It's a little last minute, but I just got a heads up that Elaine Dundy is reading at one of our great local bookstores, Book Soup, Tuesday night (8/14) at 7pm.
At the Book Soup website entry for this event, it says:
ELAINE DUNDY, with film critic KEVIN THOMAS, discuss and sign copies of THE DUD AVOCADO
The Dud Avocado follows the romantic and comedic adventures of a young American who heads overseas to conquer Paris in the late 1950s. Edith Wharton and Henry James wrote about the American girl abroad, but it was Elaine Dundy' s Sally Jay Gorce who told us what she was really thinking.
Charming, sexy, and hilarious, The Dud Avocado gained instant cult status when it was first published and it remains a timeless portrait of a woman hell-bent on living. (NYRB)
My fabulous book group picked The Dud Avocado (New York Review Books Classics)
as one of our summer reads, and I really enjoyed it. Someone had pitched it to me as Breakfast at Tiffany's in Paris, and that's not too far off the mark. I found the book's narrator, 21-year-old Sally Jay Gorce, to be a witty force of nature, by turns naive and knowing, and her adventures are very entertaining. I laughed out loud, which, for me, is high praise for any book. And the writing is not just funny, it's smart. I also was fascinated to read a little bit about the author's life in the afterword. I'd love to hear her speak, so if I can get a babysitter, I'll be there.
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9 comments:
Wowee, I'm terribly behind on reading your posts. Looks like you got your motivation back, yes?
bookfool--Somehow it's been a little easier the last couple of days! I guess it's a little flurry of activity before I leave on Saturday for a much-needed end-of-the-summer vacation :)
I'm going to have to see if the library has this one; it sounds charming! Hope you can manage to hear the author.
jenclair--it's a fun read, and I hope I get there tonight, too!
I enjoy book reading even if I'm not familiar with the author or the book. It's one of the best ways to wind down the day and relax. I miss going to book reading because now that I'm obligated to TA, to be reader for the class and keep busy on the dissertation, my schedule often conflicts with booking reading.
The title of the book is hilarious and attention-grabbing alone, and the content sounds wonderfully funny. Thanks for spotlighting it!
matt--I feel the same way about author readings, but of course I didn't get there last night, life being what it is--busy!
heather--I like the title, too, and it was way into the book before the meaning was revealed. It's a funny book, I enjoyed it!
I am glad I have found someone else who loves this book! I read it years ago now but have never found anyone else who had read it or even heard of it! Brilliant book, definitely recommend it to anyone who hasn't read it.
I'm so glad you enjoyed the book - I loved it! and fancy Elaine Dundy coming to a bookstore near you! She must be quite elderly now, though, surely? Bet she's still fun.
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