Some Nerve
Free Book Summaries

by Queenie D

Free Book Summaries: Some Nerve

"What I learned from my journey was this: It's possible to be chasing the wrong dream and not know it."
~ Ann Roth

Ann Roth is a "killer" journalist. Or so she thought until her big get Malcolm Goddard ruins her life, quickly trashing those illusions and sending her packing back home to the Midwest.

In her hometown of Middletown, Missouri Ann begins a new path - the quest to get her old life back! She can't possibly end up like her mother who can't leave the house and probably doesn't remember the last time she got out of her fuzzy robe. Or her aunt and grandmother for that matter who are equally neurotic, even if totally loveable.

When Malcolm accidentally ends up in Ann's town, in Ann's hospital, right back into the center of Ann's life - she realizes this might be her chance to get the "big get" after all.

She never could have expected or dared to dream how things actually turn out...

Free Book Summaries: Some Nerve Opinion

This is definitely a title to add to your summer book club reading lists. Heller's hilarious and quirky cast of characters will keep you laughing and gasping the whole read through.

Some Nerve is one of those too unbelievable to be believable stories (i.e., the prostitute that rides off into the sunset with the rich guy or the couple who meets for the first time at the top of the Empire State Building) but it's just this element that makes the book great. We all want to dream that impossible things happen to real, normal girls like the rest of us. Granted, Ann's life as a celebrity journalist isn't quite what you'd call normal, but deep down she's just the small-town girl whom we all hope will get the guy.

The thing that sets Some Nerve apart from other "Chick-Lit" is the aspect of mental illness in the form of panic disorder that Ann and the women in her family deal with on a regular basis. The undercurrent of the novel was far more serious then it lets on. Again taking on the theme of what we consider to be normal people, these are women that could be our own mothers, aunts, sisters, grandmothers - dare I say it - ourselves and they all suffer from some form of mental instability. Ann's fear of things like flying, while silly to some, is very real to others. There is a line in the book that really struck me. It's when Ann points out -

If you've never been disabled by panic disorder, you're rolling your eyes right now and thinking, The woman didn't win a marathon; what's the big deal? If you have been a sufferer, you're clapping for my mother because you know exactly how big a deal it is.

There were times when I found Ann's fears irritating but I would remind myself that many people suffer this way and it can be life debilitating. Gave me more to think about then whether or not Ann would get her job back!

Overall a fun, engaging read with some real issues just below the surface - perfect for a book club discussion!

Free Book Summaries: Some Nerve Discussion Questions

Who is worse Ann or Malcolm? He for being an ungracious celebrity or her for trying to exploit him at any cost?

Is it probable that Ann's mother could learn to work through her fears as she begins to in the novel?

Do you prefer the happy ending or is it unrealistic?

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Queenie D's Book Reviews

The Abstinence Teacher, The Almost Moon, Before You Know Kindness, Burning Bright, The Choice, City of Falling Angels, Comfort Food, Dahlia's Gone, Deadly Exchange, The Debs, Devil in the White City, Drowning Ruth, Forgive Me, Forced Mate, Freezer Burn, The Friday Night Knitting Club, The Glass Castle, Gods in Alabama, House of Sand and Fog, In Firm Pursuit, The Last Summer (of You & Me), The Lovely Bones, Love and Biology at the Center of the Universe, Matrimony, The Memory Keeper's Daughter, Murder on the Down Low, The Other Boleyn Girl, Paris Bound, Queen of Broken Hearts, The Reincarnationist, Ripples on the Lake, The Safety of Secrets, shoe addicts Anonymous, Some Nerve, The Thief Taker, The Trophy Exchange, Veil of Roses, What the Dead Know, Who Killed My Daughter, The Wisdom of Yawdy Rum, The Woods.