Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

I enjoyed this book. Ms Jovin has traveled extensively and compared grammar usage from around thew US. I can't explain it any better than the book blurb.
When Ellen Jovin first walked outside her Manhattan apartment and set up a folding table with a sign reading “Grammar Table,” it took about 30 seconds to get her first visitor. EVERYONE had a question for her. Grammar Table was such a hit—attracting the attention of the New York Times, NPR, and CBS National News—that Ellen soon hit the road, traveling across the U.S. to answer questions from students, retired editors, bickering couples, and anyone else who uses words in this world.

In Rebel with a Clause she tackles what is most on people’s minds, grammatically speaking—from the Oxford comma to things you were never told about dictionaries, the ubiquity of like, common errors in online dating profiles, the likely lifespan of whom, semicolonphobia, and much, much more!

Punctuated with linguistic debates from tiny towns to sprawling state capitals, this is a treasure trove for anyone wishing to shore up their prose or delight in our age-old and universal fascination with language.
This is a perfect gift for teachers. Especially English instructors and anyone interested in grammar.

First, credit for originality is in order to Ellen Jovin for writing the only “light” book about grammar I have ever encountered.

The concept behind this is charming and fun, and while I don’t possess anything near to Jovin’s level of tolerance for dealing with the masses, I enjoyed reading about her interactions as she traveled the country with her husband and her grammar table.

Jovin does a good job of making the book a little bit interactive for the reader as well, sort of a fun series of opportunities to guess the correct grammar on a given topic before she explains it.

As an educational tool this is a bit on the simple side. Great if you’re a bit rough on grammar and need a primer, but personally I would have preferred some more complex and difficult material. Still, it’s a fun read if you’re into language and grammar, and Jovin has a lively and contagious sense of humor.

This was a really enjoyable way to take in bits of grammar that stump us all. The writing was great and I didn't expect a book like this to be so amusing.

On the surface, this is a story about Ellen Jovin, a language expert who travels around the US with her Grammar Table, answering questions, offering advice, and taking complaints. Really, though, it’s a story about the English language today: the rules, the flexibility of those rules, and people’s relationships with those rules—or what they perceive to be the rules. It’s at once a whimsical collection of human interaction stories and a practical resource for anyone interested in language.

When writing about a road trip, it’s tempting to organize the story by location. Jovin, however, opts to organize her book by topic, which is much more useful to the reader. In other words, there’s no single chapter on New York City or Minneapolis or Boise. Rather, there’s a chapter on the Oxford comma, a chapter on subject-verb agreement, a chapter on gerunds versus present participles, and so on. She teaches her grammar lessons to the reader by recounting her stories of teaching the same lessons to the colorful question-askers she encountered on the road. It’s an engaging approach to a book about grammar; more than once, I found myself thinking I was taking part in these interactions.

Jovin’s attitude toward grammar matches mine. She really (I mean really) knows her stuff, but she also knows the rules are constantly changing. She has her own preferences but is openminded. When people ask questions, she answers joyfully rather than scolding them, which is in stark contrast to many of the middle-school English teachers we all had.

Jovin surprises (and, much to my enjoyment, occasionally disappoints) visitors who approach her assuming she’s a stern old schoolmarm only to find she’s truly there to help people. When someone visits the Grammar Table with a complaint or a strong opinion, she’s like a therapist. She makes it a conversation and often asks the visitors questions to help them move toward peace. It’s such a welcoming and refreshing contrast to the strict stance we associate with grammar authorities and the zero-tolerance approach of some less-qualified English usage authors.

Rebel with a Clause is a delight. It’s packed with information and is such an easy read, which is a rare combination. Pick up a copy for yourself and copies for anyone in your life even slightly fascinated by English grammar.

Read it! Gift it! Teach it! Obviously I loved it. Ms. Jovin planted her Grammar Table in all but two states. Much of her expedition — really a cultural and grammar safari — is on tape thanks to her videographer husband. The author weaves funny and heartwarming stories told by Table visitors into grammar lessons we all can use (including people who *ahem* write for a living). It is better than Elements of Style for reference and enjoyment (though Elements had a different mission). Rebel With a Clause reminds me of the Joys of Yiddish, in which the late Leo Roston told stories using some of the most colorful words humans ever created. She has taken the exploration of modern day language up several levels, combining impressively active social media engagement with honest-to-god in person conversations or, if you chose, mere venting. Her stories put a smile on your punim and mnemonic devices in your noggin. Wha? She offers guidance in a way that it sticks with you, is my point. Her writing itself is beautiful. Crisp and clean. Something to emulate (unlike this review). It's on my list to show up at her table one day so I can rant about the spelling or pronunciation of the word triple! I actually get angry about it! And I want to share with her what I can remember from listening to anthropologist Wade Davis' Canadian "Massy Lectures" -- a brilliant series about why, when languages die, a wealth of history and unique insights into what it means to be human die too. ... You will see from the book how welcoming and kind she is, and how educated -- since she can talk grammar in something like a dozen languages. Follow her and get the book! 🙂 And look for the documentary when it comes out. Can't wait! I hope she goes international.

A cheery exploration of the English language and the Americans who must navigate it.

Jovin offered free grammar advice and analysis on a cross-country road trip that was interrupted by the pandemic. Her Grammar Table attracted people with punctuation peeves as well as the grammar curious, and she answered their queries with enthusiasm and illustrative examples. Topics include everything from the Oxford comma to cursive handwriting, and Jovin makes it clear that unsolicited grammar advice and correction can be both unkind and incorrect. As she puts it, “Grammar is varied and complicated, and we need to stay humble before it.”

Overall, this is a very thoughtful book. I love Ellen's project and the advice she includes in the book is useful and interesting. What didn't work for me was the structure of each chapter -- every one is formatted the same, framed around a person or group that asked a question on a common grammar issue. The chapters are short, and after about 20 I started to feel like I was reading that same chapter over and over again: just swapping out the city, the person she interacted with, and their question. I appreciate the attempt to make the grammar information more interesting by coming at it through an anecdote, but in the end they were just too surface level for me. I ultimately just wanted to know the difference between affect and effect, for example, and skim the paragraphs about who was asking it. I do plan to give the book another try once I can read it in print, though!

Fun! I would have liked a bit more information about the author herself, but this was an enjoyable and anecdotal way to explore some of grammar’s tricky bits.

Ellen Jovin, an accomplished grammarian, leads us through American English by relating conversations she’s had across the country at her traveling grammar table. This was such a fun and refreshing way to review grammar. I learned a few things that have been updated since I was in school, too!

I’m a tad embarrassed to realize that I’ve been dating myself by using the double space after the end of a sentence. I’m not quite ready to quit, but am now at least aware.

Overall, I found this a remarkably breezy read, especially considering its topic. I wish I had bumped into her during her journey! Highly recommended to anyone who loves grammar or wants to learn more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mariner Books for access to this ARC. I can’t wait to recommend it upon its release.