Wallflower in Bloom: A Novel [Hardcover]

Claire Cook (Author)

Book Description

Release date: June 5, 2012

From the acclaimed bestselling author of Must Love Dogs comes a winning and witty new novel about a woman who emerges from the shadow of her overbearing family and finds herself “dancing with the stars.”

Deirdre Griffin has a great life; it’s just not her own. She’s the around-the-clock personal assistant to her charismatic, high-maintenance, New Age guru brother, Tag. As the family wallflower, her only worth seems to be as gatekeeper to Tag at his New England seaside compound.

Then Deirdre’s sometime boyfriend informs her that he is marrying another woman, who just happens to be having the baby he told Deirdre he never wanted. While drowning her sorrows in Tag’s expensive vodka, Deirdre decides to use his massive online following to get herself voted on as a last-minute Dancing with the Stars replacement. It’ll get her back in shape, mentally and physically. It might even get her a life of her own. Deirdre’s fifteen minutes of fame have begun.

Irresistible and offbeat, Wallflower in Bloom is an original and deeply satisfying story of having the courage to take a leap into the spotlight, no matter where you land.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Wallflower in Bloom is absolutely, hands-down, Claire Cook's best novel to date. Cook's characters are delightful and quirky, and the storyline is fast paced and lively with just the right touch of humor and romance. Slip on your dancing shoes and enjoy a few spins around the floor with this charming novel!" - Fresh Fiction

“A fun-filled romp of a middle-aged womancoming into her own. Through Claire Cook’s skilled narrative, [readers] won’trealize till the very end they’ve been taught a wonderful lesson. It is nevertoo late to find your place in the world.” (San Francisco Book Review )

A Working Mother "Summer Beach Read" (Working Mother)

“Filled with sweet humor and all the eye-rolling moments of jumbled yet ultimately loving family relations, romance, and coming into one’s own, this women’s fiction is a definite pleaser for devotees of the genre.” --Booklist

“A fun and inspiring read . . . Cook’s humor and narrative execution is impeccable; Deirdre’s increasing self-consciousness elicits support for her to overcome insecurity and endure in her journey to find happiness and fulfillment on her own terms.” —Publishers Weekly

“Cook’s penchant forhitting the emotional sore spot and combining it with humor hits the mark. ...A thoroughly enjoyable and amusing read, this story is sure to delight.” (New York Journal of Books)

About the Author

Claire Cook wrote her first novel in her minivan when she was forty-five. At fifty, she walked the red carpet at the Hollywood premiere of the adaptation her second novel, Must Love Dogs, starring Diane Lane and John Cusack. She is the bestselling author of eight other novels and divides her time between the suburbs of Atlanta and Boston. Visit  ClaireCook.com.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone; 1 edition (June 5, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1451672764
• ISBN-13: 978-1451672763
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (81 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #439,157 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

After a lifetime of fear and procrastination and sixteen years as a teacher, I wrote my first novel in my minivan at 45. At 50, I walked the red carpet at the Hollywood premiere of the adaptation of my second novel, MUST LOVE DOGS. I'm now the bestselling author of nine novels, including WALLFLOWER IN BLOOM, with a tenth, TIME FLIES, coming from Touchstone in June. Midlife rocks!

Visit ClaireCook.com, where you can stay in the loop for fun giveaways, read excerpts of all my novels and find book club questions. And make sure you check out my writing and reinvention pages, where I share everything I've learned so far.

Come hang out with me on my Facebook author page, too: Facebook.com/ClaireCookauthorpage.

And follow me at Twitter.com/ClaireCookwrite and Pinterest.com/ClaireCookwrite. I'll follow you back!

I've been a judge for the Family Circle magazine fiction contest, a finalist and a judge for the Thurber Prize for American Humor, and the Beach Read Festival fiction and grand prize winner. I've spoken at the Tennessee Williams Literary Festival, Cape Cod Writers Center, the California Women's Conference, and given keynotes at the Dress for Success International Conference, the Missouri Writers Guild Conference, and the Amelia Island Book Festival.

