The English American

by Alison Larkin

Book Overview

When Pippa Dunn, adopted as an infant and raised terribly British, discovers that her birth parents are from the American South, she finds that "culture clash" has layers of meaning she'd never imagined. Meet The English American, a fabulously funny, deeply poignant debut novel that sprang from Larkin's autobiographical one-woman show of the same name.

In many ways, Pippa Dunn is very English: she eats Marmite on toast, knows how to...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1439156530
• ISBN13: 9781439156537
• Release Date: November 2009
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.8" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

A quietly emotional thrill ride!

I really couldn't put this one down -- the author does a wonderful job conveying what it's like to love one's family but not quite fit in. The American parents who gave her up for adoption are difficult, complicated people, and she deftly portrays them, and all of the complex emotions they inspire in her and in each other, in all of their awful splendor. Her British parents, while exasperating in their stiff upper lip tea drinking way, are clearly loving and supportive. I also loved how she managed to poke sly fun at each culture while being respectful to both. As her British parents would probably say, well done.

Great book!

If you like to be able to laugh while exploring a serious topic, this book will work for you! The most important theme in the novel is the character's search for her birthparents. The title is a little misleading, because cultural issues are really secondary to the illuminating emotional journey of an adult adoptee. I have heard this author speak in person, and the only thing missing from the book are her accurate and wickedly funny accents!

A Lovely Little Book

How I loved this book! I am an avid reader - probably reading at least five or more books a month- so sometimes my choices are disappointing. Not this one. It has joined the list of my favorites and I'll definitely suggest it to my Book Club. It is an interesting story written from the point of view of an adoptee but you don't have to have an adoption connection to enjoy it. I really enjoyed the subtle differences the author brought up between Americans and the English. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a good read. Just be sure to put aside the time for it because, believe me, you are not going to want to put it down! A. Varney

A must-read for anyone who is adopted or loves an adoptee

Speaking as an adoptee myself, I can say that Alison Larkin's book, with great humor and truth, allows readers to experience all the feelings an adoptee has on meeting her birth parents. I plan to buy 3 more copies of this wonderful book to give my own children, because she has said everything so much better than I ever could. I laughed and cried my way through it in one day. Ms. Larkin even managed to answer a few questions that I could never bring myself to ask. I highly recommend this book to all adopted adults and anyone who wants to understand an adopted loved one better. And, of course, anyone who wants to laugh!

I couldn't put this book down

It's hard to find a book that makes you feel and think feelings and thoughts you've not experienced before - but is also a really fast read and therefore PERFECT for the plane or the beach - but this novel is it! Alison Larkin has written a real page-turner that affected me so much I read it in one sitting, my heart thumping as I waited to find out what would happen to the heroine I fell in love with on page one. By the end of it you feel you know the characters personally and the humor is wickedly funny throughout. It's a sexy book too - Nick's emails are HOT! I had the same romantic dilemma as Pippa, and I was so relieved it panned out as it did, but I honestly had no idea what would happen. The characters have stayed with me days after reading it. I loved Pippa and her adoptive parents. And the birth parents were fascinating characters too. It's like you're spending the pages with a great friend who you just love. It's SO easy to read - I need that. Loved it. Roll on the next Alison Larkin novel!