The Singular Exploits of Wonder Mom and Party Girl

by Marc Schuster

Audrey Corcoran never dreamed she’d try cocaine, but a year after a bitter divorce, she meets a man named Owen Little who convinces her that a little buzz might be exactly what she needs to lift her spirits. And why not? He’s already turned her on to jazz, and no one in his circle of friends ever thinks twice about getting high. Soon, however, her escalating drug use puts a strain on Audrey’s relationship with her daughters, and she begins to sell cocaine from her home in order to subsidize her habit. At turns horrifying and hilarious, The Singular Exploits of Wonder Mom and Party Girl offers a scathing indictment of American consumer culture and the wildly conflicting demands it makes upon women.

Genres: Fiction

293 pages, Paperback

First published May 9, 2009

Reviews

[Marc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, I'm the author of this book, but I have to say that I enjoyed writing it immensely. Borrowing elements from the worlds of comic books and jazz, The Singular Exploits of Wonder Mom and Party Girl presents the story of a divorced mother whose quest to be everything to everyone exposes the dark secrets of America's suburbs.

Protagonist Audrey Corcoran never dreamed she’d try cocaine, but a year after a bitter divorce, she meets a man named Owen Little who convinces her that a little buzz might be exactly what she needs to lift her spirits. And why not? He’s already turned her on to jazz, and no one in his circle of friends ever thinks twice about getting high. Soon, however, her escalating drug use puts a strain on Audrey’s relationship with her daughters, and she begins to sell cocaine from her home in order to subsidize her habit. At turns horrifying and hilarious, The Singular Exploits of Wonder Mom and Party Girl offers a scathing indictment of American consumer culture and the wildly conflicting demands it makes upon women.

[Lavinia Ludlow · Rating 5 out of 5]

So here's the thing: how can anybody pass up a book with a title like this "The Singular Exploits of Wonder Mom and Party Girl" and with cover art like that? You just can't.

As I said in my currently-reading blurb: I've never read something with such an original and powerful voice. It's true, Mr. Schuster not only did an amazing job with the voice of his protagonist, but I give him props for his mad skills narrating through the eyes of a woman. It was very real, very natural feeling.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this piece of contemporary fiction. Very impressed by Mr. Schuster's ability to build tension, set the scene, and maintain a natural feel throughout this dialogue-driven novel.

"Kudos" to the author, and best of luck with the version coming out in 2011.

-L

Oh, and a great line went something like, "....because who needs drugs when you can tell your ex-husband to go to hell?"

[Therese · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ever wonder, in your most secret of hearts, what might happen if you, an average middle-class mom, started a casual cocaine habit? Schuster plays out this scenerio in a novel that is realistic, accessible, compelling, and funny.
This book is truly funny, and not in the trying-too-hard or absurdist way. Actually funny. It's gut-wrenchingly intimate and authentic in its small, realistic details. It's dark and ooky at places, but not to the point that you feel you're being punished for reading it. The characters, even the gross ones, are fascinating. The resolution is uncliched, but hopeful.

I just...snorted this book up. Seriously. Great book.

[Lavinia Ludlow · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Singular Exploits of Wonder Mom & Party Girl is a contemporary tale of a jaded divorcee named Audrey who raises her innocent and precocious daughters as a single mother, all while having to witness her ex-husband move on and assume the role of the “cool weekend parent.” In addition, her career involves overseeing a local coupon book’s production, ironically titled Eating Out, and she somehow finds herself herded into volunteering for the local school’s Good Shepherd Teacher-and-Parent Organization, a committee with a controversial acronym of a name. In short, Audrey is riddled with sarcasm and bitterness, nostalgic for the past, and so low self-esteemed and jaded that she doesn’t realize that her search for gratification in a relationship with a supercilious asshole, and her “just one taste” of cocaine would instantaneously launch her into full-blown addiction.
You may ask and (Marc Schuster is probably wondering) why my lazy ass dragged its feet when it came to diving into his novel The Singular Exploits of Wonder Mom & Party Girl, released by The Permanent Press May 1st, 2011. I can sum it up with a simple: its 2009 debut at PS Books wowed me to such epic proportions that I hesitated to read a revised version for fear of finding it stripped of substance.
I won’t loiter around the revisions too much seeing as The Permanent Press’ version broke the boundaries of its predecessor. The thing about Schuster is that he’s a chameleon of a writer. His writing burst with personality, even in the most brief and simple descriptions “Owen lost his virginity at fourteen to a girl with a driver’s license and a banged-up Buick Century. I lost mine in college to a boy who wrote poetry and played raspy punk songs on an un-tuned acoustic guitar.” And damnit, this guy can write: “The spare, spiky Philadelphia skyline glittered in the night and reminded me of the days when I used to dream of being a hip, young urbanite scraping by on the meager earnings of a freelance writer, and though we’d barely driven a half-hour, the sturdy old neighborhood where Owen touched down was light years away from the prefabricated neon sheen of the Golden Mile.”

