Underneath It All

by Margo Candela

In a traditional family, the last thing you can be is who you really are, but it's time for Jacqueline Sanchez to find the woman underneath it all. . . Everyone has their role. My mother is the martyr, my father the distant unapproachable figure, and Noel, with a few brief stints in jail, is considered misunderstood, not a handsome loser. Yolie is just outspoken, not a miserable bitter shrew, which would be her clinical diagnosis in the "real" world...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0758215703
• ISBN13: 9780758215703
• Release Date: January 2007
• Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corporation
• Length: 354 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.6" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Finding The Woman Underneath It All

Margo Candela's debut novel, Underneath It All, is the perfect book to curl up with on a lazy afternoon and escape. Candela creates a likeable character in Jacqueline "Jacqs" Sanchez, a Latina, thirty-something divorcee who has the thankless job of assisting the Mayor of San Francisco's wife with being "Mrs. Mayor" (think a scaled down version of Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada). Couple that with a traditional Latino family she believes should all be on anti-depressants and hilarious interactions with a host of other colorful characters(including her married older boyfriend and her Indian best friend who is engaged to a man who may not be who he claims) and you have got a well-written novel that I hope finds its way to the big screen. Jacqs is a character that a lot of women will see parts of themselves in. While the ups-and-downs of her life are quite dramatic, they are still real and can teach some valuable lessons (think Carrie in Sex and the City). Candela also does a great job of integrating Latino culture and traditions into the storyline. I appreciated that because this was my first time reading a novel with a Latina heroine and I learned a lot. This is a fun, witty novel with plenty of sarcastic asides to keep you laughing out loud. I liked the fact that the chapters were short and each named for a different memorable character, of which there were many. However, because Candela is skilled at character development, it was not hard to keep up with their storylines. I would love to see any of them return in a sequel, perhaps even carrying more of the story. This was an excellent first effort and after reading the excerpt from her next novel due out later this year, it appears that Candela has a promising career ahead. Reviewed by Danielle H. APOOO BookClub

A fast paced witty read...

Margo's UNDERNEATH IT ALL cracked me up until the very end. Margo is a wonderful writer, full of wit and charm. I loved the characters so much I want to read more, more, more about them. Margo, are you reading this...perhaps a spinoff is in the near future?

Slight shades of "The Devil Wears Prada"

I started to read Margo Candela's "Underneath It All", then immediately double checked to see that it was fiction and not an autobiography. It parallels so many aspects of a San Francisco personal assistant - life imitating art - and also life getting in the way of one's goals and ambitions. People like "Jacqs" really do exist to manage people the likes of Mr. and Mrs. Mayor - I am one of them, sitting in my ivory tower alone, where you eat better, but you can't go to the restroom with telling someone. It's well written, funny and personable and I related only too well to this saga. I enjoyed the twists, temptations and the unfolding story, and I am looking forward to Ms. Candela's next work!

Excellent Read! Outrageous and Insightful!

I stayed up half the night to finish off this book, which is quite a feat for someone who values her beauty sleep as much as I do! Margo Candela's prose is fun and often quite witty. Her main character, a savvy San Franciscan with LA roots, stands out as someone most women can relate to as she navigates the waters of friendships, relationships, career, and still tries to deal with family. She insightfully offers her take on reality, yet combines it with fantasy artfully. The plot is fast-paced and the short chapters make it a fast and easy read. Her colorful cast of characters, each displaying an interesting set of human flaws, often acts out in scandalous ways that really held my interest. I also enjoyed that Candela's writing showed she is capable of finding fresh, unique ways to phrase things without sounding as if she's consulted a thesaurus. Her analogies are delicious! This is a must read!

Loved it and I'm a dude...

Just finished Margot Candelas first novel Underneath it all, read it in two days, it is delightful. She took me on a mini vacation. The story based in San Francisco rang stark, candid and comedically true. Candela peppers her story with sly and suppositious references to her Latino family stripped down to their unbearable essentials, she doesn't romanticize the culture, she keeps it real without being cliché. I feel like I dated the protagonist Ms. Jacks, we hear the voices inside her head, the hurts in her heart, and paradoxes of a newly single 30 something women in post modern ultra hip SF aristocratic political culture. All this and I'm a dude.