Title: Trophy Life
Author: Lea Geller
Narrator: Amy Landon
Published: April 2019, Brilliance Audio
Length: 10 hours 46 minutes
Source: Audio – Personal copy via Audible / Print – Paperback via GetRed PR
Summary:
A refreshingly honest, laugh-out-loud novel about losing the life you always wanted…and finding the life you were meant to have.
For
the last ten years, Agnes Parsons’s biggest challenge has been juggling
yoga classes and lunch dates. Her Santa Monica house staff takes care
of everything, leaving Agnes to focus on her trophy-wife
responsibilities: look perfect, adore her older husband, and wear
terribly expensive (if uncomfortable) underwear.
When her husband
disappears, leaving Agnes and their infant daughter with no money, no
home, and no staff, she is forced to move across the country, where she
lands a job teaching at an all-boys boarding school in the Bronx. So
long, organic quinoa bowls and sunshine-filled California life. Hello,
processed food, pest-infested house, and twelve-year-old-boy humor—all
day, every day.
But it’s in this place of second chances (and
giant bugs), where Agnes is unexpectedly forced to take care of herself
and her daughter, where she finds out the kind of woman she can be.
Ultimately, she has to decide if she prefers the woman and mother she
has become…or the trophy life she left behind.
Authentic and sharply witty, Trophy Life
is proof that granny panties and mom coats might not be the answer to
everything; they’re simply comfortable (if slightly unattractive)
reminders of what happens when one life ends…and real life begins.
My thoughts: I love books when the main character is forced to find themselves again and this is exactly what we have here in Lea Geller’s debut novel. I also love when a debut novel is a fresh breath of air and again, I feel that that is what this book is.
Agnes Parsons is the kind of character that you will have mixed feelings for throughout this book. On the one hand, you will love her for her spunk and realness and will find yourself laughing out loud as she navigates her new life after she finds herself having to uproot from the high life of California and basically slum-it in the Bronx. But, on the other hand, I got annoyed that it took her so long to figure out what a scum her husband really was…I mean come on, really? How could you be so naive?
Watching Agnes learn to rely only on herself is where this story shines. And watching her interactions with the boys in the school won my heart over…I loved that she came to care so much for these boys, going to bat for them time and again. These scenes were by far my favorite part and where I could really relate to her the most.
This is definitely a story about finding oneself and realizing you are more than you thought you were. It is filled with humorous moments and had some depth to it. I will certainly be looking to see what comes next from this author.
Audio thoughts: I enjoyed listening to this book on audio and Amy Landon did a great job with the voices. She brought all the characters to life, giving each one their own unique personality. She even made Agnes’s husband sound slimy, which was perfect for me, as that was how I thought of him! Amy’s tone and pacing were spot on for this book and made the listening experience quite enjoyable.
***I have a giveaway for this book over on my Instagram page…look for this post! Giveaway is open to US only and ends April 15th.
Thank you for hosting this giveaway. The book sounds like it would be an enjoyable one. Great review!
I just finished this one. I enjoyed it too.