Schuster presented his material brilliantly through the eyes of a whip-smart and sassy female, never relying on cliché characteristics majority of men assume all women possess. His writing is polished, professional, and reads effortlessly in this classic example of the “there’s something for everyone” tale, well-rounded with comedy, conflict, light fares of sex, drugs, and seriocomic dialogue. Take this one between Audrey and her adolescent daughter, “Are you ever going to get married again?...Because dad says you’re the kind of woman who doesn’t need a man.”

All in all, this was an entertaining read, a must-read. The fact is, Marc Schuster has one of the most refreshing voices in the contemporary literature scene, writing with a style that rivals novelists such as Joe Meno and Brad Listi. I look forward to his sophomore novel The Grievers, forthcoming in May of 2012.

[Shelf Magazine]

In a society where mixed messages are the norm, it is hard not to feel daily pangs of panic and confusion. We should save our money in case of recession, but we should spend our money to end the recession. We should lose thirty pounds, but we should take advantage of the buy-one-get-one deal at Domino’s. We should stay home with our children, but we should work at least forty hours a week. It is not surprising that over 15 million Americans suffer from anxiety disorders. Less surprising is that the majority of that 15 million is women, who are often pressured to be all things to all people (and look great doing it!). Enter Philadelphia author Marc Schuster and his debut novel The Singular Exploits of Wonder Mom and Party Girl.

Read the rest of the review in the June/July 2011 issue of Shelf Magazine. http://www.shelfmediagroup.com/staff_...

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book....I have to say, when I first received it I was a little thrown by the cover...lol...it's a great read...the characters are totally relatable ...you feel like you know them...you can see them in your friends, co-workers, family and even yourself....Thanks for the giveaway Goodreads, and thanks for the great read Marc...Bravo!! 5 stars!

[Pavarti Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

 Disclosure:
In the interest of full disclosure I must tell you two things:
1 -I received a free copy of this book as part of the good reads first copy program.  I was encouraged but not required to review (which I would have done anyway) and was not paid for my review beyond the awesomeness of having a copy of  The Singular Exploits of Wonder Mom and Party Girl on my bookshelf
2 -I knew nothing about this book when I signed up for the first copy program.  Quite honestly I was only interested in the cover art.  I mean, be honest, it fucking rocks.

 The Singular Exploits of Wonder Mom and Party Girl is a seamless story of one woman's decent into cocaine addition.  The book begins with Audrey Corcoran, the recently divorced mother of two who is just trying to keep it all together.  Her dream of what her life should be has been shattered and the stress of living up to both real and imagined expectations is more than anyone should be expected to bear.  But she is doing it.  Her love for her children and dedication to providing them with a good life makes her relate-able in a way that I was frankly surprised by.  Not only is Schuster surprisingly insightful but he makes his characters so real it was shocking to see that this story was written by a man.  Yes, I know that's my own prejudice shining through, but he was able to articulate the emotions and pain of a mother in a way that I, as a stressed out over sensitive mother, am not.  This, I believe, speaks to the incredible talent and empathy of the author and bodes well for all of his future endeavors.

Audrey is tempted, but declines, the escape of drugs multiple times before a new relationship (Owen Little) and external stresses convince her that it won't hurt to try.  In a completely understandable, if not regrettable, moment of weakness Audrey submits to her desire for release in the form of cocaine.  Schuster's choice of drug was odd to me, I was expecting Crystal Meth or something more mainstream, but cocaine proves to be the absolute right venue for Audrey's downfall.  The road from casual user, to addict, to distributor, to overdose flows so easily it seems like common sense.  As Audrey tells herself that this is stupid we are pulled into her emotional confusion and addiction so that even we, the external observer, begin to think that one more line, one more hit makes perfect sense.

