Starting Out Sideways and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more

Buy Used
Used - Like New See details
$3.88 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
Kindle Edition
 
   
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Starting Out Sideways
 
 
Start reading Starting Out Sideways on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Starting Out Sideways [Hardcover]

Mary E. Mitchell (Author)
4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)


Available from these sellers.


Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
Kindle Edition --  
Hardcover, Bargain Price $9.58  
Hardcover, May 15, 2007 --  

Book Description

May 15, 2007
Roseanna Plow is perfectly content with her nice, simple life on Long Island, despite the fact that she's being driven slowly insane by her meddling mother, who resembles Donna Reed on drugs. Rosie is very happy with her handsome husband and a fulfilling career as job counselor for the developmentally challenged. It might not be glamorous work, but Rosie is proud of the fact that she cares more about people than Prada. What more could a woman want in life? Except maybe being able to wear a sexy thong that doesn't make her behind look like a rump roast in butcher string…
 
But when Rosie's incredible husband turns out to be an incredible putz--sleeping with her best friend Inga--her life goes from Seventh Heaven to Jerry Springer in the blink of an eye and the tip of a wine glass.  Alone and deceived, but with her sense of humor still intact, Rosie turns to her wonderfully wacky mother to help her bounce back. Of course, Ma's recipe for mental recovery leaves much to be desired.  And after Rosie discovers a painful family secret, hidden behind years of lies, she must set out to find herself and what really matters in life. 
 
Along the way, Rosie is surprised to find help from Mickey Hamilton, a.k.a. Ham, who is kind, generous, and has a great butt to match.  If only Rosie can overlook the fact that he's nicknamed after the meat section at the local supermarket he manages.  Milton, one of Rosie's endearing mentally challenged clients--and Ham's employee--also becomes a source of comfort along the way, always ready to defend "Miss Plow's" honor and warm her heart, even as it's breaking. And can a twenty-five-year-old punk office assistant with hair like candy corn really become Rosie's new best friend?  As she moves along the twisted road to self-discovery, Rosie finds happiness, acceptance, and even love - though none of it in the places she'd expected. 
 
With laugh-out-loud scenes seamlessly interspersed among gut-wrenching moments of heartache, Starting Out Sideways is a unique and utterly delightful novel that will make you laugh, cry, and remember what's truly important in life.


Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

After her husband runs off with her best friend, Roseanna Plow thinks it can't get any worse, but the curve balls keep coming. Rosie's job as a social worker is made even more stressful as she's pursued by Milton, one of her developmentally challenged clients, and Mickey "Ham" Hamilton, Milton's boss at the SaveWay grocery. Her dad has just been diagnosed with prostate cancer; her relationship with her meddling mother, the tough-talking, cigarette-smoking Helen Pulkowski ("like a moll in the Rat Pack") is rocky. Rosie longs to swap her mother's tell-it-like-it-is approach for some maternal compassion, but instead finds a long-hidden skeleton in her family's closet. As the two fight it out, New England PEN Discovery Award-winner Mitchell writes prose that hums with vibrant characters, zippy dialogue and a poignant humor.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"New England PEN Discovery Award-winner Mitchell writes prose that hums with vibrant characters, zippy dialogue and a poignant humor." -- Publishers Weekly
 
"We live in hard times. That's one reason why a feel-good book like Mary E. Mitchell's delightful Starting Out Sideways is so valuable. But there are many more reasons to love this book: the characters, who, utterly endearing or deliciously fun to hate, are so fully fleshed out you'll feel you ought to offer them a chair. The full-of-surprises story that keeps you rapidly turning pages. The humor that makes you laugh out loud--literally--balanced by a well-earned poignancy. The writing is fluid and natural and smart. Most importantly, there is a humanity exhumed in this book that makes you feel proud and hopeful about being a human on planet Earth. These days, that's a rare and wonderful thing."
--Elizabeth Berg, New York Times bestselling author of The Year of Pleasures
 
"Starting Out Sideways simply sparkles! Mary Mitchell's debut novel is a fabulous story of joy and heartache, laughter and love."
--Claire Cook, author of Must Love Dogs
 
"Heartbreaking, redeeming, and beautifully written." - Kim Gruenenfelder, author of A Total Waste of Makeup
 
"Hilarious and heart-wrenching, Starting Out Sideways is a superb debut from a fresh and funny new voice in contemporary fiction.  Mary E. Mitchell has crafted a story whose vivid characters jump from the page and hang out in your subconscious for days...you will root for Roseanna Plow with every fiber of your being."
--Tracy McArdle, author of Confessions of a Nervous Shiksa and Real Women Eat Beef

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 288 pages
  • Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books; First Edition edition (May 15, 2007)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0312368216
  • ISBN-13: 978-0312368210
  • Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #985,519 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

MARY E. MITCHELL is a writer of fiction, non-fiction and an essayist. She has published her work in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Boston Herald, First for Women, and Family Circle. She is a recipient of the New England PEN Discovery award. She lives with her husband in West Newton, Massachusetts.

