What doyouthink?
Rate this book
The Ivy Chronicles
When turbocharged Park Avenue mom Ivy Ames finds that she's been downsized from her platinum-card corporate job and her marriage, she swiftly realizes that she's going to need a whole new way to support herself and her two private-school daughters. So she dreams up a new business--helping upscale New Yorkers get their little darlings into the most exclusive kindergartens in the city. What begins as one woman's bid to earn a living becomes an everywoman's tale of midlife reinvention and unexpected romance, set in a looking-glass world where even tots have résumés.
342 pages, Paperback
First published March 5, 2005
Ratings&Reviews
Friends&Following
Create a free accountto discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 420 reviews
December 31, 2008
Okay, wow, can one woman be so self-absorbed and in complete denial of what life is really like? I don't think I can say it any better than this reviewer on amazon.com:While the premise of the book was intriguing (an insider's view into the cut-throat world of the Manhattan elite), my antipathy for Ivy overroad any hopes of my giving this book a good review. She continually baffled me with her amoral stance and her ability to turn everything into a one-woman whine-fest. There was almost no one to cheer for, save some of the stereotypical "underclass" children.
She gets fired by the butthead husband of the woman who is sleeping with her husband and all she can worry about is that her psychic said she was about to get hit by a bus - metaphorically or not, she wasn't really sure.
Usually I can get a giggle out of books like this - but listening to her whine about money and then spend $1500 on a fish surgery so her daughter's fish wouldn't have it's boyancey problem.
I'm at the end of disc one now and I won't be listening to the rest. What trash. How self-absorbed and utterly useless.
She gets fired by the butthead husband of the woman who is sleeping with her husband and all she can worry about is that her psychic said she was about to get hit by a bus - metaphorically or not, she wasn't really sure.
Usually I can get a giggle out of books like this - but listening to her whine about money and then spend $1500 on a fish surgery so her daughter's fish wouldn't have it's boyancey problem.
I'm at the end of disc one now and I won't be listening to the rest. What trash. How self-absorbed and utterly useless.
July 4, 2014
A completely stupid book, that I can not believe I finished. I think I thought it would get better....it didn't. I was baffled at the outrage that she had for her boyfriend (the author--I can't remember his name) that he would write about her and not tell her; yet, she did the same thing with her clients. And how inconsistent is it that she goes to her boyfriend's apartment in the same building and has to check her email, when she see the book. Furthermore, after complaining and complaining about how unsafe the neighborhood is, she then make a comment about how she never locks her doors---oh, it sounds safe. Maybe I wouldn't have cared about the sex scenes if the book was good, but in this case I was surprised at how easily she would sleep with anyone (well sleep is relative) with both of her boyfriends and the descriptions I had to read of it. Hated it.
November 3, 2008
It's been a long time since I've disliked a protagonist as much as I hated Ivy Ames. While the premise of the book was intriguing (an insider's view into the cut-throat world of the Manhattan elite), my antipathy for Ivy overroad any hopes of my giving this book a good review.
She continually baffled me with her amoral stance and her ability to turn everything into a one-woman whine-fest. There was almost no one to cheer for, save some of the stereotypical "underclass" children. I almost quit reading several times, but somehow convinced myself to carry on.
It's unfortunate, because Quinn is a talented writer. She just needs to work on creating some likable characters -- maybe some with morals.
She continually baffled me with her amoral stance and her ability to turn everything into a one-woman whine-fest. There was almost no one to cheer for, save some of the stereotypical "underclass" children. I almost quit reading several times, but somehow convinced myself to carry on.
It's unfortunate, because Quinn is a talented writer. She just needs to work on creating some likable characters -- maybe some with morals.
May 15, 2007
hilarious story about a mother in manhattan who decides to turn a big buck by getting other people's kids into the elite manhattan preschools. would be even funnier if it wasn't so true.
November 1, 2015
I contemplated dnfing this one for the first 100 pages. I have no idea why I read on. Ivy was a pushover. Sure it's good to be nice but come on! Sometimes you have to stand up for yourself, not just roll around and show your belly. The things she put up with, arghh, it made me so annoyed with her.
But I read on as she tried to make a new career of helping parents getting into good private schools. That was amusing, the things they go through. Dang, that is a tough world. So yes that made it interesting to read.
Her tries at dating, not so much. That was messy.
Ivy as a person, pushover like I said, I did not like her.
But I finished it, it was an interesting look at things.
But I read on as she tried to make a new career of helping parents getting into good private schools. That was amusing, the things they go through. Dang, that is a tough world. So yes that made it interesting to read.
Her tries at dating, not so much. That was messy.
Ivy as a person, pushover like I said, I did not like her.
But I finished it, it was an interesting look at things.
February 7, 2015
I can't believe I read that. And that there is no "no star" rating.
December 19, 2015
Definitivamente, esse não é um livro para mim. Infelizmente, só descobri a classificação no Goodreads depois de carregá-lo por doze horas na mochila e quase quatrocentos quilômetros, da Bienal de São Paulo do ano passado até a minha casa. Pelo lado bom, ele foi realmente barato! Hahaha.
