Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Mar 2016
296 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publication Information
A modern retelling of Balzac's classic Cousin Bette by one of America's most prolific and significant writers.
Earl, a black, gay actor working in a meatpacking plant, and Bette, a white secretary, have lived next door to each other in the same Greenwich Village apartment building for thirty years. Shamed and disowned by their families, both found refuge in New York and in their domestic routine. Everything changes when Hortense, a wealthy young actress from Ohio, comes to the city to "make it." Textured with the grit and gloss of midcentury Manhattan, The Cosmopolitans is a lush, inviting read. The truths it frames about the human need for love and recognition remain long after the book is closed.
"Starred Review. Simultaneously a realist exploration of a particular milieu, an illustration of the changing roles and possibilities for women at that time, and a series of thoughtful musings on the nature of companionship and platonic love, Earl and Bette's story is also a satisfying revenge narrative and a portrait of an unexpected but vital friendship." - Publishers Weekly
"Starred Review. Jarring and beautiful, this is a modern classic." - Kirkus
"The novel is written in a stilted style Schulman describes as "Britishized American English" that is used to disrupt the false neutrality of contemporary literary fiction. Both the author's subjects and style exist outside of the dominant narratives of U.S. literature and will appeal to readers of contemporary literary fiction looking for something new." - Library Journal
"A deep, smart, and satisfying novel." - Rabih Alameddine, author of An Unnecessary Woman
"This novel is book club gold—weighty dilemmas, unforgettable characters, and a roller-coaster plot!" - Tayari Jones, author of Silver Sparrow
"The psychological insights Schulman shares with artful simplicity will shatter your heart. A masterpiece." - Michelle Tea, author of How to Grow Up
This information about The Cosmopolitans 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.
Sarah Schulman, a novelist, playwright, screenwriter, nonfiction writer, professor, and journalist, has published seventeen books. Her awards include a Guggenheim, Fulbright in Judaic Studies, two American Library Association Book Awards (fiction and nonfiction), and the Kessler Prize for Sustained Contribution to LGBT Studies. She is distinguished professor of the humanities at CUNY, a fellow at the New York Institute for the Humanities at NYU, on the advisory board of Jewish Voice for Peace and faculty advisor to Students for Justice in Palestine.
The House on Biscayne Bay
by Chanel Cleeton
As death stalks a gothic mansion in Miami, the lives of two women intertwine as the past and present collide.
The Stone Home
by Crystal Hana Kim
A moving family drama and coming-of-age story revealing a dark corner of South Korean history.
The Funeral Cryer by Wenyan Lu
Debut novelist Wenyan Lu brings us this witty yet profound story about one woman's midlife reawakening in contemporary rural China.
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
