School of Fortune [Paperback]

Amanda Brown (Author), Janice Weber (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 26, 2007

A fun, fresh frolic of a novel starring a spoiled but lovable Texas heiress out to reclaim her fortune
 
Pippa Walker's wedding was to be huge--Texas huge--complete with twelve bridesmaids under contract from Pippa's mother to stay lean and long-haired, gondolas flown in from Venice, A- and B- guest lists.  But when Pippa finds out her handsome husband-to-be isn't what she thought, she bolts from her own wedding, shocking society and getting herself disinherited.  The only way she can get a piece of the family fortune back is to earn a degree from a school. Any school.  It's a tough assignment for a girl who dropped out of SMU after pledging Kappa Kappa Gamma and shopping at Neiman's for a year.
 
But Pippa is nothing if not up for a challenge.  Attracting one hilarious misadventure after another, she tries to earn her sheepskin at: driving school, matchmaking school, even a circus academy.  It's only when she hits rock-bottom--The Mountbatten Savoy School of Household Management--that things begin to look up. But can she really be falling in love with a…valet?
 
 

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Legally Blond author Brown's collaboration with Weber features Pippa Walker, a smart, spirited heroine trapped in a plot that doesn't do her justice. Pippa's mother, Thayne, has planned her daughter's fabulous Texas wedding to Dallas Cowboy quarterback Lance down to the last solid gold spoon. But Pippa calls off the wedding last-minute after learning a disastrous secret about her husband-to-be. Disowned and reeling from the sudden death of her grandfather, who leaves Pippa a fortune on the condition that she earn a diploma, Pippa tries a variety of moneymaking schemes, from clown class to driving school. An eventual romance pairs Pippa with a valet who, like the heroine, is not what he seems. Fans of Brown's or Weber's earlier works may be disappointed with this effort. While the ending is an enjoyable mixture of farce and fairy tale, there are a surfeit of inconsequential plot detours along the way.
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About the Author

AMANDA BROWN is the author of three novels, including Legally Blonde, which became a hit movie starting Reese Witherspoon and also a Broadway musical.  She lives in Los Angeles.
 
JANICE WEBER is a concert pianist as well as a novelist.  She lives in Massachusetts.
 

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Product Details

• Paperback: 342 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; 1st edition (June 26, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312366736
• ISBN-13: 978-0312366735
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,038,363 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Hilarious Fun Read!, July 3, 2007

By 

Shannon Dodge "Pippa Fan" (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: School of Fortune (Paperback)

School of Fortune is such a cute and funny story. I have never before been so tickled with a book . With each new school that Pippa Walker attends comes amazingly witty encounters with some amusing characters. If you are looking for a laugh, this book will definitely give it to you!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing...much more Elle than Eva, August 16, 2007

By 

melissajme "melissajme" (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: School of Fortune (Paperback)

Janice Weber's first books, "The Secret Life of Eva Hathaway" and "Customs Violations", are two of my all-time favorite reads. I was thrilled to see her getting back to this genre after the recent run of mysteries.

However, this book isn't any where near the same caliber. The first quarter of the book is almost unreadable, full of stock characters from Bad Sitcom 101. It focuses mostly on Thayne, the main character's insufferable mother, and aside from a few amusing quips, is one big predictable yawn.

Things pick up a little as Pippa finally takes center stage and enrolls in a few different schools. By far, the best part of the book is her internship with the quirky Russian circus. It's the most original -- and therefore unexpected-- piece of the story. Everything else, including the romance with the valet, is pretty mundane. A lot of scenes seemed forced, like the situations were created just to showcase a clever one-liner. It was also strange that the catalyst for Pippa's "getaway" to the big job in Las Vegas is completely out of left field. Her best friend, Ginny, does something totally uncharacteristic out of the blue, and it's never explained.

All in all, the stereotypical characters are not flushed out enough, so it's difficult to become invested in what happens to them. I normally hate coming to the end of a Janice Weber book, but in these last few chapters, I did a lot of skimming vs. reading, just to get it over with. This book has none of Eva's sauciness, or the multi-layered, richly drawn characters, sharp dialogue, smart-aleck social commentary, and intriguing plots of Weber's other books. I haven't read anything of Amanda Brown's, although I did see the Legally Blonde movie. This book strikes me as "Elle Woods Gets Married in Texas", which isn't necessarily a bad thing, except in comparison to the expectation set by her co-author's gifts.

This book seems to have been written specifically so it can be made into a 90-minute Oxygen movie. (Whereas "Eva" or "Customs" would have to be multi-night Mini-Series Events in order to fully capture all the charms of those stories!) Overall, it's not a total waste of time, if you're in the mood for a cutesy piece of fluff with a few giggles thrown in. Still, I'd rather re-read "Eva" for the 80th time...

2.0 out of 5 stars Agree with disappointed, April 26, 2011

By 

Pippo (D.C.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: School of Fortune (Paperback)

This is a frivolous read, if you like that kind of thing. Better yet, watch the movie, Legally Blonde, if you don't want to waste your time and are looking for light entertainment.