Repleto de preconceitos e frases prontas, as primeiras duzentas páginas desse livro são um pesadelo. A protagonista, uma ex-milionária que acaba de perder o emprego e o marido, se vê as voltas com a vida "empobrecida" - e reclama longamente sobre as tristezas de não poder mais manter o carro importado, a empregada e as babás. Vários capítulos são narrados sob a convicção de que tudo que ela precisa é casar com um marido rico e uma "intervenção" de um programa sensacionalista, em que ela ganharia inúmeras plásticas e um guarda roupa de luxo completo; como se isso fosse torná-la uma mulher extremamente feliz e realizada.
Como eu disse, um pesadelo. Senti Virginía Woolf revirando no túmulo.
A boa notícia é que melhora. Nas últimas cem páginas, ela realmente descobre que o amor pode ser encontrado independente das classes sociais, que ela pode declinar as cirurgias plásticas e optar por uma alimentação saudável e exercícios físicos, e por aí vai.
Previsível e levemente interessante, a classificação não poderia ser outra que não duas de cinco estrelas.
Estranhamente, a escrita da autora tem todas as características de uma boa autora contemporânea, mas o enredo e a caracterização dos personagens, especialmente Ivy, a protagonista, estragaram a história. Resumindo: vale a pena ficar de olho em futuros lançamentos!
Repleto de preconceitos e frases prontas, as primeiras duzentas páginas desse livro são um pesadelo. A protagonista, uma ex-milionária que acaba de perder o emprego e o marido, se vê as voltas com a vida "empobrecida" - e reclama longamente sobre as tristezas de não poder mais manter o carro importado, a empregada e as babás. Vários capítulos são narrados sob a convicção de que tudo que ela precisa é casar com um marido rico e uma "intervenção" de um programa sensacionalista, em que ela ganharia inúmeras plásticas e um guarda roupa de luxo completo; como se isso fosse torná-la uma mulher extremamente feliz e realizada.
Como eu disse, um pesadelo. Senti Virginía Woolf revirando no túmulo.
A boa notícia é que melhora. Nas últimas cem páginas, ela realmente descobre que o amor pode ser encontrado independente das classes sociais, que ela pode declinar as cirurgias plásticas e optar por uma alimentação saudável e exercícios físicos, e por aí vai.
Previsível e levemente interessante, a classificação não poderia ser outra que não duas de cinco estrelas.
Estranhamente, a escrita da autora tem todas as características de uma boa autora contemporânea, mas o enredo e a caracterização dos personagens, especialmente Ivy, a protagonista, estragaram a história. Resumindo: vale a pena ficar de olho em futuros lançamentos!
May 3, 2011
Awful and amateurish, even by chick-lit standards. Ivy loses everything (job, husband) right off the bat, but when she then becomes an entrepreneur she immediately SUCCEEDS. This thanks to her having money and an ivy league degree, knowing people with money and power, and also a series of serendipitous events that work in her favor.
So where is the plot and/or problems?? She has several romantic interests after her marriage breaks up, she is successful in her new business immediately, and there are really no obstacles she must surmount. She also commits several moral and ethical violations which don't really have any repercussions except to tidy things up and give an ending to the story - a happy, boring ending to a problem free story. Also, she kind of rewrites history and reality by having a hand in "changing" the entire New York private school industry.
I just don't get it. What is the appeal of this book?? I can deal with mindless chick-lit between my more heavier reads, but this book is just POINTLESS material.
So where is the plot and/or problems?? She has several romantic interests after her marriage breaks up, she is successful in her new business immediately, and there are really no obstacles she must surmount. She also commits several moral and ethical violations which don't really have any repercussions except to tidy things up and give an ending to the story - a happy, boring ending to a problem free story. Also, she kind of rewrites history and reality by having a hand in "changing" the entire New York private school industry.
I just don't get it. What is the appeal of this book?? I can deal with mindless chick-lit between my more heavier reads, but this book is just POINTLESS material.
September 15, 2010
I have yet to decide how I feel about this book. Parts of it were laugh out loud funny, but a lot of it was annoying, mostly because of the caricatures of people were so over the top as to make you roll you eyes.
Ivy Ames seems to have it all, a high powered job, a loving husband, 2 great kids and fabulous life living on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. All this comes to a crashing end when Ivy loses her job and finds her husband with another woman on the same day. Forced to start her own business when she cannot land another job, Ivy decides to become a consultant to those people trying to get their children into private school kindergarten. While Ivy seems to be moving on, I couldn’t stand the constant bemoaning of a need for a man in her life to make things right. The ending was rather clichéd, but some of the satire was so dead on that I couldn’t help but laugh. So therefore the 3***, even though I think I’ll hate myself in the morning.
Ivy Ames seems to have it all, a high powered job, a loving husband, 2 great kids and fabulous life living on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. All this comes to a crashing end when Ivy loses her job and finds her husband with another woman on the same day. Forced to start her own business when she cannot land another job, Ivy decides to become a consultant to those people trying to get their children into private school kindergarten. While Ivy seems to be moving on, I couldn’t stand the constant bemoaning of a need for a man in her life to make things right. The ending was rather clichéd, but some of the satire was so dead on that I couldn’t help but laugh. So therefore the 3***, even though I think I’ll hate myself in the morning.
October 25, 2012
I'm embarrassed I actually read this. If it weren't for my very limited book selection at the time, I don't think I would have. The main character lacks common sense and a basic conscience. Somehow, the most outlandish and extravagant things happen to her that just aren't believable.
