Customer Reviews

Hand-Me-Down (Red Dress Ink Novels)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Anti-heroines work really well in a novel if the author can present them in such a way that the reader still loves them regardless of their many quirks, mistakes and shortcomings. Lee Nichols, author of "Hand Me Down" definitely possesses such talent - her characters in both of her books have been flawed, but highly lovable.

In this latest offering, we have Annie (Anne). She is tired of living in the shadow of her two older sisters- one is a famous swimsuit model and the other is a bestselling author. Not only that but her life growing up as the youngest child has always been difficult. She often ended up with the oldest and most worn items.

As a result, Annie doesn't like anything old or used, and has a very hard time committing. Now 29 years old, she is vaguely happy with her boyfriend Rip, a decent job (working as an Office Manager for Rip), and gets to spend time with her sisters and their children. However, she isn't quite satisfied with her life. Especially when Ian, her childhood crush (and older sister's ex-boyfriend) keeps showing up. It soon becomes clear that Annie isn't over her "crush" on Ian. But she refuses to settle with one of her sisters' ex-boyfriends. Plus, he isn't interested in her anyway... he has a fiance, right?

"Hand-Me-Down" was a often hilarious and enjoyable read. Lee Nichols manages to really get us in the head of the main character. Although the plot seems at a sort of stand-still through a lot of the book, it is still fun to read because of the funny and endearing scrapes/situations that Annie gets herself into. She is definitely one of those characters that "make" the book.

As with this author's last book, the reading was fresh, fun and kept me turning pages. Without giving any spoilers, however, the only thing I was a little disappointed about with this book was the romance aspect, which was a bit on the bland side.

Overall however, I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a wonderful, hilarious and cute novel with great characters. I'm eager to see what this author comes up with next!

The Olsen sisters are aptly named after the Bronte sisters. There is Charlotte, the oldest and sexy former supermodel; Emily, the middle sister who as an author cut her teeth on pornography; and Anne, named after the "forgotten" Bronte sister, who at 29, has held a series of dead end jobs. Her entire childhood was spent obtaining hand me down clothes and toys. She's especially despondent over the naked, hairless, one-armed Malibu Barbie she inherited oh so long ago, that continues to be the bane of her existence. In adulthood, she has an aversion to anything not new. She won't even eat a bag of chips at dad's house if it's already open. Unsatisfied with her current relationship with Rip, but willing to stick it out so she's not alone, she runs into Charlotte's high school beau, Ian. She had a secret crush on Ian, and even invited him to her 7th grade dance.

Ian, now engaged, and owner of a business Anne cannot condone or accept (an antique shop), forms a friendship with Anne, and the two start a Thursday night ritual of cocktails. After meeting his fiancé Helene, Anne finds herself jealous, and Rip realizes that his "polliwog" may have eyes for another. As Ian and Anne spend more and more time together, and he's supportive of her quest to develop a parcel of land for open space, she discovers that she does indeed have feelings for him, but is unsure if she can settle for a hand-me-down boyfriend, especially one that worked his way through the Olsen sisters.

Nichol's latest is an engaging and very amusing story of one woman's quest to find herself and carve out her own path, as she compares herself to the many accomplishments of her older sisters. At time's Anne is a bit over the top (for instance, the whole chip thing). The poignant, humorous, and well-written story will resonate with anyone with an older sibling.

I really enjoyed this book-the main character was great!!! I rooted for her grandiose plans.

Hand Me Down does a fairly good job of keeping the reader interested and entertained. Anne, the main character of the novel, is just as plucky and humorous as the usual chick-lit heroines are. I thought the most interesting aspects of the novel were her relationships with her friends, dad, and, of course, her sisters. Her romantic relationship with Ian never really developed for me, and I can't say that I was really rooting for them to be together in the end. This is mainly becuase I had a little issue with the way they finally got together, which I won't go into so as not to spoil it. I also rated this only 3 stars becuase of another thing that irritated me, regarding Wren's secret. Also, I can't help but notice the rampant mistakes I always find in Red Dress Ink books. They need to do a better job of editing, as these mistakes and typos can be really distracting. Overall, though Hand Me Down was a worthwhile summer read.

This book was absolutely hilarious. I loved the quirky comments and remarks given by Anne and how down to earth and great Ian was. They are perfect for each other! This book is a definite must read for anyone who likes to laugh out loud.

Enjoyed this book for light, funny reading. Have handed it down to daughters who enjoyed it also.

As a younger sister of an overacheiver there were many parts of this book I could really relate to. It was funny quirky and delightfully silly. A keeper.

OK, so it might not be great literature, but Hand-Me-Down by Lee Nichols is so much fun, you won't mind that it's not. Please don't rush to judge the book by its main character's first misadventure, a silly scene involving mannequins, because what happens if you stick with the book is you'll fall a little bit in love with protagonist Anne Olsen yourself, as exasperating as she is, and you will come to appreciate Nichols' humor as well as her insight into what it can be like to be the youngest and most underachieving of three sisters-- this is my station in life, so I know!

Lee Nichols's "Hand-Me-Down" centered around Anne, a twenty-nine year old who had been jumping from one job to another, one boyfriend to another, who always had a commitment problem. She was unable to stay focused or committed to one thing for long and had always been fascinated with the idea of "new" things. This was due to the fact that she had been using "hand-me-down" things from her two older sisters, beautiful Charlotte and brainy Emily. Anne constantly compared herself to her sisters, feeling inferior as she was not known for anything and had not achieved anything. In addition, she became attracted to Charlotte's ex-boyfriend Ian whom she believed still had a crush on her married sister.

This was an okay book for me as even though the book was fast-paced and at times fun, the main character Anne was a bit too whiny for me. Throughout the whole book, she was forever whining about how she was not good enough, how people overlooked her, etc etc. That being said, the book does has its funny moments which somewhat redeems itself. It's a light, and relaxing read. Not the best in this genre but just don't have high expectations.

Lee Nichols knows how to write characters that just jump off the page. Each character has her own quirks, her own personality, but it is easy to see their relationships. Anne is the youngest of three sisters, with Charlotte, her super-model older sister, and Emily, the middle sister who is a writer. Both of Anne's sisters are married, while Anne seems to be just floating through life, trying to find her passion. Being the youngest, she always recieved the hand-me-downs from her sisters. In her adult life, Anne loves everything new and shiny. So when Ian, one of Charlotte's past boyfriends, waltzes back into her life as an antiques dealer, Anne starts to question many things...Her relationship with her boss, Rip, her job, her living arrangements. I love books that show the journey of self-exploration. Lee Nichols writes another hit!