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Carol E Wyer
Reviews
"Get off my lawn!" Why some older men get so grouchy. NBC News Interview
“Lots and lots of times I gasped, giggled, or just burst out laughing at so much of this – mostly because I identified with it all - and I’m sure so many other 50+ something women will too.”
- Janice Horton, author
“Interesting, informative and very, very funny. I loved it.”
- Cathy Speight, reviewer
“Love the book and the concept. It's fun, lively and light-hearted. And different!”
- Kit Domino, editor and author
Reviews from Book Review websites:
Reviews from Book Review websites:
Paige Lovitt blogcritics.org
In Surfing in Stilettos by Carol E. Wyer, Amanda Wilson is “Facing50” in both her real life and as a name in her blog. Deciding to take a year off and travel through Europe with her retired husband, Amanda blogs about her experiences.
Having to deal with a grumpy husband, who retired too soon, and a temperamental camper van named “Bertie,” Amanda has a lot to write about.
When Bertie breaks down in a hamlet in France, Amanda and Phil have to stay put while they wait for the parts to come in. Meeting a nice couple, they luck into being able to stay in quaint lodgings on their property.
When the couple has to leave the country for a family emergency, Amanda agrees to dog sit their adorable Old Ted. Amanda enjoys this idyllic life, especially because it gives her time to write.
Phil is incredibly bored and appears to be experiencing male menopause. Hoping that their relationship will survive, things get better when Phil has to go back to England to handle an emergency created by their son.
Encouraged to stay on so that she can take care of Old Ted and continue to write, Amanda makes a friend. Bibi is a beautiful wife of a wealthy man. While she presents herself as having the perfect life, things are not quite what they seem. Her efforts to drastically change her situation end up involving Amanda.
Meanwhile, Bibi enjoys Amanda’s free spirit and gift of laughter. An ex-love of Amanda’s also plays into the picture, and by sheer luck he also affects other people around her. Amanda’s life is very entertaining as she figures out what is most important to her.
As her blogs play on, Amanda’s readers offer entertaining input. So does her mother through her newfound ability to Skype. Amanda’s mom’s outrageous behavior makes for some very fun reading. Her friends also add humor to the adventure.
At the heart of this story, in spite of the humor, a great deal of wisdom is imparted. I really appreciated the depth of the story. The characters are well developed and continue to grow through their interactions with each other.
I found Surfing in Stilettos by Carol E. Wyer to be an entertaining read, and believe that it will be especially enjoyed by women who are “Facing50.” This is also a perfect selection for women’s reading groups.
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REVIEW BY OLIVERA BAUMGARTNER-JACKSON FOR READER VIEWS
No, I am not quite there yet, but the dreaded 5-0 is creeping ever closer. Therefore it was not really a stretch to feel quite connected with Amanda Wilson, the heroine of Carol E. Wyer’s “Mini Skirts and Laughter Lines.” Amanda is about to turn fifty, her husband is treating her like she’s invisible, things in her life are shifting rapidly (and mostly downwards), her moods are volatile at best and the world is not making very much sense. So what does a woman do at such a time? Well, if she’s a modern one, she starts to write a blog and tells the world about everything that drives her crazy. Yes, the Internet is the cure-all nowadays, and very quickly Amanda will get some faithful followers for her blog, who will look forward to her adventures.
Buying a bunch of new cosmetics in attempt to revert the aging process? “Meeting” an old flame online and thinking about meeting him for a little reunion? Thinking you are an empty nester, just to have your son move back in? Dealing with your rather crazy old mother, who refuses to give in to old age? Fighting moles in the garden? Weekend survival courses for the spouse? There is a story in each of those events, and Amanda’s faithful followers chime in with fantastic comments every time. Will the marriage survive?
