When I first read the publisher synopsis for this fiction book and saw the main character was a ghostwriter it was enough of a hook for me to want to read it. I read celeb memoirs frequently and I tend to think more highly of the celebrities who list a co-author on the book cover rather than the ones who want to claim all the credit for themselves without mentioning they hired a ghostwriter. Given the secrecy surrounding ghostwriting I figured this might be a fascinating read.As a single mother

Ghostwriter Allie is used to stepping into someone else’s shoes and wearing their identities for months at a time. This level of method acting or getting into her subject’s head is required for pulling off a convincing read in someone else’s voice. Unlike actresses however, Allie never gets to take the credit for her work. Some charismatic headliner or successful business woman gets to put their pretty picture on the cover of her books and watch their faces climb the best seller lists. But Allie...

"Impersonation" by Heidi Pitlor started off strong, but around the middle mark - this novel became a chore to get through. I am familiar with Pitlor's previous works. I very much enjoyed her last novel, "The Daylight Marriage". It was haunting and disturbing. An excellent thriller. "Impersonation" felt very basic and predictable. I don't even know how to categorize this book. It has a strong literary theme of feminism which I found rather tiresome. I don't think the author really understands wha...

I won this book in a GoodReads giveaway.It’s not a book that I would have picked up to purchase in a store, but was very pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed it. I would not consider myself a feminist. In fact, I’m not a fan of that term. I know what it’s like to deal with so many of these issues tho. I was the only female in a male dominated engineering department for many years. It was a constant struggle... on many fronts. This book captures so many of those struggles. As a mother, yo...

Heidi Pitlor’s new novel, Impersonation, follows a woman as she juggles work, caring for her son, and caring for herself as well. Set to be released on August 18th, this “timely, insightful, and bitingly funny story of ambition, motherhood, and class” takes a look at what life in America is like for one woman at this moment in time.I loved the concept of a ghostwriter being the focus on the novel since it’s a profession not many people know about. However, what seemed to be a story of two women

3.5. I think it was both fascinating and painful. Painful, because I found that in places it literally hurt to read it. I think it was an interesting take on our social and political landscape today, and I found I was both sad, intrigued, and a little sick of it. I am definitely in a time for new hope. But its undeniable, that what has occurred over the last number of years is going to make some interesting backdrops for fiction and subtext commentary.Allie is a ghostwriter. Broke with a young c...

My thanks go to Algonquin Books for the review copy. This book is for sale now. Allie is a single mother and a professional ghost writer. Because her income is sporadic, she picks up money between publishers’ paychecks substitute teaching and landscaping. She’s always broke, always paying the most pressing bill at the expense of others. Then her big break comes, and she’s over the moon. She’s going to write a memoir for a famous feminist, someone she has idolized for many years. The pay is more

This is my first read by Heidi Pitlor.Allie Lang is a ghostwriter. People who can’t write their own books hire Allie to write it for them. She doesn’t get all the fame from writing these books she only gets the money from the contracts; being a single mother this is a risky thing not knowing from one day to another about future contracts. I was not captured by the story line or any of the characters, it was a slow read for me. I really wanted to enjoy it but it didn’t happen. Thank you! Netgalle...

Ghostwriter Allie Lang is hired to write feminist lawyer Lana Breban’s motherhood memoir. Allie tries to create a compelling story though Lana offers her very little to work with, and writes the book while trying to get by, financially, and as a single mom. I really enjoyed the ghostwriting theme in Impersonation but struggled with other aspects — I wanted Allie to stand up for herself and demand that she deserved more, professionally and personally. While it was clear she cared deeply for her s...

This novel is definitely of the moment and that might be to its detriment. It's about a woman in her early forties raising a son alone and working as a ghost writer for prominent personalities, though that work is not lucrative enough to pay the rent and childcare. So it's about economic instability and has a lot of other social issues packed into the story. How to raise empathetic sons, the me-too movement, the deep grief of seeing DJT elected into office, conflicts between mothers and daughter...

I galloped through this book— I’m fascinated by the world of ghost writing, and really enjoyed how politics, mothering, ghost writing and other themes were woven together. Loved the imperfect and three dimensional Allie, the heroine of the book. Her relationship with her son is beautifully drawn; as a mother myself, I think Ms. Pitlor really captures the complexities, depth and intensity of the mother/child relationship. As I read, I kept seeing this as a film, and wanted to cast it— some really...

To be quite honest, this whole book kind of reads as a self-conscious assertion that the author is on the right side of every single divisive hot topic (race, class, feminism, the me too movement, politics, etc.) and yet so much of this—especially race—is handled pretty poorly. If we’re going to set that aside, then the bigger issue is that Allie is an insufferable character who whines 100% of the time, has no ability to set or respect boundaries, and also blames literally everyone else for prob...

I won this book in a Giveaway, but it took me a few weeks to get the nerve to pick it up. The cover is a bit intimidating (dark, science fiction-y) and the summary on the back cover did not excite me.However, once I started reading it, I had a hard time putting it down! The story reads like a memoir, which is fascinating…the protagonist is a ghostwriter for celebrities and public figures while trying to balance single motherhood and dwindling finances. The writing is fantastic, and the story is

Impersonation was an interesting and insightful book. The book explore different topics such as politics, motherhood, feminism, the me too movement and the 2016 Election. Allie Lang hired to write feminist lawyer Lana Breban's memoir. Lana had no interest in her own book or sharing anything about herself with Allie. Both of these women face criticism for their mothering and careers, but there was also a clear class and privilege difference between them. In this way, the book explores how feminis...

Thank you Algonquin Books for this free eARC! Impersonation is about Allie who is a professional ghostwriter among many other jobs she takes on to pay her bills. Allie has complicated relationships with everyone in her life and she’s what some people consider a “hot mess,” but it’s totally relatable. I know what it’s like to be a single mom to a boy so that part of her story really hit home for me. I really enjoyed this book! Besides being about motherhood, politics, and the publishing world, it...