 

Customer Reviews

17 Reviews
5 star:
 (16)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.9 out of 5 stars (17 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars well written poignant family drama, May 16, 2007
This review is from: Starting Out Sideways (Hardcover)
Roseanna Plow knows her life has fallen apart. Her husband Teddy has left her after admitting to an affair with her best friend Inga; they live together. Her vocation as a social worker focusing on career counseling is difficult yet rewarding when she places one of her developmentally challenged clients; however, now one of her successes Milton Beyer seems to be stalking her as he is everywhere. Her dad has prostrate cancer and now her mom the steamroller, who informs everyone with mirth that her daughter came down the birth canal sideways, has moved in temporarily to give her maternal support, TKO style.

The only positive note is Milton's boss at the SaveWay Mickey "Ham" Hamilton seems nice. However, before she can decide whether to forget cheating Teddy and move on perhaps with Ham, she learns a dark family secret. Soon she and her mom are going toe to toe over what she now knows.

This is a well written poignant family drama starring a likable heroine who believes she must be the female reincarnation of Job as everything suddenly has gone wrong. Roseanna is a wonderful character who holds the deep tale together although the support cast is fully developed and enhances the plot. Contemporary readers will enjoy Mary E. Mitchell's amusing yet discerning character study.

Harriet Klausner
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Hilarious Yet Poignant Read, May 7, 2008
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Starting Out Sideways (Hardcover)
Roseanna Plow is one of the wittiest, wisest, most enjoyable characters I have read in ages. With humor she tells her tale of her cheating husband leaving her for Inga, her best friend. Roseanna's Ma vexes her with the most hilarious antics that are to "aid" Rosie. Her clients, mentally disabled people being acclimated to life in the main stream, all provide hilarity as well as warmth. She discovers a very hidden secret that totally unnerves her and yet the book never bogs with "woe is me" ideology. The cast of characters that support Rosanna are truly just that....eccentrically funny characters.

This is such a wonderful read; if you need your attitude adjusted, need a good laugh and a solid lesson in accepting life, or if you just want to have a breezy time putting your life on the back burner, then this book is tailor-made to fit.

Wonderful story that you should treat yourself too.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Learning to Rejoice in 'Plan B', July 16, 2007
This review is from: Starting Out Sideways (Hardcover)
What a hoot... As I read, I wished I were a character in the book and could yell "Rosie! - WAKE UP!". Like Stephanie Plum, Rosie is a lovingly flawed heroine, helping others and blundering through her personal life, struggling and juggling with the lemons life hands her.

Rosie has 'Plan B' thrust upon her - time after time; and happily discovers that 'Plan B' was where she needed to be all along.

Ms. Mitchell's wonderfully oddball characters all love Rosie - but on their own terms, and in ways Rosie struggles to appreciate. I can't wait to see who plays Marcie, Rosie's cute, kinky, caring, and all-seeing supervisor in the movie!

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews











Only search this product's reviews



Inside This Book (learn more)
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
mickey hamilton
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Miss Plow, Johnny Bellusa, Long Island, Roseanna Plow, Linda Beyer, Big Red, Cooperative Living, Sean Zambuto, Ronkonkoma Arms, Woods Hole, Chelsea Hannigan, Barney Kroener, John Bellusa, King Kullen, Alexa Pulkowski, Helen Pulkowski, Martha's Vineyard, Milton Beyer, New York, Ham Senior, Special Theatre Group, World War, Anne Sexton, Bluebell Lane, Miss Muffet
New!
Concordance | Text Stats
Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 
(1)
(1)
(1)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
Humorous book suggestions 0 Feb 3, 2010
See all discussions...  
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
   
Related forums





Look for Similar Items by Category


Look for Similar Items by Subject