Irene ZutellReseñas

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“’Oh my Lord, what have I done!’ I gasped. I stared out the kitchen window as six violent criminals stomped up my driveway” – Brenda Spahn (Miss Brenda and the Loveladies - Kindle Location 74).

Brenda Spahn had dreamed about and prepared for this day. Not only had she redone each of the bedrooms in the large house that was now being re-purposed into a release center for women from Julia Tutwiler Prison. She had also hired a driver, a cook, and a house-mother/manager to run the program.

But only hours later she found herself alone with the six newly released inmates—the driver, cook and house-mother having all quit at the first sight of the scary guests.

Spahn doesn’t quit. In Miss Brenda and the Loveladies she tells the stories of those first guests and the early days of The Lovelady Center of Birmingham Alabama—now one of the largest faith-based centers in the U.S. for released women prisoners as well as women with domestic abuse, addiction, homelessness, and other issues.

The story is inspirational as we see those first six being transformed from angry, suspicious, women with low self-esteem to women who themselves reach out to, lead, and serve others within the center and the larger community. Spahn’s philosophy of discovering the latent potential in each throwaway life and then helping each achieve her new destiny has, since the program’s beginning in 2004, impacted thousands of lives.

Spahn tells the story in first-person, using casual language and descriptions of people and events that bring to life her new friends and her feisty redheaded self. She also does lots of telling on herself, saying more than once that she needed these women as much as they needed her. Her transparency about her challenges, faults, and mistakes makes her a believable and likeable narrator.

Miss Brenda and the Loveladies is a testimony to the power of a dream, obedience to God, and determination. It’s a quick, interesting read, full of pathos and humor.

The story of these women opened my eyes to how I snap-judge people without having a clue what they’ve been through. The story of the Lovelady Center helped me see how God can turn seemingly insurmountable obstacles into the stepping stones to success.

I received Miss Brenda and the Loveladies as a gift from the publisher, Waterbrook Press via Blogging for Books, for the purpose of writing a review.

This is the heartwarming tale of how a crazy rich white woman took in a group of rag tag hardened criminal women on parole and helped change their lives, in the process changing hers. After narrowly avoiding going to prison herself, Miss Brenda decided that she should do something for the women in prison and help them get back on their feet. She opened her mansion to them, and after a rocky start she was able to convince the felons that all she wanted to do was help them. A few women failed to live up to her expectations and were thrown back into prison, but nearly all of them enjoyed being Loveladies and turned their life around with help from Miss Brenda. This story is mostly told through Brenda's perspective but several chapters contain accounts from the women she took in. It's amazing that one small act has since grown into the largest faith based rehabilitation program for female felons and addicts in the country. An uplifting story that will make you want to get off your butt and go make a difference in the world.

For fans of Christian memoirs, addictions abuse recovery, and feel good stories.

I received this book for free from Waterbrook Press in return for my honest, unbiased opinion.

I just loved this book!

Not sure why it resonated so much, but I just adored it. It tells the story of Alice Hirsh, whose husband leaves her for a famous movie actress. Alice is alone, raising their 5 year old daughter Gaby, amongst the L.A. Valley. Along the way, she meets other mom's in the area, takes care of her mom who is sick from Alzheimer's, and is just trying not to fall apart.

I could easily see this novel transferred into a movie.

A thoughtful book regarding mother and daughter relationships.

http://girlsjustreading.blogspot.com/2010/08/julies-review-pieces-of-happily-eve...

This book was okay. I actually read it awhile ago and thought I had reviewed it, but see that there is nothing up here! Sorry Library Thing. I didn't feel that I could really connect with the characters, but the story line was good. This is probably awful to say, but I didn't not like the character of the young daughter. This would be a good beach book.

The characters of a book need to touch you on a deeply emotional level. You will either love them or hate them and hopefully begin to understand them by the end of the book. Alice is jilted by her philandering, social-climbing, money-hungry husband and is left to pick up the pieces. Sadly, her initial attempts fell shallow with me. She seemed weak and self-absorbed while placing a huge negative foot print on her daughter.

