in college and p...more
Hey! Don’t stop reading. Because this truly was a wonderful book. The poetry often reads like prose, and it’s not super…poetry-y. Read: I totally understood it and thought it was delightful and, in many places, very touching. I majored in English in college and p...more
1 like · like · see review
Nothing could have prepared me for this book. For some reason, they author decided to write the entire novel in a series of poems. This was definitely not what I was expecting after looking at the cover of the book and reading the description.
The story that Sonya Sones tells is interesting, funny, and very fitting for many women. However, I feel that by writing it in prose, she will lose a lot of readers. The story did not gain anything by the manner of writing.
However, since it is written in pr...more
The story that Sonya Sones tells is interesting, funny, and very fitting for many women. However, I feel that by writing it in prose, she will lose a lot of readers. The story did not gain anything by the manner of writing.
However, since it is written in pr...more
Sonya Sones frightens me.
She says what I am thinking which makes me woder if she has been visitig my head. She is covering all those quirky and not-so-enjoyable moments of being middle age. What she missed however, is that the jutting chin and hunched back provide hours of pain in the thoracic area. Besides this omission, she hits everything on the mark.
Not that I would know, of course. The ends of producing fruit of my womb was a personal and medical choice. Yeah. That's it. That's my story an...more
She says what I am thinking which makes me woder if she has been visitig my head. She is covering all those quirky and not-so-enjoyable moments of being middle age. What she missed however, is that the jutting chin and hunched back provide hours of pain in the thoracic area. Besides this omission, she hits everything on the mark.
Not that I would know, of course. The ends of producing fruit of my womb was a personal and medical choice. Yeah. That's it. That's my story an...more
I loved this book.
I won an advanced reader's edition of this book from LibraryThing. The first thing I thought when I opened it and saw that it was written in verse, was "oh no, not another one!" Another book I won recently was in verse and the only positive thing about that was it made the book quick to read.
Unfortunately, the short poem-pages also made The Hunchback of Neiman Marcus a short read, but the fact that each page is a short poem really added to the humor of this book. Little nugget...more
I won an advanced reader's edition of this book from LibraryThing. The first thing I thought when I opened it and saw that it was written in verse, was "oh no, not another one!" Another book I won recently was in verse and the only positive thing about that was it made the book quick to read.
Unfortunately, the short poem-pages also made The Hunchback of Neiman Marcus a short read, but the fact that each page is a short poem really added to the humor of this book. Little nugget...more
Jan 18, 2011
Beth G.
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Shelves:
2011,
fiction,
books-for-grown-ups,
ebooks,
arcs,
author-female,
netgalley,
novels-in-verse
Holly, nearing her 50th birthday, is part of the "sandwich generation". Her daughter is about to go off to college, leaving her with an empty nest, while her widowed mother has developed some serious health problems. Meanwhile, her husband's idiosyncrasies seem more annoying than usual, but maybe that's just because of her menopausal hormones. Is it any wonder she finds herself unable to complete the manuscript her editor keeps calling her to finalize?
Like her young adult works, Sones' debut adu...more
Like her young adult works, Sones' debut adu...more
April is Poetry Month, and this is the perfect book to celebrate it.Written in poetry form, "The Hunchback of Neiman Marcus" is the story of Holly, a writer, behind on her deadline, with her editor hounding her to finish, dealing with her aging mother, and her daughter going off to college. Nearing 50, she is lamenting the changes going on with her eyes, and body, while thinking of ways to spend her husbands insurance money. (He is still alive, so far)
This is a book that says what we "mature" la...more
This is a book that says what we "mature" la...more
Hilarious! Great book. Do you think it matters that this book was about a woman who just turned 50 and had a wonderful daughter who was finishing her senior year and getting ready to leave for college? So much of it rang true (and other stuff not so much). The entire book is a series of "poems" written in stanza form, although there is a definite story line that runs thru about this year in this woman's life - the graduating daughter, the sometimes exasperating husband, her goofy best friend/cou...more
In The Hunchback of Neiman Marcus, Holly, a writer/poet, is up against a wall. Not only is her agent is pressuring her about writing her new book, but she's also being squeezed between an ailing mother and a daughter who's off to college. Did I mention an irritating husband and a fast-approaching fiftieth birthday? Poor woman is near the end of her rope. It's a good thing she has a creative outlet.