By the time things have gotten completely away from Audrey and the consequences of her actions are so overwhelming I was so caught up in her journey that I found myself aching with the desire to save her.  But as with all addicts, the only one who can save her is herself.  The subplots of "Captain Panther" (I swear to god that's his name and he is equal parts annoying, sweet, lovable and infuriating), Melinda, and Goat Boy come together to create a three dimensional world in which Melinda struggles to survive but gets pulled under by the current.

In the end Audrey's life has spiraled so far away from when it began it's difficult to believe.  Objectively the story is impossible.  But when told with the smooth easy story telling of Schuster, by the end, it is completely natural.  In this way I believe that The Singular Exploits of Wonder Mom and Party Girl tells a story which is often judged and misunderstood: how life, the simple living of it, can push someone over the edge and into chaos.

I highly recommend this book, both from a literary perspective, because it is well crafted, and from an emotional enjoyment perspective.  By the end I was Audrey and her pain was my pain and her struggle was my struggle.  I cried as she broke and I laughed as she survived.

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel is the first for Marc Schuster. It is a very good story about a woman whose comfortable, if boring, life slowly devolves. The story is told in a non-linear fashion. This is a good technique when handled properly. My only knock against the book is that it tends to jump around the timeline a bit too much. As you begin each chapter you need to work out exactly where you are, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but can be distracting at times. The characters are well-developed and the dialogue between the principals is contemporary without being gratuitous or hollow. The story, even though non-linear, is moved along at a proper pace with no distractions or tangents. The ending is almost abrupt, but handled well. There are no loose strings. We know where the principals stand at the end and can reasonably conclude where they're going. Pardon my caginess, but I don't want to give too much away.
I attended high school with Marc and have had the pleasure of reading his work for a long time. He was voted "Best Writer" of our senior class, an honor for which there were no serious challengers. He obtained the PhD in English from Temple University and teaches English and Composition at Montgomery County Community College.
I am biased. I enjoy nothing more than seeing former classmates strive to do great things and publishing a novel certainly reaches that level in my eyes. But that bias only goes so far. If the story didn't hold water or if the narrative failed to live up to my expectations I would not give it the rating I did and would have said precious little about the work.
The story is a good one well told. The flaws in the narrative are few and nothing that can't be easliy overcome by a writer of Marc's ability. As much as I enjoyed this work, I look forward to his next.

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonder Mom Audrey juggles two daughters, a chaotic workplace in need of a workplace mom, and an ex-husband who just might invite her to his wedding, with unending patience and skill and a desperate need to escape. Somewhere between “no one appreciates me” and “let me out of here” is the dull quiet voice of temptation. And after all, how can you really take a stand against something if you’ve never experienced it, just once, just as an experiment, just because you’re tired of being goody-goody and always saying “no”?

Wonder Mom Audrey continues to be a wonder far into her fall, while Party Girl worms her way into her psyche. Marc Schuster’s novel, Wonder Mom and Party Girl is way more fun than it has any right to be, with laugh-out-loud dialog, zany situations, wise daughter and crazy daughter watching while wise mom turns crazy, and nobody that matters seeming to guess what’s going on. Audrey’s life tumbles into chaos while she still seems completely in control. And selling a little cocaine to pay the bills is surely no big crime, not in this American suburbia of excess, excessive demands, and a scent not quite of roses. Still, the reader laughs, though guiltily, till the final blow falls. And then…?

I couldn’t imagine how the author would finish such a book. But when I finished reading I knew the ending was perfect, the pathos just right and a natural antidote to the guilt of earlier humor, the danger achingly portrayed, and the consequences of falling all too real. This book’s almost scarily true to life, witty, biting, and wonderfully balanced, with a female protagonist who every harassed mom will identify with, at least in part.

Disclosure: I received a bound galley of this book from the Permanent Press in exchange for an honest review and was, as always, honestly delighted at the chance to read.

[Kathy Chase · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a mother and a child of the drug culture of the 60's, I found this book to be a fascinating read. Marc Schuster captures that constant internal battle that most mothers experience, the battle between, "I want my children to have everything I never had in a mother." and "What about me and my life? When do I get to have some fun?"
To observe the lives depicted in this book is to watch a train wreck, horrifying yet fascinating. Audrey Corcoran, the main character has been living a typical suburbsn life, until her husband divorces her. The aftereffects are confusing and devastating to Audrey and her two girls. Audrey, who has always been a "good girl" and played by the rules, begins to question her role in life. Some of her friends and acquaintances have been introduced to cocaine, a "feel good" drug that has infiltrated the suburbs in the 80's. As she begins to experiment, shr finds she has more energy to be the perfect mother, and so she continues until she needs the drug to feel well enough to be a mother at all.
The Singular Exploits of Wonder Mom and Party Girl is written with a light hand. There are as many places to laugh out loud as there are places to shed a tear. Every reader will find places to empathize, sympathize and stand in judgement, but none will fail to connect in some way.

