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Critics' Opinion:
Readers' Opinion:
First Published:
Jun 2003, 288 pages
Paperback:
Apr 2004, 304 pages
Beautifully written, bustling with memorable characters and rich in wisdom about the human heart—Elinor Lipman is a masterful novelist working at the top of her game.
Meet poor Alice Thrift, surgical intern in a Boston hospital, high of I.Q. but low in social graces. She doesn't mean to be acerbic, clinical, or painfully precise, but where was she the day they taught Bedside Manner 101? Into Alice's workaholic and romantically challenged life comes Ray Russo, a purveyor of fairground fudge, in need of rhinoplasty and well-heeled companionship, not necessarily in that order. Is he a con man or a sincere suitor? Good guy or bad? His well-engineered cruise into carnal waters introduces Alice to a new and baffling concept, chemistry—and not of the organic kind. Is it possible for a woman of science to cure her own loneliness in the unsuitable arms of a parental nightmare? Luckily, Leo Frawley, R.N., who has a high threshold for Alice's left-footed people skills, and Sylvie Schwartz, M.D., fellow resident and woman of the world, take on the task of guiding Alice through the narrow straits of her own no-rapport zone.
"Almost nobody writes serious entertainment with more panache," said the Chicago Tribune of Elinor Lipman. Now comes the novel Publishers Weekly is calling "surely her best to date...a triumph...a book you can't put down."
The Pursuit of Alice Thrift showcases a rare and generous talent at the top of her witty, irresistible form.
Chapter 1
Tell the Truth
You may have seen us in "Vows" in The New York Times: me, alone, smoking a cigarette and contemplating my crossed ankles, and a larger blurry shot of us, postceremony, ducking and squinting through a hail of birdseed. We didn't have pretty faces or interesting demographics, but we had met and married in a manner that was right for SundayStyles: Ray Russo came to my department for a consultation. I said what I always said to a man seeking rhinoplasty: Your nose is noble, even majestic. It has character. It gives you character. Have you thought this through?
The Times had its facts right: We met as doctor and patient. I digitally enhanced him, capped his rugged, haunted face with a perfect nose and symmetrical, movie-star nostrils—and he didn't like what he saw on the screen. "Why did I come?" he wondered aloud, in a manner that suggested depth. "Did I expect this would make me handsome?"
"It's the way we've been socialized," I said.
"It's not ...
Anita Shreve, author of The Pilot's Wife
Elinor Lipman writes with perfect pitch. I started to underline all the bits of Alice Thrift that either amazed or tickled me, but I finally had to quit there were simply too many. Carol Shields, author of The Stone Diaries
Elinor Lipman's latest novel brings together the rare combination of intelligence, wit, and wisdom. The Pursuit of Alice Thrift is a jewel of a book. Richard Russo, author of Empire Falls
About the best trick any writer can possess is the ability to make everything look easy, even to other writers who know better. Elinor Lipman possesses this gift in spades, and The Pursuit of Alice Thrift treats head, heart, and funny bone with equal respect. Stacy Schiff, author of Véra
This is Elinor Lipman's best novel yet, which I do realize is like saying that Krispy Kreme has finally manufactured an addictive donut. Tom Perrotta, author of Election
The Pursuit of Alice Thrift isn't just beautifully written and bustling with memorable characters and rich in wisdom about the human heart—it's also hilarious and full of surprises. Elinor Lipman is a masterful novelist working at the top of her game. Wally Lamb, author of She's Come Undone
In this, the age of bogus Joe Millionaires and Barbie Doll bachelorettes, Elinor Lipman's The Pursuit of Alice Thrift dares to pose the question Can the frumpy physician find happiness with the unctuous fudgemonger? The answer is, in equal measures, heartfelt and hilarious. Let Joe and Barbie live happily ever after. Lipman writes for the rumpled rest of us. I love this book.
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