What do you think?
Rate this book
2004 - Thanks for the Vodka
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 21, 2019
Brilliant!
Love Harpie. This is the 3rd book about her. How can any woman be so vulnerable and yet so resilient and strong. She is better than 1,000 heroines with guns and an attitude. Way to go, Harpie xx
Love Harpie. This is the 3rd book about her. How can any woman be so vulnerable and yet so resilient and strong. She is better than 1,000 heroines with guns and an attitude. Way to go, Harpie xx
March 9, 2016
I’ve been a fan of British humor for some time, and read much of Karl Wiggins’s work, mostly those candid reflections of his life. And then came Harpie. These diary journals are lush philosophical tales that will make you laugh and also make you cry. I don’t know about every woman, however I fell in love with the incredibly flawed yet resilient woman, and wanted her in my life. She is what many of us aspire to be – without all the heartbreak she has to endure. But it seems each horrible event in her life enhances her power to plow ahead.
Harpie keeps a thorough diary - chock full of events most would never dare write unless we did so in code only we could decipher. Yes, I’ve had some horrible relationships, even one that entailed brutality, but those details remain only in my brain for me and my therapist. But Harpie’s writings are cathartic for her, and if you can’t handle reading graphic recollections of the good, bad, and ugly, you are missing out on poignant, informative, and thought provoking tales that you will remember long after you finish the last page of this journal. I read the last few chapters slowly, wanting to keep this wild woman in my life. Yes, I know there will be more entries in her diary (a MUST!), but I am so attached to this gutsy woman, I’m ready to see her memoirs unfold on a weekly TV series. I’m not sure who would play her since her extreme surgery has her losing pounds (stones), thus the actor would be at a different weight though each recording. If this larger than life character were on TV, I think millions would be addicted and waiting for the weekly installment.
Many of Harpie’s problems are painful to read about, yet the author knows exactly when to input humor, so those who are walking alongside her won’t feel suffering as deeply as she must. Harpie makes idiotic mistakes (who doesn’t on occasion?), but is brutally honest about her life. Always trying to extinguish tiny fires she might have helped set if not sparked all on her own, her fortitude in tackling conflicts is envious.
In her upcoming journal entries, I hope her suffering is much less, I hope her relationship with both sons continues to improve, especially Carl, since Mike seems to be the more rational of the lot, but as she becomes a first time grandmother (Carl), I truly hope her personal losses are minor. Between the lines it is easy to understand Harpie is a kind human being, after all who would tolerate friends with unique personality traits, and nurture crazy animals (polecats nipping at their ankles), diplomatically handle her eldest son while he stumbles into mental maturity, and countless other deeds Harpie does, even though her sharp tongue often make her seem less charitable. Mostly, I hope she gets her s*** together and THEN finds true love. She has no problem finding men, but until she has her head on straight, those men will continue to be bad news. 2004:Thanks for the Vodka is filled with suffering and death, however, when you feel a normal person might simply go insane instead of dealing with the pain, Harpie rises and proves to be the strongest character I've even known. Undoubtedly, our lead heroine will go through more suffering in her next diary.... which will continue to strengthen her and keep us attached to her troubling revelations while rooting for her to reach a healthier state of mind.
Karl Wiggins’ humor remains solidly woven within the six hundred page trials of Harpie, but this book reveals the author in quite a different light. Wiggins loves to joke about the female anatomy and other personal things that cause some to wince, but his writing voice establishes him as a true gentleman who respects women. One cannot pen influencing material such as this without holding females in the highest regard.
Harpie keeps a thorough diary - chock full of events most would never dare write unless we did so in code only we could decipher. Yes, I’ve had some horrible relationships, even one that entailed brutality, but those details remain only in my brain for me and my therapist. But Harpie’s writings are cathartic for her, and if you can’t handle reading graphic recollections of the good, bad, and ugly, you are missing out on poignant, informative, and thought provoking tales that you will remember long after you finish the last page of this journal. I read the last few chapters slowly, wanting to keep this wild woman in my life. Yes, I know there will be more entries in her diary (a MUST!), but I am so attached to this gutsy woman, I’m ready to see her memoirs unfold on a weekly TV series. I’m not sure who would play her since her extreme surgery has her losing pounds (stones), thus the actor would be at a different weight though each recording. If this larger than life character were on TV, I think millions would be addicted and waiting for the weekly installment.