It's like watching a terrible chick flick while you're doing mindless chores around the house. For some reason you don't turn it off, but you're cringing the whole time. It's over and you just shake your head thinking, Why did I watch that??
It's like watching a terrible chick flick while you're doing mindless chores around the house. For some reason you don't turn it off, but you're cringing the whole time. It's over and you just shake your head thinking, Why did I watch that??
February 5, 2009
Amazing? No.
Enjoyable piece of rather ridiculous fluff? Yes.
That's what I wanted, that's what I got. Purpose fulfilled.
***
Audiobook Review: Annoying main character = obnoxious narration. Right on character-wise for narration, but got to be a little much when listening to hours of this.
Enjoyable piece of rather ridiculous fluff? Yes.
That's what I wanted, that's what I got. Purpose fulfilled.
***
Audiobook Review: Annoying main character = obnoxious narration. Right on character-wise for narration, but got to be a little much when listening to hours of this.
January 23, 2013
This was awful. The author created a flat world of walking, talking stereotypes. Characters were so one-dimensional and unexplored I wondered if I was just reading a transcript from someone playing with paper dolls.
July 20, 2011
This book had pretty flat characters and some crude love scenes. I did laugh during a few parts, but in the end I was not satisfied with this novel. I ended up leaving it on the plane.
July 1, 2017
It’s been quite some time since I read a chic lit. I’m not a big fan of chic lit but it is chic lit (however much I hate that term), I turn to whenever I am done with a heavy book. So recently I finished two different genres and I am all but energised. I just needed to take my mind away from the gay lit, coming of age novel that “Sucking Sherbet Lemons” was and the war novella that “Oranges in No Man’s Land” was. So I turned to the chunkiest and supposedly funny “The Ivy Chronicles” by Karen Quinn.
A very fast-paced, funny novel about a to-be divorced, newly unemployed mother of two. The plot revolves around Ivy Ames, the protagonist, who lost her tremendously high profile job and is devastated. To add salt into the wound, she catches her husband in the tub with her ex- boss’s wife. Damn!
Having led a super extravagant life, she knows that she has to give up on all her luxuries. She takes up a job as a school admission advisor and here, we are talking about the best, exclusive kindergartens in the city. Not surprisingly, the kids have to undergo all sorts of tests and are observed by psychoanalysts before they gain admission and see if they can fit into their ‘environment’. The parents are not spared as they have to go through rigorous interviews and write essays. So they hire Ivy, who claims to be an expert in all this, admission processes and much more. It’s not easy as it seems as the filthy rich and rude parents are highly demanding and are willing to shell out millions to see to it that their kids get into the elite and prestigious schools. And if Ivy does not meet their expectations, she’s dead meat. She knows that their kids are spoilt brats and foul mouthed but she has already taken up the challenge and accepted the money. It is only later that she realises how daunting a task this is as the parents are all soooo desperate to enrol their kids into the high –fi private schools. In the midst of all this, a romantic triangle happens but it is not given much scope, unlike a chic lit. (Which is why I feel that this book can come under women’s fiction.) Usually it is the female protagonist who is indecisive in matters of love. But here, we have two males, one very young and one not so young, both vying for the attention of the 40 year old. But Ivy is one to voice her demands of wanting to get married to someone who can give her a luxurious life. Hearing this, both of the ‘eligible’ males back off only to keep reappearing in her life. After much deliberation and annoyingly silly break ups, SHE settles for one of these men, climbs onto the top of a table and proclaims her love to which the man says “YES”. Extremely ridiculous, given the circumstances, I say.
We do have some funny scenes, though. One instance of such a well behaved girl of a rich, single parent. The director of admissions asked her how his daughter, Maria, handles frustration to which he replies, “Ever since her mother died, may she rest in peace, Maria’s had a hard time when things don’t go her way. Sometimes she screams, other times she refuses to speak to me. Once she got so mad that she dropped a whole set of china off the balcony. I tell ya. Sheeee’s a pistol.” Pistol of all things!
Then the interviewers asked yet another candidate, WaShaunte, what she was proud of. To which the little girl said,
“I’m proud I can read minds. I’m psycho.”
“WaShaunte, you’re psychic, not psycho,” Mr Taymore said.
“Robin is Batman’s psychic,” WaShaunte said.
“No, he is Batman’s sidekick, not psychic,” Mr Taymore exclaimed patiently.
“That’s what I said – psychic, a superhero’s assistant,” WaShaunte said.
And then there is this talk of this ‘talented’ boy with a stammer.
“I’m proud I learned how to c-c-congregate verbs. Do you want to hear me do it?”
“By all means,” Mr Taymore said.
“I fuck today. I fucked yesterday. I will fuck tomorrow,” he said, beaming with pride.
Other than the numerous times nauseating, sickening coffee cheese cake (wink, wink) was mentioned in the book, it was an enjoyable read. The romance is a little underwhelming too. But read this if you are looking for something mindless and funny. Though the reviews on Amazon and GR are awful, I gave it a 4 star for giving me some much needed relief while I was bedridden with fever. This was definitely a breath of fresh air.
