Notes from the Underwire and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more



or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering
More Buying Choices
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Start reading Notes from the Underwire on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.
Sorry, this item is not available in
Image not available for
Color:
Image not available

To view this video download Flash Player

 

Notes from the Underwire: Adventures from My Awkward and Lovely Life [Paperback]

Quinn Cummings
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)

List Price: $14.99
Price: $12.87 & FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details
You Save: $2.12 (14%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
Only 3 left in stock (more on the way).
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.
Want it tomorrow, May 22? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
Kindle Edition $9.99  
Paperback, Bargain Price $5.61  
Paperback, July 7, 2009 $12.87  
Summer Reading
Summer Reading
Browse the best books of summer including blockbusters, beach reads, and editors' picks in our Summer Reading Store.

Book Description

July 7, 2009
"Erma Bombeck with an edge."
--U.S.A. Today

"Quinn Cummings is a master story-teller and her book is nothing short of delightful. Her insights into topics like celebrity, parenting, and cats with a taste for homicide are pithy and uproarious and not to be missed. Notes from the Underwire is charming, hilarious, and just snarky enough to be ultimately satisfying."
--Jen Lancaster, bestselling author of Bitter is the New Black and Such a Pretty Fat

"I hadn't laughed out loud while reading a book for years, but Quinn Cumming's struggles nearly did me in. Although she describes herself as a woman who constantly blurts out exactly the wrong thing, she says everything exactly right in the brilliantly overwrought Notes from the Underwire."
--Bob Tarte, author of Enslaved by Ducks and Fowl Weather

Meet Quinn Cummings. Former child star, mother, and modern woman, she just wants to be a good person. Quinn grew up in Los Angeles, a city whose patron saint would be a sixteen year-old with a gold card and two trips to rehab under her belt. Quinn does crossword puzzles, eats lentils without being forced, and longs to wear a scarf without looking like a Camp Fire Girl. And she tries very hard to be the Adult--the one everybody calls for a ride to the airport--but somehow she always comes up short.

In Notes from the Underwire, Quinn's smart and hilarious debut, she tackles the domestic and the delightfully absurd, proving that all too-often they're one and the same. From fighting off a catnip-addled cat to mortal conflict with a sewing machine, Quinn provides insight into her often chaotic, seldom-perfect universe--a universe made even less perfect when the goofy smile of past celebrity shows its occasional fang. The book, like the author herself, is good hearted, keenly observant, and blisteringly funny. In other words, really good company.


Frequently Bought Together

Notes from the Underwire: Adventures from My Awkward and Lovely Life + The Year of Learning Dangerously: Adventures in Homeschooling
Price for both: $28.65

