Mimi Malloy, At Last: A Novel by Julia MacDonnell

May 20, 2014April 16, 2014 Mary Fiction, Julia MacDonnell, NetGalley, Picador

Title: Mimi Malloy, At Last
Author: Julia MacDonnell
Genre: Fiction
Published: April 2014 – Picador
Source: Publisher

Synopsis: Meet Mimi Malloy: A daughter of the Great Depression, Mimi was born into an Irish-Catholic brood of seven, and she has done her best to raise six beautiful daughters of her own. Now they’re grown, and Mimi, a divorcée, is unexpectedly retired. But she takes solace in the comforts of her new life: her apartment in the heart of Quincy, the occasional True Blue cigarette, and evenings with Frank Sinatra on the stereo and a highball in her hand.
Yet her phone is arguably the busiest in greater Boston—it rings “Day In, Day Out,” as Ol’ Blue Eyes would say. Her surviving sisters love to gab about their girlhood, while her eldest, Cassandra, calls every morning to preach the gospel of assisted living. And when an MRI reveals that Mimi’s brain is filled with black spots—areas of atrophy, her doctor says—it looks like that’s exactly where she’s headed, to spend her days in “a storage facility for unwanted antiques.”
Mimi knows her mind is (more or less) as sharp as ever, and she won’t go down without a fight. As she prepares to take her stand, she stumbles upon an old pendant of her mother’s and, slowly, her memory starts to return—specifically, recollections of a shocking and painful childhood, a sister who was sent away to Ireland, and the wicked stepmother she swore to forget.

My take: Mimi Malloy’s daughters are so annoyed that she refuses to take care of herself despite her doctor’s warnings of stroke and certain death. She also will not leave her low-income apartment for a beautiful new senior home. She likes her independence and familiar surroundings, thank you very much.

When Mimi’s sister’s young grandson works on a genealogy project for school Mimi is asked to fill out a family history. She’s not one to live in the past so this is about the last thing she wants to do. After a little pestering she does as asked and that’s when she starts being visited by sisters and others who’ve passed. It’s as if they are leading her to discover details of their early lives that she remembers quite differently from the others.

Julia MacDonnell’s characters seemed so familiar to me. It was like watching and listening to my mother and her sisters gab at reunions when I was a young girl. Were the details the same? No. But the characteristics and era were. They grew up in tough times and had responsibilities way beyond their years. When someone “fell” she tried her best to get back up and move on. As Mimi’s daughters listen to their aunts and mother they realize they didn’t know them as well as they thought.

There’s so much more to the novel. The decisions made during tough times changed lives and are remembered quite differently by Mimi, her sisters, and her daughters. Their acceptance of the various perspectives lead to understanding on a new level.

I really liked this novel of family dynamics and perseverance and will recommend it to family and friends next time we’re together – there’s a reunion this summer!

Giveaway Winner!

April 16, 2014April 15, 2014 Mary Giveaway winner, Julia MacDonnell, Picador

Congratulations to

Lisa G.

winner of

Mimi Malloy, At Last by Julia MacDonnell

Thanks to all who entered the giveaway!

Winner selected by Random.org
Giveaway copy provided by the publisher

Spotlight/Giveaway (US): Mimi Malloy, At Last! by Julia MacDonnell

April 8, 2014April 15, 2014 Mary Giveaway, Julia MacDonnell, Picador, Spotlight

MEET MIMI MALLOY: A daughter of the Great Depression, Mimi was born into an Irish-Catholic brood of seven, and she has done her best to raise six beautiful daughters of her own. Now they’re grown, and Mimi, a divorcée, is unexpectedly retired. But she takes solace in the comforts of her new life: her apartment in the heart of Quincy, the occasional True Blue cigarette, and an evening with Frank Sinatra on the stereo and a highball in her hand. Yet her phone is arguably the busiest in greater Boston—it rings “Day In, Day Out,” as Ol’ Blue Eyes would say. Her surviving sisters love to gab about their girlhood, and her eldest, Cassandra, calls every morning to preach the gospel of assisted living. And when an MRI reveals that Mimi’s brain is filled with black spots—areas of atrophy, her doctor says—it looks like that’s exactly where she’s headed, to spend her days in one of those “storage facilities for unwanted antiques.”

Yet as Mimi prepares to take a stand, she stumbles upon an old pendant, and her memory starts to return—specifically, recollections of a shockingly painful childhood, including her long-lost sister, Fagan, and the wicked stepmother she swore to forget.

Out of the ashes of Mimi’s deeply troubled history, Julia MacDonnell gives us a redemptive story of the family bonds that break us and remake us. MIMI MALLOY, AT LAST! (Picador Hardcover / $25.00 / ISBN: 978-1-250-04154-8 / April 8, 2014) is an unforgettable novel, alive with humor, unexpected romance, and the magic of hard-earned insight: a poignant reminder that it’s never too late to fall in love and that one can always come of age a second time.

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“A triumph and a delight!…I wouldn’t trust anybody who couldn’t fall for Mimi Malloy, At Last!” —Mary Kay Andrews, New York Times bestselling author of Ladies’ Night

“Julia MacDonnell has written a love letter to sisterhood, Frank Sinatra, late-in-life romance, and the enduring ties of family. The book’s narrator calls to mind a Boston Irish Olive Kitteridge, as peppery as she is big-hearted. Mimi Malloy, At Last! will make you laugh, cry and relive your own past.” —Sally Koslow, author of The Widow Waltz and The Late, Lamented Molly Marx

“I gulped down Julia MacDonnell’s juicy novel of revealed memories and startling characters….Mimi proves that some revelations take living long enough to have. Extraordinary.” —Molly Peacock, author of The Paper Garden

“Mimi Malloy, At Last! is funny, wise, and devastating. Julia MacDonnell writes with tender insight, letting Mimi’s old memories crack the defense of humor, allowing the buried truths of her family and childhood to shine through….I loved it.”
—Luanne Rice, New York Times bestselling author

“The end of life becomes an unexpected beginning in Julia MacDonnell’s moving, funny masterpiece about love, memory, and the family ties we sometimes need to untangle. Absolutely captivating.” —Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of Pictures of You and Is This Tomorrow

“I love Mimi! Such a feisty, endearing, hilarious character—yet also very vulnerable as the threads of her painful Irish-American past begin to unravel. Julia MacDonnell’s fluent writing beautifully observes the iniquities of old age and the complexities of family. But also the benefits of both. What a wonderful book.” —Hilary Boyd, author of Thursdays in the Park

“Humorous and poignant… MacDonnell captures perfectly the family dynamics between sisters, mothers, and daughters, as if she were sitting in on their gab sessions, taking copious notes. For readers who enjoy Maeve Binchy and Rosamunde Pilcher, this is a highly engaging family chronicle, with a healthy dose of Irish history laced in as well.”—Deborah Donovan, Booklist

“Lightened by her sharp wit, feisty Mimi’s saga is a sometimes troubling but ultimately triumphant tale of aging, the Boston Irish immigrant experience, and redemption. MacDonnell’s first novel in 20 years (after A Year of Favor) will appeal to anyone who loves a good story with a strong heroine.”
—Library Journal, Nancy H. Fontaine, Norwich Public Library

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JULIA MACDONNELL’s fiction has been published in many literary magazines, and her story “Soy Paco” was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Her journalism has appeared in The Boston Globe, the New York Daily News, and the Columbia Journalism Review, among other publications. A tenured professor at Rowan University, she is the nonfiction editor of Philadelphia Stories. This is her first novel in twenty years.