Many of Harpie’s problems are painful to read about, yet the author knows exactly when to input humor, so those who are walking alongside her won’t feel suffering as deeply as she must. Harpie makes idiotic mistakes (who doesn’t on occasion?), but is brutally honest about her life. Always trying to extinguish tiny fires she might have helped set if not sparked all on her own, her fortitude in tackling conflicts is envious.
In her upcoming journal entries, I hope her suffering is much less, I hope her relationship with both sons continues to improve, especially Carl, since Mike seems to be the more rational of the lot, but as she becomes a first time grandmother (Carl), I truly hope her personal losses are minor. Between the lines it is easy to understand Harpie is a kind human being, after all who would tolerate friends with unique personality traits, and nurture crazy animals (polecats nipping at their ankles), diplomatically handle her eldest son while he stumbles into mental maturity, and countless other deeds Harpie does, even though her sharp tongue often make her seem less charitable. Mostly, I hope she gets her s*** together and THEN finds true love. She has no problem finding men, but until she has her head on straight, those men will continue to be bad news. 2004:Thanks for the Vodka is filled with suffering and death, however, when you feel a normal person might simply go insane instead of dealing with the pain, Harpie rises and proves to be the strongest character I've even known. Undoubtedly, our lead heroine will go through more suffering in her next diary.... which will continue to strengthen her and keep us attached to her troubling revelations while rooting for her to reach a healthier state of mind.
Karl Wiggins’ humor remains solidly woven within the six hundred page trials of Harpie, but this book reveals the author in quite a different light. Wiggins loves to joke about the female anatomy and other personal things that cause some to wince, but his writing voice establishes him as a true gentleman who respects women. One cannot pen influencing material such as this without holding females in the highest regard.
November 11, 2018
Is '2014, Thanks for the Vodka' by Harpie Fact or Fiction?
FACT - To Harpie a 'spade is a spade' and she will tell it as it is, but she is also a 'people pleaser' and can be manipulated into situations, whether it be good or bad for her.
For me, one of the highlights of this book was Harpie realising that she doesn't have to settle for second best, whether it be in her love life or life in general. Families, friends, boyfriends, acquaintances play a vital role in her life but she shouldn't allow them to walk all over her. She deserves the same respect as she shows them!
Another highlight of the book, for me, was Mike taking martial art lessons to give him the confidence to stand up to the yobs who constantly make his life a living hell. -The low-life's actions have seen him hospitalised several times and caused him severe distress as he is afraid to stay at home\or leave the house alone.
FICTION - Harpie is a very talented story teller with a brilliant imagination, deserving of an Oscar.
In summary, whether '2014, Thanks for The Vodka' is fact or fiction - it makes no difference. Why? Because it is a 'must read' for anyone who enjoys having a glimpse (snoop) into the lives of others (be it a celebrity or the day-to-day person), or those who love reading gritty, fictionalised stories which are full of intrigue and suspense.
FACT - To Harpie a 'spade is a spade' and she will tell it as it is, but she is also a 'people pleaser' and can be manipulated into situations, whether it be good or bad for her.
For me, one of the highlights of this book was Harpie realising that she doesn't have to settle for second best, whether it be in her love life or life in general. Families, friends, boyfriends, acquaintances play a vital role in her life but she shouldn't allow them to walk all over her. She deserves the same respect as she shows them!
Another highlight of the book, for me, was Mike taking martial art lessons to give him the confidence to stand up to the yobs who constantly make his life a living hell. -The low-life's actions have seen him hospitalised several times and caused him severe distress as he is afraid to stay at home\or leave the house alone.
FICTION - Harpie is a very talented story teller with a brilliant imagination, deserving of an Oscar.
In summary, whether '2014, Thanks for The Vodka' is fact or fiction - it makes no difference. Why? Because it is a 'must read' for anyone who enjoys having a glimpse (snoop) into the lives of others (be it a celebrity or the day-to-day person), or those who love reading gritty, fictionalised stories which are full of intrigue and suspense.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews