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    Elements of Style: A Novel
    Unavailable
    Elements of Style: A Novel
    Unavailable
    Elements of Style: A Novel
    Audiobook (abridged)6 hours

    Elements of Style: A Novel

    Written by Wendy Wasserstein

    Narrated by Cynthia Nixon

    3/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    From the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and author of the essay collection Shiksa Goddess ("Utterly delicious"-Judith Thurman), a dazzling debut novel, a comedy about New York's urban gentry living in a post-9/11 world-the arbiters of fashion and the doyennes of charity balls; about the rich and the nouveau rich(er), the glamorous and the desperate to be.

    We meet Francesca Weissman, the Upper East Side pediatrician rated number one by Manhattan magazine, who takes us into the upper strata of privilege and aspiration (she's originally from Queens with a father in hosiery; life on the fringes of glittering New York is fine with her) . . . Samantha Acton, thoroughbred descendant of the Van Rensselaers and the Carnegies, who defines the social order in the great tradition of Mrs. Astor and Babe Paley . . . Judy Tremont from Modesto, California, daughter of a cop-her life's work, her obsession, is New York society and its richest families . . . Barry Santorini, Republican, moviemaker, winner of twelve Oscars, and his wife, the Italian supermarket heiress and former media rep for Giorgio Armani . . . and many more.

    As Elements of Style opens out, we see a madcap mosaic of the social lives and mores of twenty-first century Manhattan-of romance, work, family, and friendship. Satiric, fierce, touching-and deliciously Wasserstein.

    "Pure Wendy! She effortlessly makes the leap from stage to page with a novel that is loving, compassionate, flat-out funny. Wendy loved the word 'scintillating,' which is the best way to describe her stunning Elements of Style."
    -John Guare

    "Wasserstein gets the trappings and tribulations (of friendship and of romance) right, making her depiction of the rich and fab trying to connect with one another witty and entertaining."
    -Publishers Weekly

    "Bold, nimble, and funny to its fingertips, Elements of Style is a delight, a triumph. A book that no self-respecting New Yorker should be without. Those cursed with the hell of multiple residences will self-evidently need several copies-and spares, for houseguests."
    -Flora Fraser


    From the Hardcover edition.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateApr 18, 2006
    ISBN9780739333679
    Unavailable
    Elements of Style: A Novel

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    Reviews for Elements of Style

    3/5

    99 ratings8 reviews

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    • 3/5
      Elements of Style follows the lives of several of New York’s Upper East Side socialites and their families in the year following 9/11. The back cover calls this book a comedy and describes it as “madcap”. I didn’t think it was humorous at all. Most of the characters are selfish, vapid and materialistic (which I expected seeing as they are wealthy society people) but in a sad and pathetic way, not in a funny way. I expected this to be a fun, chick-lit book and was disappointed.I listened to the audio version of this book. The audio production was good and the narrator, Kathe Mazur, did a fine job.
    • 3/5
      It was a little lame, but I still liked it. I was expecting more from Wendy, but the poor thing is no longer with us, so ....
    • 3/5
      Just OK...it took a long time to get moving, and I began to wonder if the story would ever get past introducing the myriad of selfish, rich characters and their Birkin bags. And even then the plot finally started, it was not a surprise really. Oh, surprising things happened but only if you were surprised that these people treated each other so badly.
    • 4/5
      Practically the whole time I was reading this book, I thought it was enjoyable enough, but kind of pointless. Then I got to the end, and realized I had been reading The Great Gatsby all along, and it became absolutely fascinating! The more I think about this book, the more I like it. I love the way Gatsby was transformed into a woman, and the relationship between the Gatsby character and the rich heiress transformed into an idolatry/friendship. I love many things about this book that I can't talk about without talking about the end, but suffice to say the end totally makes the book. There really is great genius here that is easy to miss. I borrowed this from the library, but I think I will have to go out and buy a copy for my own library.
    • 3/5
      Again another book I read during recovery. this one I enjoyed the first half and absolutley HATED the second half. I'm not convinced it was even written by the same person it sucked so bad. IT had not point and at the end of the book I just wanted to through it across the room- angry for wasting my time. WTH???
    • 3/5
      This is a good light read. It is especially entertaining for people who know a lot about fashion and high society. It is label driven so it helps to be interested in the fashion industry. I found the ending a bit ridiculous and a lot of the story was very over the top, but it was overall entertaining.
    • 1/5
      i did manage to finish this novel, despite its roster of utterly unlikeable characters and its clunky form and many strangely clumsy passages. i love wendy wasserstein, but i didn't love this book.
    • 5/5
      This was Wasserstein's last piece before her death: it is fabulous!