Playing House

by Patricia Pearson

A stunning debut from the newest author to join the ranks in Avon Trade Fiction, award-winning journalist Patricia Pearson

Frannie MacKenzie, a 30-something New Yorker, suspects she is pregnant when a rather unexpected bout of morning sickness occurs directly upon a sweater display at The Gap.

With nothing else to do but gestate, Frannie decides to deal with father- (but-not-husband-) to-be Calvin, an "experimental" musician. Frannie...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060534370
• ISBN13: 9780060534370
• Release Date: January 2017
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Length: 280 Pages
• Weight: 0.47 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.3" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

One of the funniest reads all year!!

I am so suprised to read the above negative reviews! I thought this book was so clever- it literally had me laughing out loud (much to the annoyance of the people sitting beside me on the airplane, but I simply couldn't put it down.) It reminds me of the kind of great discussions you have with a close girlfriend that have you both cracking up about all the little indignities of life. If you're looking for really fluffy chick-lit, a la Shopoholic series, then this is not for you. What makes it so funny is how real these characters are- the exhaustion, the ambiguity (what is true love?), the completely dysfunctional family. The fact that the ending isn't a perfect little wrap up of "happily ever after" was so refreshing, because that's not real life, yet you get the sense that these characters are going to live "happily sometimes after". Highly recommended for those in search of chick-lit with a little more substance.

Just smart enough

Treading that fine line between chick lit and something a little more, this book explores the mystery of falling in love with a reticent Canadian, and having a baby just because you're 33 and might not have another chance, without putting too fine a point on things, or missing the humor of it all.

Yes, but it's a dry humour

Wry and witty and full of keen observations about the latest trends affecting new parents. I laughed from the beginning and was still laughing when I closed it at the last page.

a staggering work of heartbreaking genius.

Okay, I'm the author. But, as a polite rebuttal to the customer review below, allow me to provide the following review quotes:"A deft new comic novel by Canadian author Patricia Pearson. Frannie seems to be wedged in the literary crawl space between Bridget Jones (single woman, bad habits, looking for love) and Kate Reddy (married, harried working mother of two in the smash British novel I Don't Know How She Does It)."Maclean's"Hilarious. Pearson is an award-winning journalist and crime writer, as well as a master of hyperbole and comic characterizations. She writes with such snap and spirit, you can keep friends and family in stitches reading sections aloud. You see, Frannie MacKenzie, a quasi-autobiographical creation-as a woman and even as a new mother-is the antithesis of super. And you love her, and Pearson, all the more for it. . . . Pearson's sophisticated storytelling is not only satirical but side-splitting. Definitely a movie I'd love to see."Toronto Sun"Playing House scores twice; it tickles the funny bone and hits a nerve about our introspective modern life. Told in Frannie's self-deprecating voice, Patricia Pearson's Playing House is a witty, laugh-out-loud account of, well, angst at the entanglement of commitments that come with an `Impending Infant' and with the arrival itself." The Globe and Mail"This premise, despite its serious nature, provides lots of laughs and poignancy in the hands of an author who's obviously very experienced with babies. . . . Throughout the fast-paced fiction, the characters adapt to their sudden, surprise self-imposed family life in a realistic way. However, the plot never loses its sense of humour, even during the more dramatic moments."Winnipeg Free Press"Playing House plays the perils of parenthood like a Canuck road movie. It's a trip."The Toronto StarStill not satisfied? Watch the Playing House trailer! Click on the Barbie pic at www. pearsonspost.com

I laughed so hard I nearly peed in my pants

Patricia Pearson has possibly the best sense of humor of any writer I know of. A former writer of op/ed columns for the National Post, she is well known for her straight-forward and humorous approach to any subject imaginable. Her latest book, Playing House, is no different and certainly no disappointment. It is hillarious and fascinating. In all the trials that main character Frannie must get through, she approaches them in a matter-of-fact, 'aw crap' style that never takes itself too seriously, or too ridiculously. The story flows along easily and makes for a book that is hard to put down.My wife was shocked to see me reading a book with a pink cover and 'Avon books' written on it. I usually read books about politics and law, but I thought 'Playing House' was great. It is the most entertaining book that I have read in a long time. I hope someone makes this into a movie.