The Fixer Upper

By: Mary Kay Andrews

Narrated by: Isabel Keating

Length: 14 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

The delightful New York Times best-selling author returns with a hilarious novel about one woman's quest to fix up her house and her life.

After a political scandal, fledgling lobbyist Dempsey Jo Killebrew is left almost broke, unemployed, and homeless. She reluctantly accepts to refurbish Birdsong, the old family place in Guthrie, Georgia. But, oh, is Dempsey in for a surprise. "Bird Droppings" would more aptly describe the moldering Pepto Bismol - pink dump. There's also a murderously grumpy old lady who has claimed squatter's rights and isn't moving out. Ever.

Furthermore, everyone in Guthrie seems to know Dempsey's business, from a smooth-talking real-estate agent to a cute former lawyer who owns the local newspaper. It wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the pesky FBI agents who show up on Dempsey's doorstep, hoping to pry information about her ex-boss from her. All Dempsey can do is roll up her sleeves and get to work. And before long, what started as a job of necessity somehow becomes a labor of love and, ultimately, a journey that takes her to a place she never expected - back home again.

©2009 Whodunnit, Inc. (P)2009 HarperCollins Publishers

Enjoyable Listening

Come on fellow readers! These books aren't read because they are literary masterpieces! They are just an enjoyable escape. This is my first MK Andrews book. If the others are equal to this I will defintely try another. I enjoyed the characters and the narrator did a great job. I liked that the author didn't over kill the plot. Yes, it was very predictable. Personally, I didn't care. I love chick lit! It's light and funny... a retreat from daily life.

COMFORTABLY UNCOMPLICATED CHICK LIT

There are times in my life when I cannot give a story my full attention and/or I do not have the energy to emotionally invest myself in its characters; but I still want to be entertained and I don't want to settle for mediocre writing. If you know what I am talking about and are looking for a book to fit that bill, this is a good choice.

In one form or another, we've met all of these characters before. We know the querulous old woman really has a heart of gold. We know the handsome male protagonist will always be there when the heroine needs him. And we know the heroine will, eventually, find happiness in a town full of off-beat but charming locals. We know all of this and that's what makes this book so great. You know what to expect when you pick it up and you're not disappointed when you put it down. With its clear prose and enjoyable narration, if you're looking to escape into the familiar, I think you will welcome this addition to your listening library.

Another treat from M.K. Andrews

Hilarious! Maybe more so because I was raised in central Georgia. Ms. Andrews always delivers light, fun stories with lots of true-to-life characters that make you laugh. Her characters are people that we all have known somewhere, sometime in our own pasts. Another good summer read.

Fun, complex story

Any additional comments?

This was a great book. At first I thought I wouldn't like it but unlike other books in this genre, it had several complex storylines and brilliant characters. The narrator did an amazing job, particularly with all the Southern accents. I really enjoyed listening to this book.

Just fun!

Listened to this book over the last couple of days and it was a light, fun story. It really hit home because I listened while I was fixing up my family home for new tenants. Don't expect to tax your brain -- this is just what I needed to keep my mind distracted from the tedious chores at hand.

Love this book!

In fact, I love it so much I've bought it three times -- first as a paperback, then as an audible book, then again as a paperback, after I loaned out my first copy then never got it back. No problem: if any leisure reading is worth buying three times, this one is.

"Mary Kay Andrews" is Kathy Hogan Trocheck when she's at home -- I got hooked on her after hearing her interviewed on a Canadian radio station while driving home from Vancouver BC late one night, and was impressed with her versatility as a writer, publishing in several different genres. I'd never read any of her numerous books -- 17 novels, 10 of them mysteries -- but this one is my favorite. First of all, I like make-overs, whether it's hairstyles, makeup, dresses or houses. There are several "I got fired, but inherited an old house, so I may as well fix it up" books -- see the "Orchard Mysteries" series by Sheila Connolly, also available on Audible, not to mention a whole fixer-upper series by Sarah Graves. They're all good -- but there's more "meat" in this one than most, since there's a parallel story running about how protagonist Dempsey Killebrew got taken by a clever lobbyist boss in Washington, and found herself on the front pages of the Washington Post, hung out to dry for her boss's misdeeds. And then there's Ella Kate, the irascible 80-year old termagant who's been squatting in the house, adding an extra layer of interesting oddball Southern characters who populate Guthrie, Georgia, the wide spot in the road where "Birdsong", the dilapidated mansion, sits.

Lots of things get "fixed up" in "The Fixer Upper" -- not just the house, but just about everyone involved. And if you've been putting off doing some painting, tiling or floor refinishing yourself, it works as an inspiration, too. After listening to "Jimmy" - a real estate agent who paints houses for fun -- wax lyrical about the ethereal grace involved in applying a new coat of paint to an old room, I called a painter and set about doing some 'fix-it' work myself.

Good book. But I guess I said that.

Couldn't finish it

I really wanted to like this book but I'm giving up four hours into it. I can cope with the book being slow and not much happening but the main character is naive and immature. Nothing like you'd expect a lawyer to be.

A Wonderful Surprise

After listening to a lot of dark and sinister suspense stories I decided to make up my summer reading lighter and more entertaining. Enter author Mary Kay Andrews. This is the third book of hers I have read. All have been fun, relaxing and entertaining reads. But Summer Rental proved to be even more. Perhaps it is because I come from a small town, or maybe I empathized with Dempsy's plight, but I found myself laughing out loud and intrigued by the novel's description of fixing up the old house while Dempsy fixes up her demoralized life. The characters were true to form, believable and charming. I have always been a fan of the South, my mother's people were from there. This story captured me from start to finish with just enough suspense and frustration and concern for the welfare of the lead to keep me turning pages but not having nightmares when I slept. I was sorry to have it end. Loved each character as illuminated by the narrator who did an excellent job with the dialects which are quite varied and the interpretation which was spot on and left me wanting more. I am now a confirmed Mary Kay Andrews fan and ....spoiler alert, the recipes at the end were a great bonus!

sappy and stupid

The book starts terribly, with several women under 30 complaining about older men and how unattractive they are. I nearly stopped listening at that point but I thought maybe I'd listen a little bit more, the main character is especially vapid, although we are to believe that she has gone through law school and passed the bar.

Things I did like about the book include the main character's growth, her relationship with the old lady that is a squatter in her house, and her fire and anger.

Things I did not enjoy about the book The over sexually charged men who are in their 50s being attracted to young women in their thirties in a creepy rapey way. the first sex scene was super awkward and uncomfortable as he didn't listen to her objections about being naked in front of the window even though he was clearly of an exhibitionist she was not. I also did not enjoy her father and the power that she gives him continually over her that was just weird is it something that southern women struggle with? I did finish the book and despite myself I found myself enjoying the book after the first sex scene that super duper awkward. I also got some people confused but that's because I listened and didn't read it I did not appreciate how unapologetically Confederate they were the people as the Confederacy represents hatred towards blacks, and in 2019 that doesn't fly, at least not with me.

Amusing at times

I loved Ella-Kate who is one of the best personalities I’ve come across in a book for quite some time, while the response from the FBI is a little farcical. I like a story to be realistic, but there are parts that are unrealistic, so it has a few flaws nonetheless.
When a book makes me laugh it definitely gets a big tick. There are some funny bits and it kept my interest.