I have greatly enjoyed “Mini Skirts and Laughter Lines.” I found the author’s writing style to be pleasantly chatty and very real, and the issues Amanda faced all too believable. The inclusion of the ever-present Internet activities made this story particularly relevant, and a good illustration of what we do or don’t know about the people we might “meet” there. Some of the revelations towards the end of the book will probably surprise you a bit, and they should serve as a serious reminder that the cyber world is truly all-inclusive.
While I did not always like Amanda’s character, she kept me amused throughout the book and I found her to be well drawn and believable. If I had my pick, I’d rather be like her amazingly quirky Mum, who was my absolute favorite throughout the book. Maybe I’ll get as brave as she was one day, and I will treat myself to a sports car as well...
“Mini Skirts and Laughter Lines” was a feel-good book and one that I would highly recommend to any woman who is even remotely battling a mid-life crisis. If Amanda could do it, we all could!
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REVIEW BY JENNY ITZCOVITZ - FEATURES EDITOR OF SIXTYPLUSSURFERS
Mini Skirts and Laughter Lines is the delightful debut novel of Carol E. Wyer. It charts the perils and pitfalls of growing old gracefully through the hilarious blog entries of a woman fast approaching her sell-by-date but determined to face fifty with humour.
Forty-nine year old Amanda Wilson and the sixteen cartons of half price soya milk now filling the shelves of her fridge have the same problem: they are all well past their best. Teetering on the brink of a maturity milestone, Amanda realises she has been so busy running her life that she’s all but given up living it.
Her newly-retired husband, Phil, spends every day at the computer trying to manage their ailing share port folio in the wake of the economic crash, but his interest in Amanda seems to be dwindling faster than their life savings. At the same time, their idle university drop-out son, Tom, stubbornly refuses to fly the nest and has buried himself under a pile of filthy washing in the family home.
And all the while Amanda’s mother is attacking her twilight years with the ferocity of a cat on heat, holding boozy Twister parties and singing Tina Turner songs at the local Karaoke night, leaving her mortified daughter more than a little jealous. Amanda doesn’t know whether to run away or drown herself in Chardonnay.
Feeling lonely, worthless and under-appreciated, Amanda decides to embrace her age and inject some fun back into her life; she sets up a blog, “Facing 50 With Humour”, to record her progress.
Uploading the bloopers and blunders that populate her day to day life onto the internet, from disastrous eye-brow shaping experiments and dubious exercise regimes to fashion mishaps and maddening diets, Amanda shares the trials of her fifty-first year with a supportive band of online followers who help her appreciate herself as a beautiful woman in her prime.
Soon Amanda is back in contact with high school sweethearts, engaging in lusty games of Facebook Scrabble and confiding in her online best friend, SexyFitChick. But as Amanda’s life online blossoms, her home life begins to collapse around her.
Who is the doey-eyed young woman she spies Phil talking to? How can she save her lovelorn son from his spiralling depression? And is her mother about to be duped into a disastrous marriage with a gold-digging Italian toy boy? Amanda must decide once and for all the direction her life will take and with whom she will make the journey. But will she be able to work out her heart’s true desires before it is too late?
In this sparkling and incisive title, Carol E. Wyer highlights the difficulties of facing fifty in the twenty-first century, a time when women of all ages are looking and feeling younger for longer. Mini Skirts and Laughter Lines draws attention to our society’s mindless denigration of older women and the shame attached to the aging process. Wyer confronts issues including the fear of loneliness, financial insecurity, fading interest in physical relationships and isolation from contemporary culture and illustrates how they have been prematurely imposed upon the elder generation.
Writing with effervescent wit and droll observation she brings to light the coping mechanisms of the lost midlife generation’s attempts to reconcile their vigorous and vibrant lifestyles with their increasing mileage. This light and entertaining book is a must-read for every woman who has ever shuddered at the thought of a birthday, be it thirty, forty, fifty or beyond. Mini Skirts and Laughter Lines portrays the fruits of mature living with hilarity and empathy and reassures that we really are as young as we feel.
