Customer Reviews

Singing With the Top Down

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4 star:		(2)
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If you liked Secret Life of Bees, you'll love Singing With the Top Down. Williamson's novel is a wonderful treat, a must read for those who love Americana. It's fun, fast and substantial. You won't regret spending time with these amazing characters.

I dragged out reading the final few pages, because I just didn't want the story to end. I was captivated with the excellent prose and wonderful story line. It was like taking a trip back to the mid-50's and Williamson has it down perfect in bringing back memories of TV shows, food items, etc. of that time.
Finely drawn characters made me feel like they were next door neighbors. Williamson is a skilled author and this is one of the best books I've read in a long time. Uplifting, entertaining and poignant....do yourself a favor...don't miss reading this one.

In the summer of 1955 at the Fabulous Fortuno Brothers Traveling Carnival in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Pop and Mama Mahoney die when the Crazy Snake roller coaster crashes. They leave behind a ton of unpaid bills and two children, thirteen years old Paulette "Pauly" in Oklahoma and eight years old polio survivor Buddy. None of their relatives from either side want to take in the kids except wealthy eccentric Aunt Nora, who arrives driving a convertible with plans to bring them to Hollywood where she has been trying to make it as an actress.

On the "The Daring Adventure of Us" trek west with the top down, Nora picks up hitchhiking nursing-home escapee Tybolt Bisbee and his reeking Puppy. Others join their traveling road show as Aunt Nora's generosity and charm begins to win over the prime cynic, Pauly "Paulette" in California who does not trust adults to care about her interests as Mama always took care of mama first and Pop did likewise taking care of mama first.

This is an amusing 1950s coming of age tale starring a precocious naive yet cynical young teen who distrusts adults. The story line is told from the perspective of Pauly as she begins to warm up towards her seemingly caring Aunt Nora, who is sort of an Auntie Mame type of character. There is no suspense even when someone tries to abduct aunt and niece as the lighthearted touch remains throughout the plot. Those readers who enjoy an amusing overly sanguine historical will want to read Debrah Williamson's fine look back to 1955 in the southwest.

This story took me back in time and I didn't want the ride along Route 66 from Oklahoma to California to end. When 13-year-old Pauly Mahoney and her handicapped brother become orphans after a freak accident at a traveling carnival in Tulsa, no one seems to take in the fact they lost more than their parents, they lost the only people who cared for them. When it's obvious no one wants Pauly and her little brother, enter their little-known Aunt Nora, an aspiring actress who comes home for the funeral and ends up rescuing them. Glamorous Aunt Nora volunteers to take on the responsibility of raising her sister's children. Though no one knows what Aunt Nora's real job in California is, it's not easy to overlook the fact she drives a new convertible, seems to have money to burn, and though they don't want to raise the orphans, they wonder about Aunt Nora's mental appitude and the challenges of raising two misfit children. As the children and their aunt set out on their road trip to the Golden State, they pick up other strays along the way; a runaway from a nursing home, a puppy, a misplaced Indian woman and her son, the mummified remains of a child and an ex-navy figher pilot. The lives of these characters are brought alive with the skill of Williamson's characterization techniques. This is the witty story of a young girl overcoming life's adversity; a book where you'll hate to see the words 'the end' on the last page yet you'll close the book with a smile on your face. Uplifting and entertaining, it's a book I think I'll give my friends.

The engaging voice of Pauly Mahoney guides the reader through a coming-of-age story that will get at the heart of every reader. After the unexpected death of her parents, Pauly sets out on a journey of self-discovery and awareness, both literal and symbolic, from Oklahoma to California to make a new life with her aunt.

The colorful characters and precocious voice of the story will take you down your own inner highway of remembrance and childish neurosis. Debrah Williamson's writing style is on a par with the best of Dayna Dunbar, Billie Letts, and Rebecca Wells.

You'll laugh, cry and sing with Singing with the Top Down!

I picked this book up to stuff in my carry on for a 6 hour flight as it is not a very big book. What surprised me was how much I ended up enjoying it. It is a quick read, with very likeable characters. This book should be depressing, as it throws the reader into several dramatic and difficult life situations, yet somehow it actually remains fairly uplifting throughout. Highly recommend and look forward to future books by this author.

Like Auntie Mame, Aunt Nora in Singing with the Top Down is a loving woman with an innate sense of how to parent children. While Mame had one nephew to care for, Nora has a niece, a nephew, an adopted grandfather, and a native American woman and her son. She even takes responsibility for the remains of an ancient child, buried, dug up, and displayed for many years. She protects Pauly from too real dangers and Tyb, the grandfatherly hitchhiker, from grasping relatives, learning and loving as she takes them all from Oklahoma to California.

