The Other Side of the Story

by Marian Keyes

Book Overview

Jojo Harvey is a dead ringer for Jessica Rabbit and the most ferocious literary agent in town. A former NYPD cop, she now lives in London making million-dollar book deals while trying to make partner at her firm . . . all the while sleeping with the boss man. Lily Wright is an author who believes in karma, and is waiting for the sky to fall after stealing her former best friend's man. Though her first book failed to sell, her life turns upside down...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060731486
• ISBN13: 9780060731489
• Release Date: February 2008
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Length: 528 Pages
• Weight: 0.94 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.5" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Such a wonderful, funny, and feel good book to read.

Marian Keyes has such a wonderfully funny way of taking you away with her to wherever her characters are going and whatever they are up to. It is always going to be worth the trip and your time cuz you are sure to enjoy yourself immensely. She is my go to read when I want to be entertained, feel good, and be taken away. I live in USA and I love reading books that take place in england, ireland, and scotland. The different phrases and lingo are so different, colorful, imaginative and funny. She's the best!

I couldn't put it down!

Although the length of this book was initially intimidating, I couldn't put it down! It's fun, witty and hugely readable. The plot is tight and kept me entertained throughout the almost 700 pages. It's a must read!

I loved this book!

I loved this book. I have read all of Marian's books and this was one of my favorites. I really felt like I knew these people by the end of the book and I couldn't wait to see how their story lines would be resolved. I enjoyed the format of the book - with several chapters at a time devoted to each character. Marian, if you read the reviews (like Lily did...) way to go. I loved this book and have already recommended it to all of my friends.

Who knew chick lit could be so good?

Gemma Hogan's life was cruising along nicely until her father suddenly up and left her mother after decades of marriage. Hogan, who works a high-pressure job as a party planner in Dublin, Ireland, now has to move into her mom's house to console the hysterical woman. Gemma's furious at her father, especially considering he left for a younger woman who works with him at the candy factory. It's not as though Hogan doesn't have enough to worry about already; her old boyfriend Anton ditched her for her best friend Lily a few years ago, and promptly fathered a child with the woman. As the months slip by and her father fails to return, Gemma wonders if her life will ever assume a semblance of normality again. When she isn't popping in at the local chemist's shop to fill a prescription for her mom, she fires off hilarious e-mails to a friend in the United States, railing about her miserable existence. Eventually, this pal, impressed by the e-mails, forwards them to a literary agent named JoJo Harvey, an American working at the Lipman Haigh Agency in London.JoJo Harvey is a piece of work in her own right, a woman with even more moral dilemmas than Gemma Hogan. A former New York City cop turned literary agent in England, Harvey looks like Jessica Rabbit with a dog eat dog attitude. She wants a partnership in the firm so bad she's willing to do almost anything to get it, including engaging in an intimate relationship with her boss. This firecracker spends most of her time battling fellow up and comer Ritchie Gant for the position when she isn't trying to scrape up best-selling manuscripts. Harvey's raking in the bread for the company, but still worries she won't get the job. She often heads over to her cousin's place to whine about her myriad problems. JoJo will have to really hustle if she wishes to realize her career goals because in a man's world a woman can't be too careful. Fortunately for Harvey, one of her client's books, written by Gemma Hogan's ex-friend Lily Wright, just hit the bestseller list.Lily Wright is the polar opposite of the whimsical Gemma and the hard driving JoJo. Here's a woman weighted down with insecurities. She worries incessantly about writing a follow-up to her popular book. Her husband Anton and daughter Ema worry her, too. Wright thinks Anton might leave her at the drop of a hat. And the guilt over taking Anton away from Gemma burns a hole in Lily's stomach even now, years after it happened. Life is about to get a whole lot worse, though, when her husband convinces Lily to buy an expensive but run down house for the family. The money to pay for their new abode, argues Anton, will come in when Lily writes her next bestseller. Predictably, a bad case of writer's block, exacerbated by the nightmarish (and amazingly expensive) experience of restoring an old home, dooms Wright's chances of attaining her dream life. In a desperate bid to meet the deadline for her next novel, Lily gives JoJo a novel she wrote before she became famous

A fun and diverting novel!

If you're looking for a great beach read ~~ this one is it! Just be sure to have enough suntan/sunscreen lotion nearby because once you open the first page, you won't be able to put it down! There is JoJo, a literary agent/ex-policewoman. There is Gemma, a party planner in Ireland and there's Lily who Gemma claims that she "stole" her true love from. JoJo is the common denominator between the three characters ~~ she is Lily's agent and who got her first book to sell. Then Gemma's best friend sent JoJo her emails ~~ the ones Gemma wrote after her dad left her mom. All three of them falls in love and their love lives are just as interesting as their literary lives. And this is the story of three women over the course of a single year.It's funny and sweet, nice and comfy and just a perfect Keyes book as to be expected! I can honestly say that I have read every single one of her books and love them all. She's one of my absolute favorite authors! This is a not-to-be-missed read of the summer! Pick it up and have fun reading!4-19-04

What Goes Around Comes Around....Or Does It?

Marian Keyes' latest is a true gem which transports the reader to the thirty-something singles life of Dublin and London. With empathy and humor she tells the story of very believable women whose lives intertwine.Gemma Hogan is a Special Events Planner in Dublin. She has recently lost the love of her life, and to make matters even more unbearable, said love is now happily ensconced with her former best friend Lily and the child they have together. Gemma seems to have enough heartbreak, but now her father has left her mother for his secretary, and Lily has not only captured Gemma's boyfriend but has written a best-selling novel, something Gemma has always wanted to do.Meanwhile, Lily is not only wracked with guilt over the aforementioned theft of affections, but also having trouble coping with a non-working mate and the lack of money they must exist on. Child-care mishaps and a second novel that is more of an embarrassment than a bestseller add more pressure to Lily's life.Jojo Harvey, a Jessica-Rabbit clone, enters the picture as the literary agent who represents Lily. But Jojo the dynamic businesswoman is also Jojo the homewrecker as she guiltily pursues a relationship with her very-married boss.Add one more catalyst in the form of Susan, former best friend of both Gemma and Lily, who has moved to Seattle, Washington. Susan becomes Gemma's sounding board via email and is privvy to the intimate details of Gemma's disheveled life, her desperately needy mom, her non-boyfriend, and a certain chemist who fills prescription after prescription for her. Susan thinks the emails are so interesting to read that she wants to share them. Taking a calculated risk, she sends them to Jojo Harvey who agrees they would make a great book.It's a merry-go-round of emotions with revenge, rejection, and disappointment having their day along with all the accompanying pandemonium of this inside look into the life of writers, editors, and publishers. It's Marian Keyes doing what she does best---telling a contemporary tale with all the humor and sadness that fills life. This is believable fiction that will appeal to everyone....except perhaps Mr. Burt Reynolds who does not fare too well in this one.