Welcome to My Planet: Where English Is Sometimes Spoken

by Shannon Olson

Book Overview

Life just isn't The Love Boat for nearly-thirty Shannon, the tongue-in-cheek heroine of Welcome to My Planet . Credit cards don't pay themselves, no obvious mate has appeared with her name pinned to his collar, and a job doing new-product research for a fledgling software company doesn't quite make ends meet in the meaning-of-life department. Then there's the loser boyfriend, another boyfriend, her therapist, and unforgettably, Shannon's mom, Flo,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0141001771
• ISBN13: 9780141001777
• Release Date: June 2001
• Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.1" x 7.8"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

A delightfully engrossing book

It took me less than a day to read Welcome to My Planet as I simply couldn't put it down. The main reason the book is so enjoyable is that the narrator/central character is wonderful. Shannon Olson (the character, not the author, which caused me some momentary confusion about the blurry line between fiction/non-fiction) tells the story of her life, her relationship with her family, her mother and men, her experiences in therapy (boy does she have a good counselor) and graduate school, with humor and insight. As a reader, I felt as though I was peeking into a real life because the details and writing is so engaging.Aside from Shannon, the other characters are incredibly well-developed, particularly that of her mother, Flo, with whom Shannon has a very intense connection. Despite the fact that all the information provided comes through Shannon's narration, you still get clear picture of the other characters, who in the end seem just as real as Shannon.This is not a book with lots of action or an intricate plot or any surprise twists or ending. It is simply about one character's life and experiences and her interaction with the people around her. But it is utterly delightful, stocked with characters so real and wonderful that I sometimes felt as though I was reading about someone's life. However difficult a time I'm having conveying what I liked so much about this book, what it boils down to is that it's great and everyone should read it. Perhaps I should have found a more coherent way to say that!

Witty and utterly contemporary

This is a fun book; it sort of reminds me of The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing. The book is about Shannon (I wonder if this book is an autobiography disguised as a novel), a neurotic young woman who has no idea what she wants in life. She attends graduate school --subconsciously postponing her life. She's also struggling with boyfriends, careers, and an identity. The heroine seems to have a rather unique relationship with her mother, Flo. The mother and daughter share a common desire: the need for true intimacy. Flo doesn't know if her husband truly loves her. Shannon, like her mother, doesn't know if the men in her life have loved her or used her. This is a great contemporary read, very funny and quite touching. A great piece of fiction. I highly recommend it.

I just finished reading it, and I already miss Shannon!

What a fabulous book, capturing the TRUE essence of being a 30 something female in the year 2000! I read it all afternoon, lying by the pool. It's the first time I have read a book of this size in one sitting. I simply couldn't put it down! I could so identify with the main character, Shannon, a woman in her mid 20's to early 30's, who deals with grad school, credit card debt, a quirky mom she sometimes resents and sometimes clings to, boyfriends who aren't "the one", and trying to make sense of it all in therapy. The realest coming of age story I have ever read. I can't wait to pass it on to my friends to read, and I can't wait for the author, Shannon Olson, to write her second novel.

"An NPR Mind in an MTV World..."

When this book arrived in the mail I unpacked it and stood at the kitchen counter reading the first few paragraphs - I found myself quickly drawn into Shannon Olson's very intelligent, honest writing style. Her approach is refreshing and engaging without being pretentious. My weekend was quickly consumed - "I'll read just one more chapter, and one more, and one more..."During a time when there is a lot of "bubble-gum" literature out there, it is wonderful to have a piece of work that is full of so much substance. Shannon Olson truly has an NPR mind in an MTV world! I can't wait for her next work!