Handyman [Hardcover]

Linda Nichols (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 11, 2000

An accidental therapy session is the catalyst for change in Linda Nichols's winsome, witty, irresistible debut novel--a love story about two people who don't realize they're made for each other until it's almost too late.

Sweet, struggling Maggie Ivey is a twenty-six-year-old single mom trying to keep it all together, burdened by a lecherous boss, a dead-end job, and a worried mother who just wants her to move back home to Georgia. Maggie's prospects look dim, until her friend Gina signs her up for the famous Dr. Jason Golding's 21-Day Overhaul.

Maggie's first session seems to go perfectly. Dr. Golding is warm, sensitive, and a terrific listener. There's only one problem: The handsome man in Dr. Golding's chair isn't Dr. Golding. In fact, he's not even a therapist; he's Jake Cooper, a contractor hired to remodel the office. But all Maggie knows is that talking to him helps her feel better. And Jake doesn't quite know how to let Maggie in on the secret. Will he eventually confess to his ruse? Will she discover the truth on her own? And the most important question of all: Can a handyman fix a broken heart?

Set in the San Francisco Bay Area, and featuring a cast of characters impossible to resist, Handyman is a fresh new look at the oldest story of all and just what the doctor ordered for anyone with a case of the blues.


Maggie's first session seems to go perfectly. Dr. Golding is warm, sensitive, and a terrific listener. There's only one problem: the handsome man in Dr. Golding's chair isn't Dr. Golding. In fact, he's not even a therapist; he's Jake Cooper, a contractor hired to remodel the office. Will Jake eventually confess? Will Maggie discover the truth on her own? And the real question: Can a handyman fix a broken heart?

Set in the San Francisco Bay area, and featuring a cast of characters impossible to resist, Handyman is a fresh new look at the oldest story of all and just what the doctor ordered for the mid-winter blues. -->

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Jake, a carpenter, and Maggie, an underemployed, unwed mother, are the hero and heroine of this light romantic comedy, which is innocent enough to satisfy conservative public library readers. The implausible, slapstick storyline is based on mistaken identity. Jake, a contractor working on the redesign of a trendy psychologist's office, meets Maggie when she comes to the doctor, distraught with her life and seeking a 21-day "overhaul." Unbeknownst to her, the real psychologist is in the hospital for heart bypass surgery. Jake likes Maggie's looks, so he sits her down in the office and listens to her story. When she asks the "doctor" why he's dressed so informally, he replies that it's "casual day." They fall in love, and Maggie doesn't discover his deception until the riotous climax. There are delightful local-color vignettes of the San Francisco Bay area, as well as satirical jabs at pop psychology, talk television, and the Me Generation. A sure-fire potential movie script, this enjoyable first novel is recommended for most public libraries.
-AJoyce W. Smothers, Monmouth Cty. Lib., Manalapan, NJ
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

A fun read . . . a novel of romance without being a romance novel . . . It's the perfect Valentine's Day read, a tale of a modern Prince Charming finding his soulmate."
-- The Denver Post

"Delightful...charming...difficult to put down."
-- The Baton Rouge Advocate

"Supremely entertaining . . . full of unexpected delightful twists."
-- The Denver Post


From the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Press (January 11, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385334370
• ISBN-13: 978-0385334372
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #551,252 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars mystery solved, January 19, 2000

By 

Linda Nichols (Washington) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Handyman (Hardcover)

I'd like to clear up the mystery of the vanishing review. I wrote Handyman, and my son (13) was excited to see it on Amazon. He decided to write a review, glowing of course, but forgot he had signed in under my screen name. When the review was posted it appeared that I had written it. I was embarrassed, to say the least, and told him to fix the problem, which he did. But someone had already read it and was offended at what looked like blatant, and not very skillful self-promotion. Sorry. No offense intended. By the way, I am giving myself a rating of 3, because I have to fill in the field, and even though I believe Handyman is a good book, I didn't want to add to my offenses by giving it a 5. (Do you suppose I'll be able to laugh at this someday?)

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Astonishingly good first novel!, April 11, 2000

By 

Joi Cardinal - See all my reviews

This review is from: Handyman (Hardcover)

Would that I could write one this good! Nichols thought up an intriguing plot, then kept it twisting and turning until the very last pages. I found myself tensely reading, hoping it would all end happily ever after. The main characters were well developed and quite likeable, the bad guys and girls pleasantly hateable.

Is this an anti-feminist book? Perhaps. I'd prefer to think it is realistic -- that sometimes one's personal life becomes so overwhelmingly tangled that one needs the nudge of an outside person to see one's way through the thicket.

The only flaw I could find was in the beginning of the book I was confused for a number of pages about who Ethelda was. At first I assumed she and Jake were married, not partners.

Good work Ms. Nichols -- I hope to see more from you in the future.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent first-time book, February 12, 2000

By 

Joshua Johnston "future bestseller" (Tacoma, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Handyman (Hardcover)

I have been waiting for this book to come out since I heard that Linda sold it. I got the info that it was out second-hand and belated, but when I did, I went out and bought it.

This book has a lot of good points. It is heart-warming and funny, and it has a lot of just desserts and undeserved grace in it, also. The characters are well-fleshed-out, the events are just believable enough to work, and the ending is suitably powerful.

If you're wondering whether you should buy this book or not, let me encourage you to buy it! I think you'll enjoy it and be touched by it.

Good work, Linda!