Book of Phoebe

by Mary-Ann Tirone Smith and Mary-Ann TIRONE-SMITH

Book Overview

"Genuinely funny, smart and endearing."Newsweek

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385196733
• ISBN13: 9780385196734
• Release Date: May 1985
• Publisher: Doubleday Books
• Length: 280 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Coming of Age

Phoebe is 19 and pregnant. Determined to give birth without anyone finding out, but also to finish Yale no later than 6 months off schedule - she runs away to Paris to stay with her friend Marlys (the new Josephine Baker) and find parents for her child. Hilarity, dancing Greeks, romantic wealthy artists, magic, and tragedy ensue. This is the backdrop against which Phoebe tells the story of Tyrus. Tyrus is 39, can't tie his shoes, and lives in his mother's attic. 13 year old Phoebe is determined to get him the best of care. I can't give away too much - but the story of Tyrus involves Grant's Tomb, Sargent Shriver, and 2,752 pennies. As the stories of Phoebe in Paris and Tyrus at Grant's Tomb unfold, the reader will find a rich, engaging, and imminently readable story within a story. This book is endearing, nicely woven, and throws in plenty of dry wit and smart-aleckyness to keep things interesting. Crazy far-out things happen to Phoebe. But all of the craziness, rich and famous friends, and her self-described gifted status can't protect her from life, pain, and the difficulties of growing up. But they can help her, and us, understand, accept, and even appreciate the bumps along the way. Readers of Fannie Flagg and Gail Parent will recognize a kindred spirit in the characters of The Book of Phoebe.

Not a Moment Too Soon

Goodbye, tongue-tied! hello saucy! I just memorized all the great lines from this way too much fun book, and now I can mow them down at parties when the talk turns snappy. I only wish Phoebe had come into my life sooner! I can't wait for the author's next book!

Wonderful story, wonderful writing

The Book of Phoebe is one of those books that you h ate to see end. Phoebe Desmond is a heroine who is both irreverent and spiritual in the best sense of both words. When Phoebe finds she's pregnant as the result of her first love affair, she takes off for Paris determined to have her baby without having to tell the baby's father that he is a father. In Phoebe's opinion he doesn't deserve to know. While she thinks of Paris as an escape, it turns out to be more of a learning experience than Yale ever was , teaching her more about herself than she sometimes wanted to know. She's funny, gutsy, courageous and all those good things you want the people you read about to be. This is a story that begins with a girl coming to grips with some major events in her life, events, which might have traumatized someone else. What they did for Phoebe was turn her from a girl I liked very much, into a woman I liked even more. The writing is first rate, the laughs and the tears nicely interspersed. It's the kind of book that makes you feel a lot better for having read it.

Dazzling. Definitely a must read.

A perfect coming-of-age novel: Huck, Holden--move over. I couldn't put it down but I kept going back and reading passages again. This author knows me, has found me, is me. New York, Paris, British invasion beaches--I was there in all those places. And I laughed til I cried.

Phoebe review

I have never read a book that comes in better than The Book of Phoebe! You never know what's going to happen next. Phoebe, the main character, is a smart-mouth genious who foolishly gets pregnant. Ben, Phoebe's on-the-side boyfriend, could never give her up. Marlys, Phoebe's best friend, helps Phoebe get through the pregnancy, introduces her to Ben, and still manages to fix her, uh, PROBLEMS with her love life. This is definenly not for people under 12, due to, uh, VERY adult scenes and graffic language. But really, this is one of the best books of all time!!!!!!!!