I adored this book. Sonya Sones is absolutely hilarious. I'm naturally drawn to books that are a l...more
I adored this book. Sonya Sones is absolutely hilarious. I'm naturally drawn to books that are a l...more
When I saw this book ont he shelf at the library, I was drawn to it. Perhaps it was the mention of Neiman Marcus. Perhaps it was the poetry. Whatever it was, it was well written and thoroughly raised every concern that a middle-aged woman has from her ailing mother to her only child graduating from high school and leaving the nest. Her reaction to the undefined relationship her husband had with another woman - her daughter's friend's mother - is one we've either experienced or thought about it,...more
When I saw Sonya Sones was writing a book for adults, I was excited, but a little worried. I love her YA work, but I wasn't sure how her verse was going to carry over to this adult theme. I stayed concerned through the first few pages, having trouble getting into the book. My worries quickly got put to rest though as I became completely caught up in Holly's life. It's hard to imagine that much of this book is not autobiographical, because it seems so personal. Important to note: I shouldn't have...more
Apr 28, 2011
Staci
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommended to Staci by:
TLC Book tours
Shelves:
2011-reads,
tlc-tour-2011
My Thoughts:
This book is filled with emotions, emotions, emotions!
So many I've experienced
Some still to come.
I found myself laughing,
crying, and after reading certain pages,
coming undone.
Sones has taken her life
and laid it bare for all to see
but honestly I feel that
She's talking about ME!
Our lives play out in stages
that fly by way too fast.
After reading this book
I wish some stages would stay a bit longer,
while others I'm glad are past.
This book was a joy and I'm
glad that I experienced it
because...more
6 likes · like · see review
I absolutely enjoyed this book. Sonya Sones gives us a peek into the life of Holly as she reaches the age of 50. Like her YA novels, this one is told in free verse, yet this one is written for a much more mature audience. Sones doesn't waste a word as she conveys the ups and downs of a woman who, as she puts it, refuses to grow old gracefully, and will instead grow old disgracefully.
Holly's only child, Samantha, is headed to college, and Holly prepares herself for the gut-wrenching departure. T...more
Holly's only child, Samantha, is headed to college, and Holly prepares herself for the gut-wrenching departure. T...more
Take it with you in the car, read a few pages before you go to bed, pass the time in the doctor’s waiting room with it, but, by all means, treat yourself to The Hunchback of Neiman Marcus.
Sonya Sones, author of four award-winning novels for teens, paid attention to the admonitions, “Write what you know” and “Identify your audience.” If you are a woman near menopause or mid-life, her book will make you laugh, cry and sigh. Sones’ main character, Holly, is right there with you in your memory slip...more
Sonya Sones, author of four award-winning novels for teens, paid attention to the admonitions, “Write what you know” and “Identify your audience.” If you are a woman near menopause or mid-life, her book will make you laugh, cry and sigh. Sones’ main character, Holly, is right there with you in your memory slip...more
The Hunchback of Neiman Marcus is a book of poetry. I don't do poems.. usually. I don't get them, I never have gotten them. However, I blazed through this book in a few hours one afternoon.
