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The Ivy Chronicles |  |
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The Ivy Chronicles | |
While Ivy''s moral quandaries (is it really wrong to accept an alligator-skin Prada in exchange for securing a child''s placement at a top "Baby Ivy") and often raunchy romances form the basis for this exposé, it is the toddlers'' family stories that get the most laughs along the way. From Maria Kutcher, whose mob boss father is often referred to as "Kutcher the Butcher" to Winnie Weiner, a "nice Jewish girl from the Upper West Side" who becomes the African-American WaShaunte Washington in order to snag a "diversity" spot at the top schools, Quinn spares no one when it comes to exposing the habits of the rich and almost-famous. Yet even as Ivy begins to see the error of her snobbish ways, Quinn never quite lets her off the hook completely ("...it was such a relief to have a powerful man to lean on. Why couldn''t I have one of my very own? Why?"). Still, for those of us who are in need of a quick laugh and have a few hours to spare, The Ivy Chronicles promises to entertain and amuse. --Gisele Toueg --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Publishers Weekly
When 39-year-old Ivy Ames loses her corporate job, her big-shot husband, Cadman, cheats on her and she''s too poor for her pampered Upper East Side lifestyle, she finds herself creating a new life for herself and her two young daughters on New York''s exponentially less tony Lower East Side. Ivy hammers out a living helping the city''s elite nab spots in the most exclusive private kindergartens in town, but first-time author Quinn''s book isn''t a feel-good tale about realizing money isn''t everything. 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. Quinn''s characters are unapologetically shallow, two-dimensional cartoons designed to affably lampoon the silliness of New York''s elite, giving readers ample opportunity to snicker at people like a newspaper mogul willing to pay off the FDA to get her demon child into a "baby Ivy" league kindergarten and other wealthy, overly successful parents who use their kids to channel ambition and perpetuate elitism. It''s good fun in small doses, but lengthy exposure to the cotton candy plot and caricaturish characters may leave readers with the zombie-like feeling produced by watching too many reality TV makeovers.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Booklist
This superficial first novel is full of two-dimensional characters and exaggerated plot devices trimmed liberally with humor. It''s difficult to sympathize with turbocharged Park Avenue-mom Ivy Ames after she loses her high-powered executive position to a backstabbing coworker, and her husband to the coworker''s trophy wife. Ivy turns her life around by moving her two spoiled daughters into an apartment above a kosher deli on the Lower East Side and opening a business that helps wealthy social-climbing parents get their resume-toting tots into the "Baby Ivies." The breezy plot is full of camera-ready scenes and characters: the lovable mobster with an aggressive daughter, the odious yuppie--father of an awkward child, the industrious yet destitute maid with a brilliant son, and the requisite love triangle made up of Ivy, the cute-and-comfy deli owner, and the adorably aimless novelist. There''s plenty of screwball scenes involving children, dogs, and lovably gruff New Yorkers. By turns heartwarming and schmaltzy, this novel begs to be filmed instead of printed. A guilty pleasure worth indulging. Kaite Mediatore
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
The London Times, 12/12/04
The secrets of professional fixers who help wealthy parents get children into America''s top kindergartens are about to be revealed. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
I laughed delightedly--but also with the wry laugh of a parent who had been there. (Elizabeth Buchan, author of Revenge of the Middle-aged Woman) The brilliant, witty, and ultimately soulful heroine is a perfect tour guide who will leave you laughing up your latte. (Jill Kargman, coauthor of The Right Address) Wicked and delightful...Comparisons to The Nanny Diaries are inevitable, but The Ivy Chronicles is much funnier and darker. (Katharine Weber, author of The Little Women) An entertaining peek into private schools from one who’s been there. Fun to read! (Janice Kaplan, coauthor of The Botox Diaries) A delicious glimpse into the sinister world of kindergarten admissions. Prepare yourself for a shocking, funny, and outrageous read. (Amanda Filipacci, author of Vapor and Love Creeps) Hilarious, spirited, and wise. Karen Quinn brilliantly skewers the insanely competitive world of wealth we love to hate. (Leslie Schnur, author of The Dog Walker) I''m still laughing....This exotic journey into private-school mania is fascinating, surprising, a little scary and, in Quinn''s hands, very funny. (Bonnie Marston, author of Sleeping with Schubert) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Katharine Weber, author of The Little Women
Wicked and delightful...Comparisons to The Nanny Diaries are inevitable, but The Ivy Chronicles is much funnier and darker. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Janice Kaplan, coauthor of The Botox Diaries
An entertaining peek into private schools from one who’s been there. Fun to read! --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Amanda Filipacci, author of Vapor and Love Creeps
A delicious glimpse into the sinister world of kindergarten admissions. Prepare yourself for a shocking, funny, and outrageous read. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Leslie Schnur, author of The Dog Walker
Hilarious, spirited, and wise. Karen Quinn brilliantly skewers the insanely competitive world of wealth we love to hate. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Bonnie Marston, author of Sleeping with Schubert
I''m still laughing... This exotic journey into private-school mania is fascinating, surprising, a little scary and... very funny. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
The New York Post, January 23, 2005
This entertaining novel, written by a former kindergarten admissions advisor, picks up where ''The Nanny Diaries'' left off. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Child Magazine, December/January 2005
A hilarious look at how an enterprising mom starts a business helping New Yorkers get their children into private school. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
NY Newsday, January 16, 2005
A cross between gossip lit and mommy lit, it''s a breezy read...I''d give her a solid B+. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
