Marjorie Moore always wants more—and as a result, often feels she ends up with less. Forever searching elsewhere, she is consumed with wanting, or in her opinion, needing. Feeling trapped by her town and her family, she escapes through shopping, pill popping, and fantasizing about a possible affair with a friend from high school. Her growing credit card debt “forces” her to sell prescription … drugs—which she secures at her receptionist job at the local hospital—to her dysfunctional friends. As her web of lies at home and work unravels, Margie struggles to become present in her own life. Astute and provocative, Grotheim’s prose captures many of life’s dichotomies—duplicity versus authenticity, recklessness versus stability, and searching versus finding—in this moving debut novel.
“Grotheim has penned a wonderful debut, a first novel full of compassion and insight, comedy and love. Beautifully and honestly observed, this tale is a cautionary one, exhorting us to wake up from our distractions and addictions before it is too late, before we let our precious lives slip away.”
—Jonathan Ames, author of Wake Up, Sir! and The Extra Man
“I was thrilled to discover this engaging and original new voice. The writing is powerful, and the story hooked me from beginning to end, as Margie embarks on a relentless quest to feel fulfilled. Tragic and also humorous at times, the story is on many levels a brilliant exploration of the self.”
—Andrea Rothman, author of The DNA of You and Me
“Captivating, compulsive, darkly comedic, a portrait of American consumption, our driving desires for more—and where they lead us.”
—Royal Young, author of Fame Shark
“The Year Marjorie Moore Learned to Live is a hilarious, dark twisted little masterpiece.”
—Susan Shapiro, author of What’s Never Said and Overexposed
“Grotheim’s lyrical writing sets readers on a wild ride through the Texas heat to meet Marjorie Moore, an endearing character we love in spite of her flaws. Margie wants a perfect life that doesn’t exist. In Grotheim’s deft hands, this touching novel shows us magic can happen when we stop searching for it.”
—Kim Masson, best-selling Amazon author of Craig’s List Chronicles byte-size tales
“Grotheim writes unflinchingly about life’s letdowns—and how we come back from them—with infectious humor. She has crafted a character to whom we can all relate, and whom we love not only in spite of her imperfections, but because of them.”
—Kera Yonker, founder of Final Word
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I adored this book. There were moments it hit a little close to home regarding the way it explores how easy it is to become complacent in life and fail to realize all of the blessings we have right in front of us. I appreciated how the author tackled such a heavy subject with care and with absolutely relatable characters.
Marjorie is an amazing, flawed protagonist but her flaws are treated with compassion and understanding (which makes it so powerful). I loved that she was able to grow, change, and evolve in the book and didn’t remain stuck in her misery.
The writing was lovely and kept me heavily engaged in the story. It was definitely a page-turner – I was anxious to see what ended up happening in Marjorie’s life. I highly recommend this book for those who enjoy contemporary fiction.
Author Christie Grotheim takes readers into the world of suburban housewife Marjorie Moore, a walking train-wreck of a woman. Marjorie lives in Prairie Mound but feels drawn to the bright lights of the nearby big city of Dallas. She works as an admissions clerk in the local emergency room and is well-liked and well-respect in her role there. It’s the rest of her life that is off-kilter. She has nightly insomnia for which she takes one of several drugs which she rates by the effects each has on her: does she drift to sleep, float away, or sleep dead-to-the-world.
Marjorie tries to assuage her deep desires to be something other than what she is that she wall-papers her home with photos torn from design magazines for the latest and greatest furniture, sconces, hanging lights, etc. Joining those are pictures of children’s clothing, etc in her kids’ rooms. She is a shopaholic and, since her math skills are limited, never pays much attention to the growing totals of her purchases or the final balance on her credit card.
Loaded with tons of emotional baggage, she nonetheless is charming, but ultimately delusional, trying to fill gaps in herself with medications and material objects while not appreciating what she has: a nice home, a terrific hard-working husband, and two great kids. The Year Marjorie Moore Learned to Live is an easy-to-read condemnation of our current society focused on blatant consumerism and self-medication.
In unique story of our time, Marjorie Moore, a forty year old woman living in suburban Dallas with her solid, boring husband and two disappointing children, is perpetually unsatisfied. Much like U2’s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” a song from her childhood, she’s constant striving to be prettier, richer and more perfect in every way. Obsessed with Facebook and Pinterest, Majorie constantly scrolls to find things to make her happy, always comparing what she has to what she sees online. Her life—her appearance, her children, her job, her husband—could surely be better if she just tried harder.
“The one thing Majorie Moore knew for sure was that she wanted more. More excitement. More passion. More adventure.”
She spends to excess, pops pills liberally, and even starts a flirtation with a former crush, the star of her high school football tea. Surely some of these things will bring her a feeling of success and satisfaction, right? But when Marjorie’s choices lead to more disappointment, she’s forced to reevaluate her life and decide what’s truly important.
Grotheim’s unique and authentic debut novel is funny and sharply insightful about our current culture of perfection. In the age of social media, we always feel like we’re competing with other people’s carefully curated images, while we are looking at our real selves in the mirror, sans filter. I enjoyed every witty insight, while also feeling vaguely uncomfortable with how close her observations land. This is a book for anyone who has ever struggled to accept anything less than perfection.