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Published May 2015
288 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
Gripping and provocative, The Life and Death of Sophie Stark is a haunting story of fame, love, and legacy told through the propulsive rise of an iconoclastic artist. Sophie Stark begins her filmmaking career by creating a documentary about her obsession, Daniel, a college basketball star. But when she becomes too invasive, she finds herself the victim of a cruel retribution. The humiliation doesn't stop her. Visionary and unapologetic, Sophie begins to use stories from the lives of those around her to create movies, and as she gains critical recognition and acclaim, she risks betraying the one she loves most.
Told in a chorus of voices belonging to those who knew Sophie best, The Life and Death of Sophie Stark is an intimate portrait of an elusive woman whose monumental talent and relentless pursuit of truth reveal the cost of producing great art. It is "not only a dissection of genius and the havoc it can wreak, but also a thunderously good story" (Emma Donoghue).
"North's nuanced prose and emphasis on characterization result in a thoughtful, moving read that explores the creative process and its effects on relationships." - Publishers Weekly
"An engaging exploration of what it takes to make art and, more importantly, what it takes to love those who make it." - Kirkus
"As taut and artistically ambitious as its title character, North's novel upends the trope of the lone, tortured genius, considering instead the deeply human consequences of one person's uncompromising vision." - Booklist
"I read The Life and Death of Sophie Stark with my heart in my mouth. Not only a dissection of genius and the havoc it can wreak, but also a thunderously good story." – Emma Donoghue, author of Room
"Anna North is a natural, butter-smooth storyteller, and The Life and Death of Sophie Stark is an elegant, kaleidoscopic look at a challenging artist and at the way our lives are, in some respects, only silhouettes made from the perceptions of those who know us." - Maggie Shipstead, author of Seating Arrangements
"This novel isn't just a character study...it's a story of art, manipulation, and dependence. And, in its unique and satisfying structure, it's a narrative high wire act, deftly executed." - Rebecca Makkai, author of The Hundred-Year House and Music for Wartime
"A wonderful novel about art and passion and how we accommodate the other." - Margot Livesey, author of The Flight of Gemma Hardy
This information about The Life and Death of Sophie Stark was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Photo: Seth Pomerantz
Anna North grew up in Los Angeles and now lives in Brooklyn. She studied classics in college, and is a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop
North is the author of America Pacifica and The Life and Death of Sophie Stark, which received a Lambda Literary Award in 2016. She has been a writer and editor at Jezebel, BuzzFeed, Salon, and the New York Times, and she is now a senior reporter at Vox.
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