Available:*
Library | Item Barcode | Call Number | Material Type | Item Category 1 | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Searching... | 30000004995845 | PR9639.3.B665 B66 2002 | Open Access Book | Creative Book | Searching... |
Searching... | 30000004995837 | PR9639.3.B665 B66 2002 | Open Access Book | Creative Book | Searching... |
On Order
Summary
Summary
Originally published in New Zealand and in the UK, Brandt's hilarious first novel about life, love, and the film business delves into the mind and mystery of the modern adult male.
Reviews 2
Publisher's Weekly Review
Fredrick Case, a 42-year-old would-be film producer, wastes his days screening rotten scripts ("thou art passing spunky in those tight's" [sic] reads one particularly egregious bit of dialogue) for a London production company. A charming loafer, he's used to sponging off his parents back home in New Zealand and basking in the attentions of his beautiful wife, the up-and-coming actress Sophie Carlisle. Too bad Mom isn't gonna send money anymore and Sophie's just left him for her dashing co-star, Matt Chalmers. It's time to take control! Which Frederick does with lovable buffoonery, as he plans to pursue Sophie to her rich friend's birthday celebration held on the volcanic island of Makulalanana. He knows from a fan Web site that Sophie is pregnant-and so the plot thickens. But what will the genre of this tale be? Frederick is crossing his fingers for romantic comedy. Amid a celebratory weekend planned by the friendly folks at Ecstatic Experiences Ltd., Frederick, aided by a delightful prostitute and new friend, Melissa, tries to win Sophie back and determine the paternity of her unborn child. Punctuated by excerpts from brilliantly bad screenplays and crackling dialogue, Frederick's comic adventures make a sophisticated light read for the cold heart of winter. Agent, Dan Mandel. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Library Journal Review
At 42, Frederick Case doesn't have much to show for his life, and his dreams of cinematic glory are fading fast. His career has stalled at being a low-level script evaluator while his estranged wife, Sophie, is now a major movie star. So how does this basically nice guy turn his life around? Seizing on an invitation to a hedonistic weekend party, Frederick schemes to rekindle his marriage. The result is a plot that channels Bridget Jones via Pretty Woman. Like Bridget, Frederick is good at self-deprecating humor, getting caught in awkward moments, and tallying problem behavior, though he is more inclined to monitor his blood pressure than calories. He hires a pretty young prostitute and fellow New Zealander to play his new love and proceeds to stumble through paradise before emerging on the other side a wiser and more focused soul. The result is a light first novel that might have fared better as a movie. Recommended for larger fiction collections.-Jan Blodgett, Davidson Coll. Lib., NC (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