A very fast-paced, funny novel about a to-be divorced, newly unemployed mother of two. The plot revolves around Ivy Ames, the protagonist, who lost her tremendously high profile job and is devastated. To add salt into the wound, she catches her husband in the tub with her ex- boss’s wife. Damn!
Having led a super extravagant life, she knows that she has to give up on all her luxuries. She takes up a job as a school admission advisor and here, we are talking about the best, exclusive kindergartens in the city. Not surprisingly, the kids have to undergo all sorts of tests and are observed by psychoanalysts before they gain admission and see if they can fit into their ‘environment’. The parents are not spared as they have to go through rigorous interviews and write essays. So they hire Ivy, who claims to be an expert in all this, admission processes and much more. It’s not easy as it seems as the filthy rich and rude parents are highly demanding and are willing to shell out millions to see to it that their kids get into the elite and prestigious schools. And if Ivy does not meet their expectations, she’s dead meat. She knows that their kids are spoilt brats and foul mouthed but she has already taken up the challenge and accepted the money. It is only later that she realises how daunting a task this is as the parents are all soooo desperate to enrol their kids into the high –fi private schools. In the midst of all this, a romantic triangle happens but it is not given much scope, unlike a chic lit. (Which is why I feel that this book can come under women’s fiction.) Usually it is the female protagonist who is indecisive in matters of love. But here, we have two males, one very young and one not so young, both vying for the attention of the 40 year old. But Ivy is one to voice her demands of wanting to get married to someone who can give her a luxurious life. Hearing this, both of the ‘eligible’ males back off only to keep reappearing in her life. After much deliberation and annoyingly silly break ups, SHE settles for one of these men, climbs onto the top of a table and proclaims her love to which the man says “YES”. Extremely ridiculous, given the circumstances, I say.
We do have some funny scenes, though. One instance of such a well behaved girl of a rich, single parent. The director of admissions asked her how his daughter, Maria, handles frustration to which he replies, “Ever since her mother died, may she rest in peace, Maria’s had a hard time when things don’t go her way. Sometimes she screams, other times she refuses to speak to me. Once she got so mad that she dropped a whole set of china off the balcony. I tell ya. Sheeee’s a pistol.” Pistol of all things!
Then the interviewers asked yet another candidate, WaShaunte, what she was proud of. To which the little girl said,
“I’m proud I can read minds. I’m psycho.”
“WaShaunte, you’re psychic, not psycho,” Mr Taymore said.
“Robin is Batman’s psychic,” WaShaunte said.
“No, he is Batman’s sidekick, not psychic,” Mr Taymore exclaimed patiently.
“That’s what I said – psychic, a superhero’s assistant,” WaShaunte said.
And then there is this talk of this ‘talented’ boy with a stammer.
“I’m proud I learned how to c-c-congregate verbs. Do you want to hear me do it?”
“By all means,” Mr Taymore said.
“I fuck today. I fucked yesterday. I will fuck tomorrow,” he said, beaming with pride.
Other than the numerous times nauseating, sickening coffee cheese cake (wink, wink) was mentioned in the book, it was an enjoyable read. The romance is a little underwhelming too. But read this if you are looking for something mindless and funny. Though the reviews on Amazon and GR are awful, I gave it a 4 star for giving me some much needed relief while I was bedridden with fever. This was definitely a breath of fresh air.
January 9, 2009
Kerap kali dalam kondisi terjepit seseorang jadi kreatif. Seluruh daya kemampuan dikerahkan demi keluar dari himpitan itu. Agaknya itu sudah merupakan naluri purba yang dimiliki setiap makhluk hidup agar tetap survive. Tapi tak jarang juga "kreativitas" itu malah mengarah pada kriminalitas yang menghalalkan segala cara.
Bagi Ivy Ames, 39 tahun, yang baru saja dipecat dari kantornya dan menangkap basah perselingkuhan sang suami, keadaan itu memaksanya berpikir keras untuk secepatnya mendapatkan pekerjaan baru agar kehidupannya bersama kedua orang anaknya bisa terus berlangsung. Untuk beberapa saat, uang pesangon yang diterimanya masih dapat diandalkan meskipun ia kudu pandai-pandai bermanuver sampai mendapatkan pekerjaan kembali.
Hidupnya nyaris berubah seratus delapan puluh derajat. Sebagai mantan menajer, ia terbiasa hidup berkecukupan. Tinggal di apartemen mahal, mobil mewah, rutin ke salon dan spa untuk perawatan kecantikan, pakian-pakaian mahal dari merek terkenal, makan malam di restoran bintang lima, anak-anaknya bersekolah di sekolah swasta yang bergengsi, dokter gigi, berbagai macam asuransi....Pokoknya segala tetek-bengek yang menjadi kebutuhan dan gaya hidup kelas atas ia lakoni.
Dengan pemecatan dirinya itu, mau tidak mau ia harus banting setir: pindah rumah ke daerah permukiman kelas dua, memindahkan anak-anaknya ke sekolah negeri, menghentikan semua kebiasaannya ke salon, puasa makan malam di resto mahal, menukar mobilnya, dan terutama, harus segera mengirimkan surat-surat lamaran kerja sebelum tabungannya ludes.
