Mr. & Mrs. American Pie

By: Juliet McDaniel

Narrated by: Sarah Mollo-Christensen, Jonathan Todd Ross

Now an Apple TV+ limited series called Palm Royale, starring Kristin Wiig, Ricky Martin, and Laura Dern

"Sarah Mollo-Christensen and Jonathan Todd Ross perfectly narrate this hilarious story.... Mollo-Christensen instills smugness and frustration with every huffy stream of profanity that comes from Maxine. Ross voices Robert in a calm and collected tone and gives an adolescent neighbor excited bursts of speech. Maxine builds an unlikely family while working toward her goal of winning a pageant. Hers is a delightfully vivid journey with expertly voiced characters." (AudioFile magazine)

Narrators Sarah Mollo-Christensen and Jonathan Todd Ross bring Juliet McDaniel's first novel to vivid Technicolor life with the banter of a zany, screwball comedy.

It's 1969 and Palm Springs socialite Maxine Simmons is planning a Thanksgiving feast to rival Nixon's stealthy maneuvers in the White House and Neil Armstrong's walk on the moon. With a catered menu to die for and a dining room that looks like it's been ripped from the glossy pages of a magazine, her entrance to high society is all but assured.

Then comes the humiliation of being dumped by her husband of 17 years for his 22-year-old secretary. Banished to Scottsdale, Arizona, the disgraced Maxine languishes in exile. Inspired by a stolen copy of Napoleon's bio from the local library, she suddenly gets an idea of how she can win it all back. First she must transform this nondescript condo into her own fabulous Elba. Then the determined divorcee sets her sights on the Mrs. American Pie Pageant, so she can be declared the best wife and mother in all the land.

The only hitch? She doesn't have any children, or even a husband. Undaunted, Maxine sets out to create her own perfect family and win the comeback crown of her dreams. No wonder Big Little Lies actress Laura Dern calls Maxine "a gorgeously messy and misguided heroine." Like the Pink Lady cocktails she tosses back and the blue convertible she drives around town, Maxine's redemption is a screamingly hilarious detour that's colorful, tart, and refreshingly sweet.

©2018 Juliet McDaniel (P)2018 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"A gorgeously messy and misguided heroine. I love this story." (Laura Dern)

"The perfect blend of salty and sweet." (Booklist, starred review)

"Hilarious." (Refinery29)

Fun read!

I came to this book after watching Palm Royale on Apple TV. Loved the show and wanted to see if there was a book… there was! I was surprised and initially somewhat disappointed that the book wasn’t more similar to the show, but I stuck with it and thank goodness! It was such a great read. There are some of the same characters (similar to the show, but with different archs) and some new, lovable ones. I supposed they’re not new as the book was the inspiration for the show, however. I just recently saw that the show got renewed for a second season and I’m thinking that the books storyline might have more in commons with season 2 of Palm Royale. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and highly recommend it.

Funny and sweet

This was a fun listen. Good performance and a great story. Not violent, sad, or raunchy. Funny and entertaining. Everything I like in a book.

So much language

I really liked this story. I gave it four stars because there was so much cussing.

Entertain

Love it… it was entertaining and, funny, also at the same time about love and family

Hilarious

If you’re looking for a good laugh and a light hearted story, this is a great listen! I was cracking up at every adventure, and every other line!