Gorgeous

Gorgeous

Review

"When I wasn't laughing out loud (which was often), I was wiping away a tiny tear."  - Meg Cabot

"Paul Rudnick is a champion of truth and love and great wicked humor, whom we ignore at our peril." - David Sedaris

"[G]leefully wacky and irreverent . . . readers are treated to Rudnick's considerable talents as a satirist as he uproariously eviscerates our celebrity-mad, class-conscious, appearance-obsessed, reality-TV-vapid culture with puckish delight . . . a wicked good time, with moments both outlandish and touching. And as a summer beach read? Well, it's perfect." - Libba Bray, New York Times Book Review

"Rudnick's first Y.A. novel is full of magic, snark, style, heart, and hilarity." - The Atlantic Wire

"Paul Rudnick's young adult debut, Gorgeous, is not a fairy tale. 'Because in real life, fairy tales always end badly.' What it is is a satire sharp as a stiletto heel that takes on celebrity culture, the fashion industry, consumerism, and princess stories. Oh, and it's wickedly hilarious." - Boston Globe

"With writing that's hilarious, profane, and profound (often within a single sentence), Rudnick casts a knowing eye on our obsession with fame, brand names, and royalty to create a feel-good story about getting what you want without letting beauty blind you to what's real." - Publishers Weekly,

 “Acute, wickedly funny observations on appearance and identity punctuate this sprawling, caustic fairy tale that cheerfully skewers the fashion and film worlds and their celebrity-culture spawn. . . . A Cinderella story with a difference, Becky's journey to reconcile her inner household drudge and outer princess starts where most fairy tales end.” - Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Paul Rudnick is a frequent contributer to the NEW YORKER and ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY, as well as an Obie Award-winning playwright, and the screenwriter for ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES and IN & OUT. This is his first young adult novel.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

“My mother loved Marilyn Monroe,” I told the prince.

“As did mine.”

“My mom read all of these trashy books about her.”

The prince paused and then admitted, “As did mine.”

“Really?” I said, tickled at the thought of my mom and Princess Alicia with the same taste in paperbacks.

“And that Warhol fellow also did a portrait of my mum,” the prince told me. “All in bright blue and orange, as if he’d used crayons. If Warhol was still around he’d be after you like mad. The way everyone is. People have been warning me, you know. They claim that you’re a gold-digging, predatory Hollywood siren. They say we’ll end up in the tabloids, shouting drunken filth at each other across a nightclub dance floor. They say that you’ll drag me into a fiendish morass of narcotics and cheap publicity and deviant sexual practices.”

“And what do you tell them?”

“I tell them, ‘God, I hope so.’”

Then he leaned down and kissed me.

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Paperboy

Paperboy

For fan of The King’s Speech and The Help comes a textured novel about a boy who shutter and the summer that changes his life.

An 11-year-old boy living in Memphis in 1959 throws the meanest fastball in town, but talking is a whole different ball game. He can barely say a word without stuttering, not even his own name. So when he takes over his best friend’s paper route for the month of July, he knows he’ll be forced to communicate with the different customers, including a housewife who drinks too much and a retired merchant marine who seems to know just about everything.

The paper route poses challenges, but it’s a run-in with neighborhood junkman, a bully and thief, that stirs up real trouble – and puts the boy’s life, as well as that of his family’s devoted housekeeper, in danger.

Review

“An unforgettable boy and his unforgettable story, I loved it.” – Rob Buyea, author of Because of Mr.Terupt and Mr.Terups Falls Again.

“Paperboy offers a penetrating look at both the mystery and the daily frustrations of stuttering. People of all ages will appreciate this positive and universal story as I did, but it will be particularly meaningful to anyone who has ever struggled with stuttering.” – Jane Fraser, president of The Stuttering Foundation of America.

The well-crafted characters, the hot Southern summer, and the coming-of-age events are reminiscent of To Kill a Mockingbird. But this has added dimension in the way it brilliantly gets readers inside the head of a boy who stutters … This paper boy is a fighter and his hope fortifies and satisfies in equal measure.” – Booklist, Starred.

“ A tense, memorable story”. – Publisher’s Weekly, Starred

“Carefully crafted language, authenticity of setting and quirky characters that ring fully true all combine to make this a worthwhile read … An engaging and heartfelt presentation that never whitewashes the difficult time and situation as Little Man comes of age.” – Kirkus Reviews

“Vawter portrays a protagonist so true to a disability that one cannot help but empathize with the difficult world of a stutterer. Yet, Victor’s story has much broader appeal as the boy begins to mature and redefine his relationship with his parents, think about his aspirations for the future, and explore his budding spirituality. The deliberate pacing and unique narration make Paperboy a memorable coming-of-age novel.” – School Library Journal

“The protagonist tells his tale in short paragraphs that capture the way he imagines his own fluent speech – articulate, economical, and completely devoid of commas, since there are already too many pauses in his actual speech. Confidence born of his weeks of accomplishment eases his stutter somewhat, and readers will offer quiet but heartfelt congratulations when he finally utters his own name, which begins with the letter most difficult for him to pronounce.” – The Bulletin, Recommended

About the Author

 VINCE VAWTER, a native of Memphis, retired after a 40-year career in newspapers, most recently as the president and publisher of the Evansville Courier & Press in Indiana. Paperboy is his first novel.

Source: amazon.com

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