Customer Reviews

Up & Out (Red Dress Ink (Numbered Paperback))

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

 

 

This book had me rolling. Rebecca had some lines that I wish I was witty enough to say myself. I have recommended this book to so many of my girlfriends. I really feel as though I connected with the Rebecca. A girl who is addicted to food and still so stylish- I love it! And now I have to try rock shrimp tempura. Enjoy this book. I wish I could read it again for the first time. If you know of any others like this please let me know.

On the Verge was a fun read, and I'd looked forward to reading Ariella Papa's second effort. Up and Out made holiday travel less gruesome. I couldn't put this gem down.

Rebecca Cole's life isn't the same after she is fired from Explore! -- a television channel for kids. She also has to relinquish her cartoon creation called Esme. To make matters worse, she lives with her ex-boyfriend, is losing touch with her close friends, and her unemployment check isn't enough to cover her penchant for fancy and trendy restaurants.

As said earlier, this is one of the most entertaining novels I've read all year. This is chick-lit to the max. I love Papa's characters and situations. In her world, glasses are the ultimate chic accessory. And all those food references made my mouth water. Rebecca is quite the food buff. I'm surprised that the aforementioned heroine isn't morbidly obese! Up and Out is a great light read. Again, Red Dress Ink scores big with this gem. Highly recommended...

In New York City, "On the Verge" magazine names the cartoon Esme's Enlightenments a family icon. Not long afterward, the Family Channel orders cartoonist Rebecca Cole to develop a season's worth of Esme animation. Rebecca gives up much of her social life except her gourmand's delights to change from sixty second shorts to a feature length series for kids TV.

As her roommate leaves for Massachusetts, Indiana Mutual takes over the Family Channel. They decide to cut back on costs by letting excess folks go. Thus they fire Rebecca at the height of her success as they believe anyone can write and draw a child's cartoon. There also remains her ex boyfriend who serves an intermediate sexual purpose, but also that blocks her from seeking something more meaningful (then sex?).

UP & OUT is a fun character driven look at the single life of a yuppie artist as she struggles with the 4 Fs (female style) - fame, firing, food, and friends, not in any order. The story line is lighthearted yet insightful because Rebecca carries it off with wit and intelligence. The support cast enables the audience to understand what makes the heroine tick as Ariella Papa seems ON THE VERGE of stardom.

Harriet Klausner

This was a decent read - I gave it three stars only because it took such a long time for me to get into the actual story. I found it a little annoying that the book it titled 'Up and Out' and it clearly says in the description that the main character deals with being laid off, but she doesn't actually get laid off until about halfway through. It's as if you are waiting for this to happen but the author keeps putting it off.

After she was laid off I found the book more enjoyable - it was funny at times and I think most women would be able to relate at something going on with the main character. The ending was a little too perfect for me, but overall cute story.

It was a nice read while I was on vacation and then before heading to bed.

I grabbed this in a hurry at an airport, because of the subtitle (something about "Food, Friendship, and Getting Fired). I love reading about food, and I thought a book about getting fired in New York would be something I could relate to (I was fired from MADEMOISELLE Magazine in the early 80s). I was right; I could relate to lots of it, but I was also disappointed by the writing. Unbelievable dialog and cliched prose drag down what should be a lightweight read.

As for the food descriptions, I was both disappointed and glad that most of them were ordinary food - food I had eaten, or at least heard of. As I learn more about food by traveling, reading and writing about it, and being given more luxurious foods, I am increasingly impressed when I come across a preparation or ingredient that is new to me, and I love reading about those. (That's one reason I loved John Lanchester's DEBT TO PLEASURE.) But this book was about the kind of food I already know and like - which was a mixed blessing, in reading terms.

All in all, the food writing, the unlikely characters, and the weak plotline reminded me of one of my own dreadful unpublished (and unpublishable) novels, called CHIQUE. If this author can get away with no plot, poor writing, and unbelievable characters, why can't I?
I guess a lot of these "chick lit" books are the same - enticing covers, but not much of value after page 1. Not worth the time, even on a long plane trip.

I recently read Up and Out and would recommend it to mostly women in their early and late twenties. It is a good story, and has a little of that trashy novel feel to it, but very smart. The author makes you feel like you are really in the story, I felt like I was a New Yorker.
Rebecca Cole is the main character, she is addicted to food, she is a self proclaimed "foodie" her world is very in fluenced by eating, and food. "I like to think of money in terms of the rock shrimp tempura at Nobu Next Door. When I take a cab, I think that's about a third of a plate of tempura. So I prefer the subway. Sometimes, I don't buy clothes because that's usually two to four plates' worth. I try not to think about my rent in those terms. That might make a girl lose her appetite" Rebecca is a fun girl who is unsure of what she wants in life unless the question is what she wants to eat. She has three best friends who used to be a huge part of her life but seem to be growing further and further apart. The four girls all have pretty different personalities, Beth works in the music industry and hangs out with all the uber cool New York scensters, she seems like she may be partying a little too much and getting into some heavy stuff, Lauryn was recently divorced and depressed and she decides that she is going to move to Cape Cod and become a "birder", and Kathy is getting married and has become obsessed with her wedding and finding the perfect brides maids dresses for her friends. The book is good because it not only goes through the ins and outs of the friendships between these women, but there is also a romantic aspect to it. Rebecca is living with her ex-boyfriend but is seeing other men, and falling in love with the wrong men. The book feels like your listening to gossip it doesn't get boring and kept me entertained.

Rebecca Cole seems to have it all. She is single, lives in New York City, is a serious foodaholic, and has a cartoon that is a hit on her network. Esme is the alter ego of Rebecca in some ways, she is hip and fun and the teen that has it all, she is also making it ok for teens to have glasses. Rebecca gives up much of her social life except her food to make this series a hit. She ignores friends and everything else. Then tragedy strikes first she finds out her best fiends and roommate is leaving for Massachusetts to become a birdwatcher, Indiana Mutual (a band) takes over the network, and the guy she is dating seems to be dating more than one person.
As Esme looses her glasses and everything else seems to spin out of control Rebecca looses her job. This means she moves in with her ex and is now job hunting. Follow her as she tries to deal with all of these issues. It becomes even funnier when she is helping her ex cook for his new girlfriend, but has no love life of her own.

I liked the way Papa created such a confused, realistic and identifiable charachter such as Rebecca. As a young creative, and lost person is this world I felt really good after reading this book. Maybe because I am at the time in my life where it is time to make those decisions that may change your life forever, or at least give me something to talk about.
I absolutely love the fact that Rebecca is in love with food as much as I am. After reading the book I scanned it for the names of restaurants. I will be moving to NYC soon and need some good eats. And I love the fact that she decided to become a teacher, because that is what I do. Papa should write a follow up about Rebecca's adventures as a teacher.
Great Job Papa!

"Up & Out" was even better than Papa's first novel - "On the Verge". The characters were fun, and anyone who has ever worked for an idiot (isn't that all of us?) will be able to identify with the main character, Rebecca. I literally spent a weekend not going out because I wanted to finish the book, and was upset that it wasn't even longer. I am definitely looking forward to this talented novelist's next work. Enjoy!

Although I liked the beginning of the first chapter, and found some lines very clever (and antipated more of the same), I lost interest quickly. The characters, jobs and dialogue felt so artificial that I couldn't relate. I lived in NYC and they just didn't feel real, and the protagonist's job seemed childish. Perhaps I simply prefer more sophistication from a 30 year old character....