Girls Aloud

Once Ellie Gillman waves her husband off on his grand adventure—a cross-country bicycle trip to publicize the perils of climate change—she realizes she's got her own environment to take care of: the environment of her home, her daughters, and her cozy New England town. While Scott Gillman pedals his way to fame and glory, Ellie mops up the messes of day-to-day living.

The house has a roof problem. The town has a litter problem. Ellie's boss is a walking, talking problem. Ellie's best friend has marital problems. Teenager daughter Abbie is turning rebellious, and younger daughter Misha is devastated when a good friend forms a club with a bunch of his buddies to celebrate her father's bike ride and forbids her from joining. Why? Because, he messages her, “No Girls Aloud.”


Forget about that. Ellie and her daughters are going to be “aloud.” They're going to make noise. As Ellie learns, if a girl wants to be heard, she has to speak up, speak out, and bang some pots and pans.




Genre: General Fiction

"Please make a point of meeting the Gillman family. Scott, the husband and father, is busy saving the world from the ravages of climate change by pedaling his recumbent bike around the United States on a summer-long tour. His wife, Ellie, and daughters Misha and Abbie, are busy saving everything else. Judith Arnold is such a terrific writer and such a gifted observer of American family life. She sees and illuminates the everyday drama of friendships, plugged toilets, weather-related mishaps, and workplace treacheries. As the titular "Girls Aloud" confront the rigors of getting by without the immediate presence of Scott, they come to the slow realization that they're neither powerless nor hobbled. Indeed, they have talents to assert, love to share, and a recasting of the order to impose. Arnold's fine prose--always on point, occasionally hilarious, never intrusive--carries the story along with a knowing and deft touch. This is a fine novel." - Craig Lancaster

"Wise and funny and smart, Girls Aloud is a bright feminist tale of a woman coming into her own power to find her voice. Populated with lively, real-life characters and the daily problems of modern life, it's a book that's guaranteed to make you cheer." - Barbara O'Neal

"As always, Judith Arnold's prose is captivating. I stopped many times to enjoy a beautiful phrase or an apt metaphor. And throughout the book is Arnold's trademark humor. I smiled as I read this wonderful novel. Another winner here that makes the world a better place!" - Kathryn Shay