The people she meets on her journey along with helping her mother through the final stages of her life help to give depth and interest to the story, and at times comic relief. Her mother's new propensity for cursing like a sailor was unexpected and funny. The other additional characters were interesting but not terribly original. Alice does redeem herself in the end although I spent much of the book wishing she would get her big girl pant on. A day at the beach book, maybe, but not a book that exemplifies depth of character or feeds the soul.½

Pieces of Happily Ever After, Irene Zutell’s latest novel, isn’t a fairy tale. It’s about real life, where you can be banished to the far-off land of Suburbia to occasionally play the role of wicked (step)mother to your own daughter, while the evil (and beautiful) Queen of Hollywood steals your husband instead of simply sending you a poisoned apple.

Alice Hirsh is the newest star of this anti–fairy tale. Alice’s husband, Alex, shatters their simple but lovely life together when he’s swept off his feet by Hollywood’s latest “It” girl. Once Alice realizes that it is now just her and Gabby, her daughter who is obsessed with all things princesses and happy endings, she finds herself in relationships she never would have dreamed of before her husband left her in Suburbia for another woman.

Zutell creates a compelling supporting cast of characters who feel like they could be found in any woman’s circle of acquaintances, friends, and relatives. An uptight neighborhood chairwoman obsesses over the neighborhood’s annual Christmas lighting display. A former adult film star tries to literally erase her past. The domineering head of an adult care home evicts Alice’s mother, who recently started cursing like a sailor. Round it out with an ogre of a paparazzo, a charming ex-boyfriend who reconnects with Alice via email, and a group of mothers who look like they have it all together on the surface and Pieces of Happily Ever After easily balances out Alice’s heavy loss with these eccentric characters who help Alice take care of herself as she struggles to take care of everyone else.

Pieces of Happily Ever After is about more than just the husband/wife relationship. It’s a charming read about the relationships women form—as mothers, daughters, friends, spouses—that help get them through both good times and bad. More importantly, it’s about the relationship women have with themselves. It’s about what they expect for and from themselves in relationships, what they’ll put up with and what’s worth leaving behind. Because when you finally determine what you are worth to yourself, you can appreciate the random moments in life—being your daughter’s knight in shining armor, spending one final moment with a loved one, learning to take a chance on yourself—that are the true pieces of happily ever after.

I really enjoyed this book. Many anecdotes of the humorous things that can happen during pregnancy and childbirth. Some made me laugh out loud and nod my head and others made me shake my head. Anyone who has ever given birth, held someone's hand during labor, or ever wants to, should read this book. Very enjoyable and lighthearted.

I don't like saying that I enjoyed reading about the tragic moments in Alice Hirsch's life, but I did love this book! Irene Zutell created deep characters and I didn't want to stop reading about them. It looks like several other reviews did a good job in describing the story line. So I'll skip that...

I loved Alice. She's just as judgmental and ironic as we all can be. She struggles with a daughter that is both spoiled and confused, a husband that is also spoiled and confused, and a mother that lives with no more memories. This makes for scenes that are both hilarious and horribly sad.

Usually I gauge the success of a book by how much a person changes and grows - Pieces of Happily Ever After is a great example of this. Fantastic story!

Alice Kirshall has a storybook life, or so it seems. Her husband, Alex, a Hollywood entertainment lawyer signs on with a new client, actress Rose Maris. When Alex starts hitting the gym, Alice assumes he's going through a mid-life crisis and writes it off. But then he starts working later and later. The intimacy in their relationship has dwindled down to nothing.

When Alice discovers she is expecting, Alex isn't as excited as she would have hoped. He actually begins to ignore her. A few weeks later she goes to the hospital due to severe pain and bleeding and Alex is nowhere to be found. He shows up right as Alice is being carted into surgery for an ectopic pregnancy. When Alice awakes, Alex is right by her side, crying with guilt.

Alice returns home and is immediately overwhelmed with phone calls. She assumes the calls are from friends and family members calling to wish her a speedy recovery. But the calls are coming from the press: a story has appeared in a tabloid, reporting that Alex and Rosie are having an affair. Suddenly Alice's storybook life starts to crumble into pieces. She orders Alex out of the house and is left to deal with their five-old daughter, Gabby, the loss of their unborn child, and the loss of their marriage, alone.

As if all this isn't enough to drive anyone insane, Alice learns her mother, Mary, is having problems at the home in which she is residing. Mary has Alzheimers, and has recently begun using foul language that is upsetting the other residents.

