This One Is Mine
By Maria Semple
(Back Bay Books, Paperback, 9780316031332, 320pp.)
Publication Date: March 3, 2010
Other Editions of This Title: Hardcover
Categories: General
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Selected by Indie Booksellers for the January 2009 Indie NotablesViolet Parry is living the quintessential life of luxury in the Hollywood Hills with David, her rock-and-roll manager husband, and her darling toddler, Dot. She has the perfect life--except that she's deeply unhappy. David expects the world of Violet but gives little of himself in return. When she meets Teddy, a roguish small-time bass player, Violet comes alive, and soon she's risking everything for the chance to find herself again. Also in the picture are David's hilariously high-strung sister, Sally, on the prowl for a successful husband, and Jeremy, the ESPN sportscaster savant who falls into her trap. For all their recklessness, Violet and Sally will discover that David and Jeremy have a few surprises of their own. THIS ONE IS MINE is a compassionate and wickedly funny satire about our need for more--and the often disastrous choices we make in the name of happiness.
Maria Semple has written for television shows including Arrested Development, Mad About You, and Ellen. She has escaped from Los Angeles and lives with her family on an island off Seattle. This is her first novel.
"Maria Semple
takes on the follies of the posh life in Los Angeles in her sharp, funny first
novel....THIS ONE IS MINE is a delight."?
-Boston Globe
"A fresh, flamboyantly witty new voice."
"Maria Semple writes like a cross between Dorothy Parker and Nathaniel West. This One Is Mine is an uncompromising and trenchantly funny portrait of Los Angeles life that rings uncomfortably true."
"This delightful novel gives pleasure on every page."
"Once I started this book, I couldn't put it down. It is funny, carefully observed, beautifully written, very knowing and in general a real treat. Stop wondering which book to buy. Buy this one."
"Maria Semple's remarkable first novel isn't just a witty, sharp-edged satire about adultery, social climbing, and the absurdities of L.A. On a deeper level, This One is Mine is a complex, unexpectedly moving story about the risks and rewards of love, in all its irrational glory."
"This is a love story with real thorns and a heroine you will weep for."
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