Debra Williamson has created characters we can love and care about, rooting for them to reach their destination, as unscathed as possible. She has also re-created the world of the 50s, from food to vehicles, attitudes to movie stars. For some older readers, this is a re-visit to a world we can remember. For readers slightly younger, it could be a good guideline for new parents. For even younger readers, the story can teach that we can survive almost anything that happens to us, whether young or old, and that there are people we can admire, even love.

This is a memorable book, somewhat on the level of To Kill a Mockingbird, to which it has been compared. It's a quick read, pleasant, and leaves the reader with pleasant satisfaction. I highly recommend it.

READ THIS BOOK!! I'm telling you! I was so impressed with this literary gem that as soon as I finished it, I e-mailed the author and told her just how wonderful I thought it was. The adventures (and misadventures) of Pauly, Buddy,and Aunt Nora will touch your heart as they make their way to California and encountering some very interesting folks along the way. Even though it takes place in 1955,the story of belonging and finding your place in this world is timeless. Believe me when I say that this one will touch your heart in ways you cannot imagine. It is extremely well written and Pauly's narration is immensely thought provoking. Even though I didn't want it to end, I was very satisfied in the way in which it did. Ms. Williamson has just become my new favorite author! I'm a fan!

This was one of those books that you just hate to see end. Pauly, the main character, has strength and a clear idea of what is right and what is wrong. I shared an excerpt of this book with my fourth graders. It was the passage where Wanatela and her little boy come into the diner and are treated so badly. Pauly thinks of all the times she and her little brother are picked on and made fun of, and how it made them feel. This sparked a lively discussion on how to treat others.


This is a book I would highly recommend to anyone. It is a very special story. Debrah Williamson should be so proud of the wonderful novel she has written.

SINGING WITH THE TOP DOWN by Debrah Williamson
October 11, 2006


Rating **** (4 stars)

This reviewer doesn't usually enjoy novels narrated by pre-teens, but in the past a few have stood out. One is Fannie Flagg's DAISY FAY AND THE MEDICINE MAN, as well as SWAN PLACE by Augusta Trobaugh. The common factor seems to be narration by young pre-teen girls from the south, and for some reason these stories always ring true. SINGING WITH THE TOP DOWN is yet another novel narrated by a young girl from the south, in this case 13-year old Pauly Mahoney. It is the 1950's, and the reader is introduced to the characters while they are at a carnival. Pauly sets up the story by telling the reader how she feels about her parents, two people whom she thinks are great, but they never seem to notice that they have children. Her parents love each other so much to the point that Pauly is often embarrassed to be seen in public with them.

On this particular day Pauly, her polio-stricken younger brother Buddy, and their parents are at the carnival against Pauly's wishes. Pauly, always the responsible child, has told them that they can't afford to go to the carnival. But her father insists they go, seeing how their mother needs cheering up. While the two kids are running off to the bathroom, their parents board the roller coaster, ending with a tragic accident. The roller coaster has derailed and their parents are among the fatalities.

Her duty now is to take care of Buddy. Their relatives don't seem to know what to do with the children. Pauly and Buddy end up with Aunt Nora, the black sheep of the family who lives in California and makes her living as an actress. She seems to be the least likely to take care of children, but she wants the two of them very much. Before they know it, the three of them are off on a big adventure to California by car, riding in Aunt Nora's Buick Skylark convertible.

As they travel west, they pick up an old man, Tyb, and a stray dog that hangs out with him. They are running from his son, who is trying to keep him in an old folks' home, sedated. They take him save him from his fate and become a family: Aunt Nora, Tyb, Buddy and Pauly, sharing fun and exciting adventures as they travel to California.

SINGING WITH THE TOP DOWN is a wonderfully written coming-of-age story with a precocious 13-year old narrator who seems to have had a lot of life experience despite her young age. She's always been the responsible one, always the one to take care of her parents and little Buddy, but as she bonds with Aunt Nora and learns what love and family is all about, she slowly learns to let go and become a child again. It's not easy for Pauly, because she's always been the one responsible for Buddy but she gradually let's go, and watches as Buddy makes friends with Tyb and becomes a happy child, independent of his older sister. She learns to lean on adults instead of always trying to stand on their own. Pauly also comes to terms with her parents' death, especially the anger she feels towards her mother before she died. It's interesting how Pauly grows up emotionally and through Aunt Nora's stories, she learns about her parents and what they meant to each other, and why they behaved the way they did.

The story in itself takes on a rather fantasy-like feel. While the story is first filled with tragedy with the almost surreal death scene at the carnival, the story takes a turn where it feels like an old-fashioned Disney adventure. One can almost imagine the young Jody Foster in the role of young Pauly, who is always stoic and brave and seems to be the one that wants to save the world. Despite the initial tragedy and death of the parents, SINGING WITH THE TOP DOWN is a book filled with uplifting themes and a promise of a better life. The title itself connotes a happy feeling, of the desire to escape and to sing at the tops of ones lungs in a celebration of life. SINGING WITH THE TOP DOWN is highly recommended. - courtesy of loveromancesandmore