Alice must pull herself together and deal with all this chaos in her life. She, with Gabby in tow, must pick up the pieces of their life and move on.

How to I begin to relay how much I loved this book? The characters are wonderful, so well-developed and real. Pieces of Happily Ever After is not your typical chick-lit. The story and the relationships between the characters are so raw and emotional. You can't help but be swept up in this story. The emotions you'll feel while reading range from joy to anger, and from happiness to tears. I loved this one so much I've read it twice and that still isn't enough. I want to learn more about Alice, what has become of her life. When the book ended I felt as though I lost a close friend. I very impatiently await the release of Zutell's next book, whenever that may be.

Pieces of Happily Ever After
Author: Irene Zutell
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
ISBN: 978-0-312-54009-8

Happily ever after is over. Alice Hirsh, native New York City girl, never expected to end up living in the bizarre kingdom that is the San Fernando Valley. Somehow, she is managing; making a home for her attorney husband, Alex, and their 5 year old daughter, Gabby; trying to hold on to both her job and sanity. Alice's husband soon lands a coveted trophy client: Rose Maris, bombshell beauty and box office queen. Before long, Alice notices Alex is working late every night, looking more fit, more tan, even buying new clothes. Before long, the gossip columnists are coyly hinting about Rose Maris and her attractive mystery man; then the full court press from the media begins. Alex Hirsh and Rose Maris are the couple of the moment, and the paparazzi are having a field day. Soon, Alice is hunkered down at home, trying to avoid the cameras and intrusive questions and comments from trash gossip hell.

How to keep a job, the house, care for her daughter, and attempt to learn to live a life of her own take our Alice on a humorous and heartfelt ride. Her responses are so true to life, you feel like you are reading a note from a dear friend. Her daughter is a hoot, a five year old self appointed princess, wise beyond her years in some ways, and always up to something.

Will Alice move on with her life? What happens if and when Rose Maris kicks Alex to the curb? Will he come home, begging his way back into the life they had, or will she move forward without him. The story of a woman forced to evaluate her life and make her own decisions, told with a humor and attention to detail that is second to none. Sure, chicklit, but chicklit at it's best, and thoroughly enjoyable.½

A wonderful novel about a woman's search for who she is. Alice thinks she's living the "happily ever after", but then finds that her husband is spending more time away with his client, a movie star. As expected, he asks for a divorce and now Alice must find a way to go on in the new home they had purchased not that long ago. She must also do this while raising her 5 year old daughter who loves to play that she is a fairy princess. I enjoyed this book and the age-old question about how we define ourselves.

Chicklit? Yes. Predictable? Not necessarily. Irene Zutell's Pieces of Hapily Ever After takes an age old story line (man leaves woman for other woman) and plays it out in a Hollywood setting to an even-by-chicklit-standards unpredictable end.

Spurned-wife Alice comes to life through vivid descriptions and witty dialogue throughout. But Zutell -- though herself a mother of two -- writes an unbelievable five-year old in Gabby, who talks more like a mouthy nine-year old.

Despite the unlikeliness of the plot (spoiler alert: unlike in real life, Alice's ex-husband marries his mistress), it's a catchy read. Recommended for light reading.

I really enjoyed this light read. It was like getting the inside scoop about some story that's flying around the tabloids. I agree with the other in that this would make a really good vacation book. Even with it's Hollywood setting and some off the wall characters, I found it believeable. It even had a nice little moral thrown in there about judging other people.

I thought Pieces of Happily Ever After was really good. It was well written with a great character. The storyline was not cliched at all, and it covered all emotions from funny to sad, really well.
Definetley worth reading--does not fall under normal "Chick Lit".

Overall an easy light read. A bit slow at the beginning, but it perked up once her mom moved in with her. The characters could have been a bit more developed. The supporting cast was too large and I lost track of who they were - the whole thread about Christmas decorations was not relevant to the story.
I did like the parts about her mother and the caregiver - she could have expanded on that story line and told more about Alice's parents.
Her thoughts in italics were distracting from the flow of the book.

I enjoyed reading this book, very much!
I would like to say Thank You to the Early Reviewers program for giving me a copy of this book. This is the first Adult-Chick-Lit book that i read and
for it being my first, it was a good one!

