Books › A Girl Named Zippy
A Girl Named Zippy
304 pages
A hilarious, sun-dappled stroll through a quirky Midwestern childhood where the adults are just as delightfully feral as the kids.
What it feels like
Reading this memoir feels like sitting on a porch swing with a master storyteller who has a knack for making the mundane absolutely hilarious. The pace is steady and inviting, unfolding as a series of sharply observed, affectionately deadpan vignettes about growing up in a tiny Midwestern town. It wraps the reader in a cozy, sun-warmed nostalgia that never tips into saccharine territory, thanks to a wry narrative voice that perfectly captures the absurdity of the adult world through a child's watchful eyes. The prose is conversational but meticulously crafted for comedic timing, making it a delight for anyone who loves character-driven, slice-of-life stories. It is a warm, gently chaotic celebration of family quirks, community bonds, and the feral freedom of a bygone childhood.
- Mood
- cozy
- sun-warmed
- gently chaotic
- Tone
- wry
- affectionate
- deadpan
- nostalgic
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- small-town eccentricity · childhood innocence · family quirks · midwestern Americana
- The writing
- The writing is conversational and sharp, delivering deadpan Midwestern humor with impeccable comedic timing.
- The arc
- The narrative ambles through the chaotic wonder of early childhood, arriving at a warm, humorous appreciation for the eccentricities of the adult world.
- Who it's for
- Anyone who delights in witty, slice-of-life memoirs about unconventional families and the peculiar charm of small-town life.
Content notes
- animal death
- mild childhood peril
About the book
When Haven Kimmel was born in 1965, Mooreland, Indiana, was a sleepy little hamlet of three hundred people. Nicknamed "Zippy" for the way she would bolt around the house, this small girl was possessed of big eyes and even bigger ears. In this witty and lovingly told memoir, Kimmel takes readers back to a time when small-town America was caught in the amber of the innocent postwar period - people helped their neighbors, went to church on Sunday, and kept barnyard animals in their backyards.
Laced with fine storytelling, sharp wit, dead-on observations, and moments of sheer joy, Haven Kimmel's straight-shooting portrait of her childhood gives us a heroine who is wonderfully sweet and sly as she navigates the quirky adult world that surrounds Zippy.
Description from Open Library.
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