[Erin O'Riordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

First rule of parenting: you don't use drugs in front of your kids. Especially if you're the one member of the parent-teacher association charged with running the school's Just-Say-No program.

Audrey Corcoran is blindsided when her husband of ten years leaves her for a much-younger, thinner woman named Chloe. Desperate not to lose her young daughters the way she lost Roger, Audrey decides to get in touch with her fun side. Her adventures lead to her try cocaine, against her better judgement. In this tragicomic novel, Audrey copes with life on and off drugs.

I'm always a little amazed when a male author paints such a touching and realistic portrait of a woman's life. Scott Simon did it for 17-year-old Irena Zaric in Pretty Birds, and Marc Schuster does it for 30-something Audrey Corcoran. Thanks to Desperate Housewives, the suburban mom secretly on drugs may be something of a cliche, but Schuster never allows Audrey's life to become a caricature or a morality play. He simply gives her 292 pages to be her Super Mom & Party Girl self, and readers will be grateful for that.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The dialogue was real, and I laughed out loud many times! It's great to be able to read a book and connect with the setting, so that you become even more involved in the characters...The wit and dry humor of the main character made you love her in spite of poor choices and the (unfortunately) common story of suburban life in the fast lane. It was a great commentary on what drives some perfectly good, intelligent people to live life on the edge of disaster. Had to read through to the end, even if it meant some very late nights during grading season!

[Washington Centerville Public Library · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book. The title, the cover, and the description of the book all made me incredibly eager to read it. Ultimately, though, I found that following the fall of a single mom into a life of cocaine addiction and dealing was more depressing than it was funny. The writing wasn't bad; it just wasn't enough to overcome the story. I'd recommend it to fans of Francince Prose's "My New American Life." /acs

[Missy Miller · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, at least it re-inforced my long held belief that cocaine turns you into an a-hole and wrecks your life. This book was sort of a flat liner - but it entertained me. Toward the end it took a more serious turn and in juxtaposition with the relative lightweight of the entire story it made the whole book look bad. It did have some great passages of pop-culture commentary on our consumer culture which I loved. I may want to check out his non-fiction.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was a familiarity about this book because I grew up in Delaware County and lived on The Golden Mile when I first got married. I spent many a birthday party at Chuck-e-Cheeses. Aside from that, the book was well-written. I advise keeping the chronology in order. The story doesn't necessitate flashbacks really.

[Amos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tale about a straight laced mother of two who slowly looses herself, and all she loves, to the devil's dandruff...a.k.a the white tiger...a.k.a......cocaine. Is redemption possible? Hmmmmmm.... Familiar themes (ain't all drug tales?), but refreshingly told. Not bad for this gentleman's first novel. 3 1/2 stars, yo. Shakeitup....

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book through a Goodreads give-away and really enjoyed reading it. It is about a recently divorced goody-goody mom who ends up with a cocaine addiction. It was interesting to see her life slowly get turned upside down as she tried so hard to remain the perfect mother.

[Jeff Siperly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tried too hard to be edgy - honestly early Showtime's Weeds did it much better. Events happened way too fast in the lead character's life. And supporting characters were way too cool - but they weren't. Shame, cause I really liked The Grievers.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

ok so this book started out as if it would be a lot of fun and then it fell flat. maybe fun wasn't the point. in any case, if you want to read something fun, don't read this. read something that's not this.

that said, it was well-written, sad, ridiculous, and adult.

[Stephanie Haefner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Keeps you interested and wanting to read more...

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book about being addicted to cocaine and the lengths one will go to for a high. This book was won in the firstreads giveaway.

[Blaise Dierks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did not finish. I liked the idea of the book but once I started reading it just depressed me.

[August McLaughlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! You can check out my interview with the author here:http://augustmclaughlin.wordpress.com...

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

20120910 Read for a CSUEB graduation requirement class (Women and Literature).

[Jana · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's even cooler cause I know the author!