I really enjoyed this hilarious novel about the trials and tribulations of getting older, facing retirement, marital strife and family relations - all set out in the style of a blog. Packed with humorous adventures and witty observations, this modern day novel has subtle tones of Bridget Jones's Diary and kept me gripped from start to finish.
As Amanda struggles with her dysfunctional family, is tempted by an old flame on facebook, and worries about her relationship with her mother and husband, there are plenty of laughs along the way. And hopefully after reading the book, many people will also be tempted to try putting up a blog or trying social media to make new friends. You might also be tempted to follow author Carol E. Wyer's official online blog!
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REVIEW IN SOLIHULL NEWS BY SHELIA GRANDFIELD CONTENTS EDITOR
Debut novel blogs to beat the boredom.
NOW the winter nights are drawing in there’s nothing better than curling up with a good book and the first novel of Solihull born Carol Wyer is a great tonic. It centres around the humdrum life of Amanda Wilson who is approaching 50 and written in the form of a daily blog that she writes to alleviate the boredom that has overtaken her life. Her newly-retired husband spends all day checking their finances on the internet and their lazy uni-drop-out son does nothing to help matters. Caught up in her own world and desperate for some excitement Amanda starts getting flirty with an old flame on a social networking site but is not sure if she has the courage to go through with it when he suggests they meet up.
Many people will be able to identify with Amanda’s predicament as even her 70-odd-year old mother seems to be having more fun than her. The blogs are written with great humour, and gallop along at a furious pace, almost Jeremy Clarkson-style at times, though still very funny, with the short chapters ideal to dip in an out of.
A recent launch party for the book on Carol’s blog attracted close to 5,000 hits from all around the world. and it had now risen into the top 30 in the Amazon Women’s Fiction charts where it has a 100% 5* review rating.
After confronting her own fears about ageing Carol left her career as a teacher and re-trained as a fitness instructor and now helps older individuals to develop good fitness.
The heroine’s story is based on Carol’s own experiences and her book is part of her mission to encourage mature women to embrace healthy and vibrant lifestyles.
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Reviews from Book Review websites:
What readers are saying:
'SURPRISES AND SNICKERS'
'Carol 'gets her writing genius on' in this book. Great way to usher the last days of summer out the door - Mini Skirts, Laughter Lines, and a glass of wine on the front porch. Take time for yourselves and indulge, ladies!' 5 star Review on Amazon - by Valerie L. Caruso
'EXCELLENT DEBUT'
'A very funny book and I feel an excellent debut from an author whose writing we can expect to see get even better as she grows in confidence. She has a tremendous sense of humour and has the ability to see the funny side of life in every day events. Keep writing Carol as I think there are many of us women of a certain age that will keep reading.' 5 Star Review on Amazon - by LindyLouMac
'VERY FUNNY READ'
'The author, Carol has a wicked sense of humour and can make you laugh out loud at the most mundane of daily activities. It's the way she tells them!' 5 Star Review on Amazon by - Dizzy C
'BRAVO!'
'Carol Wyer kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time! I laughed, I cried and was so pulled in by all the characters from this novel, even the commenters! ' 5 Star Review on Amazon by - ShaRhonda Crow
'Mini Skirts and Laughter Lines by Carol Wyer is delightful, wonderful and funny. Almost every page has me chuckling to myself or laughing out loud! It is a great read, and one you are sure to enjoy! ' 5 stars. - Darlene
'I'm still laughing' Customer Review 5 Stars
'Just finished reading Mini Skirts and Laughter Lines, fantastic, laughed all the way through!' Pam2308 on Twitter
'A brilliant light holiday read. Cleverly written as a series of blogs with a wicked sense of humour. I look forward to the sequel.' 5 Star Review on Amazon by Lord Cauliflower
'This is an excellent debut novel by Ms Wyer. I thoroughly enjoyed it - there really is a smile on every page. The main character, Amanda Wilson, is facing 50 with some trepidation. Her husband seems to have lost all interest in her, and her son is nowhere to be seen. To make matters worse, her elderly mother has jetted off to Cyprus and is having the time of her life, even managing to grab herself a toyboy! I think that women everywhere will be able to relate to this book and it would make an ideal present to give to a best friend. Put your feet up, pour yourself a glass of wine, and ENJOY! I really do hope that there will be a sequel to this book. I would certainly be one of the first ones to buy it!' - 5 Star Review on Amazon by Diane
'A WONDERFULLY WRITTEN BOOK AND A FUN READ' Customer review 5 stars
'I just finished Mini Skirts and Laughter Lines. It kept me interested the entire time and I smiled, giggled and laughed out loud throughout the entire book. I could relate to all of the situations that was and are still present in the life of Amanda. The "Mum" and lively neighbors are delightfully funny characters. But, the biggest laugh of all came with the thumbs up episode with Phil and Ethel.
