Publisher Description

Liddy James is forty-four, fit, and fabulous. A top divorce attorney, a bestselling author, and a mother of two, she glides effortlessly through the courtrooms and salons of Manhattan. Despite her own devastating divorce from her first love Peter, Liddy has formed a modern family with him and his new partner, Rose, to raise a truculent teen and Liddy's adorable, if fatherless, six-year-old. With her impoverished childhood far behind her, to the outside world Liddy's life is perfect. Until it isn't. When a series of domestic and professional glitches send her carefully-tended world spinning towards meltdown, Liddy decides it's time she and the boys retrace her family's history and take some time off in Ireland. But marooned in the Celtic countryside things still aren't what they seem, and Liddy will have to negotiate some surprising turns in the road before she's willing to admit that even she might have forgotten just how to be The Real Liddy James.

Notes

For fans of Bridget Jones, comes a hilarious coming of age novel about the lives and loves of a far-from-perfect modern superwoman. Although to the outside world Liddy James' life seems perfect, a series of glitches turns it upside down.

Author Biography

Anne-Marie Casey was a script editor and producer of prime-time television drama for ten years before becoming a writer full time. She has written scripts for films and television series in the UK and in Ireland and her stage adaptation of Little Women was staged at the Gate Theatre in Dublin in 2011. An Englishwoman in New York, her first book, was inspired by her experiences living in Manhattan with her family and her love/love relationship with the City. She is married to the novelist, Joseph O'Connor. They now live in Dublin, Ireland with their two sons.

Review

Casey's observations of posh New York life are as hilarious as her descriptions of Ireland are poetic, and the central character is wonderful. Liddy is clever, honest, hardworking and well-meaning and you'll root for her like mad. We leave her in Ireland. I hope there'll be a sequel. * Daily Mail *
Zippy, smart, well-written ... it manages to be both delicious escapism and refreshingly real. * Sunday Times Ireland *
Energetic and immensely readable...an engaging take on the balancing act of the modern woman...sure to resonate with readers who like no-nonsense, mature heroines with a bit of bite and a good deal of self-deprecating humour. * Irish Independent *
Casey can be very funny, but also makes serious points about modern womanhood. Delicious. * Saga Magazine *
An extremely funny, mischievous tale. * Sunday Independent (Ireland) *
The Real Liddy James is a lively, stimulating piece of fiction, of a kind that revels in the intricacies of small-scale domestic drama. What was good enough for Jane Austen and the Brontes 200 years ago is celebrated here in its contemporary context today. * Sunday Business Post *
The language is smart and funny, and the observations are wry. Liddy will resonate for readers who love strong, mature women with a bit of Irish fire, as with fans of Cecelia Ahern and Marian Keyes and Maria Semple's Where'd You Go, Bernadette. * Booklist *
Wonderfully funny, brilliantly observed, and completely addictive! -- Rosamund Lupton, author of Sister and The Quality of Silence
Original, sharp, funny and timely, The Real Liddy James is a spectacular novel from Anne-Marie Casey who understands the high wire act every working mother attempts in the circus of life . . . A dazzling gem. -- Adriana Trigiani bestselling author of All the Stars in the Heavens
Breakneck and bursting at the seams with all of modern life's great questions and challenges, The Real Liddy James made me wish my chair had a seatbelt. Anne-Marie Casey has a way of skewering city life with her acute observations. -- Alison Jean Lester, author of Lillian on Life
A charming and insightful study of one fabulous, forty-something woman. -- Jules Moulin, author of Ally Hughes Has Sex Sometimes
Immensely readable, fast-paced, and full of Casey's charming yet acerbic wit, the book is thoroughly engaging all the way through. -- Jennifer Kaufman and Karen Mack, bestselling authors of Freud's Mistress
An entertaining twist on the "having it all" genre, Casey's novel addresses all the complexities of modern existence - from "blended" families to older pregnancies and the economic consequences of divorce - in a style that is both fresh and funny. * Irish Times *
Whip-smart and crackling with energy, The Real Liddy James had me stopping nearly every page to read paragraphs out loud to anyone who would listen. A true delight! -- Elin Hilderbrand, author of The Rumour
[The Real Liddy James] is an energetic novel; Liddy's self-deprecating humor makes for chuckles in even the toughest situations. And while Liddy is clearly the protagonist, other characters have interesting triumphs and tribulations as well. Liddy is a memorable character who could easily appear again as The New and Improved Liddy James in Casey's next novel. Let's hope so. * Kirkus *
Rife with drama both in and out of the courtroom, infidelity, and more, [THE REAL LIDDY JAMES] is perfect for fans of women's fiction with a dose of travel and a strong-and sometimes flailing-female lead. * Library Journal *

Long Description

Liddy James is forty-four, fit, and fabulous. A top divorce attorney, a bestselling author, and a mother of two, she glides effortlessly through the courtrooms and salons of Manhattan. Despite her own devastating divorce from her first love Peter, Liddy has formed a modern family with him and his new partner, Rose, to raise a truculent teen and Liddy's adorable, if fatherless, six-year-old. With her impoverished childhood far behind her, to the outside world Liddy's life is perfect. Until it isn't.When a series of domestic and professional glitches send her carefully-tended world spinning towards meltdown, Liddy decides it's time she and the boys retrace her family's history and take some time off in Ireland. But marooned in the Celtic countryside things still aren't what they seem, and Liddy will have to negotiate some surprising turns in the road before she's willing to admit that even she might have forgotten just how to be The Real Liddy James .

Review Quote

Wonderfully funny, brilliantly observed, and completely addictive!

Promotional "Headline"

Fans of Helen Fielding's Bridget Jones or Maria Semple's Where'd You Go, Bernadette? will love this hilarious novel about the lives and loves of a far-from-perfect modern superwoman...

Description for Sales People

From the Top ten bestselling author of An Englishwoman in New York

Details