Namun, mencari pekerjaan di New York City bukanlah perkara mudah yang dapat diselesaikan dalam waktu singkat. Banyaknya jumlah pencari kerja menimbulkan persaingan ketat yang hanya menyisakan pemenang bagi mereka yang betul-betul unggul. Apa lagi jika tak punya koneksi dan jaringan pertemanan yang luas. Bisa jadi selamanya akan menganggur.
Saat Ivy nyaris buntu harapan, tanpa diduga datanglah Faith, sahabatnya yang menikah dengan seorang miliuner. Faith yang tengah kesulitan mencari sekolah TK (Taman Kanak-kanak) swasta paling bergengsi untuk anaknya, meminta nasihat Ivy dan terbukti efektif. Dari pengalaman tersebut, timbullah ide dari Faith supaya Ivy membuka kantor layanan konsultan bagi para orang tua yang punya problem sama dengan dirinya.
Pada mulanya, Ivy yang kini menjadi orang tua tunggal, sama sekali tak yakin dengan gagasan kawannya itu. Mana ada sih orang tua yang bersedia buang-buang duit hanya untuk memperoleh informasi dan "bimbingan" dalam mencari sekolah TK untuk anak-anaknya? Pasti hanya orang tua yang kebanyakan duit seperti Faith dan Steven Lord saja yang mau memakai jasa konsultan semacam itu.
Akan tetapi ketika kebutuhan hidup kian terasa mendesak, Ivy tak bisa tidak tergoda juga untuk mencoba ide tersebut. Mulailah ia menyusun strategi untuk bisnis barunya itu. Sejak dari memasang iklan, mencari referensi serta informasi ihwal sekolah-sekolah kelas satu, sampai menyelenggarakan work shop segala.
Jerih payahnya hampir saja sia-sia belaka jika tidak ada peristiwa penyanderaan seorang kepala sekolah oleh orang tua murid yang kecewa anaknya tak diterima di sekolah tersebut. Penyanderaan itu berujung pada terbunuhnya sang kepala sekolah. Kejadian menghebohkan itu diliput oleh seluruh stasiun tivi dan berikutnya Ivy bak kejatuhan bintang dari surga. Dalam sekejap ia menjadi populer. Beberapa stasiun tivi mengundangnya untuk wawancara dan talk show sehubungan dengan tragedi itu. Ia dimintai pendapat sesuai kapasitasnya selaku konsultan/penasihat. Kontan saja namanya jadi sering disebut-sebut.
Kecelakaan itu berdampak positif bagi bisnis jasa konsultannya. Tak berapa lama, klien pun mulai berdatangan. Rupanya mencari sekolah yang baik telah lama menjadi masalah serius bagi para pasangan muda di NYC. Beraneka persoalannya. Ada yang kesulitan karena masalah ras, agama, atau juga status sosial. Di sinilah Ivy berperan membantu melicinkan jalan.
Dibungkus dengan gaya komedi situasi, novel The Ivy Chronicles karya Karen Quinn ini menampilkan sepotong kisah lika-liku kehidupan perempuan lajang di kota metropolitan yang keras, individualis, dan mahal. Karya pertama Quinn ini memang berangkat dari kisah nyata pengalaman sehari-harinya semasa masih bekerja sebagai penasihat sekolah. Sebuah profesi yang rasanya belum pernah ada di negeri kita.
Sebagaimana lazim terdapat pada kisah-kisah komedi, novel ini pun sarat dengan humor-humor segar yang amat menghibur. Quinn menulisnya dengan rapi dan manis menggunakan bahasa yang ringan sehingga pembaca ikut larut ke dalam cerita. Meski pun tokohnya tertimpa kemalangan beruntun, namun tidak lantas membuat kisahnya jadi cengeng dan penuh ratapan memohon belas kasihan. Malah sebaliknya. Si tokoh utama senantiasa berusaha kelihatan tegar, kocak, sabar, dan menganggap enteng segala kemelut yang dihadapinya (Bayangkan, di tengah-tengah kebangkrutannya, Ivy masih sempat kencan dengan George Clooney).
Drama semacam ini tak asing lagi bagi yang senang nonton film-film bergenre komedi romantis. Untuk novel biasa disebut chicklit atau metropop. Umumnya, cerita-cerita jenis begini berakhir bahagia.
Jika novel ini semata-mata diniatkan sebagai hiburan, Karen Quinn telah berhasil menjadi juru penghibur yang baik.
Bagi Ivy Ames, 39 tahun, yang baru saja dipecat dari kantornya dan menangkap basah perselingkuhan sang suami, keadaan itu memaksanya berpikir keras untuk secepatnya mendapatkan pekerjaan baru agar kehidupannya bersama kedua orang anaknya bisa terus berlangsung. Untuk beberapa saat, uang pesangon yang diterimanya masih dapat diandalkan meskipun ia kudu pandai-pandai bermanuver sampai mendapatkan pekerjaan kembali.
Hidupnya nyaris berubah seratus delapan puluh derajat. Sebagai mantan menajer, ia terbiasa hidup berkecukupan. Tinggal di apartemen mahal, mobil mewah, rutin ke salon dan spa untuk perawatan kecantikan, pakian-pakaian mahal dari merek terkenal, makan malam di restoran bintang lima, anak-anaknya bersekolah di sekolah swasta yang bergengsi, dokter gigi, berbagai macam asuransi....Pokoknya segala tetek-bengek yang menjadi kebutuhan dan gaya hidup kelas atas ia lakoni.