Carol Wyer did a wonderful job. Her honesty is refreshing and very amusing. The core of this book is about the day to day struggles with getting older and still maintaining a sense of humor. I really don't know how to critique a book, I just know what I like and I LIKED IT! This book was a pleasure to read. I would recommend it to anyone who wants
to have a good time.' - 5 Star Review on Amazon by KT
'All a woman can look forward to at 50 is the menopause, droopy boobs and being invisible to men. So say the media.
Carol Wyer’s book of blogs initially appears to be a frivolous and vain description of Amanda Wilson’s anxieties of reaching 50. But the author also illustrates, with humour, the baggage loaded on a sensitive woman trying her best to be a good wife, mother and daughter.
Husband Phil, 59, (who can barely leave Amanda’s side) has reached a critical time in his life. He is retired and looked forward to a good income from investments after selling his business but subsequently lost money during the crash in the economy. Son Tom drops out of university, comes home, sleeps all day and is a drain of their reduced income.
Add to this the weekly toxic duty calls Amanda makes to tactless, boozy, smoking mum. And mum never liked Phil. Then add the special holiday which is ultimately a disappointment.
This is a sharp insight into the dreams and disappointments of 21st century family life. Well crafted and thought-provoking.' - Linda Ferrer, author of ‘Forever a Stranger’
'You dragged me into the detailed minutiae of this woman’s mundane life with expertise that astonishes me really.' - P D Cartwright author, and illustrator of children’s books
'Mini Skirts and Laughter Lines is a delightful read. The writer expresses her concerns about aging with honesty and humor. From her "buttocks" treatments, to her pained conversations with her mother, she gives us reason to smile--and sometimes reason to roar! ' - Eva Gallant
'Sharp witted account of hitting the big 50!
The author has some wonderful insights into daily life in general that I can identify with, all told with great, laugh out loud, humour.' 5 stars - Carol, Book Reviewer
'Excellent story, honest and with a lot of humour.' – EvaMarie
'Ms. Wyer has written a wonderful book--chock full of chuckles & chortles! I hope that this is only the first of many from this funny lady.' - Fran Fischer – Review on Smashwords
'Wow, I really enjoyed this! It was funny and real and just a good read. I love how you wrote it in blog form. If that kid was my on, he would get a smack across the head from me. I fell in love with all the characters. It shows the worries retirees go through to make sure that their future is safe and well maintained. It was well written, unique story line, creative characters.
Good work!' – Manish Kumar, author
'I cannot tell you how many times I laughed out loud to the point of tears at your sensational scenarios. You certainly hit all the points with me - the getting older, the internet roaming, the snoring husband, the son in bed. I can't tell you how funny, revealing and just plain entertainingly witty I found them. I even have a steam engine and go to rallies and found that funny too.' – Peridote, author
'This reads like a cross between Grumpy Old Women and Bridget Jones' Diary. You do have a talent for the comic. '– Tracy Fells, author
'Great voice, great writing' – Jen Greyson, author
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