Fishbowl

Rating:
Summary: engaging look at the lifestyle of twentyish single females
Review: When you are young and near the bottom of the employment ladder, renting an apartment in downtown Toronto can be quite a slice of one's income. Individuals can go it alone if they do not mind skipping three meals a day. However, when three incomes split the rent and utilities suddenly the costs are not just bearable, there is some cash for other things.

Allie, Emma, and Jodine become roommates with the immediate reactions being less expense and more clothing to share though Allie is a petite and much shorter than the other two. However, the trio quickly learns the downside of rooming as every move they make someone is watching and every trait they contain grates on someone's nerves. Each member residing inside this FISHBOWL begins to take a close look at her personality through the other two sets of eyes, as the shortcomings appear very undesirable.

This is an engaging look at the lifestyle of twenty something-single females. The story line rotates first person narration between the three roommates so readers watch unfold the same event from an entirely different perspective as each character brings interpreting baggage to the observation. The problem with this novel is the prime traits often displayed by the trio leaves the reader indifferent as Allie turns from naïve cute to irritating just fell off the turnip truck, Jodine appreciates nothing especially her roommates and men, and Emma is a selfish user. Still, fans of chick lit will enjoy the insightful look at group dynamics done so well by Sarah Mlynowski.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully entertaining
Review: Funny, witty and entertaining. Mlynowski has done it again!

Rating:
Summary: Refreshing
Review: Displaying brilliance through her characterizations, Ms. Mylnowski one-ups herself and gifts readers with a second book that is even better than her first Red Dress Ink offering (Milkrun). She uses four distinct voices--omniscient narrator and three different 1st person points of view--to tell a story that is a nice change from the recent rash of diary-style books. Not that I don't enjoy the diaries, but it's nice to see someone try something different. Although the three heroines have many annoying character traits, they are fascinating to get to know. Even if the reader doesn't like them, he or she will likely admire Ms. Mylnowski's ability to make three women of a similar age and situation sound so different from one another. Ms. Mylnowski throws these three strangers together in an apartment, challenges them with disaster, then shows with humor and sympathy how they learn to work as a team while maintaining their own habits and dealing with their exasperation with one another. She also gives a realistic picture of romance in today's times. Highly entertaining, a cut above many of today's women's fiction books.

Rating:
Summary: Peer into the Fishbowl
Review: Allie, Jodine and Emma are not your typical roommates living in Toronto. Allie is a naïve, sweet virgin who believes her childhood sweetheart Clint is her soul mate. Emma is the fowl-mouthed,..., smoking fashion designer who recently dumped her controlling boyfriend Nick. Jodine is a list-making phobic who keep sleeping with her fellow law student Manny, because well...he's there.
Having roommates means living in a fishbowl for these three women. When an accidental fire (the mystery is who set it...) leads to big repair bills, these girls need to bond together to raise some money. They throw parties and give "How To Pick Up Women" seminars. But can these three very different girls ever become friends?
The novel was freshly written in three different first-person perspectives along with one sarcastic omniscient narrator. Although these characters sometimes come across as unsympathetic, I found myself identifying with their character traits and falling in love with them anyway. Also, there were many laugh out loud "I can't believe she just said that" moments!

Rating:
Summary: So this is why I live alone...
Review: This book is HILARIOUS!!! The dynamics between these three girls, and the way that they work together so well within the story despite their obvious differences makes for a fantastic tale!

I will say that I thought the ending could have been fleshed out a little better than it was, but on the whole I thought it was great.

My favorite parts of the book were the chapters where the "omniscient narrator" told the story. (Normally each chapter is told from the perspective of one of the roommates.) The voice of this narrator was so snide and to-the-point that you couldn't help but laugh out loud at the turns of events!

Two BIG thumbs up!!!