Dengan pemecatan dirinya itu, mau tidak mau ia harus banting setir: pindah rumah ke daerah permukiman kelas dua, memindahkan anak-anaknya ke sekolah negeri, menghentikan semua kebiasaannya ke salon, puasa makan malam di resto mahal, menukar mobilnya, dan terutama, harus segera mengirimkan surat-surat lamaran kerja sebelum tabungannya ludes.
Namun, mencari pekerjaan di New York City bukanlah perkara mudah yang dapat diselesaikan dalam waktu singkat. Banyaknya jumlah pencari kerja menimbulkan persaingan ketat yang hanya menyisakan pemenang bagi mereka yang betul-betul unggul. Apa lagi jika tak punya koneksi dan jaringan pertemanan yang luas. Bisa jadi selamanya akan menganggur.
Saat Ivy nyaris buntu harapan, tanpa diduga datanglah Faith, sahabatnya yang menikah dengan seorang miliuner. Faith yang tengah kesulitan mencari sekolah TK (Taman Kanak-kanak) swasta paling bergengsi untuk anaknya, meminta nasihat Ivy dan terbukti efektif. Dari pengalaman tersebut, timbullah ide dari Faith supaya Ivy membuka kantor layanan konsultan bagi para orang tua yang punya problem sama dengan dirinya.
Pada mulanya, Ivy yang kini menjadi orang tua tunggal, sama sekali tak yakin dengan gagasan kawannya itu. Mana ada sih orang tua yang bersedia buang-buang duit hanya untuk memperoleh informasi dan "bimbingan" dalam mencari sekolah TK untuk anak-anaknya? Pasti hanya orang tua yang kebanyakan duit seperti Faith dan Steven Lord saja yang mau memakai jasa konsultan semacam itu.
Akan tetapi ketika kebutuhan hidup kian terasa mendesak, Ivy tak bisa tidak tergoda juga untuk mencoba ide tersebut. Mulailah ia menyusun strategi untuk bisnis barunya itu. Sejak dari memasang iklan, mencari referensi serta informasi ihwal sekolah-sekolah kelas satu, sampai menyelenggarakan work shop segala.
Jerih payahnya hampir saja sia-sia belaka jika tidak ada peristiwa penyanderaan seorang kepala sekolah oleh orang tua murid yang kecewa anaknya tak diterima di sekolah tersebut. Penyanderaan itu berujung pada terbunuhnya sang kepala sekolah. Kejadian menghebohkan itu diliput oleh seluruh stasiun tivi dan berikutnya Ivy bak kejatuhan bintang dari surga. Dalam sekejap ia menjadi populer. Beberapa stasiun tivi mengundangnya untuk wawancara dan talk show sehubungan dengan tragedi itu. Ia dimintai pendapat sesuai kapasitasnya selaku konsultan/penasihat. Kontan saja namanya jadi sering disebut-sebut.
Kecelakaan itu berdampak positif bagi bisnis jasa konsultannya. Tak berapa lama, klien pun mulai berdatangan. Rupanya mencari sekolah yang baik telah lama menjadi masalah serius bagi para pasangan muda di NYC. Beraneka persoalannya. Ada yang kesulitan karena masalah ras, agama, atau juga status sosial. Di sinilah Ivy berperan membantu melicinkan jalan.
Dibungkus dengan gaya komedi situasi, novel The Ivy Chronicles karya Karen Quinn ini menampilkan sepotong kisah lika-liku kehidupan perempuan lajang di kota metropolitan yang keras, individualis, dan mahal. Karya pertama Quinn ini memang berangkat dari kisah nyata pengalaman sehari-harinya semasa masih bekerja sebagai penasihat sekolah. Sebuah profesi yang rasanya belum pernah ada di negeri kita.
Sebagaimana lazim terdapat pada kisah-kisah komedi, novel ini pun sarat dengan humor-humor segar yang amat menghibur. Quinn menulisnya dengan rapi dan manis menggunakan bahasa yang ringan sehingga pembaca ikut larut ke dalam cerita. Meski pun tokohnya tertimpa kemalangan beruntun, namun tidak lantas membuat kisahnya jadi cengeng dan penuh ratapan memohon belas kasihan. Malah sebaliknya. Si tokoh utama senantiasa berusaha kelihatan tegar, kocak, sabar, dan menganggap enteng segala kemelut yang dihadapinya (Bayangkan, di tengah-tengah kebangkrutannya, Ivy masih sempat kencan dengan George Clooney).
Drama semacam ini tak asing lagi bagi yang senang nonton film-film bergenre komedi romantis. Untuk novel biasa disebut chicklit atau metropop. Umumnya, cerita-cerita jenis begini berakhir bahagia.
Jika novel ini semata-mata diniatkan sebagai hiburan, Karen Quinn telah berhasil menjadi juru penghibur yang baik.
September 1, 2021
Hmmmmm, I love listening to Julia Gibson, but this story was weird. I didn't know whether Amy's character entertained me or I totally disliked her. I don't think I'll like her as a friend though. The kids were funny.
