Improper English

If I'm not mistaken, this is Katie's first contemporary. It's not quite as solid as her more recent ones, but she definitely already had the "voice" down and an amazing gift for humor.

Alix is a young woman at a crossroads. She's failed at marriage, failed at every job she's tried, definitely failed to win her mother's approval or respect. So now she's decided to become a novelist. Her mother has paid her rent for 2 months in an apartment in London, on the condition that she write--and finish--a book. If she does, her mother will support her for a year to get herself established. If she doesn't, well, her grandmother (grandfather? I'm fuzzy on this--it's only mentioned once) needs tending.

She's determined to make it work, but she's show more insecure about it, so she asks everyone--and I mean everyone--their opinion on her chapters. Most of the chapters in Improper English begin with a snippet of what she's currently writing, and it's mostly hilariously bad. The opinions she gets don't help any, either.

Complicating matters, Alix's landlady Isabella wants to set her up with "the perfect man," Karl, but Alix instead has major sparks going with her neighbor, Scotland Yard inspector Alex. (There's a cute, understated exchange regarding their similar names, then the subject is dropped.)

Alix is a combination of bravado and insecurity, and has a habit, as do many of MacAlister's heroines, of blurting out whatever pops into her mind. Alex, on the other hand, is serious and staid. They bring out the best in each other, but Alix's insecurities make her jump to conclusions and keep her from getting too close.

Humor is definitely MacAlister's strong suit, and I started laughing aloud on the first page, and chapter 3 had me laughing until I cried. There were a couple of things that didn't quite work--Isabella's habit of getting names wrong, for example: it didn't go anywhere. More could also have been made of Alix/Alex, though I did love the one time it was addressed. But... see above, re: "first contemp." I'm not going to complain too much.

Alix was a nicely complex heroine. She did grate on me once or twice, with her insistence that they had to break up, and most particularly when she was angry that Alex didn't put her ahead of his job (he had a valid reason not to at the time). However, it was realistic, and fit with her character, and I loved how her character grew and developed throughout the course of the book.

Alex wasn't quite as well developed, but then, this was Alix's story.

Another theme that pops up in MacAlister's work is the displaced heroine. I've never been to England (yeah, I know. and yeah, I've seen the Ryan Air prices.), but I've lived for 12 years in a country where I'm not a native, and Alix's situation did resonate with me quite a lot. She manages the contrasts between American and Brit with a lot of humor and honesty, and (though I'd like to hear from someone from England about this to see if it's just my impression) without insulting either side.

Bottom line: A fast, funny, feel-good read. There's a reason Katie Mac's on my must-buy list. show less

Alix has two months to write a book and prove to everyone she has what it takes to be a writer. Scotland Yard Inspector Alex accusing her of breaking and entering is not helping things.

You either like Katie MacAlister's books or you don't. I do. I like her humor, her heroines, and the incredible supporting characters she comes up with. Her books are fun, light reads.

Alex is insecure but determined to get what she wants - a published book. Alex is afraid of commitment but wildly attracted to her neighbor (also named Alex) who is interested in a serious relationship. There were some funny moments when Alexandra manages to get uptight Alexander to do something out of character - but I lost patience with Alex's hangups when she seemed to self sabotage over and over. Entertaining but nothing special.

Improper English

I Picked Up This Book Because: Random selection from my never ending TBR list, meant to read at night instead of the uber creepy book I was also reading.

The Characters:

Alexandria “Alix” Freemar: American in London to get a jump start on restarting her life as an author
Alexander “Alex” Black: Detective Inspector “so many nicknames” of the Scotland Yard. He has the patience of a saint and I need to find a man just like him.
Isabella, Karl, Daniel, Ray, Bert and other assorted neighbors and friends

The Story:

Alix is a study in living with all your emotions up front and ready to view. It’s rather endearing to me and Alex obviously finds this attractive. It never ceased to amuse me when their friends recognized show more the way Alix could pull out Alex’s emotions thus proving to be great partner for him. This book overall was fun with a small side of heartbreak. Katie has a way of writing stories that I look back on with joy.

The Random Thoughts:

3 Stars show less

I thoroughly enjoyed the first 2/3rds of this book. At the beginning of the chapter Alix reads part of the novel she is writing to anyone who happens to be nearby and the horrible '80s purple prose had me laughing out loud.
But then Alix started to behave incredibly selfish and childish. I understand why her character was written that way, but to my taste it was overdone. So much so that I ended up disliking her and wondering what on earth Alex saw in her.
All in all it went from 4 to 2 stars.

2.5 stars
Fun, quick, laughable, a bit ridiculous, perhaps a nice beach read.
I was held hostage by this unreliable, sarcastic, insecure, slightly crazy heroine. She dreams of being a writer but writes the most ridiculous story. It's so awful. She reads passages of it to everyone, everyone she meets on the street ! She is in England on her mothers dollar to realize her dream and prove to her mother she is 'something' (yes, she's that insecure) She moves into a apartment building filled with quirky, wonderful people who become important to her growth. One tenant becomes her focus for a romantic adventure. He is her opposite, secure, focused and conservative. They battle through the relationship, at times it becomes ridiculous with some show more of her comments and actions.
I found this book had some very funny moments, some completely ridiculous actions, rude behavior, unbelievable romance, and yet had some great side characters. I hated how they all bent down to her rude, ridiculous behavior. I just didn't like her, couldn't cheer her on, and wished they would all just let her go. She was rude to her mother, her friends, to anyone. show less

I loved this book. Katie MacAlister never disappoints me - realistic characters, smart funny lines, and good times.
To give you a taste, here's a quote:

after consulting the paracetamol package and deciding I didn't really need my kidneys as much as I needed to be able to blink without flinching, [I:] downed a couple more of the painkillers. That was followed by a half-hour's worth of yoga, most of which was spent in the Flattened Roadkill position---that's lying prone on the floor while breathing very, very carefully (moan as you inhale, groan as you exhale).