Ali's Well That Ends Well

April 15, 2022
A collection of comedic vignettes about life during the Covid-19 lockdown. In her latest book, actor and comedian Wentworth focuses on her life during the first year of the pandemic. The author contracted the virus in March 2020, forcing her to spend more than two weeks in isolation. She describes her surreal experience getting tested and the even more bizarre "fever dreams" that accompanied her illness, and she recounts how her husband's (ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos) trip to the pharmacy to pick up her medicine made tabloid news. Wentworth also explores how our housecleaning standards changed for many of us during lockdown, and she shares the shock she felt regarding the state of her home when she emerged from isolation: "It was on par with a frat house after March Madness. It was Animal House. Literally and figuratively. As of that moment I wanted to put my family on double secret probation." Like many of us, the author picked up some new hobbies during that time, including gardening and clamming ("Like diving for shells, there is a treasure-hunt element to the endeavor that I find irresistible"), and ate lots of junk food--not to mention spending an inordinate amount of time surfing the internet and watching TV. Once restrictions lifted, Wentworth ventured back out into the world, and she writes about getting lost and seeing a bear on a girls' hiking trip and playing charades with Alan and Arlene Alda, Alec Baldwin, Marlo Thomas, and Phil Donahue. The author also shares poignant experiences from the time, including sending her daughter to college. "Think Cast Away, with my daughter as Wilson the volleyball," she writes. While many readers will find plenty of relatable and/or laugh-out-loud moments, the author's stories frequently diverge from the topic and include random, head-scratching details. A light, amusing work for fans of Wentworth's quirky sense of humor.

COPYRIGHT(2022) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from April 25, 2022
Comedian Wentworth (Happily Ali After) strikes gold in this hilarious, touching, and wonderfully frank look at her life during the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic. Hers is a warts and all tale, filled with amusing takes on everything from a missing neighborhood dog to indulging in episodes of Love Island Australia. Not much is off limits, and even more serious topics, including her lengthy battle with Covid, are wryly rendered: “Empty glasses were piling up on the side table, and my body was constantly exfoliated by all the saltine cracker crumbs in my bed.” She also writes of long, leisurely family dinners; less-than-bountiful attempts at gardening; her famous husband, Good Morning America coanchor George Stephanopoulos, who, much to her dismay, can’t manage to close kitchen cabinets (“during the global plague of our lifetime... he grabs his granola and LEAVES THE DOOR WIDE OPEN!”); and offers a tale of two very different neighbors that sardonically explores how the best and worst of humanity can arise in a time of crisis. Throughout, Wentworth delivers her quips and quibbles with a perceptive insight that’s sure to keep fans entertained while knowingly nodding their heads. Life for Wentworth is one big adventure, and lucky for readers, she brings them along for the ride.