April 30, 2018
I didn't really care for this one. The premise was interesting - newly fired and divorced mom embarks on a new career as a consultant for the NYC elite trying to get their kids into uber-competitive private schools as kindergartners. But Ivy, the main character was so annoying. She was wishy-washy, had a moral crisis every 5 minutes, and her running inner monologue was quite juvenile. I found the love triangle annoying and cringe-worthy.
April 2, 2021
Fun easy stupid read - you don't need to pay much attention so it's great to listen to when you just want to pass the time. Don't take things too seriously..
September 14, 2023
La fin est nulle
Drole
Drole
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 18, 2017
Good for a quick, trashy read. Nothing spectacular about it, it served its purpose well.
April 24, 2009
What happens when a New Yorker loses her job, her husband, and her ritzy Park Avenue pad and is forced to carve out a new niche for herself and her two private school-educated daughters?
After transferring the girls to public school and renting a shabby-chic (at best) flat upstairs from a knicherie (her rich friends thinking she chose to live next to a crack den), Ivy Ames takes her billionaire friend Faith's advice (now that's somebody who married up---unbelievable as the specifics of her prenup may be) and starts a consulting business to help privileged pre-schoolers get into the city's premier kindergartens. Even as Ivy comes to understand that her former life among the ultra-rich was absurd and shallow at best, she continues to hope that she'll snag a new husband so rich that she'll never have to work again.
For those of us who are in need of a quick laugh (coupled with your eyes bulging out at the outrageous reality of applying to the so-called Baby Ivys of NY) and have a few hours to spare, The Ivy Chronicles promises to entertain and amuse. At least it's not written as saccharine sweet like most chick lit books flooding the bookstores. It was dragging towards the end; I was disappointed at how things seem to "work out" quite nicely towards the conclusion. Deux et Machina, anyone?
Book Details:
TitleThe Ivy Chronicles
AuthorKaren Quinn
Reviewed ByPurplycookie
After transferring the girls to public school and renting a shabby-chic (at best) flat upstairs from a knicherie (her rich friends thinking she chose to live next to a crack den), Ivy Ames takes her billionaire friend Faith's advice (now that's somebody who married up---unbelievable as the specifics of her prenup may be) and starts a consulting business to help privileged pre-schoolers get into the city's premier kindergartens. Even as Ivy comes to understand that her former life among the ultra-rich was absurd and shallow at best, she continues to hope that she'll snag a new husband so rich that she'll never have to work again.
For those of us who are in need of a quick laugh (coupled with your eyes bulging out at the outrageous reality of applying to the so-called Baby Ivys of NY) and have a few hours to spare, The Ivy Chronicles promises to entertain and amuse. At least it's not written as saccharine sweet like most chick lit books flooding the bookstores. It was dragging towards the end; I was disappointed at how things seem to "work out" quite nicely towards the conclusion. Deux et Machina, anyone?
Book Details:
TitleThe Ivy Chronicles
AuthorKaren Quinn
Reviewed ByPurplycookie
December 16, 2015
Ivy is a team player. Her company wants her to work with Drayton to downsize their departments. When she finds that she has been double-crossed by Drayton, it is too late and she finds that she has lost her job. She arrives home looking for comfort from her husband, who has been out of work for a while and isn't putting much effort towards finding another position. She finds him in the bathroom in a compromising position that can only be made worse with the fact that it is Drayton's wife who is in the tub!
With no money coming into the household and two children in private school, Ivy needs to reinvent herself and find a new position. She decides that the perfect job is to guide nervous parents through the cut throat private school application process.
It is an interesting story of the lengths that parents will go to in order to get their child into the right school. The author, Karen Quinn, actually lost her high powered corporate and became an advisor to parents who were trying to get into the "right" kindergarten and this book is based on that experience. She emphasizes, however, that the book is a work of fiction and everything in the book is a product of the author's imagination. Wonder how many parents read the book to see if in fact that could recognize some part of themselves???
It was an enjoyable read for the very fact that the author HAD actually experienced this. Perhaps fact truly is stranger than fiction???
With no money coming into the household and two children in private school, Ivy needs to reinvent herself and find a new position. She decides that the perfect job is to guide nervous parents through the cut throat private school application process.
It is an interesting story of the lengths that parents will go to in order to get their child into the right school. The author, Karen Quinn, actually lost her high powered corporate and became an advisor to parents who were trying to get into the "right" kindergarten and this book is based on that experience. She emphasizes, however, that the book is a work of fiction and everything in the book is a product of the author's imagination. Wonder how many parents read the book to see if in fact that could recognize some part of themselves???
It was an enjoyable read for the very fact that the author HAD actually experienced this. Perhaps fact truly is stranger than fiction???
Read
August 5, 2011I listened to this book on tape, so that may have amped up my enjoyment level, but I found The Ivy Chronicles very entertaining. I lived in Manhattan and experienced the hard-to-believe world of ultra competitive pre-school admissions; it is definitely a world worth skewering. I thought Quinn's take was very funny, and while Ivy is not a particularly lovable character, I enjoyed hearing about her negotiation through a uniquely Manhattan minefield. The supporting cast of characters was also very well-drawn and funny - I truly enjoyed all of the mishegos!
September 14, 2012
When I first started reading this book I thought this was going to be a book I would enjoy and possibly recommend. However, now I have finished it I can only say it was an OK book. I just feel Ivy's character could have been developed in a different direction from the one portrayed in the book. I got excited when she met Philip and that soon disappeared and then she was with Michael, which was nice but felt all the little incidents with him throughout he story could have been focussed and developed more. I would love to have read more about them as a couple.
