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Queen of the Oddballs: And Other True Stories from a Life Unaccording to Plan
Unavailable
Queen of the Oddballs: And Other True Stories from a Life Unaccording to Plan
Unavailable
Queen of the Oddballs: And Other True Stories from a Life Unaccording to Plan
Ebook302 pages3 hours

Queen of the Oddballs: And Other True Stories from a Life Unaccording to Plan

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

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Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this ebook

A hilariously offbeat memoir about an adventurous young woman's escapades as she defies conventions and transforms an ordinary Los Angeles life into a star-studded, extraordinary miracle of self-discovery.

Queen of the Oddballs forms a chronology of Hillary Carlip's habitual straying from roads more traveled -- from a wisecracking third-grader suspended from school for smoking (while imitating Holly Golightly) to a headline-making teen activist, juggler and fire eater, friend (NOT "fan") of Carly Simon and Carole King, grand prize-winning Gong Show contestant, cult rock star, and seeker of spiritual and romantic truths that definitely defy expectations.

Illustrated with ephemera -- from diary entries and photographs to a handwritten letter from Carly Simon -- Queen of the Oddballs presents a virtual time capsule of pop culture's last four decades and celebrates a creative life lived to the hilt.

LanguageEnglish
PublisherHarperCollins
Release dateOct 13, 2009
ISBN9780061877735
Unavailable
Queen of the Oddballs: And Other True Stories from a Life Unaccording to Plan

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Reviews for Queen of the Oddballs

Rating: 3.8986486297297303 out of 5 stars
4/5

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Memoir of a life NOT according to plan. From age 8 to mid-40s, Hilary tries on multiple personae in an effort to feel that "it's enough." Finally discovering she, herself, is more than enough.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    A funny, quick read. I loved reading about her and her time with Carly Simon and the weeks upon weeks she spent trying to meet Carole King. The chapter about the Cotillion is quite funny as well. She definitely marched to the beat of her own drum and that is an admirable quality. The beginning of each chapter also has a time line of events that took place for that particular year. This is an interesting touch. A quick read, would be great for a day at the beach because it doesn't require a lot of thinking. Definitely a memoir worth reading if you like the quirkier side of life.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    What a wild ride Hillary had for a life! A very engaging book, humorous and touching.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I picked this up at 6pm and when I looked at the clock, it was 3am and I'd finished. Hillary Carlip is completely posessed/ blessed with the knack of making real-life 'unputdownable'. (It probably helps that she's had an incredibly off-beat and interesting life.) The only thing that disappointed me was a sense of bitterness that appeared out of the blue in the final chapters - perhaps it was her relevation about why her relationships were such disaster zones, but it did feel a little uneven. Still, she's a fantastic writer and this made me feel nostalgic for a time and places I've never experienced in my own life...I straight away wanted to re-read 'A girl's guide to taking over the world', AND find a copy of 'Girl Power'. Oddball = awesome.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A really fun and off the wall memoir. A little oddball who puts her talent to good use. It didn't take me long to read and I just didn't want to put it down. I want to make some banana bread and sit down and talk with her....
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A fun, funny and entertaining read. I liked all the celebrity anecdotes and thought Hillary's adventures were very fun to read about. It's a quick, easy read and a pretty good one at that.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Purposely slowed down reading this book to make it last until 2007. Wanted the first book on the list for the year to be this one,
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This book was a quick but fun read. It contained very interesting facts aobut different eras and a lot of celebrity encounters. I think I like Laurie Notaro a LOT better than Hillary, but overall, it was a fun read!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Hillary Carlip's account of her extremely un-ordinary life was amusing and fun to read, but it dragged a bit in places (especially the screenplay chapter - I thought it would never end!). She made me laugh out loud in several places. Definitely a fun way to spend an evening.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Hillary Carlip seems to have spent her life searching for her own way to stand out, while trying on various methods to see if they suit her. The amazing part is that most of them did indeed suit her, so she has a lot of great stories to tell.