Pieces of Happily Ever After is the story of Alice Hirsh and the events that occur in her life before and after her husband's affair with Rose Maris, one of Hollywood's Hottest's actresses and box office Queen. When Alice thought that her life was going well and feeling right at home in the San Fernando Valley, everything goes upside down! The story starts with Alice hiding in her home with her 5 year old daughter while the Paparazzi scan her house, waiting for her like vultures for the perfect shot/exclusive! Alice goes through alot in the story and through Irene Zutell's writing you can feel how she tries to lie to herself that things aren't so bad. She tried to hold one but how long can one hold in the pain and embarrasment that she has to dwell in?

But through these hardships she finds friendship and support from the least expected of places. The Mom's of kids that go to the same school as her daughter. You'll get some good laughs from this story, when you read and learn about how the nieghborhood where Alice lives functions. This story is full of many different characters and little stories, i'm sure you will enjoy it! The pacing was VERY GOOD!

I honestly enjoyed this book. I am usually not a big fan of chick lit. I wasn't a fan of the Devil Wears Prada or anything by Lauren Weisberger but I had a hard time putting this one down. Alice is a character I could really relate to, not some spoiled mid-twenties city girl. Of course, there was the requisite mystery love (that any reader will see right through from the first time the character is introduced), but I was happy to see that the heroine was lifting herself up before she was found by the handsome prince. A quick and fun read.

The story has a slow start. Alice is going through a rough time which many people can relate to. . . however, I found myself being annoyed by her and her daughter who needs to be taught discipline. As the story progresses, I found that I was really being pulled into the stroy and I wanted to find out where things would go. Its a good story that many people can relate to somewhere in their lives of over coming difficult times.

I have to admit that I had a hard time getting into the story at first. It was about a man who cheats on his wife with a big star and then ends up leaving her and their 5 year old for the new woman. It was hard for me to read about something so realistic and heartbreaking. At first, Alice is pretty unlikable and moody... her relationship with her daughter is very strained. As the story progresses, she learns what is truly important to her and as she grows and discovers more about herself, I found that I did not want to put the book down. I wanted to find out what happened and whether she was going to get her happily ever after.
I think that this book will pull the heartstrings of any mother who has a daughter.½

I just finished "Pieces of Happily Ever After" and I have to say it was a great book! I read it non stop for two days! I was instantly drawn in to this book in the first chapter. I love Aly's character and I loved her daughter Gabbie even more. Aly also has a mother dying of alzheimers. The things that Gabbie and Aly's mother did and said had me laughing out loud. I liked how this book was unpredictable. Characters that you thought would play a certain role in the story played something you totally wouldn't have expected. I thought for sure the book was going to end in a certain way and it didn't, and I was glad it didn't! The author's writing style was smooth and made this book so easy to read and follow. My only criticism (and I find this in many books) was that the author made Gabbie a little to smart and quick witted for her age. However, with that being said, it definitely did not detract from this wonderful book. I would highly recommend this book and have already passed it on to my mother to read.

http://charlotteswebofbooks.blogspot.com/2009/10/83-pieces-of-happily-ever-after...

Alice is barely holding it together. Her husband just left her for a Hollywood Starlet. Her mother is disintegrating from Alzheimer's , her fairy-tale obsessed daughter is in trouble at school for yelling profanities, and the paparazzi is camped outside of her house. Will life ever get better for Alice? Will she ever find her "Prince Charming"?

This book is different from what I usually read.But the story line stuck out at me on the back as something that might be fun. So I thought why not? And while it started out a bit slow, it became a very enjoyable and fun read for me. The story followed Charlotte "Lottie" Love a valley girl from Tarzana, CA on her career path. We follow her as she goes from a nobody, to a vain glorified Pappo..and finally finding herself with the man who she thought she hated.

There is a lot of name dropping of big name celebrities, and that makes the book even more fun.Kind of like reading a Tabloid magazine, you know its not true but you just cant help yourself. We follow a fun cast of characters around Lottie that you love, hate, and love again. So over all if your looking for a fast, and amusing read that gives you a chuckle. With plenty of people mooning, and flashing in drunken stupors, give this one a shot.