American Mermaid - by Julia Langbein (Paperback)
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About this item
Highlights
- "Witty and marvelous"(Andrew Sean Greer), this "sublime" debut (NYTBR) tracks a writer adapting her feminist novel into a screenplay must decide which parts of herself are not for sale in a capitalist world run amok.
- About the Author: JULIA LANGBEIN, a sketch and stand-up comedian for many years, holds a doctorate in Art History and is the author of a non-fiction book about comic art criticism (Laugh Lines, Bloomsbury Visual Arts, 2022).
- 336 Pages
- Fiction + Literature Genres, Humorous
Description
About the Book
"A brilliantly funny and razor-tongued debut which follows a writer lured to Los Angeles to adapt her feminist mermaid novel into a big-budget action film, who believes her heroine has come to life to take revenge for Hollywood's violations. Penelope Schleeman, a consistently broke Connecticut high school teacher, is as surprised as anyone when her sensitive debut novel, "American Mermaid"-the story of a wheelchair-bound scientist named Sylvia who discovers that her withered legs are the vestiges of a powerful tail-becomes a bestseller. Penelope soon finds herself lured to LA by promises of easy money to co-write the "American Mermaid" screenplay for a major studio with a pair of male hacks. As the studio pressures Penelope to change "American Mermaid" from the story of a fierce, androgynous eco-warrior to a teen sex object in a clam bra, strange things start to happen. Threats appear in the screenplay draft; siren calls lure people into danger. When Penelope's screenwriting partners try to kill Sylvia off entirely in a bitterly false but cinematic end, matters off the page escalate. Is Penelope losing her mind, or is Sylvia among us? American Mermaid follows a young woman braving a world of casual smiles and ruthless calculation, where she discovers a beating heart in her own fiction--a creature she'll do anything to protect. By turns both a comic and fabulously insightful tale of two female characters in search of truth, love, and self-acceptance as they move between worlds without giving up their voices"--Book Synopsis
"Witty and marvelous"(Andrew Sean Greer), this "sublime" debut (NYTBR) tracks a writer adapting her feminist novel into a screenplay must decide which parts of herself are not for sale in a capitalist world run amok. "I've never read anything quite like it, and I loved it" (Elizabeth Gilbert). Broke English teacher Penelope Schleeman is as surprised as anyone when her feminist, eco-warrior novel American Mermaid becomes a best-seller. But when Hollywood insists she convert her fierce, androgynous protagonist into to a teen sex object in a clamshell bra, strange things start to happen. Is Penelope losing her mind, or has her fictional mermaid come to life, enacting revenge against society's limited view of what a woman can and should be? American Mermaid follows a young woman braving the casual slights and cruel calculations of a winner-take-all society and discovering a beating heart in her own fiction: a new kind of mermaid who will fight to keep her voice and choose her place. Brilliantly sharp, funny and thought-provoking" (Madeline Miller), this "absolute weirdo masterpiece" (Jean Kyoung Frazier)" is "a shapeshifting novel composed of wildly divergent elements [which] succeeds brilliantly" (Tom Perotta).Review Quotes
Named a Most Anticipated Book of the Year by LitHub "Sublime...Langbein intertwines Penny's story with chapters from her own novel, and this book-within-a-book structure allows us to mourn the gap between the novel Penny has written and the version she's told will make a good movie...Langbein's novel considers how we decide who owns a story -- and, far more compelling, how we know when a story succeeds."
--New York Times Book Review "Let this book's gorgeous and unassuming cover draw you into one of the smartest, most hilarious books you've ever read. Julia Langbein has crafted a perfect work of meta-fiction. . . [AMERICAN MERMAID] is so, so smart, toeing the line of the believably absurd. Langbein dazzles with her wholly original, sharply funny voice, making her a must-read author after this homerun fiction debut."
--Iowa Public Radio
"Wildly inventive, this book will get you thinking about artistic integrity as it elicits plenty of snarf-yourself laughs."
--Real Simple
"Funny, smart, and irresistible. . . [American Mermaid] is about striving for success, bearing the costs that come with it and finding your voice again - even when you're the one writing the story. I laughed out loud."
--GMA.com "Clever. . . Langbein has written a sincere novel about art, Hollywood, sexuality, feminism, global warming, the cultural zeitgeist--and managed to do so while entertaining with a modern voice and a light touch of humor."
--Chicago Review of Books
"[A] hilarious novel [about] something serious: a young woman trying to have her voice heard and find her place in a world that seems bent on diminishing her. This story within a story is a shrewd, sardonic look at Hollywood movie making."
--Associated Press
"A funny debut that asks readers to contemplate ambition and the cost of selling out."
--Zibby Mag
"A comedy of wordplay. A superhero adventure. A Hollywood takedown. A hoot and a half. American Mermaid is all of these, and more. So witty and marvelous you won't be able to put it down. So pick it up!"