I am glad I read it though.
I am glad I read it though.
September 3, 2010
This was an ok book, nothing really special or memorable about it. The main character Ivy was a bit annoying at times, what an airhead! There were some amusing bits, but sadly not enough to make this a wow book. A very quick and easy read, but sadly nothing more than that.
April 1, 2016
Fun and entertaining! Kind of like reading a Candace Bushell book (Sex And The City) but without as much vapid obsession on "brands". Rather it pokes fun a little at it.
definitely recommend this book for a fun "beach read"
definitely recommend this book for a fun "beach read"
July 24, 2015
Silly but occationally amusing book about how badly the filthy rich of NY behave to get their kids into Kindergarden. Listened on tape so could ignore the writing and it was listening to amusing fluff.
July 20, 2011
started out really well, but definitely went overboard in the middle...the end wrapped up quickly & i was happy it was finally over.
July 1, 2016
Wasn't the WORST book I've read, but I decided there are too many other good ones to waste my time finishing this. Ivy (the main character) is unlikeable and unrealistic.
December 24, 2017
I honestly checked this book out of the library because I was missing a book by an author with a name beginning with Q on my ABC reading challenge. Do you have ANY idea how few authors have last names ending in Q, and even fewer are actually carried by the local public library. I really need to talk to them about carrying more science fiction and more female authors. However, I digress...
So, this book is chick lit, I reckon. Not one of my usual genre choices. However, the book's paper cover promised it would be funny, and my reading lately has not been funny, so I read it.
It _IS_ funny, by the way. It's very funny. It's also somewhat puzzling as it mostly revolves around the über rich of Manhattan and how they are insanely ambitious for their pre-school aged children. Well, I'm a professor and I know a thing or two about helicopter parents, for sure. Nevertheless, this is beyond the pale. But that's not the freaky part of the book.
The part that freaked me out was imagining that any of the behaviors and thoughts of the über rich could be so... I can't even think of a word for it... it's beyond imagination. I'm not talking about how they were portrayed as being determined to get their pre-schooler into the best private schools by whatever means necessary, but rather just the ways they were portrayed as thinking about other people and about life in general. Does anyone really think like that? Being a first generation college grad from a deep South state, I really have no idea. I found some of that a bit unsettling. I hope it's just colorful fiction, but this is America and we have elected an insane orange haired reality TV real estate developer shyster as president, so I suppose anything can be true now. NTS: Why isn't this word spelled scheister? Yes, I had to look it up.
However, I have digressed, again, and again. This book is entertaining, as all good books should be, and includes many twists and turns that are not likely in real life but serve interesting purposes with the story and the sub-plots. The writing is generally good and some times it seems inspired. The characters are often hilarious. The protagonist is interesting and both lovable and detestable in turns. She grows up a bit and develops new ways of thinking and acting and so forth, a few times over, which is interesting.
This book is a four or really a 3.7. If you happen to really like chick lit about crazy ricg NYC families, it's a solid four, I'm sure. If you hate chick lit, it's probably barely a 3 and don't bother.
I read this hardback book borrowed from Orange Beach Public Library. I almost never read actual books, being addicted to my Kindle and font size control, but decided to get inspired at the little local library and read some totally random and new to me books. And, here we are.
So, this book is chick lit, I reckon. Not one of my usual genre choices. However, the book's paper cover promised it would be funny, and my reading lately has not been funny, so I read it.
It _IS_ funny, by the way. It's very funny. It's also somewhat puzzling as it mostly revolves around the über rich of Manhattan and how they are insanely ambitious for their pre-school aged children. Well, I'm a professor and I know a thing or two about helicopter parents, for sure. Nevertheless, this is beyond the pale. But that's not the freaky part of the book.
The part that freaked me out was imagining that any of the behaviors and thoughts of the über rich could be so... I can't even think of a word for it... it's beyond imagination. I'm not talking about how they were portrayed as being determined to get their pre-schooler into the best private schools by whatever means necessary, but rather just the ways they were portrayed as thinking about other people and about life in general. Does anyone really think like that? Being a first generation college grad from a deep South state, I really have no idea. I found some of that a bit unsettling. I hope it's just colorful fiction, but this is America and we have elected an insane orange haired reality TV real estate developer shyster as president, so I suppose anything can be true now. NTS: Why isn't this word spelled scheister? Yes, I had to look it up.
However, I have digressed, again, and again. This book is entertaining, as all good books should be, and includes many twists and turns that are not likely in real life but serve interesting purposes with the story and the sub-plots. The writing is generally good and some times it seems inspired. The characters are often hilarious. The protagonist is interesting and both lovable and detestable in turns. She grows up a bit and develops new ways of thinking and acting and so forth, a few times over, which is interesting.
This book is a four or really a 3.7. If you happen to really like chick lit about crazy ricg NYC families, it's a solid four, I'm sure. If you hate chick lit, it's probably barely a 3 and don't bother.
I read this hardback book borrowed from Orange Beach Public Library. I almost never read actual books, being addicted to my Kindle and font size control, but decided to get inspired at the little local library and read some totally random and new to me books. And, here we are.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 420 reviews