Buy the selected items together


Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Cummings, a former child actor from movies and TV shows of the late 1970s, has spent much of her life defined by those three words: "former child actor." Despite this, she's led a rewarding L.A. life in a variety of occupations and, as explored in this quirky memoir, as a mother. In a series of exceedingly funny and honest vignettes, Cummings explores topics ranging from home repair to childhood orthodontics to film industry "success" with deft, sharp prose that begs to be read aloud to friends. What is perhaps most impressive is the way Cummings owns her child stardom, with a level of grace and perspective that defies expectations. Fleshing out the acerbic, particular observations of a rather strange but loving mother, Cummings shares her experience in a way that will remind readers of their own adventures in child- and parenthood.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Quinn Cummings began her acting career at a young age, landing roles in numerous tv commercials and eventually winning the role of Marsha Mason's daughter in the 1977 film, The Goodbye Girl, for which she was nominated for both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe. Quinn left acting in the mid-90's, Inspired by the birth of her first child, she created the HipHugger, a sling-type device for carrying a baby; she is now president of the company. In 2005 , Quinn started The QC Report, a blog which discusses the ironies of modern life from the point of view of a career-mom in her thirties. It has received numerous recommendations including Newsweek's BlogWatch pick of the week. She lives with her partner & their daughter in LA.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 272 pages
  • Publisher: Hyperion; 1 Original edition (July 7, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1401322867
  • ISBN-13: 978-1401322861
  • Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.7 x 8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #591,665 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
(24)
4.8 out of 5 stars
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
By Liberty
Format:Paperback
This quote made me spit my breakfast onto my desk - and it's not even that far into the book. This whole thing is riotous! Quinn's book is one hysterical essay after another, mostly about her family, her work and her pets. (The chapter about her cat getting high off her bedding was especially snort-inducing - good thing I read it alone.) And she's whip-smart, relaying her observations with a humorous, no-nonsense attitude. More, please!
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Books never make me laugh out loud. This one did. July 7, 2009
Format:Paperback
It is the hardest thing in the world to be funny, Quinn Cummings doesn't seem to be able to not be funny. Every page of this book was a joy to read. Quinn is honest, touching, funny, this is the kind of book you read and think, "I wish she was my friend."
The surprising part is that aside from being funny, Quinn is a gifted storyteller, and a terrific writer. Buy extra copies to give to your friends, they will thank you.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars I laughed out loud many times! July 14, 2009
Format:Paperback
I think that sums it up - I laughed so hard at one point, I had to put the book down and calm myself. The book is nonfiction - a series of funny (and occasionally sad) essays about Quinn Cummings' life (she apparently has a famous blog which I haven't read yet.) Kind of like Laurie Notaro if she were a parent.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars Very entertaining
Definitely made me laugh out loud more than a few times. Great insight to the complications of our modern family life.
Published 8 months ago by Eileen McKernan
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome and lovely
Quinn Cummings is the sort of person you could easily love to hate. I mean that as a compliment. Just read the author blurb on the back of her first book, "Notes from the... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Aletheia Knights
5.0 out of 5 stars LOVED IT
I love, love, love this book. Quinn is a wonderfully witty and gifted writer, and the situations she finds herself in are hilarious and sometimes touching. Read more
Published 11 months ago by T. Martin
5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious
I read this book in about 2 days. I couldnt put it down. I laughed, I cried, but mostly just enjoyed having some me time and getting lost in a good boot. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Samantha
3.0 out of 5 stars Funnier if you have children
I purchased this book for kindle since it was a free comedy. it is a bit dry and takes a while to get into it, however it is very funny at times. Read more
Published 20 months ago by ErinA
5.0 out of 5 stars One person's Awkward is another person's Hilarious!
I'm so glad Quinn Cummings decided to write this fabulously funny memoir. Reading her stories was a bit like having a large glass of wine with an incredibly entertaining friend who... Read more
Published on August 1, 2010 by L. J. Schrader
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it!
Quinn is one funny chick. Her dry humor, sarcasm, and wit combined with a casual writing style made her work very entertaining. Read more
Published on January 28, 2010 by P. Torcivia
5.0 out of 5 stars Review published on www.luxuryreading.com on October 29, 2009
Raising a child and a significant other is not easy. Raising a child and a significant other while under the influence of being a former child star is still not easy, only... Read more
Published on December 8, 2009 by Erin Nass
5.0 out of 5 stars So Funny
I Bought this book because I always liked Quinn in the movies and on Tv. The cover said you would laugh out loud. Read more
Published on September 8, 2009 by David A. Schwartz
5.0 out of 5 stars Better, Best, Best!
Quinn's got wit down to the cellular level and knows how to deliver it in a subtle quip at a snappy pace. Buy the book! It's better than a martini.
Published on September 2, 2009 by Sandra Ball
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


Forums

Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions

Topic From this Discussion
I can't wait!!! Be the first to reply
Love her blog, can't wait for the book!
Her blog is wonderful! She's witty and very down-to-earth, with a knack for making the everyday enjoyable. I think I've learned a lot about enjoying the now and not letting the small stuff get me down from Quinn. I know I'm a better, more confident parent because of the insights she shares. I... Read more
Dec 18, 2008 by Terri Susannah |  See all 2 posts
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 




So You'd Like to...



Look for Similar Items by Category