While I haven't experienced much of what the book is talking about, these poems brought home the reality of it all. They spoke of pain, happiness, loss, motherhood, aging and death in a way that kept my attention, in spite of the verse (or perhaps, because of it). I began this book thinking I would be bored an...more
While I haven't experienced much of what the book is talking about, these poems brought home the reality of it all. They spoke of pain, happiness, loss, motherhood, aging and death in a way that kept my attention, in spite of the verse (or perhaps, because of it). I began this book thinking I would be bored an...more
i kind of don't know why this book spoke to me so much. it's about a woman going through menopause, basically, so i can't really identify with her in that. but it's also about relationships, and accepting yourself, and growing up, which is what we're all working on all the time, all our lives. so it's accessible in that way. also, it's a novel written in verse (but really, really accessible verse). also, she is funny. there's just so much delicious "Girl stuff" that sends my husband running in t...more
Firstreads giveaway
First of all, I can't believe other people have the same random, sometimes horrible thoughts that I do. They are all over this book. You'll have to read it to find the things that you think, but they are in there! You aren't the only one.
You may think that you need to be older to appreciate the humor of this book. Not true. I laughed and teared up throughout it and I'm probably in between the college and approaching menopause ages (closer to the older than I'd like to imagine)...more
First of all, I can't believe other people have the same random, sometimes horrible thoughts that I do. They are all over this book. You'll have to read it to find the things that you think, but they are in there! You aren't the only one.
You may think that you need to be older to appreciate the humor of this book. Not true. I laughed and teared up throughout it and I'm probably in between the college and approaching menopause ages (closer to the older than I'd like to imagine)...more
I loved this book. It's not going to change the world or make it to the NEW YORK TIMES list for 10 weeks in a row, but as a mom and a wife, it made me laugh and think about how lucky I am to have a wonderful husband (even if he does leave his dirty socks around and the kids' toothbrushes sitting in the bathroom grunge instead of in the toothbrush holder like I've asked him to do 300 times) and two beautiful boys who are absolutely gorgeous even when they are driving me crazy. It reminded me that...more
1 like · like · see review
This book is a book written completely in poems which for the most part I am not a huge fan of. That being said, I think it worked well for this novel. I received this novel from NetGalley and I was on the fence about whether or not I thought I'd enjoy it but as soon I started reading I knew that it would be a book I would really like. It is a story about a woman who is going through middle age and is questioning a lot of things in her life. Her daughter is about to leave the home for university...more
Depending on the number of years you have inhabited this planet, will most likely determine what you think of the book. I read it in one setting - took just alittle over two hours. It is a light weight with profound insight. I laughed, moaned, groaned, shook my head in a firm up and down motion and occasionally was a bit tearie eyed. I thot the presentation was delightful and so imaginative. I had not heard a thing about the book, but I luved the title as the store...*"Needless Markup" is one of...more
Browsing through the bookstore brought me upon this quite cute-looking book. Had I known what an adventure it would take me upon, I would have started reading it right there in the store. This book placed me in my mother's shoes and her mother's. Being only 15, some things don't make sense. This book taught me to look into my mother's eyes and see things the way she might.
If you're looking for a way to get closer to your mother, then this is the nice pathway there. From wallowing in tears to scr...more
If you're looking for a way to get closer to your mother, then this is the nice pathway there. From wallowing in tears to scr...more
As reviewed on my blog http://dineanddish.net/2013/01/connec...
The Hunchback of Neiman Marcus by Sonya Sones is another book I found on Lesley’s top books of 2012 list, and I loved it! To be honest with you, when I found out the entire book was written in poem format, I wasn’t sure that I’d like it, but I did. This book made me laugh, it made me cry, and more often than not it made me do the ugly cry. If you are a woman and / or a mother, you will love this honest portrayal of aging, marriage an...more
The Hunchback of Neiman Marcus by Sonya Sones is another book I found on Lesley’s top books of 2012 list, and I loved it! To be honest with you, when I found out the entire book was written in poem format, I wasn’t sure that I’d like it, but I did. This book made me laugh, it made me cry, and more often than not it made me do the ugly cry. If you are a woman and / or a mother, you will love this honest portrayal of aging, marriage an...more
I was both intrigued and frightened when I discovered this entire novel is actually written in verse. Though at first it was strange to read, I quickly found myself immersed in the story and unable to put the book down. It is truly remarkable how vibrant and packed with detail this story is despite the spare poems that convey the meaning in dramatically fewer words than a normal prose novel. I can't say anything else except that this book is a definite must-read that I am recommending to all my...more
***Spoilers!****
First of all, who is NOT craving a brownie right now?
