Friday, January 2, 2009

The Mighty Queens of Freeville by Amy Dickinson

Review and Giveaway

The Mighty Queens of Freeville
by Amy Dickinson

Memoir, Paperback, 224 pg.

Hyperion Books (February 3, 2009)


This is a guest review, written by Colleen of Foreign Circus Library.

I received my copy of The Mighty Queens of Freeville in the mail and finished it the same day! Though I only intended to read a few pages to get a feel for the writing, I simply couldn't put it down. This book is a memoir, the story of "a mother, a daughter, and the people who raised them"; the Mighty Queens of Freeville are the women of Dickinson's extended family who live and thrive in tiny Freeville NY.
Author Amy Dickinson writes "Ask Amy", the syndicated advice column that replaced that of the late Ann Landers. This book though is not about Dickinson's career; it is about the women who ultimately gave her the skills she needed to make a success of her job.
This memoir follows Dickinson from her divorce in England (when daughter Emily is a toddler) to Emily's freshman year of college. Dickinson's writing is no-nonsense and engaging. The women in her life are simultaneously ordinary and extraordinary- her mother rises above her father's abandonment and the loss of the family farm to eventually find her niche as a college professor. Dickinson is by turns funny and touching, and the book is a wonderful tribute to her family and its resilience.
I highly recommend this wonderful book. Definitely five stars, and would make a great gift for the important women in your life. I gave this book to my mom and sister, both of whom loved it.

<><><><><>

Thank you Colleen.

Foreign Circus Library is Colleen's lovely book blog. Do visit, she reviews a much wider selection of fiction genres than Fresh Ink Books, as well as non-fiction.

And thanks to Hyperion Books a new ARC copy of The Mighty Queens of Freeville is available to one of my readers.

1) To enter tell me which book from this list Read in 2008 you'd be interested in reading or hearing my comments on.

2) If you blog about this giveaway and put a link back to it, I'll give you a second entry. If you don't have a blog, email 3 friends telling them about this giveaway and copying me at sfuhringer (at) sympatico (dot) ca.

Entry is open worldwide until midnight Sunday January 18, 2009.
Be sure to leave an email address if you don't have a blog where I can contact you.
Winner will be announced on Monday January 19, 2009.

38 comments:

  1. I've posted this on Win A Book. No need to enter the contest.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Asylum is the one I'd like to hear the most about. Thanks for the contest!

    zekks at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  3. I am dying to read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society! Thanks for the giveaway!

    stacey(dot)bookthirty(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  4. The Virgin Suicides is an intriguing title. I'd like to hear about that. Was there a movie by that name?

    ReplyDelete
  5. I would love to learn more about Hotel World! Thank you for the contest!

    kalea_kane(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'd love to hear a review on the Swallows of Kabul. I have the book, but I haven't read it yet.

    stacie_vaughan@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'd like to hear about the Swallows of Kabul. Thanks for the chance to win.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I would love to read a review done on The Lizard Cage by Karen Connelly-a fellow Canadian.

    Elaine R
    emrosser@shaw.ca

    ReplyDelete
  9. I've heard so many great things about this book- I have the ARC in my TBR pile so no need to enter me though! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Everything Must Go by Elizabeth Flock. I read But Inside I'm Screaming and loved it! Thanks for the contest!

    bridget3420(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  11. 89.The Blue Door**** by Andre Brink
    Never heard of it or him but the title intrigues me.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I would like to read & hear about Children's Hospital. I've never heard of this book.

    Thanks for the contest!

    sharon54220@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  13. I would like to hear about Ten Thousand Lovers***** by Edeet Ravel

    Thanks for the contest!!

    areallibrarian[at]gmail[dot]com

    ReplyDelete
  14. I'd love to read
    The House At Riverton**** by Kate Morton :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. "A Case of Exploding Mango's" sounds intriguing.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I would love to read The Painted Veil.

    I also posted about this contest on my blog:
    http://morbid-romantic.net/2008/12/29/book-giveaways-1229-0104

    Valorie
    morbidromantic@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  17. I'm most interested in "An Arsonist's Guide to Writer's Homes in New England." Thanks for hosting this contest!

    ReplyDelete
  18. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao**** by Junot Diaz (US)

    This is the one I've been meaning to read forever!!!
    princesscarriek21(at)hotmail(dot)com

    your list made me embarassed to be so excited about the 50 some books i read this year!! obviously i need to resolve to step that up in 09 :)

    ReplyDelete
  19. Hotel World caught my eye. You have a great list of books to choose from!

    jgbeads AT gmail DOT com

    ReplyDelete
  20. I am interested in hearing more about Home by Marilynne Robinson. My e-mail address is tiffanyhunsinger@netscape.net, and thanks again for holding this contest.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Please enter me in the contest. Thanks.

    I'd love to have the chance to read Guernica by Dave Boling.

    avalonne83 [at] yahoo [dot] it

    ReplyDelete
  22. hmmm...lets see
    The Silver Swan and Ten Thousand Lovers, I just love the names.

    I would also love to read what you thought about 'A Thousand Splendid Suns'. I just loved this book.

    Please enter me

    ReplyDelete
  23. I can't choose. Maybe Home!

    Not sure.....I'd take any!

    ReplyDelete
  24. That's a long list : D I think I would choose, The Broken Book by Susan Johnson. Please enter me as well. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  25. I really want to read People of the Book and The Painted Veil. I'm a little more than halfway through The House at Riverton right now, and am enjoying it very much.

