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The Quality of Life Report
The Quality of Life Report
Author: Meghan Daum
Meghan Daum's unforgettable debut novel brings her sharp wit and courageous social commentary to the story of Lucinda Trout, a New York television reporter in search of greener pastures. Moving to the slower-paced, friendly, and vastly more affordable Midwestern town of Prairie City, Lucinda zealously creates a series of televised reports for he...  more »
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ISBN-13: 9780142004432
ISBN-10: 014200443X
Pages: 336
Rating:
  • Currently 3.1/5 Stars.
 20

3.1 stars, based on 20 ratings
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover, Audio Cassette
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

luluinphilly avatar reviewed The Quality of Life Report on + 367 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
When I read the blurb for this book I thought it was similar to my life. I worked on the East Coast and relocated to the Southwest. But that's the end of the similarity. I guess it's an okay book but why do authors think cliches and stereotypes are the way to go? You could really see the developments happening before they did. Also, why do people repeat the back-cover description instead of giving an honest review? I would like an opinion, not something that came off the back of the book. Stop the insanity! If you didn't read the book, don't write about it! Sounds fair, doesn't it?
reviewed The Quality of Life Report on
Helpful Score: 1
a good "get away from it all" read
Willowgirl avatar reviewed The Quality of Life Report on + 294 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
the simple life never looked so complicated.
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reviewed The Quality of Life Report on + 7 more book reviews
This book was not as good as I thought it would be.
reviewed The Quality of Life Report on
I thought this book was alright, but I didn't think there was really an arc to the plot. The story is as cliche as they come- jaded New Yorker seeks a simpler existence in a small town, but ends up with a much more complicated one. There are some funny parts to the book, but most of it consists of the main character, Lucinda Trout, moaning about the mess she's made of her life and drinking cheap wine. I just had a hard time believing that a character with so much self-awareness would act as she did. All of the other characters are so heightened, it seems very odd that the main character is the only one who thinks and speaks like a regular person. There are so many late 90's/early aughts cultural cliches in the book that it already seems utterly dated seven years after its publication date. If it had only aimed to be a vacation read and had displayed more whimsy, I would have enjoyed it, but the author's attempts to inject it with substance and depth felt forced and clumsy. Disappointing.


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