Alice in Bed - by Cathleen Schine (Paperback)

About the Book

In "a sprightly first novel" (John Updike, The New Yorker), "fluently written . . . (in) an engaging voice" (The New York Times Book Review), Schine introduces readers to a convalescent but effervescent heroine imprisoned in the confines of a Manhattan hospital who proves that there is sometimes hilarity in the depths of infirmity.

Book Synopsis

Stricken by a mysterious malady, college sophomore Alice Brody has suddenly lost the use of her legs. How does a bright, beautiful, and now immobile young woman proceed with her passions? As she convalesces in a Manhattan hospital, Alice finds herself attended by a motley group of visitors: indifferent nurses, doctors both good and bad, divorcing parents, and eccentric relatives. But Alice is a creature of many charms, whose wit can enchant those bearing even the worst bedside manner. With a captivating heroine of great comic depth, Cathleen Schine's Alice in Bed is balm for whatever ails you.

Review Quotes

"A sprightly novel. Schine has a real caricaturist's flair." --John Updike, The New Yorker

"Schine has a knack for seeing the reality hiding behind eccentric behavior and for laughing when she might just as easily be in tears....Hilarious!" --Newsweek

"Alice in Bed is so exceptionally funny and beguiling." --The Philadelphia Inquirer

"A fluent writer...an engaging voice...We go on reading briskly because we want to know Alice better." --Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times

About the Author

Cathleen Schine is the author of The Three Weissmanns of Westport, To the Birdhouse, The New Yorkers, and The Love Letter, among other novels. She has contributed to The New Yorker, The New York Review of Books, The New York Times Magazine, and The New York Times Book Review. She grew up in Westport, Connecticut, and lives in New York City and Venice, California.