I'm Not Julia Roberts (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: Problem One, Auntie Flo, Tasty Pants (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Ruby, whose third YA novel Good Girls is due this fall, starts off with a fresh, sardonic wit in this linked collection of divorce stories, but the unnerving stepchildren, sordid affairs and malevolent exes soon begin to blur. Suburban, self-absorbed Lu ("Lupe Klein, neither Hispanic nor Jewish") never expected to play mother to Ward Harrison's three complicated sons or have to deal with his ex-wife, Beatrix. While Beatrix is in a state of blind marital bliss with her new husband, Alan, she is not ready for Alan's mean-spirited, teenage daughter, Liv. Liv's mother, Roxie, not yet remarried but dating her friend Moira's unscrupulous ex-, Tate, is desperately trying to figure out how to balance her relationship with Tate while maintaining her bond with Liv. There are five couples in all, including Moira and second husband Ben, and Tate's sister Glynn (divorced from Derek) and her second husband, George—plus assorted children. A chapter moving backward in time and composed of e-mails, instant messages and snail mail detailing their entanglements is more disorienting than anything else. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

With the same kind of emotional understatement that made Shari Goldhagen's Family and Other Accidents (2006) so riveting, Ruby tells the interconnected stories of a group of families trying to cope with life in the wake of divorce. Riffing on the idyllic view of blended families presented in the movie Stepmom, starring Julia Roberts, Ruby offers a more rueful, realistic, way-funnier version as bitter ex-wives, angry teenagers, and beleaguered second wives attempt to wade through daily negotiations involving clashing schedules and wounded feelings. Among them is droll career woman Lu, who didn't have a clue when she fell in love with handsome Ward Klein and his three cute toddlers. Years later she must contend with hulking teens who speak in monosyllables and address her as Loopy. Meanwhile, Ward's ex-wife, Beatrix, remarried to a cheerful man whose high energy level matches her own, must also learn to scale back her expectations in the face of his adolescent daughter's contempt. YA novelist Ruby captures both warring emotions and fleeting moments of connection in this smart take on fractured families. Joanne Wilkinson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (January 2, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446578746
• ISBN-13: 978-0446578745
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,170,912 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wicked look inside blended families, January 22, 2007

By	L. Blumenthal "lynn" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a member of a blended family myself, I was rolling with laughter over Laura Ruby's descriptions of the hopelessly dysfunctional kin in "I'm Not Julia Roberts." The role of the step-parent is first and foremost on her mind, but the bewildered state of the divorced biological parent also gets a moment on the stage. Even the evil ex-wife with control issues gets her chance to express her view of the whole extended-family disaster.

The writing may be a bit savage at times, and some readers may quail at the descriptions of the hopelessly lost children. But the truth is that kids are not always adaptable to change and their behavior can be alienating at best. Most do come around, however, and there is a hint in this book that change is possible.

My only beef is the family tree at the beginning of the book. I found myself hopelessly lost as to the inter-relationships of the characters and found that the tree wasn't helping very much. I'm not sure what sort of device would work better, however.

All in all, a witty and biting look at the state of families today. It's a must for anyone who's been divorced, remarried, and dealing with children.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Many POV on blended families, January 17, 2007

By	armchairinterviews.com (Minnesota) - See all my reviews

This is not our mother's novel, and in spite of the aproned figure on the cover, this is not the story of June Cleaver, either. I'm Not Julia Roberts is a collection of interwoven stories chronicling the blended family.

The title alludes to Julia Roberts' character in the movie Stepmom. She is the unseen foil to Lu Klein, one of the stepmothers in this collection. Lu, along with her husband's ex-wife Beatrix, and Beatrix's husband's ex-wife, Roxie, are just a few of the women we meet in this oddly interconnected world.

If not for the "family tree" diagram in the front of the book, I might have gotten hopelessly lost! It was immensely helpful, not only for the marriages current and broken, but also for the children's names and their interconnections.

Laura Ruby's writing style is descriptive, yet straightforward. She tells the story in a circular rather than linear fashion--and in the case of one chapter, through emails and notes, entirely backwards. Occasionally her imagery is so poignant, so true, it made me stop reading and ponder.

One of the strengths of the book is that each story has a different point of view. By the end of the book, we've seen not only the main characters' own points of view, we've also seen these characters' views of each other. This adds a touch of reality because we get to see everyone's side of the story--wives, husbands, and children.

Overall, I'd recommend this book to those who are from intact families, because it gives the reader a glimpse into the world of blended families and the balancing acts therein. I also recommend this book to those in blended families, for they will understand even more of the nuances and subtexts, and perhaps even smile in recognition.

Armchair Interviews says: Unique view of blended families.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good read but confusing at times, January 18, 2008

By	Julienne M. Shields "Musical Mom" (New Jersey) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Ultimately, I enjoyed this book but at times it became difficult to keep track of who was who! All of the husbands, exes, and kids started to just kind of meld together! The story was an interesting look into divorce, the world of step families and the effects on the children. I very much enjoyed the character of Lupe and found her to be funny and realistic. Not my favorite book in the world but entertaining none the less.