Review by Booklist Review
When Lucy Bloom is hired by Will Meier to help his mother, famed painted Marva Meier Rios, clean out her house, she knows it won't be an easy task. Marva is a hoarder, with rooms filled to the ceiling with piles of belongings, but Lucy needs the job after paying for a pricey rehab facility for her teenage son, Ash, whose drug addiction has spiraled out of control. Marva proves a prickly customer, avoiding sorting through her things with Lucy and snapping at Lucy when she dares to take initiative. The job becomes even more complicated when Lucy is compelled to call on her ex-boyfriend Daniel for help selling some of Marva's collectibles. When Ash abruptly leaves rehab, Lucy is forced to confront how his addiction came between her and Daniel, even as she grapples with the shocking discovery of Marva's real motivation for getting rid of her possessions. A moving look at the dangers of holding on to both objects and one's misconceptions, Smolinski's third novel will draw readers in through her flawed but sympathetic characters.--Huntley, Kristine Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In Smolinski's heartfelt newest (after The Next Thing On My List), Lucy Bloom, a personal organizer, is desperately trying to get her life back on track. After getting dumped, she had to sell her home in order to finance her 19-year-old son Ash's stint in rehab; now Lucy is sharing a bedroom with a friend's toddler. In order to make a little money, she accepts a peculiar assignment: famed reclusive painter and hoarder Marva Meier Rios wants to clear out most of her possessions before her 65th birthday. Despite initiating the project, Marva is extremely reluctant to relinquish her belongings. Desperate, Lucy brings in ex-boyfriend Daniel, a collectibles enthusiast who treats Marva's things with an appropriate amount of respect. As the artist begins to open up and let go, Lucy and Daniel learn about Marva's complicated past and troubling secrets, and start to realize that even they might have relics holding them back-from one another and moving forward. Smolinski gracefully balances lighthearted humor with insightful musings on addiction, mortality, nostalgia, and affection, making this an entertaining and touching read. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Review by Library Journal Review
Smolinski's (The Next Thing on My List) latest novel revolves around two completely different women brought together under unordinary circumstances. Lucy is broke and homeless, as she has sold everything to pay for her teenage son's rehab. Hired as a professional organizer to clean the home of the great artist Marva Meier Rios, Lucy soon discovers that Marva is difficult, withdrawn, and an incessant hoarder. Helping Marva sort through her possessions is a challenge made even more difficult when there is a fast-approaching deadline. As the two women work together, Lucy literally uncovers a secret that Marva is hoarding, and Marva learns a thing or two about the detached Lucy. Can the stubborn Marva make room for people in her overcluttered space before it's too late? VERDICT This is a pleasant and engaging novel with likable protagonists who evolve; however, the relationships among the book's other characters aren't as fully explored, and the resolution seems hurried and flat.-Anne M. Miskewitch, Chicago P.L. (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
If things are not people, then why do they seem to matter so much? A hoarder and organizational expert clash in this light, amusing novel from Smolinski (The Next Thing on my List, 2007, etc.). Lucy Bloom, author of Things are Not People, a book no one seems to have read, is ironically bereft of possessions. Aside from her beloved red Mustang, Lucy has sold her home and its contents, using the proceeds to put her teenage son, Ash, in rehab. Admirable, but now Ash won't speak to her and somehow she lost her boyfriend, Daniel, along the way, too. Broke and lonely, Lucy lands a dream job: help Marva Meier Rios clear her house of clutter in 52 days, and she'll have enough cash to get back on her feet. Of course the reclusive artist makes the job impossible, forcing Lucy to debate the merits of every fork, candlestick and flamingo-shaped umbrella holder. Under pressure from Marva's son to get the job done, not to mention pressure from the gorgeous Niko to take a break, Lucy surprises herself by asking Daniel for help. Just as Lucy tries to help Marva de-clutter her house, so Daniel helps Lucy de-clutter her memory. Lucy and Marva must accept that things may not be people, but people do bind themselves to their things with memories and emotions. Only after Marva confesses the big secret of her life--the secret that has bound her past emotions into all of the objects in her home--is she able to let go of the clutter and begin anew. And Lucy may have let go of a lot of things, but she hasn't released the memories--some true, some misremembered--that bind her to Ash and Daniel. A charmingly breezy tone marks this warm appraisal of our addiction to stuff. ]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