Rating:
Summary: Funny and Quirky Read!
Review: I first came across Sarah Mlynowski by reading Girl's Night In, an anthology of women's writers which contained a story by her. I loved her writing and the short story, so I quickly looked to pick up one of her novels. Fishbowl was actually the second one I read by Sarah Mlynowski (Monkey Business being the first) and I absolutely loved it! I'm not sure if it can be an all-time favorite of mine, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and look foward to picking it up again, which is a good sign! The characters were diverse and funny. The atmosphere made me remember my college roommate experiences, both fondly and not-so-fondly! But, I wouldn't mind living with the roommates in this book (at least through the pages of a novel). Everything, from the apartment fire to the bar parties to raise money, just seemed so light-hearted, you couldn't be upset for them, you just would rather laugh along with them. And I love books like that! Also, it's worthwhile to note that Mlynowski's style of writing - alternating between the 3 roommates and the all-knowing overseer and narrator's points of view - is a really great idea! It keeps things fresh and different! Overall, I definitely recommend this book! (and her others!)

Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: I happened to see this title on a fellow amazoner's list of recommendations and picked it up at the library. I'm so glad I did! I loved it!

This story revolves around the lives of three 20-something roommates - Allie, Jodine and Emma. The girls, all very different, begin living together without knowing each other. Without giving away too much plot, there is something that happens shortly after they all move in which makes the gals need to earn some money. As they try to accomplish their goal, time progresses and readers get to know each gal individually as well as the people around them.

While I couldn't relate to all three roommates, I loved reading about their interactions with each other, men, family members and friends. This book was a bit longer than ones I normally read but I didn't mind. The ending left me satisified and wondering if there will be another book with these characters in the future. I would read it for sure. I highly recommend Fishbowl!

Rating:
Summary: How to deal with roommates? (3 1/2 stars)
Review: A little more original than the boy-meets-girl chick-lit, this story is about three roommates who couldn't be more different.
But speaking of men...

Emma is very friendly (especially where males are concerned) and she keeps going back to her jerk boyfriend, Nick, hmmm...until someone new comes around.

Jodine is the law student, no frills, uptight, and not all that emotional. She has been off and on again with Manny, who she couldn't care less about, but he worships the ground she walks on.

Allie is the one they move in with. She is the 22 year old virgin, who is chasing after Clint, assuming that he is her "soulmate." He has other ideas.

The reason that this story is different, is because it doesn't center on single girls, looking for love (though one of them finds it.) It all starts when there is an accidental fire in the kitchen that gets out of control and the roomies need many thousands of dollars to get out of this predicament. (No one has renters insurance)
They decide to throw parties at a local bar and get to keep some of the proceeds, depending on how many people they can get to come.

They throw three parties in all (Halloween, New Year's, and Valentine's Day) and in those three parties, their lives, and they way they look at each other, will change.

I liked the story because it moves fast, especially the more you read. Towards the beginning, I was trying to get through it. Usually, when you read a story about multiple characters, (and some extra characters thrown in) you don't care, much less remember, who is involved. But, I was able to follow all of the stories with no problem.

Having said that...why didn't I give it more stars? For starters, it's very long. 360 pages long. If a book is going to be that long, it has to hold my interest throughout.
I had a problem with the omniscient narrator. Sometimes, the author would go on random tangents that had nothing to do with the story. It was probably a tactic where she was trying to be funny, but it just didn't "fit." It bothered me when the book was switching chapters back and forth between the characters. Like I mentioned above, I didn't have a problem following it, but, like other reviewers, the characterizations were not always consistent. Allie was completely irritating to the roomates, but on her own, in her chapter, she didn't bother me at all. All of them seemed different from chapter to chapter.

I liked Milkrun better, but I did enjoy this one.

Rating:
Summary: Not so easy
Review: I had a tough time getting in to this book. The main reason was due to having difficulty identifying with the characters. As the author developed the characters and I journeyed through their crazy events, I enjoyed the book more and more. In the end it was a cute tale.

Rating:
Summary: Best book
Review: I was going through amazon and fell upon Sarah Mlynowski. I was so glad I bought the book. I think I finished it in a week. Honestly I could've finished it in a day but I just anted to keep the excitement and laughs going. I think that readers will find themselves in every one of the characters. The story never gets boring and there are never too many details that make you want to pull your eyes out. I suggest that everyone buys this. My next book will definatly be Milkrun. Can't wait to get my hands on it!!!