Enthusiasm - by Polly Shulman (Paperback)

About the Book

A first-time novelist pens a Jane Austen-inspired romantic comedy of errors as two girls get a part in the boys' school musical. What follows is a series of misinterpreted--and missed--signals, dating mishaps, and awkward incidents. This edition includes a discussion guide.

Book Synopsis

Prepare to fall in love with this "wry and engaging" (Booklist) young adult romance as it rekindles your own fervor for life, friendship, and the wonders of true love.

"When someone asks for a reading suggestion, Enthusiasm is the first word off my tongue."--Stephenie Meyer, author of the Twilight Saga

"Enthusiasm, like Pride and Prejudice, bubbles over with romantic misunderstandings and comic confusion."--The New York Times Book Review

There is little more likely to exasperate a person of sense than finding herself tied by affection and habit to an Enthusiast.

Julie's best friend, Ashleigh, veers wildly from one obsession to the next, dragging Julie along on her crazy schemes. Then Ashleigh picks a new obsession, Jane Austen's great love story, Pride and Prejudice, which just so happens to be Julie's one and only passion. With Ashleigh's encouragement, Julie finds herself sneaking into a dance at an all-boys' prep school clad in a vintage frock and ready to dance the quadrille. But when both girls fall for the handsome and gallant Grandison Parr, Julie will have to choose between loyalty and love. Or will Ashleigh's embarrassing antics drive their Mr. Darcy away before Julie gets the chance?

Review Quotes

"When someone asks for a reading suggestion, Enthusiasm is the first word off my tongue."--Stephenie Meyer, author of the Twilight Saga

"Enthusiasm, like Pride and Prejudice, bubbles over with romantic misunderstandings and comic confusion."--The New York Times Book Review

"Enthusiasm has the makings of an instant classic!"--TIME

"A fanciful romance . . . delightfully wholesome."--Newsday

"Wry [and] engaging . . . an impressive first novel."--Booklist, starred review

"A charming romantic comedy!"--School Library Journal

"Witty exchanges, comic errors and miscommunications that could be taken right out of a Jane Austen novel. Readers [will be] caught up in this debut novel's romantic whimsy and humor."--Publishers Weekly

"Equal parts romance and farce, this novel is an enjoyable read. Julie's wry voice and self-deprecating humor will make the conclusion satisfying."--VOYA

About the Author

Polly Shulman is also the author of The Grimm Legacy (a Bank Street Best Book and Mythopoeic Fantasy Award Finalist) and its companion novel, The Wells Bequest. She has written for many newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times, Discover, Newsday, Salon, Slate, Smithsonian, Scientific American, Archaeology, and The Village Voice. She has never dared to crash a dance, but when she was in high school she sometimes wrote her math homework in rhyme and meter. She majored in math at Yale and grew up in New York City, where she lives with her husband in a tall old building guarded by gargoyles.