--Andrew Sean Greer, Pulitzer Prize winning author of Less Is Lost "I was hooked from the first page. American Mermaid is brilliantly sharp, funny, and thought-provoking, the gripping story of a woman trying to find her way in our chaotic world."
--Madeline Miller, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Circe and The Song of Achilles "American Mermaid is shapeshifting novel composed of wildly divergent elements--a biting Hollywood satire, a magical realist book-within-a-book, and a moody meditation on identity and selling out. It probably shouldn't work, but it succeeds brilliantly, thanks to Julia Langbein's tonal control and wicked sense of humor. This is a a debut novel of unusual ambition and scope."
--Tom Perrotta, author of Tracy Flick Can't Win and Mrs. Fletcher "American Mermaid is, like a mermaid herself, a beautiful mix of two things. It is a brilliantly funny and perfectly modern satire, as well as being an elegant exploration of soulfulness, longing and belonging, and the ungovernable wildness of nature herself. I've never read anything quite like it, and I loved it."
--Elizabeth Gilbert, bestselling author of City of Girls "Every time I picked up this book I both laughed out loud and sighed in admiration. Deeply hilarious, delightfully strange, intricately constructed and remarkably satisfying, American Mermaid is sensational."
--Julia May Jonas, author of Vladimir "An absolute weirdo masterpiece. With her debut, Julia Langbein pulls off an impressive tonal tightrope walk that would send a lesser writer stumbling to the ground. American Mermaid manages to be so many things at once--a zany and savage satire about Hollywood, a tale of magical realism, and an aching story about what comes after you achieve your dream, how the depths of your ambition can swallow you whole. This novel is both a pleasure to read and signals the arrival of an exciting new writer to watch."
--Jean Kyoung Frazier, author of Pizza Girl "A salty, sleek and scheming satire, American Mermaid considers dangerous and alluring myths surrounding creative control, compromise and complicity. Told with a caricaturist's energy and dynamism, Langbein's layered narratives gleefully expose Hollywood's ritualized humiliations. Full of skewering, mischievous precision, it is a glittering, baited hook of a novel."
--Eley Williams, author of The Liar's Dictionary "Filled with wit and more than few laugh-out-loud moments...A downright delightful debut novel."
--Booklist (starred review)
About the Author
JULIA LANGBEIN, a sketch and stand-up comedian for many years, holds a doctorate in Art History and is the author of a non-fiction book about comic art criticism (Laugh Lines, Bloomsbury Visual Arts, 2022). She wrote the viral comedy blog The Bruni Digest (2003-7), which reviewed New York Times critic Frank Bruni's restaurant reviews every week, and has since written about food, art, and travel for Gourmet, Eater, Salon, Frieze, and other publications. A native of Chicago, she lives outside of Paris with her family.Dimensions (Overall): 8.0 Inches (H) x 5.2 Inches (W) x .9 Inches (D)
Weight: .55 Pounds
Suggested Age: 22 Years and Up
Number of Pages: 336
Genre: Fiction + Literature Genres
Sub-Genre: Humorous
Publisher: Vintage
Theme: General
Format: Paperback
Author: Julia Langbein
Language: English
Street Date: February 27, 2024
TCIN: 89603528
UPC: 9780593470145
Item Number (DPCI): 247-34-3994
Origin: Made in the USA or Imported
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Shipping details
Estimated ship dimensions: 0.9 inches length x 5.2 inches width x 8 inches height
Estimated ship weight: 0.55 pounds
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5.0 out of 5 stars with 1 reviews
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PhyllisE - 2 years ago
Thanks to Doubleday and NetGalley for a digital advance reader copy. All comments and opinions are my own. This was a surprise for me. I don’t usually choose to read fantasy, and am cautious about debuts, but the description sounded too good to pass up, and the book turned out to be clever, entertaining, witty, and hard to put down. It’s a book within a book, and a screenplay also makes an appearance. The characters were likable (and the villain was appropriately evil). I loved the way symbols and themes appeared and reappeared in the various platforms – the actual book written by Julia Langbein, the fictional novel written by main character Penny, the screenplay adapted by Hollywood scriptwriters. And there was even a mystery as to who was actually editing the screenplay. I tried to describe the story to a friend but discovered it sounded convoluted and confusing and it’s so much better than I could explain. I think it’s best to just read and let the novel/book/screenplay take you where they want you to go – very much like floating on a current in the ocean. And with a story about mermaids, of course there are lots of references to oceans, riptides, and even the Starbucks logo. But there are also humorous observations about teenage girls, satiric portrayals of Hollywood, themes of feminist strength, and a subplot about saving the world from climate change. This is a clever and unique novel that I thoroughly enjoyed, even if I wasn’t sure what actually happened at the conclusion – and that was after I went back and read the last few chapters a second time. It didn’t really matter because it was still a satisfying, “fabulously insightful tale of two female characters in search of truth, love, and self-acceptance as they move between worlds without giving up their voices.” I highly recommend.