"The exuberant and charming Claire Cook is one of the sassiest and funniest creators of contemporary women's fiction," according to The Times-Picayune. People Magazine says her writing "goes down as easy as it sounds," Good Housekeeping calls it "laugh-out-loud," Redbook "gleefully quirky" and the Chicago Tribune "funny and pitch perfect." The Today Show featured Claire as a "Today's Woman."

I was born in Virginia, and lived for many years in Scituate, Massachusetts, a beach town between Boston and Cape Cod. My husband and I have recently moved to the suburbs of Atlanta to be closer to family. Check out the events page at ClaireCook.com to see when I'll be coming to an event near you - I'd love to meet you!

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Wallflower tries DWTS June 21, 2012

By JerseyGirl VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Wallflower in Bloom: A Novel is not my favorite Claire Cook book but if you want a cute and quick read to throw in your beachbag this summer then this latest from the author will fill the bill.

Dee Dee Griffin is the personal assistant for her very famous brother, Tag Griffin, a self-help guru who has his entire family, including his ex-wives, helping to run his new age worship empire. But none is so hung up in his personal sphere as sister Dee Dee; she is so into his life that she finds she has no life of her own. One day the fact that Tag's life is overwhelming her own life causes Dee Dee to chuck it all and disappear for a few days. While doing her disappearing act, Dee decides to try out for Dancing with the Stars and uses her brother's bigger than life self to get her on the show.

Dee learns about herself and her value while hitting the road and joining the Dancing with the Stars show; the book deals with the author's favorite topic - a woman's search for renewal and empowerment. This is a topic that has appeared in other Claire Cook books so Wallflower in Bloom: A Novel continues in that flavor.

The second chapter is one of the funniest for me when Dee is in the elevator with what turns out to be an old college friend of her brother, Tag. Other chapters are fun but not as laugh out loud funny as this. This is not my favorite Claire Cook novel,however, it is a lively and quick read for a day on the porch or at the beach this summer.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars amusing lighthearted contemporary June 5, 2012

By Harriet Klausner #1 HALL OF FAME

Format:Hardcover

Deirdre Griffin feels like a ghost when compared to her siblings. This she feel is especially true as she is at best a wilted wallflower in comparison to her charismatic brother Tag, considered the "next big thing." As his personal assistant and house sitter Deirdre puts up with a lot, but in Austin, she abruptly quits when she feels he abuses her support of him.

When her on and off boyfriend tells her he is marrying the woman carrying his baby, Deirdre explodes as he had told her no children. Intoxicated by drinking Tag's vodka, Deirdre uses her sibling's humongous massive online fan base to arrange for her inclusion on Dancing with the Stars as she decides it is past time for a wallflower to bloom.

This amusing lighthearted contemporary story is a strong coming of age tale as the wallflower struggles to overcome her doubts and insecurities. The storyline is fast-paced with readers rooting for the heroine to succeed at Dancing with the Stars and in Austin with Steve the garden guru. With a nod to America's Sweethearts, fans will enjoy the comedic yet deep look at a Wallflower in Bloom.

Harriet Klausner

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wallflower in Bloom June 18, 2012

By Sheri Newton

Format:Hardcover

Wallflower in Bloom by Claire Cook is a perfect example of fun chic-lit that is perfect for the summer sun in a nice vacation spot. It is also fun and sassy with the author's sense of humor, so it makes it that much more entertaining to read.

Wallflower in Bloom is an entertaining summer relaxing read. I wouldn't go so far as to say it is high literature or anything, but it is fun and breezy. The author is humorous and sassy, which is just what I enjoyed most about this novel.

The main character Deirdre often made me want to shake her for some of the choices she made, but you want to cheer her on and see her succeed nonetheless. Having this character be a Dancing with the Stars replacement "celebrity" is very unrealistic, as she wasn't a celebrity, her brother was. Fans of this show will more than likely really enjoy this book because of the focus of this in the novel. I'm not a fan, so I can't say I really enjoyed this being in the novel.

Overall, I found this novel to be entertaining and sassy, thanks to the author. I think it would make for an excellent beach read or summer read in general. I recommend it to all those needing a relaxing and funny read to pass the time this summer.

* Thank you to the publisher of Wallflower in Bloom, Touchstone, for providing me with a copy of this book for review. All opinions expressed are my own.