    I also read Guernica last year - it was brilliant.

    nnjmom at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  26. I blogged about your giveaway at my blog:
    http://enroutetolife.blogspot.com/2009/01/spying-out-some-great-giveaways.html

    Thank you so much!

    kalea_kane(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  27. I would like to hear more about Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian.

    bacchus76[at]myself[dot]com

    ReplyDelete
  28. I'd like to hear more about "Ten Thousand Lovers".

    Thanks so much!


    nancyrobster@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  29. Arsonic Soup for Lovers*** by Georgia Post sounds pretty interesting!
    digicat{AT}sbcglobal{DOT}net

    ReplyDelete
  30. I would love to read, and also hear your comments on While I Was Gone by Sue Miller.
    ayancey(at)dishmail(dot)net

    ReplyDelete
  31. The Virgin Suicides by Jefferey Eugenides sounds interesting I think this was a movie. Thanks for the giveaway.

    fmd518@inbox.com

    ReplyDelete
  32. I would like to read, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer

    knittingmomof3 (AT) gmail (DOT) com

    ReplyDelete
  33. Sounds good. Throw me in the pot. mmfbooks AT gmail DOT com.

    ReplyDelete
  34. I love these kinds of books!
    Hope I win!
    allmycrazycats AT aol.com

    ReplyDelete
  35. Red Dog, Red Dog by Patrick Lane. Thanks for having the wonderful giveaway.

    dianad8008 AT gmail DOT com

    ReplyDelete
  36. I have heard about these books from my friend. She said that these are really good books, and recommended me to read them. It’s too bad that I don’t read books. I tried in the past, but I can’t follow the plot every time I read. I prefer movies, because it’s easier for me to identify the characters and the story. What I do read is informative books, such us books about the sea, or about animals. I envy people that read books, because they are seemed to enjoy it so much. Well, I guess the book wont made for me. Too bad.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Here's my review of this one for you! http://wordlily.wordpress.com/2008/12/31/the-mighty-queens-of-freeville-by-amy-dickinson/

    ReplyDelete
  38. This blog is so good that I’ve bookmarked and saved them with me. It’s a keeper!

    ReplyDelete

Labels

"25 Books That Caused A Commotion" (1) 4 1/2 stars (5) 4 stars (6) 5 stars (8) American literature (21) Asian American authors (1) Australian literature (3) book awards (10) book giveaways (23) book news (4) booking through thursday (3) Books Read This Week (2) Books TBR in 2009 (1) Burma (1) Cambodia (2) Canada (11) Canadian lit (3) Canadian literature (11) Columbian literature (1) Cover Attraction (3) doctors (1) education (1) elephants (1) England (3) English literature (5) environment (1) epistolary fiction (4) Ex-Cottagers in Love (1) family (3) fiction (2) five stars (2) forewords (1) four and a half stars (1) four stars (1) French literature (3) Friday Finds (6) Giller Prize (2) Giller Prize longlist (1) Giller Prize Winner 2008 (1) guest reviews (10) Hachette (2) haiku (4) Haiku Friday (5) historical fiction (6) humour (1) immigrants (1) Index of Books Reviewed (1) interview (1) Iraq (1) Israel (2) Israeli literature (1) It's Monday What are you reading this week? (2) Italian literature (1) Italy (1) Jerusalem (1) Jewish Book Month (3) Jewish Literature (6) Jewish Literature Challenge (2) Judaism (1) Latin American literature (1) Latin American Reading Challenge (1) library books (1) Library Loot (28) Library Loot July 22 (1) literary fiction (38) literature (20) literature in translation (1) love stories (2) Mailbox Monday (19) male friendship (1) marriage (1) medicine (1) memoir (1) music (1) Musing Mondays (2) My Favourite Reads (1) my work (1) mystery (1) Native Canadians (1) New Crayons (6) New Crayons July 5 (1) New England (1) New York (1) Nigeria (1) Nigerian literature (1) Nobel author (3) Nobel authors (1) Nobel Laureate (1) non-fiction (1) Norway (1) Norwegian literature (1) Nova Scotia (1) Orange Prize (2) ornithology (1) Orthodox Judaism (1) psychological fiction (3) Pulitzer Project (1) rating system (1) Read 'Em Yet? Wednesday (1) Read in 2008 (1) reading challenges (62) reading challenges 2010 (1) reviews (46) Russia (1) Russian literature (1) Salon Sunday (1) Scandinavian mystery (1) short stories (2) Show Me 5 Saturday (2) Spanish literature (2) Sunday Salon (3) The Complete Booker Reading Challenge (1) The Martel-Harper Challenge (1) The Sunday Salon (12) Thursday Tea (4) Toronto (1) translation (2) triplets (1) TSS (2) TSS June in Review (1) TSS March in Review (1) TSS May in Review (1) TSS Week in Review (2) Turkish literature (2) Venice (1) Waiting on Wednesday (8) Waiting on Wednesday July 15 (1) war stories (2) Weekly Geeks (11) What Are You Reading On Mondays? (10) What's On Your Nightstand? (8) winners (14) women writers (2) Wondrous Words (1) Wordless Wednesday (3) writers (1) WW II (2) Wyoming (1)
free logo design

LinkWithin

Blog Widget by LinkWithin