This book was a fun read especially for the summer months or a rainy day at home. It was incredibly touching at times and also hits humorous points throughout. Given the title, I did think fashion/shopping would take a bigger role in the book but it ended up that brownies and a particular tree did take that role and I am quite all right with the delicious brownies part! ;)
Given I have a tight relationship with my Mom (yet wit...more
First of all, who is NOT craving a brownie right now?
This book was a fun read especially for the summer months or a rainy day at home. It was incredibly touching at times and also hits humorous points throughout. Given the title, I did think fashion/shopping would take a bigger role in the book but it ended up that brownies and a particular tree did take that role and I am quite all right with the delicious brownies part! ;)
Given I have a tight relationship with my Mom (yet wit...more
I absolutely love, love, LOVE Sonya Sones' work. All of her other books are for young adults. I love that she is not afraid to tackle difficult subjects like mental illness and death of a parent. Yes, some teens DO go through these things to add to the horror of teenage life. It was fun to read a book by her that was written for adults. I do not recommend this for teens or young adults. It is about a mother during the last year of school with her senior daughter and then sending her off to colle...more
The Hunchback of Neiman Marcus is the first adult fiction release from novel-in-verse writer Sonya Sones who has previously published four young adult books including What My Mother Doesn't Know. Although I hadn't read any of her YA, I had her positive things about Sones and so I was definitely interested to see how she took on more adult issues, something I haven't seen before in verse which usually seems restricted to YA. The Hunchback of Neiman Marcus tells the story of Holly, a writer approa...more
Hilarious, witty and engaging. This book will have you laughing, crying and nodding your head the whole time. It is written in a really unique way. At first I wasn't sure I liked it, but I didn't just like it, I loved it! She kept it short and simple.
Our main character Holly is about to become an empty nester, their only daughter leaving to go to college -- At the same time, she starts going through menopause, her mother gets sick and she thinks her husband is having an affair. Also, she is sup...more
Our main character Holly is about to become an empty nester, their only daughter leaving to go to college -- At the same time, she starts going through menopause, her mother gets sick and she thinks her husband is having an affair. Also, she is sup...more
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I was born in Boston and overprotected in the nearby suburb of Newton. I thought I would be an artist when I grew up. I loved sneaking upstairs to a tiny room in our attic, where I could while away the hours drawing pictures of dinosaurs. The summer I turned seventeen, I fell in love with making animated films (not to mention at least a couple of boys). Soon after, I enrolled in Hampshire College...more
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“To take estrogen or not to take estrogen:
That is the question.
Whether 'tis nobler to abstain and suffer
The sweat and puddles of outrageous flashes
Or to take arms against a sea of mood swings,
And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep;
No more; at first the studies say 'twill end
The heart attacks and thousand bouts of bloat
That flesh is heir to, 'tis a true confusion -
For then they say 'twill cause us all to die
Perchance from breast cancer; ay, there's the rub;
For who can dream or even sleep while worrying about
What doctors might be saying come next week?”
—
3 people liked it
More quotes…
That is the question.
Whether 'tis nobler to abstain and suffer
The sweat and puddles of outrageous flashes
Or to take arms against a sea of mood swings,
And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep;
No more; at first the studies say 'twill end
The heart attacks and thousand bouts of bloat
That flesh is heir to, 'tis a true confusion -
For then they say 'twill cause us all to die
Perchance from breast cancer; ay, there's the rub;
For who can dream or even sleep while worrying about
What doctors might be saying come next week?”
