This One Is Mine

A Novel

By: Maria Semple

Narrated by: Claire Christie

Violet Parry is living the quintessential life of luxury in the Hollywood Hills with David, her rock-and-roll manager husband, and her darling toddler, Dot. She has the perfect life -- except that she's deeply unhappy. David expects the world of Violet but gives little of himself in return.

When she meets Teddy, a roguish small-time bass player, Violet comes alive, and soon she's risking everything for the chance to find herself again. Also in the picture are David's hilariously high-strung sister, Sally, on the prowl for a successful husband, and Jeremy, the ESPN sportscaster savant who falls into her trap.

For all their recklessness, Violet and Sally will discover that David and Jeremy have a few surprises of their own. This One is Mine is a compassionate and wickedly funny satire about our need for more -- and the often disastrous choices we make in the name of happiness.

Critic reviews

"A fresh, flamboyantly witty new voice."—Helen Fielding, author of Bridget Jones's Diary

"Once I started this book, I couldn't put it down. It is funny, carefully observed, beautifully written, very knowing and in general a real treat. Stop wondering which book to buy. Buy this one."—Merrill Markoe, author of Walking in Circles Before Lying Down

"This delightful novel gives pleasure on every page. Deftly satiric, wickedly hilarious, brilliantly plotted to ensure maximum mayhem, it also sustains a sweet, triumphant tenderness towards characters who act so appallingly. If at first it seems a puzzle that the novelist can inspire such rueful yet endearing affection for these too-often greedy, shallow people, the answer is that we come to recognize them-as us."—Phillip Lopate, author of The Art of the Personal Essay

"[A] sharp-witted look at having it all in L.A. and wanting more.... Semple has the prime-time satire gene."—Seattle Post-Intelligencer

"Maria Semple's remarkable first novel isn't just a witty, sharp-edged satire about adultery, social climbing, and the absurdities of L.A. On a deeper level, This One is Mine is a complex, unexpectedly moving story about the risks and rewards of love, in all its irrational glory."—Tom Perrotta, author of Election and Little Children

"Maria Semple begins like a roller coaster, clacking up slowly and ominously and then, Hold on! You are plunging into the great dreamworld of LA money and ambition where nothing is quite real until it breaks apart and suddenly there is the terrible bottom and end of it all. This is a love story with real thorns and a heroine you will weep for."—James Salter, author of Light Years and Last Night

"[A] smart and funny debut.... Semple's takes are tack sharp as her delightful cast is driven comically and tragically ever deeper into a culture of artifice. Semple obviously knows her turf, and she does an exquisite job of stomping all over it."—Publisher?s Weekly

"Maria Semple writes like a cross between Dorothy Parker and Nathanael West. This One Is Mine is an uncompromising and trenchantly funny portrait of Los Angeles life that rings uncomfortably true."—Darren Star, creator of Sex and the City

"Maria Semple delves unafraid, with a sharp eye and sharper hand, into the big issues: Love, Happiness, Life and Death, and emerges with a Los Angeles we never knew, but always suspected. A triumphant debut."

—Gigi Levangie Grazer, author of The Starter Wife

Wanted to like this but was disappointed

I really wanted to like this book, but I found all the characters unrelatable, and I also had a hard time following the plot since it jumps around so much (maybe this was worse because it's an audiobook). I did not find the plot particularly engaging. Others have also mentioned this - the narrators mispronunciations are very distracting. I loved Where'd You Go Bernadette, and this book was a disappointment.

Okay book, what's with the mispronunciations?

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I enjoyed the story

What didn’t you like about Claire Christie’s performance?

The main character is supposed to be worldly and fluent in different languages, but this reader has no clue! It was annoying to hear "tarte tatin" (tart ta-tan) pronounced as (tart TAY-tin)

Hermès is not pronounced "hur-meez"..

Really enjoyed the story and the narrator. My only complaint is her mispronunciation of hermès, which drove me absolutely insane.

Why is this overt racism okay in this day and age?

This book is totally entertaining, however, I’m confused about the overt racism and reliance on racist and ethnic stereotypes for humor. What’s equally bad, is the reader’s attempt at ethnic accents, even when the text does not call for it. Do we need to assume someone selling Mexican food speaks in broken English in a ridiculous Spanish accent? I cringed over and over but I’ll admit I keep listening. This isn’t a new book, but I’m shocked that it wasn’t written in 1952.

Terrible pronunciation is distracting

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Yes - engaging and light, social parody

How could the performance have been better?

I am writing this review because of the reader - please at least learn to pronounce the words you are reading. Totally distracting. This is supposed to be an educated upper class narrator and the mispronunciations were like nails on a black board.