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The Mighty Queens of Freeville: a Mother, a Daughter, and the Town that Raised Them
Amy Dickinson
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If you never thought a story that begins with a divorce could be uplifting, you clearly haven’t read Amy Dickinson’s new book, The Mighty Queens of Freeville: a Mother, a Daughter, and the Town that Raised Them.

Amy Dickinson, better known as the syndicated advice columnist Ask Amy, begins her tale of single life with her daughter (and their orange cat) by describing the last days of her marriage, though she quickly moves on to cozier fare. We learn first hand of how she became an advice columnist, how she chose the house in the quaint-but-not-too-cute “Freeville” (the pseudonym of her hometown, where many relatives, including the women her daughter named the Mighty Queens, still live), and how she balances vacation life there with a more metropolitan life in Washington, D.C.

The Dickinson uses in this memoir is upbeat and spunky, but also candid, and while she veils identities, there is no sense that she’s hiding relevant information. We cringe with her on a bad date, and laugh when her daughter calls her cell phone to bail her out of it. As well, we taste the popcorn during her outdoor movie nights in Freeville, hear the cheery clatter of the weekly breakfast with the family at the local diner, and mourn with her when the cat finally breathes his last (at an advanced age).

I must confess, I’m not a reader of advice columns, but if Ask Amy is as well written as this book, I may have to start.

Melissa A. Bartell earns her living by writing articles for an SEO marketing firm, and dabbles in essays and fiction on the side. She lives near Dallas, TX with her husband, two dogs, and more computers than anyone really needs. She is the Managing Editor here at All Things Girl. Find out more about her on our About Page.

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