Karen Rizzo

Karen Rizzo’s novel Famous Baby is a hilarious take on dysfunctional families and the so-called ‘Sandwich Generation’ -- those split between their children and their aging parents. Ruth is the Mother of Mommy Bloggers, having posted for years about the exploits of her only daughter, Abby. She is so successful, her writing has become a bestselling book. Now graduated from high school, the darling daughter has gone ‘off-grid’ depriving Ruth not only of her sole progeny but a large show more part of her literary inspiration. At least, she still has her Alzheimer stricken mother to move in. What a relief – the blog will carry on! -- until Abby spirits Grandma away from the nursing home to save her the indignity of having her last days splayed across the internet. Told from the alternating perspectives of Ruth and Abby, with screen shots of the ongoing blog thrown in. Fast-paced, funny and touching as well.

Ours is a society in which the acceptable bounds of privacy are ever-changing and up for grabs. What some people look upon in horror as TMI (Too Much Information) is accepted by others as part of their voyeuristic due. This book put me in mind of a recent documentary on the life of humorist Erma Bombeck and the impact her newspaper column had on her family. Or, Ann Patchett who wrote posthumously about her dear friend Lucy Grealy only to be chastised by Grealy’s sister Suellen for a telling a story which wasn’t hers to tell.

How far is too far? How do we even know how to draw the line anymore in our Twitter-Facebook-Reddit overshared world? Famous Baby may have you also pondering what constitutes the transgressive. show less

(Early Reviewer Book) From page one this book hits the ground running. It features smart-phone texts and blog lay-outs, as well as several narrators- one of which is the 'victim' of her mother's blog...where her every move has been cataloged from day one (including a picture of her 'crowning' during birth!) What a nightmare- and all I could think was 'why has technology brought narcissism to such a hurl inducing level, where people feel their every f***ing move needs to be documented in the show more manner of the first man walking on the moon? And much worse- Why is no one seemingly embarrassed by this? I swear, if I see another mommy-blogger from Brooklyn or plate of food on Instagram I'm going to go postal! But I digress. If you start this book, chances are you will finish it- and very shortly into it you will realize you're in the hands of a writer who knows what she's doing. show less

Karen Rizzo's Famous Baby was a different story than I was expecting, but one I enjoyed very much. Abbie Sternberg grew up with her every moment, happy to horribly embarrassing and everything in between, shared with the world by her mother. As the First Mother of Mommy Blogging, Abbie's mother Ruth started blogging before most even knew what it was. While the blog did bring her notoriety and wealth, it drove her daughter away.

Now eighteen and finally on her own, away from her mother's show more over-sharing, Abbie is finally free. Until, that is, she learns that, in her absence, her beloved grandmother is to become Ruth's new blogging focus.

Kidnapping her grandmother is the only thing Abbie can think to do. Yet, it's not likely to make Ruth give up.

Ruth and Abbie appear to be two very different people. Abbie wants nothing more than her privacy; to live her life without its every moment part of a post or interview. Her mother, meanwhile, seems to almost need to share every moment of her daughter's life. Their relationship is complicated and, as we get farther into the story, we see some examples of why.

While Abbie's story is known - to the world and to readers - the more we learn of Ruth, the more there seems to be to her character. Whether it's that she's more oblivious and self-centered than thought at first glance, or whether there's something we (and Abbie) don't know about her, is the question.

Famous Baby does a fantastic job dealing with not only Ruth and Abbie's relationship but also Abbie's relationship with her grandmother. Through Abbie's interactions with Esther, Esther's thoughts and comments about her daughter, Ruth, and the interactions of Abbie, her friends, and Esther we see more of all the characters. Rizzo did a great job creating characters who are not what you would expect them to be. Each has depth, a unique story and something that they contribute to the story of the other characters.

Yes, this novel will make you think about possible over-sharing digitally, but more than that it will make you think about your relationships and both death and life. Though not a 'light' story, with serious issues, complex characters, and emotion, Rizzo's humor is both needed and enjoyed. show less

FAMOUS BABY by Karen Rizzo is a cautionary tale of mothers and daughters in the social media age. Ruth Sternberg is the "First Mother of Mommy Blogging," and Ruth's daughter, Abbie, feels victimized by her mother's candor with strangers. When given the opportunity, Abbie goes off the grid to reclaim her privacy, but reappears to rescue/kidnap her dying grandmother, Esther, when Ruth blogs about her plans to document Ruth's final days on her blog.

Abbie and her grandmother have a wonderful show more relationship that is not diminished at all by Esther's health and memory issues. With the help of an interesting collection of neighbors, Abbie cares for her grandmother with love--and in privacy--while Ruth frantically searches for them.

The story is told with alternating voices, primarily Abbie's and Ruth's. Abbie is an interesting and likeable eighteen-year-old, and Ruth is self-centered and terrified of being irrelevant. Both viewpoints are important to telling the full story (although Ruth is anything but likeable). However, my favorite chapter is the one in which we're privy to Esther's thoughts. This wise soul shares her take on the meaning of life, and she reveals some of her amazing secrets too.

I really enjoyed FAMOUS BABY. It was a timely story told with humor, and it contained some good life lessons. Many thanks to the publisher and LibraryThing for a copy of the book in exchange for my unbiased review. show less