Mr. and Mrs. American Pie--an Arizona sunset

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Introduction to Mr. and Mrs. American Pie

In honor of this book finally becoming an Apple TV series (although it’s called Palm Royale and seems to only be loosely based on the book), I reread this wonderful comedy. And it has remained wonderful over the last six years! If you’re remotely interested in the Nixon era, beauty pageants, found family, and slightly unhinged heroines, Mr. and Mrs. American Pie is a story for you.

Summary

Maxine Simmons lives in Palm Springs with her “cowboy” (read: cheating, distant, and often-gone) husband, Douglas. She is part of the elite group of women there, and she thrives on the snarky, unspoken competition. However, after she finds out that Douglas is leaving her and has a public breakdown, she finds herself exiled to Arizona.

She quickly makes the best of it and devises a plan: to win the Mrs. American Pie contest, a beauty pageant for exceptional housewives. The only problem? She now lacks a husband and children.

Maxine is resourceful, however, and quickly arranges a new makeshift family with two children in her condominium and a new friend. The story is told between 1969 and 1970 as she does her best to force her way toward victory, causing much humor and antics along the way.

Context

Mr. and Mrs. American Pie is a 2018 debut novel from author Juliet McDaniel. Partially inspired by her own grandmother’s beauty queen title growing up, McDaniel writes about another time–one filled with inequality, hidden identities, and a focus on maintaining the perfect image. McDaniel grew up in Arizona and studied writing in Chicago. She has a background in screenwriting, which lends itself well to the comic drama she creates on the page.

Review: Mr. and Mrs. American Pie

What a fun book.

I thought it the first time, and the thought remains. Thus far, the show has not stayed completely true to the series and has more stuck with Maxine’s character. Don’t get me wrong–Maxine is, as some other characters say, a hoot. However, the story is hilarious and heartwarming all at once, and I hope the series redirects soon to mirror the plot more accurately.

McDaniel starts the book strong. She opens with a picturesque setting: Palm Springs in 1969. Socialites squabble over petty disagreements, subtle barbs thrown between them over lunch. Maxine, our heroine, immediately jumps off the page with her snarky inner commentary. She voices what many of us would likely feel in the same situation:

Mrs. Mary Jones is as unremarkable as her own name.

I look to the brass light fixture hanging over the table and wonder if it could hold my weight, should I choose to hang myself by my Hermes scarf.

What’s truly exciting is that exactly three days from today, it will be my well-appointed guest bath in which some poor soul is sobbing!

Mr. and Mrs. American Pie

Even from this, you get a sense of her character: catty, clever, funny, and a bit vapid. Most importantly, she’s a fun character to follow throughout the story, and McDaniel sets her up for a great growth arc. In fact, Maxine’s growth throughout the story is one of the things I love most about it. Well paced, meaningful, and humorous, it reminded me of Linus Barker’s growth in The House in the Cerulean Sea.

After her breakdown and subsequent move to Scottsdale, Maxine searches for meaning. She makes a friend along the way who helps her to assimilate to her new lifestyle. Additionally, she starts taking care of two children whose mother abandons them. These two together feed into her new master plan: the Mrs. American Pie competition.

“There’s nothing ‘real’ about us, Maxine. We’re as fake as they come.” I point to a brochure photo of a family standing arm in arm at Mount Rushmore. “That’s real.”

“Oh bullshit, Robert. You think these people always look this perfect while picnicking in the park…our fake will at least be realistic.”

Mr. and Mrs. American Pie

Throughout the story, we also hear from two other characters: Robert Hogarth (her fake husband) and Charles Bronski (her fake son). McDaniel handles these different perspectives very well. I wrote about the dangers of this in my review of Family Lore. However, all three characters in this book have their own distinct personalities, voices, and objectives. Nobody ever blends with anyone else, which is the mark of great characterization. She also utilizes them to complement each other and propel the story forward. Maxine was the main character, and that much was clear, but the other perspectives were balanced and moved it forward in a logical and clear way.

As you can tell, this story is hilarious, and there’s a mix of both peak snark and clever satire. It gets funnier once you realize that Robert is gay and Charles is half-convinced that Maxine is a spy from the USSR.

“You wear loafers?” I ask.

Robert quickly points to his shoes, which are indeed loafers. “I bought them at JCPenney–like everyone does.”

“Would you say you stand lightly in those loafers?”

Mr. and Mrs. American Pie

McDaniel does a wonderful job of keeping the satire light while still looking at critical topics of the time: blatant and covert racism, LGBTQ issues, women’s equality, and the radically changing society in those years. Additionally, one thing that I love is that, amidst the pageant antics (reminiscent of Insatiable, a show I truly hope will be brought back), there’s female comradery. Maxine might not be the most saintly of protagonists, but McDaniel does an excellent job of allowing her to connect with the one Black contestant, Mrs. Illinois, in a touching (yet realistic for Maxine) way. It reminded me a little of The Golden Bachelor or The Selection.

That’s another thing that I loved about this book–McDaniel’s ability to keep the story both buoyant and grounded. Even though the story deals with serious topics, there’s never an overly serious or pushy focus on them. Instead, everything works well together. She doesn’t overly prioritize the characters over the plot or vice versa. Nor does she go overboard with the setting. She very naturally uses details to make the period feel relevant and accurate. Everything works cleanly together to create a fun, sweet story about found family and the glory of revenge.

The only thing–and this is very picky–that I didn’t love was that it could be wordy at times. However, this didn’t really detract, so overall, I can’t complain at all!

Recommendations A La Carte

Conclusion

If you’re looking for a book that’s both funny and heartwarming, Mr. and Mrs. American Pie is for you. Full of 60s-70s fun and sassy characters, it’s sure to keep your attention. I can only hope that the TV series lives up to the book itself!

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